Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 22, 2016

Victory Beyond The Tears

mar 22“….and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” Genesis 21:17b & 19 (NIV)

Many of us may have experienced times when it seems like there is no way out. We may have even wondered where God was in the midst of our circumstances. A season of perhaps, asking why? A season of seeing no victory in sight. And then the tears come. Oftentimes they comfort us, but many times they depress us even more.

In this story, Sarah can’t bear children so she looks to her handmaiden Hagar to fulfill that duty for her. Hagar gives birth to Ishmael, and Sarah despises her and tells her to flee with her child. One can only imagine how Hagar is feeling. She is “put out” with her young child into the wilderness, with no one to turn to and into what seems to be a hopeless situation.

As she enters the wilderness of her life, their water supply is diminished. Hagar and her son prepare to die. She sits and begins to weep; she and her son crying. God hears them as He also hears us when we cry out to Him. He comforts Hagar and tells her not to be afraid (v.17). Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. (vs.19).
God opened her eyes and she saw the well of water! She needed to lift up her head, open her tear soaked eyes and see the Victory beyond her tears.

“Dear Father, help us to know that in our times of distress, when we cry out to You, that You hear us. Please help us not to wallow in our tears or sorrow, but to lift up our heads and open our eyes so that we can see in the Victory Beyond the Tears.”

For His Glory

Cynthia J. McCoy
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 21, 2016

Love Extended

mar 21“For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son…” John 3:16a (NIV)

Have you ever tried to swipe your Kroger card at the gym? Probably not, but on a tight schedule to get my workout done, I quickly ran my card under the scanner. When I didn’t hear that normal beep, I wiped the card and tried again – nothing. I placed the card right under the beam of the scan and still nothing. I flipped the card over, and boy did I feel stupid. And the people waiting in line behind me – well, they didn’t find it too funny either. Swallowing my pride, I laughed and scanned my gym card; the sound of that beep was music to my ears.

I hadn’t taken too many steps before a gentle nudging in my soul sweetly brought praise to my lips. One day I will stand before the entrance to Heaven. I won’t have a card or a picture ID, but God knows my name. He’s written it down in His Book of Life the moment I accepted Jesus as Savior. He’s etched my name on the palms of His hands the moment He bore my sin on that cross. When I chose to trust in Jesus, I secured my future and eternal home forever – God will never forget me.

But what about all those people, I work with that don’t know Jesus? What about family members who have strayed far from God? Are they ready to meet Him? Would that thought bring praise to their lips or fear to their souls? Praise quickly turned to urgent prayers ushered before the throne. We should never assume Heaven awaits the people we know. Let’s not miss a chance to share His story.

“Father, Your love is fully extended for all the world to see, help us to tell everyone we meet how awesome You are.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 18, 2016

God Means What He Says

mar 18“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 (NASB)

You can sometimes learn a lot from a simple children’s story. Dr. Seuss’ Horton “Horton Hears a Who” is such a lovely example of faithfulness.

In the story, Horton the elephant can hear voices coming from a speck of dust on a flower. It turns out, that tiny speck, is home to the Whos of Whoville. Horton, knowing their home is vulnerable and fragile, willingly takes on the responsibility to protect them and find a place where they can live safely. He risks ridicule from the other animals and even his own safety in the process. But nothing deters him, and despite the doubts and lack of support from those around him, Horton stands by his famous motto, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one hundred percent.”

Although we may not be as tiny and defenseless as the Whos, it can sometimes feel like we are completely alone. No matter what we think or feel, God is faithful, steady and unwavering in His commitment to us. It is His nature to remain faithful and keep His word to those He created, even when we turn away from Him. From the dawn of time, when He laid the foundation of this earth, it was never part of His plan to leave us alone to fend for ourselves. He will always be there for us, to protect, guide, comfort and love. God is always 100% faithful. Nothing and no one will ever make Him otherwise.

“Lord, thank You for never wavering in Your faithfulness to us. Forgive us for our lack of faith. Help us to remember the truth of who You are.”

For His Glory,

Josey Bozzo
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 17, 2016

Ready To Serve

mar 17“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
My dad passed away recently, and I spent a lot of time with my mom and brother going through his stuff and donating a lot of things. My dad was an usher at his church and was ready to serve at a moments notice. As I was going through his many suits to empty the pockets, I quickly noticed a pattern in what I was finding. Every suit had several offering envelopes in them ready to hand out to those that needed them.

My dad knew the gifts God had given him and used them not only in church but in day to day life. Over and over I heard many in the community talk about his smile, friendliness, and how he always had a kind word and never complained. Within his church, he was remembered as being there every time the church was open and being early and ready to go. Again I heard about the welcoming smile that greeted people as they came into church and his willingness to help out in any way possible without complaint. I cherish that legacy, and I’m challenged to follow in his footsteps using my own spiritual gifts.

As Christians, God has uniquely equipped us with spiritual gifts to use as we serve Him. You can go to http://elmertowns.com/?page_id=5 and take the spiritual gifts test to learn what your gifts are and for an explanation of each one. Knowing your spiritual gift helps you to find the right area of ministry to serve in. Those gifts can be used in church and in your day to day interaction with others.

“Father God, How thankful we are that You have created each of us uniquely and with a particular purpose to fulfill. Guide us in learning what our gifts are and where to serve.”

For His Glory

Katrina Redman
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 16, 2016

His Rewrites Birth Holiness

mar 16“Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.” Psalm 119:77 (ESV)

Revisions and rewrites – never met a writer yet who loved them. Hours spent facing that blank screen on the computer and then finally filling those pages leaves us with a sigh of great relief. Only problem is when an editor sends it back circled, underlined and marked out. What appeared to be finished is now a do-over and we’re moving from a sense of accomplishment to a gnawing tug of inadequacy.

Excellence is birthed in this sweet spot of editing – it’s where our mistakes can be corrected. It’s the elimination of overused phrases and unnecessary words. It’s the making of a bestseller disguised temporarily as a disappointing setback. Unpleasant? Definitely. Time consuming and challenging? You got it. However, it’s the editor’s love for great writing that motivates them to polish the image of the writer.

Ever longed for a rewrite in life? A chance to back up, rethink or erase words spoken. An opportunity to react differently. Hours spent retracing, replaying and regretting what once was. Clinging to a sense of inadequacy and failure. Wouldn’t we all love that editor then – when the aftermath of our words or actions land us where we don’t want to be?

Love the way our God polishes and refines those He loves deeply. Love the way He never grows weary of picking up our pieces and putting us back together. Love the way God turns our disappointing setbacks into glory moments we never dreamed possible. Love the truth that His mercy is fresh and new every day.
Can’t think of a better editor than my Jesus. He knows me intimately, more than I even know myself. Gently, He reveals the things that need changing. Patiently, He polishes off wrong attitudes and shows me what needs to eliminated and what needs to be deepened. Not always easy but well worth His touch. Why? Because God’s edits are always motivated by love.

“Father, You are the righteous and Holy One and yet You draw near to make us great – thank You for touching our lives.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 15, 2016

Whatever You Do

mar 15“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Colossians 3:23 (KJV)

What an encouraging word to me this morning! This has been a frequent word to me since I was young. It always motivated me to do my best at school, at my first job, then at college, during student teaching, then fitness seminars etc.

Now that I am a stay at home mom and not dealing with a lot of people on a daily basis, I still need to be reminded of such truth! Maybe even more so now!

While being in the workplace people easily impact us; bosses, clients, customers, students, you name it. Can you relate? I found it effective to remind myself to stay motivated because I am working for something much greater. It helped me to not let my applecart get disrupted while working with a wide range of people and personalities. I am not working for them; I am serving them because I love my Lord. I am doing my best because He deserves my best.

I laugh having read this verse this morning because I can just picture my highly motivated go-getter-younger self speaking to me today telling me to do the same in my home. I do not like cleaning, laundry, dishes, moping, bathrooms, or dirty diapers, and here I find myself knee deep in them all daily.

“Yes Julia still do these things as unto the Lord.”

I do however love working out, organizing, crafting, reading & creating new creative things to do with my son. So I am encouraged to do them all and try to enjoy these moments because they will not last forever.

How about you? I share these words because perhaps you are like me. Just in need of some encouragement. Let’s go get it done! Keep pressing on! Summer is coming!!

“Father, help us to approach our day with a positive attitude and do all to the glory of God.”

For His Glory,

Julia Forystek Bergstom
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 11, 2016

More Than These

mar 11“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” John 21:15 (NIV)

Meatloaf the second day or spaghetti when the sauce marinates – what’s your favorite leftover? Leftovers make my wife life easy. No meal to plan – just open the fridge and a quick warm up saves the dinner crisis. The best part is it usually tastes better, and Mom once again saves the day. While this works great in a crunch, the fridge eventually becomes empty leaving us with no choice than to get in the kitchen and cook a meal.

Do we ever find ourselves spread so thin that all we have to offer God is our leftovers? Work spins out of control, our list of “Things To Do” grows and before we know it another day is gone. Great intentions fly out the window too easily. Even when our schedule is empty, we often allow distractions and misplaced priorities to seize our “God time.”

Love the fact that God completely understands what our “wife life” is like. Love the way He accepts us chaos and all, but I’m certain God isn’t impressed when we constantly offer Him leftovers. I’m convinced God isn’t satisfied with our distracted, misplaced devotion that is easily justified because we know He will understand. Maybe, that’s why Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Because saying we love Jesus is too easy, but making Him a priority now that’s truly “more than these.”

“Father, help me to be a woman who loves You with all my heart, soul and mind.”
For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 10, 2016

The Power of a Praying Woman

mar 10“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Do you believe in miracles? Have you witnessed one? Want to? Can you recall the last prayer God answered?

An active prayer life is essential to function as a child of God!! E. M Bounds says it best. ‘Prayer must be set on fire by an unquenchable desire. This prayer must be accompanied by such a sense of need that it cannot be denied, and by a fixed determination that will NOT let go and that will never fail until it secures the BEST and last blessing God has in store for us!’

Intense prayers, regardless of circumstances, has allowed me to to witness God perform miracles resulting in a stronger faith today than yesterday. Recognition that God always answers prayers in His timing and way. And, for the record there have been yes and no answers. Growing in faith has given me a desire to continue my spiritual journey with Jesus so all my yesterdays echo the same message. If we can by faith internalize the awesome God we serve, sincerely acknowledge the power of the One and Only – a personal God who loves so much deeper and unconditionally than our humanity can embrace would we live differently? Sure. How? Prayer – the key that opens the heart of God.

God listens and cares. Pray with fervency – a passionate intensity BELIEVING God for what He can do. Don’t give up – persist – prevail – seek Him with all your heart. After all impossibilities are His specialties!

“Dear Father, please let us pray fervently believing you can do the impossible.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Prayer

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 8, 2016

Obedience

mar 8“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.” Deuteronomy 28:1 (NIV)

At the beginning of the year, I purposely didn’t make any resolutions. I chose instead to pick a word and follow that throughout the year. For whatever reason the word obedient came to mind. I can tell you when you pick a word like that you better be prepared for some big things to happen in your life. It’s not a word to take lightly and God will hold you to it. I’m almost two full months into my commitment to this word and believe me the paths it’s taken me on have had some twists and turns.

One key factor when choosing to follow God’s path is realizing He only gives you a few steps at a time. He purposefully never shows us further ahead, because we have to walk in faith through the steps for today. If we saw the overview of the path God has laid before us, we could become overwhelmed with the ups, downs, twists, turns, and length of the journey. We also may become preoccupied with finding a better route than trusting God’s directions.

The blessings at the end of a particular path God has us on are not just in the destination but lessons learned along the way. Also, being able to look back on how far we’ve come and what we overcame to get there is an amazing feeling. Whatever journey God has planned for us, he will equip us to successfully complete it.

“Father, Your Holy Spirit gives us the gentle nudges like picking a word to follow; may we be bold and brave to follow the path those nudges lead us on. Give us focus on one step at a time as we trust that the blessings to come are worth the journey.”

For His Glory

Katrina Redman
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | March 7, 2016

Collecting Souls

mar 7“….First Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother; Phillip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector…….” Matthew 10:2a-3a

Love the way Matthew reminds us of who he once was. He doesn’t hide behind his new title Disciple of Christ or tag it “close friend of Jesus.” He puts it right out there where we can’t miss it. In the line up of the twelve, we find these words: “Matthew the tax collector.” Two simple words that defined the old Matthew. A title that denoted an untrustworthy reputation – tax collectors who were hated by the Jews because of their greed and dishonesty. Yet Jesus’ invitation changed everything – the title Matthew once bore, the prestige, security and wealth all cast aside. He chose to leave it all behind to follow Jesus; the former tax collector radically transformed now collecting souls for the kingdom.

Wonder if we could be so truthful about the old us before our Jesus rescue? A title we all bear from the moment we took our first breath – sinners desperately in need of a Savior. Lost and wandering in the pursuit of many things yet totally empty – searching for significance. A tainted reputation, void of character and integrity. Failures, mistakes and a long list of wrongs. Would we dare remind ourselves and others that were it not for His grace, we would still be darkened by this world? Are we brave enough to remember who we once were so we can humbly draw others to Jesus?

Sinners saved by grace – just ordinary women redeemed and restored filled with a passion to shed light on our path. Let’s leave everything behind and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Let’s boldly proclaim where we came from and where He brought us so that others will know Him too. Let’s never forget His amazing grace that saved a wretch like us. Let’s be radically transformed and join Matthew in collecting souls for God’s kingdom.

“Father, I remember who I was before You saved me – I remember the moment You forgave me and the sweetness of Your grace overflowing me. Help me to never grow weary in telling that story.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith

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