Pictures

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1

I have loved to take pictures from a very young age.  Years ago while I was in high school, I was on the yearbook committee. In my second year our sponsor asked if I would be interested in taking pictures for the yearbook. I loved taking pictures but had never used a professional camera. She gave me the school’s square box camera, I don’t remember the brand but it was not digital!  Every shot counted as there was no preview, no second chances, and film was expensive so there was not taking multiple shots. The film had to be loaded through spools and loaded correctly or you could ruin the film. Taking pictures was interesting, you looked down the top of the camera, no automatic focus, no automatic shutter speeds. To help me the school sent me to Hastings College for two weeks in the summer. There I learned how to take pictures, develop film and choose your shot. I spent the remainder of my high school years attending all the activities, sport events, plays, etc as there was only one photographer and one camera. All my pictures were in black and white. The picture had to tell a story without the beauty of yellow, green, blue...I love the contrast in black and white pictures, but it made me notice the brilliant array of colors. The distinctive shapes of each leaf, rock and creation. 

God's creation is so amazing, breathtaking and it is impossible to capture the complete picture as only God can do. I think that’s why I love taking pictures to share the view I see through God’s work.  

Prayer: Thank you Father for the breathtaking beauty on this earth. Only you can create such divine beauty. Thank you for the colors, shapes, aroma, and feel of all the earth and seas. Amen

Lori Hood

Turn my Heart toward Your Statutes

Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,

    that I may follow it to the end.

Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law

    and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands,

    for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes

    and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

    preserve my life according to your word.

Fulfill your promise to your servant,

    so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread,

    for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts!

    In your righteousness preserve my life.

                                       Psalm 119: 33-40

Road Map to Happiness

“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.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 11-13

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” Matthew 16: 24-26

Ever notice how many books have been written about Happiness?  Just in my Nook library I have two – The Happiness Project and Delivering Happiness.  I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the development of the online business Zappos in Delivering Happiness.  At the close of the book, the author, Tony Hsieh, writes “I learned that one of the consistent findings from the research was that people are very bad at predicting what will actually bring them sustained happiness.  Most people go through their lives thinking ‘When I get ___, I will be happy, or When I achieve ____, I will be happy.’…but the happiness they thought they would achieve fades fairly quickly.”  He then writes about three types of happiness – Pleasure, Passion, and Higher Purpose.  Research has shown that of the three types of happiness, the longest lasting is Higher Purpose.  He defines this as “…about being part of something bigger than yourself that has meaning to you” and says, “Many people go through life chasing after the pleasure type of happiness, thinking that once they are able to sustain that, then they will worry about the passion, and if they get around to it, look for their higher purpose.”

Jesus wrote this story a long time ago – “…whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Isn’t it wonderful that in Christianity, we have the opportunity, indeed the command, to build our lives on the foundation that ultimately leads to the longest lasting happiness?  This has been God’s hope and plan throughout the Bible.  This prosperity is not to be confused with pleasure in every moment, not even happiness in every moment, but the kind of happiness that lasts through time.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, You wrote the book so long ago and we, as humans, keep trying to improve upon it.  Thank you for providing not only the road map to happiness, through devotion to you, but the Holy Spirit to help me stick to the road.  Forgive me for the times I try to develop my own road to happiness and thank you for welcoming me back to Your road when I realize how futile mine is.  Most of all, thank you for the lasting happiness that comes from following You.  Amen

Lori Snyder-Sloan (reprinted with permission from her devotional book, Faithfully Devoted to God)

Rescued!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

“Jesus said to them. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Mark 2:17-18

We have three rescue dogs, animals that were abandoned or left in a situation that was less than ideal; an agency took them in and made it their mission to find new homes for them. It’s become pretty common, so that saying “my dog is a rescue” is understood by many.

When someone unfamiliar sees one of our pets, I frequently mention that they were “rescues”. I am sometimes met with looks of pity or comments like: “oh, I could never do that. I’d want a new puppy.” The implication is that taking in a less-than-perfect dog has great risk. And taking in an animal that has already been through a few bumps in the road is a risk they wouldn’t want to take. There may be behavior issues that are difficult to control or change. They want their own little puppy to mold.

I think of humans, and all our flaws and shortcomings. None of us are perfect; each of us have difficulties and problems that we’d maybe like to overcome. Or, each of us has special characteristics that make us unique, some of which may not be appealing to others. And then there's sin. Regardless, not one person on earth is a perfect specimen of humanity. In spite of this, God loves us. He loves us through our shortcomings, He loves us in spite of them, and He loves us even when we don’t love Him. Like a rescued pet, we may have backgrounds that are rough. We may have behavioral issues. Like some pets, we may even reject the love others may attempt to show us.

In these parallels, I both dislike the impression that by getting a puppy instead of an older dog you won’t have to deal with imperfection, and I like the thought of God “rescuing” us, like we may rescue a pet, by offering love and acceptance.

There’s no need to be perfect, and God has already “rescued” us by sending His son as our Savior. Both are reasons to be grateful!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for loving me in spite of my shortcomings, in spite of my sins. Thank you for the grace and forgiveness you offer. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Photos of my “imperfect” rescued pets: Pippa, Louis, and Leo:

Encouragers

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Philemon 1:7 

When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Acts 11:23-24

I'm not sure I realized when I wrote this devotion many years ago, that my mom was the encourager that had most influenced me and that I was most thankful for. I'd like to resubmit this devotion as a tribute to Donna Stalcup, the best encourager EVER!

I believe that behind many of God’s “success stories”, you’ll find one or more encouragers that God used to help that person get there. For example, Barnabas was a wonderful encourager and very influential in the days of early Christianity (as we see in the scripture from Acts). Through his relationships with both Paul and Mark, he was able to keep each of them going when they might have failed.

I think we sometimes underestimate just how important encouragers are. They don’t have to say much or even say it eloquently. We all know that even the smallest encouragement can make a big difference. It can lift you up right when you need it. Sometimes, though, you don’t realize the effect that these people have had until you look back later. Maybe they gave you a nudge in the right direction at a crucial turning point in your life, or maybe they provided you with constant support that gradually built you up. Through them, your faith grows and you gain a more positive outlook on life. It’s so wonderful how God uses these people to help us to become more than we thought we could ever be.

I am so thankful for the encouragers God put in my life--and I’m inspired by their example. They make me ask myself how I can be a better encourager.  Unfortunately, sometimes I hold back encouraging words for fear of sounding awkward, silly, or even pushy. And worse, with my family I’m sometimes guilty of following a compliment with “constructive criticism”, or even criticizing instead of complimenting. Ouch. If I’m trying to teach my children to say positive things to each other, I know I need to start by more often saying positive things to them.

I must be ready and willing for God to use me during any moment of the day as an encourager. Even if it’s not my strongest gift, God has the amazing ability to help me be a positive influence to someone who needs it. (And we all need it sometimes). I just need to pray at the beginning of each day for God to give me the courage to say the kind of encouraging things He needs me to. I don’t need to worry how I will sound, because when I’m speaking on God’s behalf, the words will always come out just right!

Prayer: Dearest God of Grace, forgive us for the times we neglect to offer encouragement to others when they need it. Help us to not only notice, but also point out the positive we see in others. And thank you so much for the encouragement you send both to us and through us--for encouragers are invaluable to building up the Body of Christ. Amen.

Sharon Irvin (edited and reprinted from February 2005)

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise.

I will exalt you, my God the King;

    I will praise your name for ever and ever.

 Every day I will praise you

    and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

    his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another;

    they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

    and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 

They tell of the power of your awesome works—

    and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They celebrate your abundant goodness

    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

    slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all;

    he has compassion on all he has made.

All your works praise you, Lord;

    your faithful people extol you.

They tell of the glory of your kingdom

    and speak of your might,

so that all people may know of your mighty acts

    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises

    and faithful in all he does.

The Lord upholds all who fall

    and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

    and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand

    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways

    and faithful in all he does.

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

    to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

    he hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord watches over all who love him,

    but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

    Let every creature praise his holy name

    for ever and ever.

Faith Heals All

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Philippians 4:6

In the Lincoln Journal Star on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 there was an article about Mental Health: The Invisible Crisis. This was a troubling story about drug abuse, sexual abuse, paranoia, fear and a real roller-coaster ride for a young lady. She was able to have children but had them taken away from her and lost her parental rights. This is considered a crisis of our times.

The part which touched me was the heading under the photo of this beautiful lady with a horse at her grandmother’s place. It said, “with treatment and Christian faith, she was able to fight the issues brought on by mental illness and substance abuse.”

As I walk the Eastridge neighborhood praying for the people surrounding our church, I pray for people that might be hurting just as this young person. I pray for Eastridge to be there for them and that God may nudge them to come to us. I believe the Christian faith can take away our fear and we can turn over all to Him. This story is an example of a true story of what faith can do.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you we have Eastridge where we can meet with our church family and we can pray. Help us to keep our entire neighborhood in mind and so that all may hear the word of God and be healed. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck