From Hectic to Holy

The current corona virus crisis has a lot of people frazzled and short tempered. Occasionally, that includes me too. I miss my Bible study sisters. I miss going to church services. I miss going out for barbecue on Friday nights. I miss hugging people. I miss a lot of things. I’m sure you do too.

One of my friends emailed me saying she thought she’d get more rest during this “self isolation” period we’re going through, but she’s more tired than ever. Author Chris Hodges in his book The Daniel Dilemma says that “real rest doesn’t come from simply resting; it comes when your soul is connected to God’s power.” He points out how calm Daniel in the Old testament is–along with his chums Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego—even though they were taken captive, separated from their families and lived tumultuous times—the slaves of high- strung pagan kings in palaces full of debauchery.

The subtitle of the book is How to Stand Firm and Love Well in a Culture of Compromise. I have been reading short sections of the book each day during this Coronaggedon and have found it uplifting and encouraging. I am learning to rest in His Grace and Truth—despite these tumultuous times.  Yes, the author points out that even when we trust in God, will still wrestle with loss, disappointment and doubts and painful emotions, but as he says, “I’d rather have hope in what an all powerful God can do than certainty in what I am limited to do.”

God bless you.

Stay well.

Keep the Faith.

Shirley

An award-winning writer and frequent conference speaker, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God (Harvest House). She holds an M.A. in literature and has been married to her husband Bill for over forty years. They live in New Mexico where she is prayer chairman for her local Community Bible Study (CBS). Touch base at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook.

                    

Courageous WorldChangers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God is currently on sale from Harvest House. Get free shipping with promo code STAY HOME.

Birds of a Feather

Visiting Nassau’s Ardastra Gardens was one of the highlights of our Bahamas vacation. My husband and I laughed as we watched the world famous marching flamingos circle the performance ring. With their long spindly legs and graceful S-shaped necks, the birds obeyed the commands of their “drill sergeant.” Around the ring they marched, puffing out their chests. When the “sergeant” blew his whistle, the birds would do a quick about face and head the other way. They were hilarious. After the show we learned that this particular generation of birds hadn’t been trained at all. Decades ago, the owner of the gardens had trained a few flamingos, as part of an experiment. Now the younger birds mimic the older birds, and so it has continued for generations of the garden’s flamingos. It reminded me of that game follow the leader we used to play as children. Even as adults we still follow leaders, don’t we? Pastors and their wives, mentors, teachers, supervisors at work, and others. Are we choosing to follow people who are worthy to be followed? Keep in mind that others are watching and following us—our children and grandchildren and neighbors, for instance. Are we leading them as we should? Not all leaders do so—consider Adolph Hitler and Mao Zedong, for example. Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  (Matthew 16:24--NIV) Jesus calls us to follow him too. He will not lead us astray. Nor will he suddenly order us to do a spiritual about face. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

An award-winning writer and frequent conference speaker, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God (Harvest House). She holds an M.A. in literature and has been married to her husband Bill for over forty years. They live in New Mexico where she is prayer chairman for her local Community Bible Study (CBS). Touch bases at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook.

Are You a Servant or a Servaholic?

Do you have a servant’s heart?

Don’t be too quick to answer YES! Consider this: Do you become resentful or impatient when asked to perform a service for others? Do you feel that any of the required tasks are beneath your dignity? Are you reluctant to perform small favors for those outside of your church family? Will you want credit or recognition for each task you perform? If so you may be more of a servaholic than a servant-leader.

God’s Word calls us right into the tension between self-love and self-denial. Jesus assumes that we love and care for ourselves to some degree (Matthew 22:39) but he also calls us to radically die to our own desires (Matthew 16:24).

How are we to navigate this paradox? To what degree should we care for ourselves—and why is it important to do so? Can we live out Jesus’ call to self-denial while also living a healthy, balanced life? The tension between self-love and self-denial is not easy to sort out. How do you care for yourself—body and soul—in God-honoring ways? What do you see as the right balance between self-love and self-denial?

The bottom line in servant leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves, but how far we advance others. We must do the things that God would have us do. This can only be achieved INTENTIONALLY.

Serve joyfully, not out of compulsion or for a desire to be significant in the eyes of others. Serve as Jesus would have you serve.   

An award-winning writer and frequent conference speaker, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of three inspirational novels, as well as two dozen children’s books, including LEWIS & CLARK: A PRAIRIE DOG FOR THE PRESIDENT (Random House), which was a Children’s Book of the Month Club selection. Her book, Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Women of God will be released by Harvest House in January. Touch bases at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook

God, GPS, and Me

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

"This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

“You’re going in circles.”

My husband’s comment made me laugh. I knew my precise location, why I was there, even where I was going next. Me, 1400 miles away, in a rental car, alone, in two states where I’d never been before prompted him to track me by cell phone GPS. The day before, his comment was “What are you doing in Walmart?”

I’ve never done much on my own. Living at home through college, engaged at 19, married at 21, I moved straight from being Daddy’s little girl to a wife with no on-my-own-single-woman experiences in between. Everyone sees me as incapable of doing things alone.

I took a few days in North and South Carolina to visit family history related sites following a writer’s conference, plotting my route into the GPS on my iPhone with great care. What appeared as circles was a deliberate trip to get as close as possible to the places my ancestors once called home.  For a girl from the wide-open spaces of New Mexico, where cell phone coverage is often spotty, this wasn’t tricky in the slightest. Everywhere was populated!

I felt free and safe. A kind voice told me every turn to make. If I missed a turn, the GPS lady redirected me and I arrived at my destination anyway. I was having an adventure and the feeling of freedom and self-confidence grew with every mile and road sign.

God has charted a path for us in the Bible, his road map for life. Maybe each specific destination isn’t marked, but you can be certain the Lord has left directions about facing any situation in life ready for us to discover. Did you know that Columbus decided the earth wasn’t flat and he could navigate uncharted waters by reading verses like Psalms 8:8 and 77:19?

Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters--a pathway no one knew was there!

Psalms 77:19 NLT

New experiences, good or bad, can be affirming and lead to great spiritual growth when we follow the directions God gave in His word. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. If we know what he says and make certain to obey, we won’t get lost along the winding paths of life. When unexpected detours arise, there’s no need to fear. We can know with confidence that God’s voice will lead us through.

Are you searching for guidance in the confusion of everyday life? Trust God. He’s better than GPS.

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, June 9, 2017

About the author:

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 41 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, you’re to follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon. 

More Than Rubies

 A wife of noble character who can find. She is worth far more than rubies. Proverbs 31:10

Proverbs says “a wife of noble character is worth far more than rubies”, a statement that intimidates most women. It makes me think of my mom. She made her family her entire world. She loved my dad with a love that’s still single-hearted twenty-two years after his death, and we knew she loved us. That sacrificial love that dominated her life reminds me of the Proverbs 31 woman. My lullaby was often the sound of her sewing machine as she made our clothes.

The woman described in Proverbs 31 intimidates us because we believe she was some kind of super-woman, impossible to emulate. However, I think we’re seeing a glimpse of her entire lifetime, not one single day. She provides an example of the attitude all women should have toward the importance of serving as a wife and mother. This outlook is worth more than rubies to the Lord.

This interpretation is rare in our world today. However, we must undertake our task with eager hands, seeing it as important above all but our relationship to God. Her arms were strong and her lamp burned late into the night as she cared, not only for her own family, but those who suffered need.

This woman’s husband was well respected and she behaved in manner that honored him. The influence she made through service to others gave her the reputation of possessing strength and dignity. Rather than eating the bread of idleness, she prepared for her family’s needs far ahead of time. She undertook her God-given task as a wife and mother with a seriousness we are to emulate.

Her husband called her blessed, not only for her abilities as a homemaker, but for a spiritual life and commitment that served as an example. To make the Lord our highest priority, spend time in His word, seek His wisdom, pray for our family, and serve them with joy causes us to become the woman God created us to be.

There is winsomeness about a woman who puts her husband and family first. Nothing is wrong with having a career. Today’s economy often requires that women work outside the home. The key lies in what we see as our ultimate purpose, and that key is found in scripture.

If we first bless our families, the Lord will bless us in every area of life. Then we will be seen as more valuable than rubies, for our commitment, example, and the blessing we bring to others.

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, 2011 and January 19, 2018

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 41 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, you’re to follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon. 

Storm Warning

The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly… 1 Thessalonians 5:2

Streaking from the dark clouds above, a lightning bolt struck the center of the empty soccer pitch with my daughter’s team playing on the next field. When the referee refused to stop the game, another off-duty ref agreed to help and we ran to the officials stand.

The officials agreed to stop the games, but their method was far too slow. Riding a golf cart from field to field of the large complex would never send the kids to safety in time. As fast as I could run, I returned to my daughter’s game and told the referee to send the kids to the cars. One after another, girls sat down to pull off shoes, socks, and shin guards in the pelting rain, lightning crackling overhead. Yelling to leave their things and run, we finally cleared the field.

Drenched and breathing hard, I ran to my own car, satisfied that everyone was safe.

“Mom, are you crazy? Did you ever think you might be killed?” My seventeen-year-old daughter’s indignant tone showed both concern and embarrassment at my rampage to clear the fields.

Never once did I feel concern for myself. All my thoughts were for others in danger from the fast-moving storm. “No.” I replied. “All I thought was that those kids might die. I’m an adult, and I know where I’m going when I die.” 

People die every day without the certainty of heaven. Our world belittles Christians but fails to heed the call to salvation. They are quick to blame God, but slow to approach him for help. In recent years, natural disasters and attacks by dangerous and depraved men have rocked our world. There is no safety, and often no warning. It’s more critical than ever for Christians to speak out about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

How many would find salvation if I proclaimed the gospel with as much fervor as I stopped those soccer games? What if Christians gave no thought to their reputation or the reaction of others in order to warn others of the approaching storm of judgment?

I must determine to live each day in the light of the Cross. People’s lives depend on it.

© Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, October 10, 2015, October 13, 2017

About the author:

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 41 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, you're invited to follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon. 

When Fear & Faith Collide

“He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.” Job 36:32 NIV

My fear has become a monument in the form of an overstuffed notebook. Article after article about lighting facts, hoarded as if in knowing, I will be safer. When a bolt of lightning, traveling through a clear, blue sky killed my dad, my fear spiraled out of control. I pulled my kids off soccer fields, refused to use the electric appliances, or take a shower during a storm. Talking on the phone is forbidden.

As a child, my dad held me in his lap, explaining what a beautiful display lightning gives of the power of God. Lightning striking two of my parents’ homes erased any fascination he managed to encourage. Following his death, fear and faith collided, and lightning became a terrible thing rather than a display of God’s power.

Living on the side of a mountain at 7200 feet puts us in danger of lightning strikes to our home and forest fires. The beautiful view drew us, and we never considered the storms.

An in-depth study of scripture convinced me that only God controls the lightning, but I still cannot see its beauty. I control nothing beyond my own reactions, but God’s sovereignty rules over all. I can accept that God took my father to heaven via a lightning bolt, but I don’t take chances by being out in a storm.

I have heard it said that God’s man, at the center of God’s will, is immortal until God is finished with him. Trusting an all-powerful God can free me from concern for self. Stepping out of my comfort zone can grow and mature my faith. Sensible precautions aren’t wrong. It is wrong to cower in fear over something only God controls.

John says perfect love casts out fear, so my fear cripples my faith. Stormy times in life cause me to depend on God in new ways, and lightning storms should do the same. I must submit my fear to God and leave it there. I must trust God completely, no matter my circumstances.

Fear weakens; faith strengthens. Just as the lightning comes from His fingers, so do the events of our lives. When I refuse to give in to fear, God can show me His power.

© Copyright Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, July 7, 2013 & August 17, 2017

About the author:

Norma Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, winner of the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 41 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Norma-Gail/e/B00ILHXBAK/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/ 

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Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170