Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 12, 2012

Reflecting Beauty

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” I Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

“Honey you are talking really loud!”  Those were the words my husband heard while talking on his cell phone.  As soon as he finished the call, my wonderful husband reminded me that he had picked up that loud voice from me.  And unfortunately, he was correct.  Growing up in a family of loud talkers, I realized early in life if I had something to say I would have to talk over everyone else to be heard.  Funny how we take on the traits of those we spend the most time with.  Not only has my husband taken on my loud voice, but I’ve taken on his perpetual lateness.  No matter where we are headed, you can guarantee the Martins won’t be early.  Good traits and sloppy habits; we pick them up without even realizing it. So whose traits have you allowed to take up residence in your life? How about radiating Jesus’ beauty to the world in 2012?  If we commit to spending daily time in His presence and take on His traits of love and grace, then those who cross our path will recognize His Spirit living in us.  They may not pick up the Word or attend our church, but we can be a walking beacon of light shining through loud and clear.   The choice is up to us; we can rub shoulders with the world or reflect the heart of God.

“Father, may we truly radiate the beauty of Jesus to a world desperate seeking Hope.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 11, 2012

Joyful Obedience

“Whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men;” Colossians 3:23 (ASV)

Do you remember as a child your parents saying, “I want obedience immediately, not the second time or the third but the first?”  God requires the same – obedience the first time.  Never an easy thing to do; it takes practice.  It takes complete willingness, focus on what is required, and doing something we might not want to do and at a time that may not be the most convenient to us.  What truly matters is not our will but His.  I remember a story about someone who felt God wanted them to go pick up rocks for days and they did it.  Every day in the sunshine, rain, and wind.  Finally at the end of it all, they realized it wasn’t about picking up the rocks but rather being obedient in something they might not have wanted to do. It might have looked silly to others, but it was what God commanded.  God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh, but he ran in the other direction.  God then provided a fish to save him and gave him time to think about what he was doing until he was completely broken and willing to obey.  What is it that God is asking of us right now?  Are we running the other way?  Sitting in the fish wondering why?  Or are we obeying?

“Father, I have run from your will for my life, I’ve sat and wondered why, and now I’m ready to obey no matter what.  Help me to have the courage to obey.”

For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 10, 2012

Why?

“Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust…” Psalm 40:4a (NIV)

Have you ever found yourself asking God WHY? Why did that prayer go unanswered?  Why did tragedy strike?  Why did God remain silent?  As I look over my life most of my “why’s” seem to surface when God’s plans deviated from MY plans or expectations.

In Scripture there is one story in particular which brings the question “WHY?” to the forefront of my mind.  It is the story of Hosea who was a man of God living in a day when Israel was turning from their faith.   And although we might think God should have rewarded Hosea abundantly for his life of obedience, the fact is Hosea got dealt what we might call “a bad hand.”

Rather than abundant blessings, God gave Hosea a wife, Gomer, made famous for her poor homemaking skills (and wayward vocational efforts).  Was it fair?  NO.  But, I’m not so sure that God ever intended for “fair” to be the barometer by which we measure life’s circumstances.

In fact to demand “fair” is really like reducing God to a cosmic vending machine.  Just put in a few of the right things and then PRESTO…we get what we want…or at least what we deserve.  The problem is that God never promised “Fair.”   This is a difficult concept to embrace, but as Hosea’s story exemplifies life comes to us on God’s terms not our own.    And when those terms do not match the décor of our rosy expectations, they are still Holy terms.  So if you are asking “WHY,” join me in praying for the grace to stand in faith, even when we cannot see or understand the terms of God’s plan.

“Lord, please grant us the strength and grace today to trust You – especially when life does not seem fair.  Help us to rely on Your goodness rather than what we see or feel.

For His Glory
Claudia Dempsey
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 9, 2012

Random Acts

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” Matthew 7:12a  (NIV)

Every New Year, we make resolutions to do things differently than the year before. This year I’m going to lose weight, exercise more, read my Bible all the way through, spend more time with my family and etc. Any of these sound familiar? I’ve made resolutions and quickly blown every one of them. The reason is because changes should be done out of a desire to make the right choices on a daily basis. If we don’t go into them with the mind set of changing our lifestyle, we won’t succeed.

This year, I will continue with choices I made last year to eat right and exercise because I made the lifestyle changes necessary and saw the results. So that leaves resolutions pretty much not necessary this year. Instead, I’m going to offer a challenge to each of us to perform at least one random act of kindness each week. Shortly after Thanksgiving, my daughter told me about a lady who celebrated her birthday by performing a random act of kindness for each year of her life (38). It was really neat to read the ways she impacted others. I think this is a challenge we can all stick with because sometimes it’s easier to do for others than ourselves. The funny thing is we will be blessed just as much as the people we encounter. I challenge you to keep track of your random acts so you can reflect on how many God moments those acts brought.

“Dear God, Show us ways to reach out to others this year. Give us guidance and direction as we seek to make a difference in other people’s lives and in return be thankful for the blessings we have.”

 

For His Glory,

Katrina Redman
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Love, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 6, 2012

Made By God

“Know that the LORD Himself is God ; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves ; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”  Psalm 100:3 (NAS)

“Made in America” should sound familiar, but unfortunately we rarely see that tag on our clothes or that label under our furniture.  We’ve grown accustomed to spending our money regardless of what country will profit.  So what’s the hype all about – the news media has brought to our attention the impact our spending could make on our own economy if we chose to buy “Made  in America.”  Problem is most of us don’t know where the items in our home were made; we just know we like them, we bought them and that’s about it.   Wonder if we have forgotten that we were “Made By God?”  It should sound familiar, but we often shed His designer label for an imitator “Made by Me.”  Surveying our accomplishments, careers, possessions, friends, and abilities can  convince us that “Me” did all that by ourselves. Self-sufficiency and sheer independence may make us look confident and in charge, but that was never God’s intent.  We were uniquely created and destined for a relationship with our God.  We had absolutely nothing to do with our birth, our family origin or the date of our arrival.  God orchestrated every detail of our existence and regardless of what we may think, we can’t do life without Him.  Like sheep desperately in need of a Shepherd, we were “Made By God” to dwell in His pasture and reap the blessings of being totally dependent on Him.

“Father, how sweet to know that you are God, my awesome Creator, and I can fully trust in You all the days of my life.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Hope, Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 5, 2012

Seeking God

“Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.”  But he did not tell his father…  Then Jonathan said … “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us.  For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.” I Samuel 14:1, 6 (NKJV)

 Identifying ourselves in scripture can bring so much comfort.  The Apostle Paul, said, ‘Those things I want to do, I don’t, and those things I hate, those I do!’  And we go, “Wow, that is so ME!!”  We are so glad to see the great Paul had the same struggles we have, but this passage in I Samuel is a little bit harder to digest.  It’s like looking into a mirror at ourselves.  With the best of intentions, Jonathan had a great idea and with noble motive proceeded to carry it out; and maybe God would bless it!  I wonder how many “wonderful” ideas we conceive and are impatient to begin. Once we’ve plunged ahead and spent time (and money), then we remember to ask God for wisdom!  It should be the other way around. We need to pray for a period of time, give God sufficient time to reveal His will, and then proceed if we have peace that He has given consent.  What a valuable lesson to learn!

“God, I truly want to remember to seek You before beginning my plans; to know Your heart and will before I go forward with a task.  Please help me learn to be still, to know that You are God, and listen for that still, small voice that will lead me and guide my steps.”

For His Glory

Sandy Day
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 4, 2012

The Ultimate Planner

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

In my parent’s house, they have a huge window in the living room. One day, we were all sitting around talking when, “Bang!” something hit against the window.  When we looked up there was this bird flying toward the window.  We would hear, “Flutter, flutter and then BANG!”  At first, we laughed but this bird kept on doing it.  The next day, the bird started up again.  This featherbrained activity began to drive us crazy.   Finally, I went out to look at the window from the bird’s perspective.  There in the window was the reflection of the birdhouse hanging on the oak tree.  Unfortunately, the bird was trying to get to a reflection rather than turn around and be in his birdhouse with all the seed he could eat.

How often in our own lives do we flutter, flutter, and bang against something that is not real, an imitation of God’s provision for our lives.  We can look around at our environment and see things that we really want:  our neighbor’s house, our friend’s promotion, a co-worker’s beautiful hair.  Flutter, flutter, bang!  The banging bird may have knocked himself silly, but he also knocked some sense into my head reminding me that God has provided me with everything I need.  We can flutter around and look at the reflection in other peoples’ lives, or we can be content and not get our feathers all ruffled up trying to get more.

“Father, please forgive me when I complain about what I don’t have and when I am not thankful for what I have.  Help me to remember that you have it all under control and the plans for my life are the perfect plans.”

For His Glory

Melissa Tucker

TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 3, 2012

Examining Our Heart

“I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart, and my spirit made diligent search.” Psalm 77:6 (KJV)

What’s the last thing you do at night before turning off the light? Rather than just going to sleep right away it is always good to pray, meditate and examine our hearts. Taking time to reflecting on the day we had and confessing to God any sins and seeds of unforgiveness is essential in keeping our hearts clean. We must allow God to diligently reveal our hidden sins or motives because sometimes we are blinded to what’s in our hearts.   Maybe there were things that could have gone unsaid or attitudes that shouldn’t have overtaken us. Maybe we reacted quickly or acted impulsively, later regretting things we said or did. It takes courage to see ourselves as God sees us. It takes humility to admit our faults, sins and weaknesses. It takes obedience to repent. It takes time to meditate; we need to slow done so we can hear God speaking to us and be ready to act upon what He reveals.  As His conviction brings us to repentance, we will be at peace with God and ourselves. Examining our heart brings us closer to God and restores a right relationship with Him. When was the last time our spirit made a diligent search? We must get into the habit of doing this daily. Even when we fall short of His glory,  He lovingly pick us up and restores us.

“Father, examine my heart. Reveal those things that need to be changed; thank You for a new fresh start.”

For His Glory

Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 2, 2012

God Provides

“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26 (NIV)

For years, she went without saying yes to anyone displaying strong morals and a strong love for God.  If he had been impure, poisoned his body with harmful substances or if he didn’t have a strong relationship with God, then he received a firm no when he pursued her.  I often wondered what was the big deal –  it’s just a dinner date.  Yet, she held strong knowing the love the Father offered far surpassed one dinner out.  Her virtues were in tack.  She held wisdom unlike most I knew.   Who was this woman I admired?   My little sister who loved God so much it didn’t matter if there was a man in her life.  She had God to hold her, comfort her and love her.  She walked the path of the righteous.

We prayed and asked for someone for her to love, someone to love her like the Father and God answered.  He brought an amazing godly man into her life who brings a light into the room when they are together.  It is the most beautiful love story ever seen.  God had just the right man for my sister, and He brought him in his timing, definitely not mine.

Are we honoring God with our choices?  Don’t give up on your values, your morals or your list of desires.  God has your heart’s desire in His hand; maybe he’s still growing him into the perfect spouse for you or maybe there is more he needs to teach you.  Follow your heart to God’s heart, he will never let you down.

“Father, thank You for the godly woman You gave me as a sister; let her testimony encourage someone else to stay true to You.”

For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 30, 2011

Unfolding Your Journey

“Come and see what God has done; how awesome His works on man’s behalf!”  Psalm 66:5 (NIV)

Flipping through my camera phone, I found snapshots from my whole year right at my fingertips.  I got my Droid (phone) in January and capturing those “Kodak” moments became instantaneous.  Amazing how many events we go through in those 365 days tagged a year.  Gently sliding my finger across the screen unfolded reminders of the amazing goodness of our God.  Celebrating birthdays with special friends.  Tracking the growth of my 1st tomato plant.  Surrounded by children at Vacation Bible School.  Friends who helped us endure a difficult move.  Vacationing to our favorite beach.   Moments that forced me to take leaps of faith.  Moments revealing the people, places and things that I valued – priceless memories.  And then there were the sweet reminders of God’s love– a gorgeous sunset over calm ocean waves or the smiling face of my husband – simple pleasures too often dismissed. So what has your year been like?  What has God unfolded in your journey?  Have you grown closer to the One who longs to feel your presence in every moment?  Was your faith challenged, strengthened and enlarged?  Scribbled in the front of my 2011 devotional book were these words:  “My heart’s desire is to glorify God in all venues of my life. Never settling for good but striving for best.  Paying the price to stand firmly, unmoveable, unshakeable – steadfast holding on.”  Words so easily written January 1st, yet 2011 definitely put them to the test.  As this year ends, I praise Him for those times I didn’t waver strengthened in His power and accept His grace for the rest.  How about  you?

“Father, thank You for the incredible gift of memory – to recall Your faithfulness and cling to Your promises for tomorrow.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Gratitude, Spiritual Growth

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