Prevention 

By Jan Moser

    During several recent Winter Storms with low temperatures (actual) in the teens, we wanted to avoid frozen and burst water pipes, to prevent the incredible mess – not to mention the time-consuming damage repair and dealing with insurance companies (no offense to the caring people working diligently in that field, severalof whom we know). So at both home and church, we have always practiced preventive measures such as dripping faucets, turning up heat a little higher than usual and leaving sink cabinets open during the coldest part of the night. As long as we retain electricity, all is well. Like the old saying reminds us, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

    The same is true of our spiritual walk. If we keep up with our daily Bible reading and our worship, we will have better access to the Bible verses in our hearts and minds, when we need them during a difficult situation. 

    If we form our closest friendships with fellow believers,  we will not have as many temptations, or difficulties with saying no to someone when they pressure us to do something that violates our consciences. 

   When we pray (and ask good friends to, as well) ahead of probably challenges, we can have words and action plans prepared before a worrisome topic or situation occurs. 

    Can you think of more helpful preparations?

     May we all ensure that our spiritual foundation is strong and ready. 

Luke 6:47-48, MSG “These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on. If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last.”

Encounters

(By: Deborah Durrett)

         Life is full of encounters. Having been taught to give others the benefit of the doubt until there was a strong reason to question people and situations, I am more inclined to listen but not come to a quick conclusion. If there is not enough information, then more should be gathered-particularly after a brief encounter. With birdwatching, it is normal to gather intel over the course of several quick rendezvous. In the last ten days, I had occasion to cross paths with one of the many hawks frequenting our area, with some very similar features. With the crossover in size, shape, and color, I was left with doubt about my initial impression of it being a Red-tailed hawk.

“If you judge other people, then you will find that you, too, are being judged. Indeed, you will be judged by the very standards to which you hold other people.”Matthew 7:1-2 VOICE

       The first sighting was noticed by my husband as we took our first lap during a neighborhood walk. The bird appeared to be standing at attention-almost looked like a statue. It was next to the front of a group of azaleas that resembled a hedge, just beneath the front windows of the house. With no time for a photo, I scanned it with my eyes, trying to note color and size in my mind, in order to check my Merlin Birding APP after we returned. All indicators then pointed toward at least four possible hawks. The second interlude was actually a flyby – and nearly a collision – as the bird flew at a semi-downward trajectory and then rolled a bit, to slide between myself and a neighbor, as we chatted out front of our house. If we had not each taken a step – her to her side and me back a bit – one of us may have made contact with it. This added a clue of a potential juvenile bird working on flight patterns. The wingspan also helped narrow down the options of the main four hawks around here. But we still did not have enough information to reach a conclusion. The third approach was an audible cry, clearly from a bird of prey. We sat on our deck while having a hot morning beverage, and the distinctive and boisterous“kik kik kik” or “kek kek kek” had me standing to my feet, looking for a visual on what I knew was a Sharp-shinned hawk. To come to the most plausible conclusion, I needed to have as many pertinent facts as possible through methodically paying attention to details with each encounter.

“Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].” 1 John 4:7 AMP

       Similarly, when we interact with others as representatives of God’s teaching (particularly those who know Christ and follow Him, but also in a similar spirit with those who have yet to know Him), we should seek wisdom to relay the right knowledge at the right moment, to leave others with a taste of the hope of the salvation God wants to impart to His children. Keep in mind that sometimes, it is not always words from the mouth, but actions that witness to others. Also, at times, it is much easier said than done, yet if we do our level best to be kind and not jump to conclusions without facts in evidence, then we can be the best witness possible at perhaps a very difficult time for another person. 

        Birds do not take things personally as humans can and will. And I have had some family situations that made the front page of a local paper more than once, so on some level, I know how messy and challenging living can be. What I have taken from those situations is that sometimes, we need to step into someone else’s shoes for a minute, and consider how a misplaced comment about another’s life could affect them down the road. And when we take things out of context, we can get it all wrong. 

         Then there are also scenarios we experience firsthand, that develop in such a way that it is quite clear there is a problem needing a solution-a ‘red-flag’ serious thing, but we are not necessarily to be in the midst of it. If we need to, we should call for professional assistance. Additional scenarios without direct knowledge are those for which we must “wait and see,” and if you pray, do so! Some relationships that were once meaningful, or did not go further, happen that way for a reason. So if someone shows you signs of that not being a good idea, believe it – and let it go.

“If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that ‘every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,’ as the scripture says. And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.” (Deuteronomy 19:18 NIVUK describes this as a false witness/liar.) Matthew 18:15-17 GNT

        Hopefully, we can spend more of our lives encouraging and caring for people on many levels – as friends, co-workers, survivors of various situations, loved ones and neighbors. It is my goal to make every encounter count! Join me, please. 😊

“Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to do this, you are only fooling yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have done anything to be proud of. You must each accept the responsibilities that are yours.” Galatians 6:2-5 ERV

Going in Circles

By Jan Moser

Earlier this year, Richard and I were staying in a nice hotel, staffed by dedicated people. But they could not help us with what was keeping us awake until 3 a.m. On a public road less than a mile from the hotel, dozens of motorcycles were circling ceaselessly and loudly for four hours. Local police came and went. We finally were able to sleep, but not very restfully before a five to six-hour drive home!

Aren’t our spiritual lives sometimes like that?  Even we longtime, mature Christians can get stuck and not make any progress in a situation or in our growth. We continue to have the same lack of faith in certain situations, the same frustrations, the same repeated prayer requests to trusted friends. Sometimes, the initial causes are out of our control; however, our responses ARE within our control-with God’s help! 

Let’s ask God to show us what we need to do, to break out of our circling, and to make progress on the path that He has provided for us. He is willing and ready to help us! And we can help our sisters and brothers, encouraging each other as God intended!

James 1:5-6, The Message

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NLT“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

Fleeting Comfort

By Deborah P. Durrett

Have you ever noticed that as we are in these earthly bodies, it’s difficult to not remain in some kind of continual motion? We move about in various ways as we sit, stand, or lie down. Even as we sleep, there is a certain amount of movement that goes on as we rest. If we remain in one place too long physically, then we get a sore neck, loss of circulation, an achy back and the like. So when we get settled in to relax at a concert, take a drive, or get a good night’s sleep, our comfort is really only fleeting.

I was thinking about a verse, in particular, in which God asks us to be still, and wondered how he thought that was possible. Well, he’s not necessarily speaking physically, so much as spiritually. We’re always going to have to keep moving, in these bodies designed to move about and rest briefly, and begin again as we follow his leading to fulfill his will. When we quiet our minds and allow God to be our comfort, then we can leave discomforts behind us.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, KJV)

The word still, in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, breaks it back to the Hebrew word Raphah in 7495. Prime root mend, heal, repair or make whole. So when we stop thrashing about, spiritually speaking, we will be made whole. Even if we can’t stop tossing and turning in our sleep, or we fidget in our chairs at a long meeting, we are still able to achieve the goal of stillness when we allow our minds to rest in the love of our Father. What a blessing it is to know our Father in Heaven’s love is not fleeting, nor is our opportunity for comfort in his care.

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39, KJV)

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:7, KJV)