Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 13, 2017

Pass Down The Baton of Love

“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”  Proverbs 17:22a (NIV)

 

When our boys were small, we used to play silly games with them while on road trips. One of those games was called “duck.” Simply put, any time we spotted a bridge or viaduct, we were supposed to duck in the vehicle as to not “hit our heads.” Silly, right? You bet! But oh, many were the fun trips we took with our beloved threesome, and I always soaked in the laughter and giggles that went on in our vehicle. I would not trade those days for anything in the world, because our children felt love and cared about.

 

Being the mother of three sons has been my biggest achievement. Being a parent was something I had always looked forward to, so when I was blessed with my boys, the most important title I could take on for myself was “mom.” When I took my children to the park, it was not uncommon to see me playing hide-and-go-seek, duck-duck-goose, and soccer with them. I also would climb on monuments such as old war tanks and firetrucks, skip rocks on ponds, or anything else my body would endure, so I could be part of my children’s day. Despite any hard times or hurdles we faced, family time was of utmost importance.  We were often found piled up in a bed watching a movie together or playing outside as a family. We always instilled in our boys the importance of cherishing time together and supporting one another.

 

But then, one by one, the little birds grew and flew off the nest. Today, my sons are doing important (fun) things with their own children. When I visit or speak with them via Skype, I can hardly contain myself from jumping in my car and driving to them, so I can experience those giggles and laughter in person.

 

Children are such a precious gift from the Lord. Love on your little ones and show them how to love the Lord. They don’t stay children forever. One day, when they are grown, they will model that instilled love to their own children and you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

 

“Lord, help us to love and cherish our heritage as a gift from you, passing down good values, faith, and love down to each generation to come.”

 

For His Glory

 

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Spiritual Living, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 12, 2017

When We Find Ourselves In A Predicament

“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.” Daniel 2:20,23 (NLT)

Daniel was in a predicament. The future of all the wise men of the kingdom depended on Daniel interpreting the king’s dream. One minor problem: the king expected Daniel to interpret a dream without knowing what the dream was about.

Have you ever been faced with a seemingly impossible task? When my husband and I moved into our house, we were met with a yard blanketed in leaves. We should have anticipated this greeting when we noticed the shed carried not one, but four rakes. We raked for hours with only nominal change. A small cleared section disappeared by the time we were ready to tackle another section the next morning. Blowing the leaves didn’t work either since we were fighting ever-present rain showers that dampened and weighed down the leaves. At his wit’s end, my husband came to a solution: “Is it really necessary to get rid of the leaves? Do we really need grass? Or can we just let the grass die under the leaves?”

Stan to the rescue! At the suggestion of a friend, we contacted a gardener who spent the entire day blowing, raking, and hauling leaves to the street for pickup. He had more experience than we did. He had better tools for the job. In short, Stan was better equipped to handle our predicament.

Daniel was not equipped to handle the predicament in which he found himself. God was. After asking his friends to join him in praying for a miracle, God revealed the secret of both the dream and its meaning in a vision that very night. Our key verses record the praise Daniel expressed to God. God has all wisdom and power. He reveals His wisdom and strength to us.

Whatever predicament we may find ourselves in, God alone possesses the wisdom and strength we need. Will we ask? Will we seek the God Who has all wisdom and power, seeking His solution to our predicament? He alone is the only One equipped to handle our predicament.

“Lord, You alone have all wisdom and power. I come to You with my predicament, trusting that You will reveal to me the solution that brings glory to You.”

 

For His Glory

 

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

Leave a Comment

Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 11, 2017

Always Safe in His Embrace

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

The first two verses in Psalm 91 always make me think of God as someone in whose arms we can always find solace for hard times; the One who wipes our tears away and soothes all our fears. He is our refugee, our fortress, our constant help in times of trouble. No matter what we are faced with, God is there.

In Isaiah 40, God is depicted as a shepherd who gathers His lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. Can you envision this picture in your mind? Getting that close to someone else and placing your head on his or her heart; being able to hear that heart beating! Friend, this action would mean that you are very dear to that individual. People don’t allow just anybody to come that close, unless they wish to show them that they are loved.

There was a disciple of Jesus who was known for being His beloved. That disciple was named John, and he was known for reclining his head on Jesus’ chest, even though the moment when that happened was not the best one for the Lord. At that moment, Jesus already knew that after sharing that meal with His disciples, He would be betrayed by one of them – by someone He had trusted. Yet, even with all the thoughts that could be haunting His head at that moment, Jesus allowed for His disciple to lean against Him and feel safe and loved.

In this day and age, a “I-Love-You” special moment can be experienced even from afar. Sometimes, it is not feasible for us to actually be with someone during his or her time of need, to physically hold him or her in our embrace. Nonetheless, by staying near through prayer and communication (e.g. phone call, text, mail, etc.) we may bring into others’ hearts a sense of security that they otherwise would not feel. Our loving gesture may feel, to them, just like leaning against their Father’s heart, safely into His embrace.
 

“Use us, Lord, to spread Your love to others, leading them into Your arms.”
 

 

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

Leave a Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Love

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 10, 2017

When Good Runs Out The Door

“He poured out this Spirt (Holy Spirit) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”  Titus 3:6 (HCSB)

Ever had one of those days when good evaporated before 9 am?  Really!  How can so much happen in such a brief span of time.  A perfectly great night of sleep.  A delish cup of coffee.  A carefree drive to the office. And when you least expected it – good ran right out the door.  Unexpected deadlines came out of nowhere.  The list of things to do grows and the inbox of your email has too many urgents.  Everyone wants it all right now.  Did I mention it wasn’t even 9 am yet?

Calm can easily transition into chaos without us even lifting a finger.  Those are the precise moments when we tend to lose control.  The things we didn’t plan to say slide right off our tongue.  The way we never wanted to respond hits us square in the face.  The verses we read that morning somehow fade. If we’re honest, we’ve all experienced those times when our spirit overrode His Spirit.  And the aftermath wasn’t pretty.  As soon as reality sunk in and we replayed the events in our mind, we wanted to run and hide.  Good left and our ugly moved right in.

Thankful for His sweet grace that covers me on those “less than days.”  Moments when I seize control without even thinking twice.  Times when I move into action without even consulting God and the guilt overtakes me.  Drinking deep of His mercy those mornings when good walks out and I choose self instead of Him.  No one to blame but me, because His Spirit is poured out abundantly in us.

Loving that word in our verse “abundantly.”  God has given us more than enough of His Spirit to handle our tough days.  He has filled us beyond expectation  – a large pouring that exceeds all those moments when self desires to rule.  So the next time we are tempted to just let go of Him and embrace self simply don’t.  Choose instead to be Spirit controlled even if no one else is.  Choose to speak His words despite what we hear all around us.  Choose to respond reflecting Him regardless of the actions, demands or urgents of others.  And then sweet friend we can stand firm and strong in the power of our God.

“Father, You have empowered us, filled us and equipped us. Help us to embrace Your Spirit regardless of what happens in our day.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

Leave a Comment

Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 7, 2017

Uncluttered

“You know when I sit and when I arise, you perceive my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139:2 (NIV)

Buried beneath a sea of papers, I retrieved my keys and headed out the door.  How could so much stuff accumulate so fast?  Hadn’t I just cleaned off the kitchen counter?  For some unknown reason, the kitchen attracts the stuff you walk in the door with.  It’s the perfect dropoff place – until it assumes permanent residency.  The last thing I want to see when I walk in the door is yesterday’s mess accompanied with this morning’s leftovers.  One glance around the room convinces me to tackle the clutter.

Wow, I wish clearing the clutter from my mind was that simple.  Unfortunately, our minds seem to attract all the stuff we experience throughout our day, yesterday and years ago.  It’s the perfect dropoff place for regrets, comparisons, failures and negative self-talk. Somehow, we even squeeze in doubts and fears accompanied with worries.

Buried beneath our thoughts lie the seeds of God’s wisdom desperately trying to resurface for air.  Maybe it’s time we tackle the clutter by honestly examining what’s racing through our thoughts. Is there any leftover junk weighing us down?  Are we stuck in the mire of doubts unable to focus on the future God has in store?  Have we allowed our thoughts to accumulate to the point we don’t even recognize God’s wisdom?

Capturing our unhealthy thoughts requires hard work; it’s definitely not easy.  In fact, it can be over-whelming; but if we clear out the clutter one thought at a time, we will finally be free to move forward.

“Father, You know every thought that has ever entered our mind.  There are no hidden secrets.  Empower us to bring stray thoughts captive and zero in on Your truth.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Freedom, Spiritual Living, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 6, 2017

No Great Prize Comes Without Toil

“She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” Luke 2:37 (NIV)

I was in the conference room with several other individuals, waiting to hear the defense of my friend Debbie’s dissertation. I was so excited I could hardly sit still in my chair. You see, Debbie and I have been friends ever since we took a course together a couple of years ago, and I would not have missed her special day for anything.

The defense of a dissertation is the culmination of much work, research and sleepless nights. So much goes into getting to that very last, yet, memorable moment: when you get to spend time talking about your research, your findings, recommendations, and answering questions from anyone present in the room. After that one last hour of labor, you get to hear your name preceded by the word “doctor.” These celebratory moments after much arduous work are well worth the time one devotes to them.

I now want to share with you an experience that happened much, much longer ago. The setting was a temple and the event revolved around the fulfillment of the law of the Lord according to Moses, when baby Jesus should be circumcised and consecrated to the Lord. When Mary and Joseph took the baby to the temple, there was a prophet named Anna there, who was depicted as being faithful to the Lord. If you’d like to hear a little more, I will tell you that she was married for seven years in her youth.  After her husband died, Anna remained in the temple praying and devoting herself to the Lord through prayer and fasting.

In my poor mathematical skills, I would estimate that Anna probably stayed in that temple around 60 years, give or take. Now, if she could’ve guessed that one day she would be present at such an amazing moment to meet our Savior as a baby on the day He was being consecrated to the Father, I would say those many years of temple devotion and prayer were well worth the prize. As for my friend Debbie, she did great at her defense, by the way, and left the room with nothing less than the pay of her hard labor.

“Dear Lord, please help us to keep our eyes focused on the final prize.”

 

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Prayer, Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 5, 2017

Waiting

“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” Isaiah 64:4 (NLT)
                                                        

I did not date in college; I went on interviews. I was one of very few females working towards a degree in Religion at Liberty University. Fellow Religion students asked me out, but a romantic evening was not on the agenda. These future pastors were looking for a coworker in the faith, a wife who could minister alongside them. From the moment we ordered our entrees, the interview questions flowed.

“How has God gifted you? Can you sing?” (Every good pastor’s wife can sing, right? Not in my case.)

“Where do you fit on the Armenian to Calvinist side? What is your theology on the 2nd coming of Christ?”

“How many kids do you want? What is your theory on disciplining children properly?”

“Would you be willing to direct children’s ministry if we started a church?” (I haven’t even decided to go out with you again!)

Every date ended with me either failing the interview or deciding I wasn’t interested in this particular job after all. Graduation was looming ever closer. All of my friends were designing their perfect weddings. I felt like the only one who hadn’t snagged a MRS degree along with my BS in Religion.
Then I came across our key verse in a devotional I was studying. I surrendered my future to God, setting aside my dream of a husband and family. I researched job opportunities. I waited on God to show me what to do. That’s when God brought Scott to the office I worked in. I could have fun with this one. I didn’t feel any pressure to measure up to a job application process. We loved spending time together and wanted to extend the date until death do us part.

What is it you desperately want God to do? What have you been asking God to provide, heal, or change? There is no other like our God. He works on our behalf when we choose to wait for Him. Running ahead and making our own plans is so tempting. Do we want our plan or God’s plan? I choose to wait for Him.

“Lord, I choose to wait on You. You alone are God and are worthy of our trust.”

For His Glory

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

Leave a Comment

Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 4, 2017

God Is Our Strength & Prayer Keeps Us Near Him

“Do not be afraid, o man highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” Daniel 10:19 (NIV)

Young man Daniel was devoted to God from very early on. Not only was he a man of faith, but he also carried himself well, looked refined, was well educated, spoke with wisdom and tact, ate healthy foods, had a certain facility to learn new languages, and, to top it off, also had a gift for interpreting dreams and visions.

As with most good things (or people), Satan often manages to try and steal God’s precious treasures, such as Daniel, to put to the use of other gods and himself. So, according to Daniel chapter 1, King Nebuchadnezzar, from Babylon, decided to besiege Jerusalem and take with him valuable possessions to beautify his own kingdom.  He ordered his chief of court officials, a man named Ashpenaz, to gather some of the young men from the royal family and the nobility, “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” So, as you can see, Daniel fit the description almost to the dot!

Despite being taken captive and ordered to serve a king that desecrated his people, Daniel did his best to remain faithful to God, by praying and seeking His face for every decision he had to make. We could say his worth came from his knees.

So, when I found myself in chapter 10, reading about the revelation God gave to Daniel concerning trouble for his people, it was not surprising to me that the angel who appeared to Daniel (perhaps the Lord Himself) addressed him as “man highly esteemed.” The vision left Daniel so weak that he fell down to his knees, and he confessed his inaptitude to stand, speak or even breathe. And the angel of the Lord assured him that his words had been heard since the first day he spoke them in faith (yes, God hears prayer!). At that very moment, I was reminded that when we pray, our words NEVER go in vain. The Lord esteems us, and He hears us, as He heard Daniel. He has your back. Stand firm and pray!
 

“Dear God, give us faith like Daniel’s, unrelenting, trusting, and unshakable.”
 

 

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

Leave a Comment

Posted in Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 3, 2017

Unfading Beauty

“…the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” I Peter 3:4 (NIV)

Maneuvering through the crowd, she smiled making eye contact with each person in her path.  Dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt, her graceful moves were captivating.  I watched her from a distance as her eyes searched out for the One sitting alone.  I glanced her direction as she hugged the One whose weary eyes revealed a burden too heavy to bear.  Instinctively she stooped to hear the words from the One whose chair screamed a loss of freedom. Reaching out her hand, she welcomed the One who stood cautiously inside the door.  With tears coursing down her cheeks, she knelt in prayer beside the One whose child had strayed.

Effortlessly she listened and listened and listened absorbing the heart wrenching stories never distracted or bored.  Simply she spoke in whispers of grace and love.  Softly she answered in quietness of strength.

Who was she?  A famous Bible teacher?  Perhaps a Pastor’s wife?   Perhaps she was a famous celebrity  – everyone seemed to know her.  Her name was not important. Where she sat didn’t really matter.  Her size, color nor age dimmed the unfading beauty that flowed from her gentle and quiet spirit.  She was simply One who was of great worth in the Father’s eyes. She had become God’s hands, His feet and in the silence of those brief moments she radiated His beauty to many.

Life will attempt to still away priceless moments to be One that makes a difference.  Busyness will keep us moving past those who desperately need His touch.  Absorbed in us will move others from center stage to our back shelf.  Too complicated for us to get involved will curb us from reaching out.  Bottom line – we will miss out too when we excuse ourselves from reaching out to others .  The choice is up to us – will we choose to be the One who seizes moments to make a difference and reflect God’s beauty?

“Father, You find great pleasure and delight in those whose lives reflect Your glory.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 30, 2017

Untangling Lives

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”  Luke 10:33 (NIV)

The crash, the scream – what was happening on my deck?  I ran out of my office and found the most vibrant yellow bird fighting for its life.  I’ll spare you the gory details, but the cat devouring its prey saw no beauty in that sweet bird.  And the sounds of one in pain…well I can still hear that cry echoing in my mind.

Don’t know that I’ve ever witnessed someone struggling so hard only to lose.  Or maybe I have…..the only difference was the shrill of their cry was silent.  Vibrant and beautiful on the outside yet fighting a losing battle inside.  Ever been there …when someone you love draws closer to the edge. They’ve kept it all tucked deep until the suffocating fatigue sets in and victory slips out the door.  Defeat mirroring the pain as the enemy slips in to devour his prey.

Do you hear the cry?  Did you witness the crash?  Did you the leave the comfort of your space to ask what was happening?

Wonder why I’d leave my agenda, my work for the sake of a bird fighting for its life when I’d walk past sweet, hurting ones with eternal souls unmoved?  It’s easier, less messy than entangling our lives, our time, our prayers to those fighting desperately for their lives.   We can dismiss the echo in our ears but not in our hearts.  The sounds of one in pain lingers, and when we see through God’s eyes, then we know why we’re here. We realize that apart from His grace, we’d be there too fighting, struggling and afraid to ask for help.

“Father, help us to reach out, lift up and encourage those whose battle is long and hard.  Give us the right words to say at the right moment to draw then closer to You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Love, Mercy, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories