Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 26, 2024

No More Pretending

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. “ Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

My 8 year-old loves to dress up. When my sister gave him a mustache tattoo from a Grad night goody bag, he wore it proudly all day.

He loved to pretend that it was a real mustache … but let’s face it; he wasn’t fooling anyone. Anyone could see that he was still an 8 year-old boy.

I have to admit that even I like to pretend once in a while. I like to dress up for a fun costume party, to wear silly outfits with my kids, or to act sophisticated in a formal dress on a date with my husband. (Yes, I have to pretend to be sophisticated.)

I believe these are all appropriate ways for an adult to pretend. The danger comes when I pretend with God. I may be able to fool my friends and acquaintances–acting like I have it all together. I may say the right things, quote the right verses, sing the right songs, know all of the Bible stories…but I cannot fool God.

Psalm 139 tells me that God sees me for who I am, He knows my every action and behavior, He discerns my thoughts (verses 1-4 and 13-18). This would be incredibly overwhelming and downright scary if I left out verse 5: “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.”

In verse 24, at the end of the chapter, the psalmist comes to the conclusion of the matter: “Point out anything in me that offends you…” (verse 24a). This request leads to the greatest reward of all: “and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (verse 24b)

Realizing that God knows me so well (better than I know myself), I should want to be honest with God so that He can lead me to repentance. I mean, who doesn’t want everlasting life, right?

While playing dress-up is fun on occasion, let’s stop pretending with God. He can see through our mask anyway.

“God, show me when I am not being real with You and others. Lead me to repentance and everlasting life.”

For His Glory

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

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Faith, Gratitude, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 25, 2024

Family Reunion

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”  Revelation 7:9-10

Family. It can be hard. Sure, we all know people whose immediate and extended families are super tight—they spend as much time as possible together, even live in the same area or neighborhood. That’s so beautiful. But more often than not, those bonds are frayed. Divorce, long-time hurt, unforgiveness, rivalry, and bitterness—sometimes just geographical distance—break apart family trees as if composed entirely of deadwood.

Then there is our national culture—divisive much? I realize that every generation makes this claim, but in my 50-some years of life, I’ve never experienced such vitriol among people groups. Rage and lawlessness are in vogue. And the America-hatred sentiment being spewed from every corner of our nation is astounding. “United we stand” seems to be a forgotten platitude of the past.

And when you zoom out to the globe in its entirety, well…Jesus’ warning of “wars and rumors of war—nations rising against nation” comes right to mind (Matthew 24:6-8). There are highly publicized battles that are streamed to our screens. But the tumult extends in every direction, with at least 13 civil wars being fought at this moment around the world.

Finally, even the Church—people and entities claiming to be surrendered followers of Jesus Christ—is skirmishing. We are forgetting the oneness we have in Jesus (Galatians 3:28) and quarreling about all levels of nonessentials, from rapture timeframes to carpet colors. (Now, there are recent splits occurring that involve true apostasy, with some “Christian” churches redacting or adding to God’s Word—but that’s not what I’m talking about here.)

So, why am I setting such a dark stage with all the above observations? Because there is Light that shines into this blackness! There is truth, grace, and hope that causes the darkness to flee, revealing the God-intended glory of unity. This is the power and majesty of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! As I served on a mission trip in Poland last week, I was privileged to get a real-life glimpse of what John witnessed and wrote about in Revelation 7:9-10 (above). Although I still haven’t processed the full impact of this experience, I can share this much: The singular focus on the Lord and His glory has the power to dissolve fissures of disunity at every level. And I saw this power in real time.

The power to heal marital wounds. To tightly bond with local church members who had never met and, to the outsider, seemed to have absolutely nothing in common. This local “church family” quickly and easily extended to others from multiple denominal congregations from around the US. No “us-them” differences…just glorifying God and magnifying His Son. This love of Jesus, pouring into and then through His people on mission in this one area of Poland, transcended language barriers and crossed thousands of miles.

This all-too-short trip was a powerful celebration of the One who rescues us from the ultimate darkness (Colossians 1:13; John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8). It was over 150 people from different countries, states, ages, and walks of life—in tandem—responding to the call to “Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). It was a glorious family reunion that was merely a dim reflection of what is to one day come.

“Lord, for those who long to taste and see the goodness of the Lord, to experience a pure and undefiled unity that they don’t believe is possible…stir their spirit to “go into the world and proclaim the gospel” (Mark 16:15), that they may shine light into darkness—whether across the globe or in their neighborhood.

 

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Freedom, Love, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 24, 2024

Why Dry Stunts Our Growth

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

Our once beautiful green grass is now a hue of brown and crunches when we walk across the yard. While south Florida has been plummeted with rain, we haven’t seen a good soaking in a long time.  No lawn mowing is required. I’ve been faithfully watering all my flowers every night and it seems like they absorb the water faster and faster. The temps are hot and humid – no rain in sight.

As I looked across the yard yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of those moments when our souls become dry. Without the refreshing rain of God’s word nourishing our souls, we too become dry, brittle and crunchy. Growth is definitely stunted when we leave out studying, meditating on and obeying the word of God. Our attitudes are the quickest to reflect our lack. We exhibit a short fuse – one ready to pounce when our souls are tired, weary and empty. Poor decisions follow when we leave out the wisdom of our God. Ugly negative thoughts take up residence in our minds when we pivot away from the vital truths of God’s word.  We easily become confused, disillusioned and discouraged when “we” are our only source of nourishment. Nothing we choose will satisfy like our God.

Like a quiet gentle soaking rain welcomed on dry grass, we need a daily infusion of God’s word to penetrate deep into our hearts not just above the surface. Sometimes His word is the encouragement we need to keep pressing on. Other times His word is the storehouse of wisdom needed for the challenges we don’t even know are ahead. Sometimes His word is a gentle rebuke calling us away from sin that seeks to slay us and consequences we’d rather avoid. All pivoting us back to the heart of God who loves us and longs for us to reflect His image in our world.

Sweet friends, we don’t want dry, brittle and crunchy to define us – there’s already too much of that in our world today. The carefree days of summer are here – the perfect time to continue nourishing our souls with the presence and praise of our God. Let’s seize every opportunity to flourish and radiate the beauty found in those whose faces shine from being in the presence of our God.

“Father, create a deep thirst within me for You alone. Draw my heart closer to You and fill my heart, mind and soul with Your wisdom, grace, truth and love.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 21, 2024

Abundantly Pruned

 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2-3 (ESV)

Warm sunshine on a Sunday afternoon sent me outside to prune my ever-growing rose bush.  And what a job it was.  I had no idea how strategic I needed to be in order to ensure the best shaping of all those branches for next Spring’s blooming.  Not only did I need to concentrate, but I also needed to be precise in what I cut.

As I got up close and entangled in all those branches from my rose bush, I was able to see things I would have otherwise overlooked. Nestled in the far back of the bush were a lot of dead branches.  Ones that would never produce those lavish, fragrant roses I love.  By the time I finished, my bush looked like a hot mess.  My arms had several scratches, and my allergies were totally irritated.  Never knew pruning could be such hard work for the pruner.

Sound familiar?

We’ve probably all read the story of the true vine (John 15) – Jesus who is our true vine.  The one we need to stay connected to and the one who empowers us branches to bear fruit. He alone is our direct connection to God and without Him, we can do absolutely nothing.  And His Father (God) is the vinedresser. The one who cultivates and prunes our branches with one goal in mind.  Not to inflict pain, although pruning usually involves discomfort.   God’s delight, His glory, is found when we bear much fruit.

Keeping it real here but I usually tend to focus on me, the branch, in this scenario.  I’m the one with all the cutting away of things I’ve cherished.  Even though it didn’t serve me well, it was ever so hard to see those things go.  I’m the one whose fruit was painfully pruned so I could bear much more fruit.  I loved the fruit I bore – I really didn’t want more…..comfortable with self.

Making it all about me was never God’s intent.

When I remove my eyes from me and see me from God’s perspective – the story takes a drastic turn.  Wonder what it feels like to God, my Father, who longs for me to glorify Him when I settle for less?  While I may think He enjoys all that cutting and pruning, I’m sure it grieves His heart to see my pain. Yet God knows what truly serves me best….we will thrive when we are heavily pruned.  End result, the removing surrendered in God’s hands sets the stage for abundant fruit.

Sweet friends, instead of resisting pruning let’s choose to welcome the removal of all things stunting our growth.  Let’s embrace God’s strategic plans for fruit in abundance.  Let’s not focus on “us” but rather glimpse the heart of our God who loves us so much He can’t leave us the same.

“Father, while I may not enjoy the cutting away and pruning of my heart, I know I can trust You to cultivate within me a life that truly glorifies You.”
For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 20, 2024

Take A Time Out

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

The concept of time out is a technique originating from behavior therapy, in which undesirable behavior is weakened and its occurrence decreased, typically by moving the individual away from the area that is reinforcing the behavior.

Take, for instance, a child who is throwing a tantrum or refusing to do what the parent or educator is asking her to do. You ask her once, twice, and in some instances, you ask her multiple times and, still, she is uncooperative, so you give that child some time out to sit and rethink what she is doing. After a few minutes in time out, the child will have calmed down after rethinking the behavior that sent her to the quiet spot, and will, very likely, return to the room with a more positive behavior and renewed enthusiasm.

As adults, we, sometimes, fail to give ourselves enough time with the Lord, so we stop hearing His voice and, consequently, end up placing ourselves in situations that really can harm us. It may be a relationship with a third party that needs some work, a situation at the workplace that requires our positive attitude, a family decision that requires our cooperation… or any other area of our lives which calls for listening before speaking, thinking before acting.  Because we have gone for a while running on our ability instead of seeking the Lord’s guidance, we find ourselves amidst too much noise to think, just like the child who stops listening to her elders before heading to time out.

When that happens, we must take ourselves into time out, a quiet place where we can detach ourselves from anything – or anyone – that can affect our decision-making, our behavior, or our ability to think clearly. It is a time to quiet our minds, to be still, and to allow God to speak into our minds and hearts.

What is the “noise” clouding your thinking today? Is your behavior needing some fine-tuning with the Lord’s will? I suggest you seek some time out. Let Him speak into your life in that quiet place. You will be thankful you did.

“Dear Jesus, You are in the quiet place. And we are so glad that You are! ”

 For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 19, 2024

Beauty In Surrender

“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16 (NIV)

There’s nothing like a long bike or jeep ride down a scenic trail in the fall to calm the soul. My husband and I enjoy taking the top off our jeep and riding through the mountains as we take in the breathtakingly scenic views of color. I always come back from one of those rides feeling peaceful and hopeful.

What we see as beautiful is really the dying process of the changing leaf, which results in vibrant colors. The leaf is giving everything it has to the tree; it is surrendering its life in that season. As the leaf dies it will show off every color that was put in it before it dies, as long as it’s connected to the tree. And in a different season new life will appear where the dying leaves once were.

As believers, we can display the same beautiful colors with our faith.

It’s no secret that life can be cruel. It can shatter our hearts in a moment and leave us gasping for breath – unsure of what will come at us next. One minute our life is planned out for us and in the next minute – everything is gone. The landscape can change so drastically that there’s nothing left to go back to.

There will be times when we have to surrender our dreams and the way we “thought” life would be. Surrender is not giving up. It’s just accepting a purpose and plan beyond our own individual understanding – and acknowledging God’s will. Even though we may think (and feel) the brokenness will kill us, surrendering our lives to God’s greater plan will bring about a peace (and hope) that renews us daily.

If we hold onto our faith and keep taking the next step, one day at a time, sometimes even one minute at a time; our most painful seasons can become beautiful.

Just like the leaf, God put a lot of beautiful things in us when He formed us in our mother’s womb. Others are watching us in our journey, and when we allow the light of God to shine through us, our colors show off in the way we live. In our daily actions of showing love, comfort and hope to others. Even though our own lives aren’t what we had planned. The simple truth is peace and pain can co-exist in a person’s life.

If we don’t let go of our hope in Him, He will breathe new life into us and allow every beautiful thing in us to make a magnificent display for His Kingdom.

“Father help us to hold onto You today no matter how much life hurts. Help us to surrender our dreams into Your safe hands. For we know that You will renew us and allow us to display our colors for Your greater purpose.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes (www.EphraimMinistries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 18, 2024

An Asterisk Life

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15

I was listening to an amazing and very heady Christian podcast called “Just Thinking”—it’s very intellectually demanding and spirit-inspiring, not the kind you can casually listen to at the gym. Anyway, the topic was indwelling sin in believers, and at one point one of the hosts made an off-the-cuff comment that struck me as incredibly profound. He said that with regard to obedience to God, Christians have a tendency to live with some asterisks—exceptions made for them. Mic drop. He didn’t dwell on the topic…but I did.

As a professional writer, much of my work is very technical (writing marketing material for a global computer company, a data analytics company, and others). And pretty much every piece I write in this genre includes an asterisk statement or two. You know, you read the sentence, see the “*” and look down to the bottom of the page for an explanation. Usually, it’s denoting that the sentence you just read is sometimes true, but there are caveats when it’s not true or is not relevant or applicable.

When it comes to living according to God’s Word, do we live a life with asterisks? Do we read in Matthew 5:43-48, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” and see an asterisk for ourselves? We may think, “Sure, Jesus said that to His audience, but that’s not applicable to me. He didn’t mean my neighbor/boss/government leader…that guy doesn’t deserve my love or prayers!” Or perhaps you know well that the Bible admonishes us to flee sexual immorality and that sex is designed only between a husband and wife (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4). But c’mon (insert asterisk here), that’s so irrelevant today. You live with your boyfriend because it’s financially wise—and he said he’s going to propose at some point. And (this one’s a real stinger, friend) God’s Word is very clear about us not fearing or being anxious (Philippians 4:6-7; Joshua 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:7; Deuteronomy 31:6; Romans 8:15). Asterisk living says, “Yeah, but THIS situation is different—there are so many things to worry about! I’m so afraid!”

As Christians, we are called to be holy and set apart (1 Peter 1:15-16). We are to pursue righteousness—after all, we have been made righteous through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)! We cannot pursue or even tolerate sin (Ephesians 4:17-32). Don’t get me wrong, we will sin—we cannot be perfectly holy and righteous as long as we are in this fallen world with this fallen body. But we must constantly walk in the direction of holiness, aligned with God’s Word and His will. And when we do mess up, we know it, we’re convicted, we ask forgiveness, and we repent (turn the other way). This is sanctification. We cannot, however, intentionally insert an asterisk here and there because we choose to disobey—because we believe that commandment or directive is not true, not relevant, or not applicable for us.

Friend, our holiness—our set-apartness—is when our light shines and we draw others to Jesus. Conversely, asterisk living makes us look more and more like the world. And if Christianity is just like the world, why would anyone want to give their life to Jesus?

“Father, help me live each day in accordance with Your Word, not making exceptions or excuses for my sin.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 17, 2024

Seeds of Gratitude

“Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15 (ESV)

The coolness of spring and the heat of summer mingled together this past week.  Oh, how I loved the refreshing early morning cool breezes and late night moments on the patio.  Perfect weather.  But, by Thursday perfection had slipped out the window and the humidity was daunting. To make matters worse, the air conditioning in my car wasn’t working.  Definitely not my fave way to commute, especially in the heat of the day.

While I was sweating on my way home, I couldn’t help but reflect on how easy it is to take so many seemingly insignificant things for granted.  Running water is always on tap in my home.  One simple flush allows me to take care of business without having to go outside.  A roof over my head and food in the pantry – wow we are blessed indeed.  Yet all these daily luxuries often go unnoticed, dismissed.  Why?  We simply forget the convenience and joy of having so much at our fingertips.

Unfortunately, we can land in this same place in our relationship with God.  There are churches around almost every corner in our city.  I have stacks of Bibles on my desk.  Inspiring podcasts are readily available.  My church offers multiple varieties of studies and life groups to suit the needs of everyone – no one is excluded.  Spiritual luxuries which we often take for granted.

Several years ago, a dear friend moved to a larger, more prominent city.  As she settled into her new environment, my friend greatly missed her church family and circle of godly friends.  Despite the city’s offerings of more places to shop and eat than you could dare imagine, the feeding of her soul was missing.  Sad reality, we often don’t miss what we are blessed with until it is no longer there.

Sweet friends, we can easily find ourselves drawn to critique, grumbling and complaining versus expressing gratitude and being thankful.  Inconveniences and preferences can fuel those thoughts propelling us down a negative trail. And once we embark on that journey, discontent will quickly rise to the surface.

So how do we avoid this trap?   Gratitude is crucial as we maneuver through life.  When we recognize how blessed we are to simply open our Bibles and freely attend church, we will replace complacency with true worship and overflowing joy. A critique of our pastor’s Sunday sermon will fade. When we acknowledge how God has blessed our life with family who love us and godly friends who inspire us, we will view each day through a different lens.  Unity will become our goal versus division and dissension.

Cultivating daily gratitude births a genuine recognition of how the hand of God guides and strengthens us.  Even acknowledging the mundane and uneventful moments as joyful gifts can plant seeds deep in our souls.  And when those hard times rise to the surface, which they will, our decision to embrace gratitude and cling to God’s truth will sustain us.  Like a wildfire in a dry land, the release of negativity can foster joy and gratitude in others as well.

Practice develops consistency – so let’s purposefully choose to practice gratitude this week by jotting down anything and everything that sparks gratitude in our hearts.  When the temptation sparks to critique, grumble or complain, let’s intentionally choose to see the goodness of our God over the disappointments of our circumstances. A grateful, contented heart always serves us well.

“Father, the sheer joy of Your presence in our lives generates abundant gratitude.  Teach us to see Your goodness sprinkled across every day and empower us to rise above the enemy’s attempts to steal our joy.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 14, 2024

Winning The Battle

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” I Peter 5:8 (ESV)

War movies are definitely not my fave to watch. I’m more of a Hallmark movie perfectly predictable ending kinda girl. Love and romance are far more appealing than blood, gore and fighting. Keeping the peace is my style, but sometimes we must ignite our souls for the battle, especially when Satan is the one seeking to defeat us.

I love the way Roman soldiers prepared for battle against their enemy. Strategically, they grabbed their shields in formation for the “tortoise” mode. Soldiers on the front battle line held their shields in front of them edge to edge connecting themselves together. Additional soldiers kept the sides protected edge to edge. And troops in the middle balanced their shields on their helmets. The “tortoise” game plan kept them totally protected from an enemy attack – like a turtle protected by its shell. And if that weren’t enough protection, the Romans drenched their leather covered shields with water ensuring the fiery darts of the enemy couldn’t penetrate them. Quite the battle plan and very effective as long as they stayed together and kept their shields in place.

While I have never been in a war, as a child of God I am always a moving target for Satan’s fiery darts. Choosing our default for peace will not work against this enemy. He needs to be eliminated, extinguished and removed from our path. Like a hunter seeking His prey, Satan waits for just the right time of vulnerability to seize his attack. And the “tortoise” mode is one way we can ensure victory. When we choose to hold up our shield drenched in God’s faithfulness and lock arms with others, we create a mighty fortress that even Satan can’t break through. Saturating our shield of faith in His word we are no match for the enemy’s schemes, and God’s mighty power is unleashed when we choose to trust in His unfailing word.

Sweet friends, we must always be prepared, actively watching and alert to the traps of Satan. Armed for battle. Abiding, remaining and clinging to our God. Surrounding ourselves with those who are willing to lock arms and proclaim God’s truth against the attacks of the enemy. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!

“Father, when the enemy seeks to slay us may we draw closer to You and stand firmly on Your truth.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Freedom, Spiritual Living, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 13, 2024

Layering Our Minds

“…Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…” Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Weeds abound in our yard. They snake under and through the bushes. They migrate to our potted plants. They pretend to be grass.

Our new yard guy has some big shoes to fill. The previous yard guy parked in front of the house every two weeks or so pulling a trailer full of equipment. Not only did he mow, edge, and clean up the yard, he released me from any responsibility on my part from even thinking about the yard. He rid the yard of leaves (a monstrous job with all of our trees), spread mulch, trimmed branches, cleared out the gutters, pressure-washed the house, and re-sealed our deck.

Why would we turn aside from such a great yard guy to recruit a new one? Our new yard guy is my 15-year-old son. Our old yard guy was very reasonable but the new one throws himself on our mercy for any payment at all. It’s hard to beat free labor.

Bags of mulch stacked like the pyramids of Egypt wait patiently in our yard to be spread around. From what I understand, the mulch blocks weeds from growing in the beds of bushes and flowers. Our new yard guy has been fighting a losing battle against the weeds invading our yard for the last month. He can continue to waste time pulling each weed or he can cover the invaders with a thick layer of mulch, smothering and driving out the weeds.

Unhealthy thought patterns invade our minds just like weeds. We can exhaust ourselves battling each thought individually or we can spread a blanket of the Word of God over our minds, starving those unhealthy thoughts.

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 (NLT)

Just as mulch prevents weeds from growing and promotes the growth of healthy plants, so layering our minds in the Word of God prevents the feeding of unhealthy thought patterns and promotes our transformation by changing the way we think.

What will you do today to protect your thoughts?

“Lord, we surrender our thoughts to You today. Free our minds of unhealthy thought patterns and change our thinking to all that glorifies You.”

For His Glory

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

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Posted in Freedom, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

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