Family Trees and Olive Branches

Do not be like children in your thinking, my brothers; be children so far as evil is concerned, but be grown up in your thinking. 1 Corinthians 14:20 

Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful men, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. Ephesians 4:14 and 15.

Christina Hergenreder used these verses to speak to over one hundred women at the Shiloh campground in Nebraska this year. My sister and I were able to attend and grew in our understanding of family dynamics. 

First, we were told to tell what it was like to enter our family living room at the home we grew up in. We both said it was usually a great feeling in our home in the country in Nebraska. It was a safe home, the neighborhood was so safe, we never locked our doors. We kids never had a key to the house. 

We were lucky that our parents believed the Bible. We did not have alcohol, parents missing, or a lot of brokenness. We had pet dogs and cats and even a pet skunk. The skunk was de-scented and had been brought to us after the neighbor ran over the mother in his field. He brought it to us knowing we cared for animals. The veterinarian removed the sac of foul-smelling fluid, and he became a household pet.

However, we learned from the campground conference from Genesis 50:20, Luke 23:24 and Ephesians 4:14 and 15 that these actions would help us when tragedy or disagreement appears in our family: 

• We do not control others’ emotions or actions
• To glorify the Lord in our actions
• Our identity can be made with using the riches of our Lord’s glory
• We need to forgive even when we don’t want to 
• Love surpasses all
• Bring your hurt to our Lord
• Teach your kids from words of Jesus in the Bible
• Love of Christ and family passes all else

We also learned to build family with

• Devotions 
• Weddings
• Big birthday gatherings
• Touching and holding each other
• Eating together
• Touching each other with love 
• Building a family mission statement

To top off a beautiful day of learning I got a Facetime call from a granddaughter while at the event, that she had become engaged. Thankfully, we get to invite a fine young gentleman into our family. He used a lot of what we learned to build family when he invited friends from far-away places to view his giving of a diamond.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Words from Ecclesiastes

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 

All I Need

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11

On a Connection Card (available in our church pews), there is a question: “How can we pray for you?” A child turned in her card recently, answering, “nothing, I got everything I need.”

I thought of a child’s view and how we can appreciate this, how we can use her example to be content with what we have. Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t need others’ prayers or that we should always be content with the status quo. However, I think gratitude and appreciation and just paying attention are what this is about.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be thankful for all that you’ve given me. Help me to find joy and contentment in my circumstances, because you are there with me. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Words from Psalm 65

You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance. Psalm 65:11 

Clear Thinking & Common Sense

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don't for a minute lose sight of them. They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive. You'll travel safely, you'll neither tire nor trip. You'll take afternoon naps without a worry, you'll enjoy a good night's sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner, because God will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound. Proverbs 3:21-26 (The Message)  

This has been a difficult period in our country as we have become more divided than ever over political issues. The media sometimes adds to the concerns we have when they discuss the issues. I’ve heard commentators use the words “fear” and “panic” when they discuss the public’s reactions to the news of the day.

This passage from Proverbs advises us to keep our sound judgment and use common sense, for they will help us on our travels. Especially appropriate is the section suggesting that we don’t need to panic over predictions about doomsday—because God is with us and will keep us safe and sound.

How appropriate it is to reconsider these words from thousands of years ago. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when it seems all the news is bad and there doesn’t seem to be any hope. We worry about the political scene, climate change, the economy, health care, and education, to name a few. But worry doesn’t really get us anywhere. It merely diverts our attention from honoring God for our blessings.

            

Eastridge will soon be conducting its stewardship campaign, and it might be tempting to fall prey to all the negative news around us and think our church pledge is an item that can be moved to a lower priority. However, the next verses of the Proverbs chapter advise us not to take such action:

         Never walk away from someone who deserves help;

               your hand is God's hand for that person.

            Don't tell your neighbor "Maybe some other time"

               or "Try me tomorrow" when the money's right there in your pocket.

The church budget includes money to operate the church building and programs, but it also includes funding for local, national, and international mission projects. Prayerfully consider your situation when completing your pledge form. Remember that God is always there and will provide and try not to succumb to the fear and panic that seems all around us. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you for giving us common sense and good judgment. We need your assistance to remember our blessings amidst the “fear” and “panic” that seems to be everywhere today. We know you are always there and will keep us safe. Help us to always understand that we can reach out to others, for our hands can be your hands.

Robin Hadfield (reprinted from 2018)

Children with Special Needs

Congenial conversation - what a pleasure! The right word at the right time - beautiful! Proverbs 15:23 The Message

I have been a cashier at a grocery store for 12 years. In that time I have been unsure how to handle interactions with certain members of our community - children with special needs. Some of these individuals can't speak, some are crying, some are yelling and I just didn't know what to do. I felt convicted that I should say hi to the child as well as the parent. So recently I had a child with special needs come through my line with her mother. I said hi to the mother then said hi to the approximately 8-year-old child. She didn't say hi back but the mother immediately engaged me in conversation. She said her daughter got so excited about going to school. 

"Does she like school?" I asked. 

"She loves school!" Her mother seemed quite appreciative to talk to me. I finished scanning her groceries and told her to have a good day, and she left.

Later I told a teacher friend of mine about the experience because I was unsure if it had gone well. My friend said, "You did great. You acknowledged the existence of her daughter when a lot of people look away, and you gave her a chance to talk about her daughter."

I felt good that for once I had handled the situation well. "The right word at the right time - beautiful!"

Prayer: Dear Lord, it is so easy to look away when we come across children with special needs. Help us to treat them as members of our community, greet them and make their families feel welcome. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Nancy Brumbaugh

Care a Lot and Pray a Lot

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:22–25

A friend of mine told me, “My worst sin is that I’m a procrastinator. It gets in my way and it keeps me from doing all that God created me to do.” I would have to say that I’m the opposite. My worst sin may be that I’m an “urgent-inator. I want everything to happen right away, as in “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today” – even if it means losing sleep and missing other good things in order to get it done. I like to write things on my to-do list and check them off at the same time. If an email is in my in-box, I feel I need to respond to it. 

In my advancing age, though, I have learned that some things are better off if they’re left to sit for a while – chili soup, angry words, home decorating, and God’s work. Scripture tells us that it is through challenges that we grow in our faith and our dependence on God. Paul writes this in nearly every letter – Hebrews, Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Timothy. It was true for them then and it’s true for us now. 

Right now, there are a lot of things that make us afraid. And fixers, like me, would like to fix things up right away. A nice easy solution would be very nice! But God sees things with eternal eyes. The Apostle Paul talks to all the early churches about the need for struggles and perseverance in order to grow faith. As the writer Anne Lamont says, “It’s good to be afraid, when it mobilizes us to fight tooth and nail for what is right, when it pricks the balloon of our complacency, when it gets us back on our feet. A lot of us are both afraid and devoutly faithful at the same time…courage is fear that has said its prayers.” 

We can respond to the things that make us afraid with fear. Or we can care a lot and pray a lot. We can stick together and share and listen and draw nearer to God knowing that we are loved and chosen and safe. We know the ending of the story, and it is this. In the end, God wins. Jesus came to tell us that.

Today I will pray to the God that loves us and be at peace.

Prayer: Dear Lord, it seems like there are so many things to be afraid of, but I know that you tell us over and over again in Scripture to, “Be not afraid”, and to trust You. Protect me from my urgent-inator ways. I pray for peace in my soul as You slow me down and help me to remember to pray and to trust You while You work out Your way in the world. Amen

Lori Snyder-Sloan (reprinted from 2016)