Simply Believe

"Oh, that my words were now written!

Oh, that they were printed in a book!"

--Job 19:23, KJV

The impassioned plea of Job to be heard, to be understood, and for his words to benefit generations to come is the heart of every writer. 

Job had no sense that this would happen as the art of "printing" was unknown, but he placed his hope in his Redeemer, and God was faithful.

Job's words, now published in the best-selling and most widely distributed book of all time, stand as an everlasting testimony of his hope and faith, and the faithfulness of our God.

Be encouraged.

Now it's your turn. What are you working on that you want to see in print one day?

I always welcome your comments.

In The Beginning

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1, ESV

My husband and I recently visited the Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky as well as the Ark Encounter, its sister attraction.  As we strolled through biblical history, we observed man’s amazing interpretation of God’s original creation—a picturesque universe—vast, unspoiled, and serene.

Genesis 1 conveys how God spoke the world into existence in six days. At the end of each day he looked over all he’d fashioned and “saw that it was good.”

Sadly, it’s impossible for God to observe today’s world and say it’s good. Thanks to the first man, Adam, and his lady, Eve, life in a perfect world is no longer an option. In fact, our world’s corrupt condition bears little resemblance to its idyllic beginning.

As an artist, I can't imagine placing my finished work, my masterpiece, into the hands of a small child. A child who has no appreciation for the time, heart, and emotion I’ve invested into the creation process. However, God did exactly that. The Master Artist crowned humanity with his glory and entrusted the work of his fingers into our hands—hands of mere children.

Am I a faithful steward of his creation and the days he's entrusted to me? Are you? As we stand on the threshold of a new year can we look back over 2016 and say it was good?

America just weathered the nastiest election season in our nation’s history. I dare say all of us, irrespective of our party affiliation, would eagerly shout with one resounding voice, “good riddance” to 2016. But let’s look at the year from a personal perspective.

Perhaps you’ve experienced blessings that far outweigh your sorrow. For you, releasing the year to an unknown future is difficult. For others who’ve experienced great sadness, personal tragedy, and loss, you’re more than happy to bid a hardy farewell to the last 365 days.

None of us know what 2017 has in store, but its days spread out before us like a primed canvas. Unspoiled by human touch, it offers us the hope of a brand new start. How can we be faithful with the time God’s allotted to us and use it for his glory?

In 1 Corinthians 3, the Apostle Paul communicates that a builder must be careful how he builds. “No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (v.11).

If we establish 2017 on the sure foundation of Christ, we’ll be able to look back at the end of the year and say, “It was good because in the beginning, God. . .

Oh, that I would trust him as much as he trusts me.

Now it's your turn. What is one aspiration you hope to initiate for "good" in the new year?

I always welcome your comments.

Happy New Year!

Starr

** This article was first published in Thrive magazine, January 2017

Rainy Days and Mondays

"The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous."

―Psalm 146:8, NIV

For those who survived the mind-bending seventies―an era marked by anti-war protests, women's lib, bell-bottom pants, lava lamps and Saturday Night Fever―the soft, compelling voice of Karen Carpenter was a welcome respite to the psychedelic acid rock and hippie subculture of the day.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1950, Karen and her brother, Richard, released more than a dozen hit records by the time she was twenty-four. Less than ten years later she was gone, a victim of heart failure brought on by anorexia nervosa, a devastating eating disorder the general public knew little about until her death. Known by her friends to be goofy and fun loving, Karen also suffered from serious personal issues. She struggled to feel loved and accepted.

On this rainy Monday morning, the words to Karen’s 1971 Top 100 hit, Rainy Days and Mondays, have been rolling through my mind. Unexpected but welcomed, I noticed the words to her song contain the spiritual answer to her pain and the heartache many people in today’s culture experience.

Listen to the words of this timeless song at the link below. If you can relate to their message, please "run and find the One who loves you." God desires to lift you up on this rainy Monday.

Now it's your turn. How do rainy Monday's make you feel? What are some of your favorite things to do on a rainy day?

Please leave a comment.

HOPE WAITS

"I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."

―Psalm 130:5, NIV

Few of us want to hear the word wait. Yet, waiting consumes a large portion of our lives.

We wait in long lines,
     
     in traffic jams,

          for appointments,

               for test results.

We wait for a new job,
    
     for a telephone call,

          for Spring,

               for a baby's birth.

We wait for the salvation of a loved one,
    
     for restoration,

          for answers to prayer,

                 for revelation.

We wait on God!

Waiting is never easy, but a time of waiting can be a period of significant productivity. It is during seasons of waiting that God performs his deepest work which produces life's greatest fruit. Even knowing this, it is difficult to sustain our hope in times of delay.

Now it's your turn. What is something you do during an extended time of waiting that enables you to remain hopeful?

Please leave a response.

SUNDAY SOLACE: What a Difference a Day Makes

"You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness" 
―Psalm 30:11, HCSB 

When my special needs daughter was little, she always got up in the morning and looked out the window to see if the sun was shining. 

I thought of her as, "My sunshine girl." 

She still is.

She loved the musical, ANNIE.

She still does.

When I was sad, she could always lift me up.

She still can.

She would pat me softly on the shoulder and say, "Don't worry, Mommy. It'll be alright. The sun'll come out tomorrow."

It always did. 

May your day be filled with sunshine. And if not today, look outside tomorrow. 

Perhaps . . . the sun'll come out.

It still does!

"But for you who revere my name, 

the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays."

―Malachi 4:2, NIV

SUNDAY SOLACE: Hope Floats

O God, thy sea is so big, and my boat is so small.



“For forty days the roaring floods prevailed, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. As the water rose higher and higher above the ground,

the boat floated safely upon it.” ―Genesis 7:17, Living Bible

Waves crashed against the boat’s hull only inches from where Noah and his wife lay.

“What would it take for this boat to capsize?” Naamah asked.

“This boat is built for high winds and torrential rains,” Noah assured her.

Moments later, “Are you sure we’re not going to perish?”

Her husband’s words always comforted her. It was not what he said so much as the calm manner in which he said it. But how could he be so sure?

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,

a hope both sure and steadfast."

―Hebrews 6:19, NASB

Please visit my devotional blog at the following link

http://365degreelens.blogspot.com/ 
 

WATCHWORD WEDNESDAY: Little Is Much

"Do not despise these small beginnings; the Lord
rejoices to see the work begin."
―Zechariah 4:10, NLT 

• Noah had some gopher wood
• Aaron had a rod
• Moses had a staff
• David had five smooth stones.
• A widow had a small jar of oil
• Another widow had a handful of meal and a little oil
• Gideon had three hundred men
• The wedding servants had six water pots
• The young boy had five loaves and two fish.
• Joseph of Arimathea had a tomb
• What do you have?

       Release it.

Giving God what we have in the natural

paves the way for the supernatural.

Please visit my devotional blog at the following link

http://365degreelens.blogspot.com/ 

   

 

SIMPLY SATURDAY TRIVIA: Happy Trails

 "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. " ―Philippians 3:13-14, NIV

 

Singer and actor Roy Rogers, born Leonardo Franklin Slye in 1911, was one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era. In 1936, Rogers married Arlene Wilkins. After having two daughters, Arlene died giving birth to their only son, Roy Jr., in 1946. Rogers married his second wife Dale Evans on New Year’s Eve in 1947.

Known as the “King of the Cowboys” for starring in musical westerns, he appealed to fans for his good-guy hero image. They also loved his sidekick palomino, Trigger, and dog, Bullet. He appeared on TV, radio, records and film from 1930-1957. From 1951-1957, Rogers starred in his own popular television series, The Roy Rogers Show, which also featured his wife Dale. Riding her horse, Buttermilk, she quickly gained the name, “Queen of the West” and wrote the show’s theme song, “Happy Trails.” Following a revamping of the show in 1962, Roy and Dale starred again in The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show.

In 1965, Rogers and Evans established a museum in their hometown of Victorville, California. The museum features Trigger, whom Rogers had preserved when the horse died that same year at the age of 33. In 1998, six months after celebrating their 50th anniversary, Rogers died in Victorville, California of congestive heart failure. Dale also died of congestive heart failure in 2001 at the age of 88.

To me, the public role of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans pales in comparison to the inspiration they became to others in their private lives. What many may not know is that Roy and Dale gave birth to a daughter, Robin, born with Down syndrome. They were advised to “put her away,” but instead chose to bring her home and love her. She was a beautiful part of their lives until she died in 1952 of complications from the mumps only days before her second birthday. Through Robin's short time on earth, Roy and Dale were brought closer to God and reached out to help other children in need. Through Dale's book, Angel Unaware, Robin’s life story changed the way America treats children with special needs and is now available to a new generation.

Dale's book became an important part of my library after the birth of our second daughter, Ashley, who was also born with Down syndrome. Robin's story not only offered me hope at a time when life seemed hopeless, but a glimpse into the important role Ashley would go on to play in our lives. Like Robin, Ashley also became an angel unaware. From within this tiny parcel wrapped in pink came a contagious love, tied with our growing awareness of God's unshakeable presence and his overwhelming desire for us to know him and experience his ways.

Though our trails have not always led to what the world perceives as happiness, Ashley has shown us that the birth of a special needs child is a "special delivery" indeed.

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Unaware-Touching-Story-Love/dp/0800759311

Please visit my devotional blog at the following link

http://365degreelens.blogspot.com/ 
 

WATCHWORD WEDNESDAY: Letting Go of the Blues

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." 

—Romans 15:13, NIV 

How often do you see a friend in distress or crisis but feel helpless to lighten their load? Kathe Wunnenberg's newest book Hopelifter, Creative Ways  to Spread Hope When Life Hurts includes 100 Recipes of Hope that take the mystery out of how to be the hands and feet of Jesus to anyone in need of comfort and care. I am thrilled to have two Recipes of Hope included in Kathe's book. You can preview and purchase the book at the following link. http://ow.ly/pmNMP 

 

"We go through what we go through to help others go through what we went through" —Kathe Wunnenberg

 

Spread a little hope today. It's contagious!

 

Letting Go of the Blues

The wings of hope carry us,

soaring high above the driving winds of life.

~ Ana Jacob ~

 

"When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do.

And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples."

―Romans 4:18, MSG

Release your hope to the one who is able!