Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 12, 2023

Cherishing What’s Important

“The unfolding of Your (God’s) words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 (ESV)

Ever have one of those Mondays that really makes your head spin? Like nothing is going right and everything is urgent. Overwhelming comes quickly. And right in the midst of one of those head spins, I stretched out my hands to release a little stress and went into my crazy dance. When my eyes saw my hand, I realized my diamond was missing. The prongs were intact but my beautiful heart shaped diamond was nowhere to be found. So crazy Monday took a backseat.

Panic mode shifted to high gear. While I was spinning my wheels and getting nowhere, my co-worker started looking in my purse, my work tote and around my office. We scavenged through my trash cans. Nothing shiny rising to the surface. We retraced my steps. My friend went in one direction and I headed to the women’s restroom. Digging through the trash can to see if my diamond got hooked in the paper towels. Nothing shiny to be found. I headed to the stall and got down on my knees carefully scouring the floor. Next to the dark grey tile edging the wall, I finally saw a sparkle and yes it was my heart diamond. My heartbeat finally slowed, and my breathing settled back to calm – what was lost was now found.

Wonder if we ever search for God the way I did for my diamond? Now I know God isn’t missing, but sometimes we totally forget He is even there. Often we allow the craziness of our days to override His presence. Too many days, we slip into survival mode when what we really need is to lean into His power and strength. Sometimes, we simply need to still our hearts and minds so we can dig in deeper to understand His truth. Wouldn’t it be great if we grabbed a friend by the hand and together we devoured the scriptures? Maybe we could even unplug from all the distractions long enough for God to have our undivided attention.

Sounds amazing and totally possible if we chose to value time with God over all the rest. Clinging to His every word. Resting in His calming wisdom. Cherishing what’s truly important. Radiating a true inner beauty as we are transformed in His presence. Now that sweet friend is the best sparkle of all.

“Father You find great pleasure in revealing Yourself to us. Give us a deep desire to know You more and more each day.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 9, 2023

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’ urgent 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 Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 7, 2023

Real Prayer To A Real God

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?”    (Deuteronomy 4:7  NIV)

Whenever we pray to Him. Those were the words of Moses addressing the nation of Israel. For those of us who were taught to pray from childhood, prayer is something we can easily take for granted. As I meditated on that verse, I was struck by the realization of how privileged we are over the worshipers of false gods, we who can pray with confidence, knowing that our God hears our prayers and cares deeply about our concerns. What other god does that?

None.

The church I attended in another state had a family who immigrated to the U.S. from Guyana. These folks were formerly Hindu. In response to the teachings of missionaries in their home country, they converted to Christianity. Their conversion was genuine and vital. They became respected leaders in our church because of their holy lives and calm wisdom.

The father of this family once said to me, “You who have grown up in the Christian church don’t realize the power of God because He’s been there all the time for you. But the Hindu people we grew up with knew of His power and feared it.” They had experienced the lack of power of their deity in contrast with what they had seen from the God of the Christians.

To me, having grown up in the church, that was a surprising revelation, but I believe he was right. In the words of Moses, they did not have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him.

Should we who have the privilege of prayer then waste it? Tim Keller said, “The greatness of prayer is nothing but an extension of the greatness and glory of God in our lives.” It must break the heart of God when we get busy with life and neglect to spend time in prayer with Him.

We should seek maturity in our prayers. Hopefully, we have grown beyond the simple prayers we learned to say by rote from our childhood. Hopefully, we have learned to pour out our hearts to our Father with praise and thanksgiving, knowing that He will fulfill His promises.

As a footnote, I had to wonder why those Hindu people, so precious to God, who knew of His power and feared it, did not turn toward Him. Probably one of the biggest reasons was pressure from relatives and friends, who would reject them if they converted. My heart goes out to them. I pray that the Lord will give them the courage to follow Him and bring their families with them.

“Heavenly Father, we bow in awe before You and thank You for the privilege of conversing with You personally. Please forgive us for the times we have neglected to pray, and give us a hunger to spend time with You.”

 For His Glory

Cherie Harbridge Williams (www.cherieharbridgewilliams.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 6, 2023

How Do You Idenitfy?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

It was only a few years ago when the vast majority of people in our culture would not have uttered the question, “How do you identify?”—we couldn’t even imagine what that would have meant. Today, though, this question is not only understood by people of all ages but it’s being pushed as normative. (Some even demand it be a requisite inquiry—because any assumptions are otherwise seen as “hateful”.) And the potential answers? Well, that’s something else altogether…boys say they’re girls, girls say they’re boys, some say they are neither…or both (that’s for today, though, and it may change tomorrow). Or someone could tell you they’re a “furry”—a cat, dog, or some anime character. Yup, Satan is having a grand ol’ time confusing young people, dividing families, and creating emotional and psychological misery that’s leading more young people than ever to consider suicide.

Humans, however, are all made in the image of God—Imago Dei. “Male and female, He created them” (Genesis 1:27). And you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), despite the filtered looks of those whom you emulate or how social media “friends” react to pics you post.

Even more amazing, once we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, another wonderful thing happens at that moment: We become a new creation in Christ—the old has passed, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

But is this how we identify as we walk through the world? Or, although as Christians, do we still battle with who we were before, identifying ourselves as we were pre-salvation?

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t come to Christ until age 30. And, until that time, I was definitely living according to my flesh—doing what felt good and trying to satisfy the God-shaped hole in my soul with everything but God. Not that anyone asked how I “identified” (again, that wasn’t a thing), but there were definitive characteristics I could have used: drunk, promiscuous, drug user, and party girl. Of course, all these came with another set of associated identities: ashamed, burdened, humiliated, and weary. Ah, then…but God. Being rich in mercy, because He loved me, even when I was dead in my sins, He made me alive with Christ, by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:1-10). Now, although I immediately became a new creation, taking on the righteousness of Jesus while He took my unrighteousness, it would have been easy to glom on to my previous self-identifiers. I could have put on my “Christian” nametag while maintaining some or all of my other labels.

Think about your own walk with the Lord…how do you identify? Although you love Jesus, are you “angry”, “addicted”, or “burdened”? Oh friend, you must correctly self-identify! Remember who you are in Christ: You’re chosen by God and adopted as His child (Ephesians 1:3-8); you’re redeemed and forgiven of all your sins (Colossians 1:13-14); you are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10); you’re free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2); and you’re a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20).

The enemy of your soul loves to hiss condemnation in your ear, wanting nothing more than for you to forget these truths—and stay shackled to your past (in self-beliefs or behaviors). But, beloved, you have one true identity: You are who He says you are.

“Good and gracious Father, I stand firm in my Christ-bought identity as a child of God. Help me walk confidently according to this truth, despite the world around me shouting otherwise.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 5, 2023

Why Right Living Serves Us Well

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”  Genesis 6:8 (ESV)

Gotta love a road trip –  I sure do.  Hitting the highway with my fave “trip food” (stuff I normally don’t eat) and ready for an adventure.  While the beach is always my go to place, on Memorial Day weekend I traveled with friends to visit the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.

The path from Virginia to Kentucky was filled with lots of ups, downs and around the curve.  My ears were popping and my lead foot had to ease up around some of those bends in the road.  It was a fast trip, but totally worth it.

Don’t know if you’re like me or not, but those Sunday School flannelgraph stories were mesmerizing.  The ark and all the animals marching in. The huge raindrops falling and the water raging  And then the next scene was the rainbow decorating the sky – the perfect happy ending.

While Noah’s family survived the catastrophic flood along with the animals God instructed him to bring along, all other mankind, animals, trees, etc. were destroyed.  Why?  The people of Noah’s day rejected God and chose to pursue evil.  Every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was continuously evil, which in turn grieved the heart of God.I’m sure there were lots of laughter and ridicule aimed at Noah, yet he persisted in following God’s instructions. And when the first drops of rain began to fall, the stark consequences of the people’s sin became reality.

Kind of makes the flannelgraph look different now, doesn’t it?  Standing in that massive ark takes a Sunday School lesson from a storybook to a new, real life dimension.  A truth, God’s word,  unfolding right before our eyes. Righteousness = living right with God = protection, shielding and positioning us for God’s best. Wickedness = rejecting God’s commands = vulnerability, consequences and eternal death missing God’s best.

Sweet friends, we would be wise to heed the wisdom of God’s word. Those stories we heard as children – Noah’s ark, Joseph’s journey down the pit, Daniel in the lion’s den – were real people.  Reaping always follows sowing.  Noah, Joseph and Daniel sowed right living and reaped God’s miraculous deliverance. The people of Noah’s day reaped devastating consequences because they sowed unrighteousness. A truth told is one worth heeding.

Life will present us with lots of choices.  Some of those will serve us well; others won’t.  Let’s not grieve the heart of our loving God by pursuing whatever seems right in our eyes. Instead let’s choose to do life according to His commands.  Even if we’re standing alone.  Even if we’re the only ones listening to God’s voice.  Even if we are persecuted, ridiculed, or mocked – following after our God is worth it every step of the way.

“Father, how we love the amazing stories of real people who fill the pages of Your word.  Incredible testimonies of what it means to follow hard after You, to reap grace and mercy in those moments when we miss the mark and to cherish the joy of forgiveness.  We are deeply loved.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 2, 2023

You Were The Reason

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

Not much is said in the Bible about Jesus’ childhood, so when I went to the theatre to watch ‘Young Messiah,’ I was delighted to see that He was depicted as a semi-normal young boy. Semi-normal because He was, after all, the Son of God, who lived some of the same experiences as normal human beings do.

The boy would go out in the street to play with his friends; He was a victim of bullying; He had closer friends and relatives with whom He interacted more regularly. Two things, however, were clear evidence of the fact that the boy wasn’t just “any boy.” First, Jesus never displayed fear against the enemy, who, by the way, was present in almost every scene. Second, even when He still did not understand why some things happened to Him and not to others (like bringing another boy to life), He displayed compassion and love to others to such a great extreme, that He would heal them.

Ah, love so great, so divine, that would drive the Lord God in heaven to forego the pleasure of having His only Son beside Him, to watch Him grow and to help Him when He scraped a knee or was attacked by a band of bullies; to sit proudly as He heard His Son quote His first portions of Scripture in the synagogue, and all those little things that make the bond between Father and Son so special!

Dear sister, it was His love for you! It was God’s desire that you do not perish, but instead, get the opportunity to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. That is why He willingly sent His little boy to this earth to show His power of redemption and healing; to show His love and forgiveness and His comfort. You were the reason. The cross proved it. You are loved by a God with outstretched arms.

“Thank You for being a loving God, Abba. No one else on earth would do what You did for us. Your love is amazing. We magnify Your name, for You are great.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 31, 2023

When Sin Spills Over

“Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:15 (ESV)

Ever noticed how it’s the adults who tend to be the spillers? To be honest, my fingers have released too many glasses to the floor. And shattered glass is very difficult to get up. No matter how many times you vacuum or sweep there always seems to be a tiny sliver remaining. Bare feet never like to be the recipients of what is left behind – ouch!

Bet we never like to experience the ripple effect of sin either. We can attempt to convince ourselves that what we choose to do only affects us, but nothing is further from the truth. Like tiny sightless slivers of glass, our sinful actions hurt and harm others. You don’t have to look far into scripture to see the impact of sin. Cain killed his brother leaving Adam and Eve separated from both of their children (Genesis 4:11). Jonah purposefully resisted God’s instructions which threatened the life of sailors transporting him to Tarshish (Jonah 1:4). The books of I & II Kings and I & II Chronicles details those kings who embraced idol worship and lead people into evil practices resulting in defeat.

Interesting how much we want to avoid the ripple of others’ sinful actions, but we easily minimize our own. After all, we aren’t hurting anyone but ourselves echoes carelessly from our lips. We easily forget sin’s impact when we are the ones choosing wrong. We even close our eyes to the fallout and relinquish our contribution. But our actions and disobedience affect believers and non-believers. Like a continuous wave of devastation, the fallout of sin doesn’t discriminate. None of us are immune.

Sweet friends, let’s release those excuses when we are tempted to disobey God’s word. Let’s hit pause and remember those moments when we allowed sin to win and the pleasure of the moment evaporated. Pain and heartache quickly followed, and others were impacted by our actions. A tour down memory lane can derail us from moving forward. A gentle tug providing a way of escape can propel us away from regrets.

Love the way our God knows all and yet still extends grace. Sins confessed and repented are covered and forgotten by our loving God. But the aftermath, the ripple and the slivers, still have the propensity to linger.

We each have a choice – resist sin or reap the consequences – let’s determine now to choose well.

“Father, Your word reminds us of the impact of our sinful actions – help us to avoid the pain of hurting ourselves and others.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Freedom, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 30, 2023

Grieving With Peace

 

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15

Through my 25 years of being a Christian, truly surrendered to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, life has not been a bowl of cherries. There’s been personal loss, betrayal, death, illness—you know, the general brokenness of this fallen world crashing down…just like everyone else. And just like before I was a believer. The difference, however, has been in my response to these situations because of the eternal perspective of God’s providence.

The lens of faith colors every challenge and tragedy (and victory) a bit differently for believers than the view the world sees in these same circumstances. And that can completely bewilder those around us. Sometimes, it even confounds us.

I recently witnessed this truth in a fresh way, as the body of Christ (the Church) demonstrated the love of Jesus—and God’s promises for Christian life came to fruition. A family in my church small group experienced the devastating loss of a child. From the moment our group learned of this, we rallied. We prayed and we texted love and support. One couple immediately went to the hospital to listen, talk, and pray with the family. The next  days, more of us, throughout the hospital stay, visited to be present, provide lighthearted distraction, and offer up more prayer. Once home, our group brought meals daily, again visiting with listening ears and gentle kindness. God’s love in action. Biblical living. We are called to weep with those who weep…and we did.

And as this sweet family continued to grieve, they spoke of the unreasonable and inexplicable peace they were experiencing amid their sorrow. God’s Word calls this “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 6-7)—and it is His promise to us.

This is not about tossing pillow-stitched verses at someone experiencing loss or difficulties. It’s not even about “saying the right thing.” It is about coming around that person or family with love and prayer and a listening ear—not a talking mouth. It’s about knowing the truth: that we, as believers, don’t grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope—we have confidence that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we will see our loved ones in Christ again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). We hold fast to that eternal perspective. And although there will be times to weep and mourn throughout life (Ecclesiastes 3), God and His people can alter those experiences. There will still be pain, but it’s bathed in something heavenly. It’s altered by the peace of God.

“Heavenly Father, living in this fallen world can be so painful. But You have made promises to those who love You—promises for peace and joy that surpass understanding. Thank you for revealing Your love and truth through the body of Christ in this world.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 29, 2023

When Life Happens

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.” Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

It was a picture-perfect moment. All the pieces landed in the right place. Couldn’t have imagined a better scenario. If only life could stand still in this moment, we’d be forever grateful. Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could capture the essence of our most exhilarating moments? The place where everything lines up exactly like we thought it would. Totally blessed. Never leaving this place.

And then life happens. The dream job we landed evaporates – a casualty of downsizing. The bigger than life opportunity fades quicker than it arrived. That deal we spent endless hours preparing and brainstorming for achieved accolades and then totally unraveled. The house we settled in, decorated and made the sweetest home ever crumbles in the aftermath of a fire. The spouse who exceeded our expectations walks out with no plans to return. The wellness check unveiling excellent health misses the mark when cancer introduces a new normal.

The unplanned and unexpected pivot shift shredded all we ever dreamed possible. And the most devastating twist – we were doing all the right things, the right way. Entitlement slays us. We deserved perfect. We earned our happily ever after. We followed the rules. We stayed in the lines.

Sound familiar? We’ve probably all landed here. Left in its wake, we question and doubt. We shout words we thought would never grace our lips. We evaluate everyone else who seems to be living the life we thought we had while relinquishing all that’s been taken from us. We cry till our eyes are drained, we scream until our voice is silenced and we stomp tired feet in defiance. And for a while, we close out the rest of our world for fear it will be shaken too – life simply isn’t fair.

What’s a girl to do when happily ever after fades?

Yes, we have to feel and process the deep loss of dreams – excusing or ignoring losses won’t erase them. Yet God can be trusted to take today’s heartache and birth His greatest glory in us. Nothing we experience whether hard or easy is wasted. The psalmist reminds us sweet friends to firmly fix our eyes on God. Rehearse His character. Lean in close to hear His quiet voice whispering. Stretch outside our box of discomfort and glimpse the growth God is orchestrating in us. Hold tight to His promises. Wait expectantly and hope unswervingly.   Watch as He resurrects the deepest joy we’ve ever known. And like the Psalmist, we are confident our songs of praise will be deepened, enlarged and overflowing.

“Father, lift up our heads when life threatens to drown out our praise. Immerse us in Your words. Eliminate our inner cries for fairness. Settle us with Your peace and comfort.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 26, 2023

Duty Vs. Delight

“Delight thyself also in the LORD….” Psalm 37:4a (KJV)

Ever get caught up in mundane cleaning chores at home? I do!  However, once in a while I joyously discover something I felt was in ‘safekeeping’ only realizing it had become misplaced and forgotten.  This recently occurred when I came across a handwritten letter from my only brother.  Words echoed from his heart.   Though struggling as a college student, his needs were never mentioned – only his love for Christ, compassion for the lost, and expressions of complete surrender to kingdom work.  Hopefully, very relevant to any ministry heart today.  Randy has been in heaven for 38 years, and he delighted in serving God with an unrelenting yielding to Him.

Delight desires to please, which greatly prompts an examination of my heart.   Do I serve Christ because I love Him not for what I can acquire from Him?  Am I faithful to honor Him with every aspect of my life?  Does my heart break over what breaks His?

Serving Christ and others should be done delightfully.  We can be made to do many things.  The difference is – obligation says I have to; however, delight says I want to.  My brother understood this principle – do we?  God is very capable of replacing an obligated heart with one willing to please Him and others.  Just think what discoveries await us!!

“Father, help me serve You because I want to not because I have to.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

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