Guest Devotionalist - Susan Boyer

Get on With It

by: Susan Boyer

- Listen to Get on With It- By Susan Boyer

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Recently, Cindy sent out an email with an update on the Christian Devotions ministry to the authors who contribute. I am honored to be on that list. She attached a formalized guidelines document for writing devotions.

Yikes!

The first thing that went through my mind was, “Wow, they have twenty-two authors writing for the website now—that’s awesome.”

The second thing that went through my mind was: “They surely don’t need me.” Having read the devotions, and seen the bountiful blessing of talent therein, I was both joyous and intimidated.

The third thing I thought was: “I can’t color inside the box.” I really, really can’t, both literally and figuratively—never have been able to. Whatever the boundaries are, I can’t stay inside them. My special challenge as a writer is staying within word counts. My writing tends to be a little on the chatty side.

Immediately, I began composing an email in my head, explaining to Cindy all the reasons why I wasn’t right for the site. “I’m just so overwhelmed right now… you have so many infinitely more qualified authors… I can’t address an envelope in four hundred words or less…”

A voice in my head that sounded like Cindy said, “Pray,” so I did. It was a half-hearted, already defeated attempt, but I gave God a glancing-look and a question.

As always, He had my number. Immediately, Philippians 4:13 popped into my head: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is as true today as it was when Paul wrote the letter to the church of Philippi.

No matter what your calling is in this world, there are forces both within and without that will tell you that you can’t. The voices make compelling arguments, and use your own best and worst qualities against you.

Insecure like me? The voices insist you don’t have the talent.

Committed to other worthwhile projects? The voices scream that you don’t have the time.
Busy caring for your family? The voices assure you that family comes first.

So what if you never finish that book, sing that song, or see your painting hanging in a gallery?

The voices will comfort you as you walk away from your dreams, telling you it just wasn’t meant to be.

If you believe them, the enemy wins.

Trust me, if God wants you to do it, you can.





Susan M. Boyer lives in Greenville, SC with her husband, Jim. She spends her days writing and daydreaming too much. Her work has appeared in Relief Journal, Spinetingler Magazine, The Petigru Review, and Catfish Stew. She is the recipient of Relief Journal’s, editor’s choice award in fiction. Susan serves on the board of directors for the South Carolina Writers Workshop, and is in her second year as chairperson for the organization’s annual conference. In her spare time, Susan travels with her husband, occasionally makes it to her Jazzercise class, and sometimes remembers to update her blog, People I’d Like to Be, where she mostly complains about the exercise and her sluggish metabolism.

Guest Devotionalist -- Polly Boyette

ARE YOU EXPOSED?

By Polly Boyette




(Photo courtsey of Ashley McCue Photography)

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." Luke 21:34


Have you ever done something so crazy that you're embarrassed to admit you did it? Recently I decided my Chrysler, PT Cruiser had collected enough dirt and trash to warrant a good car wash. I drove to this station near my house where they have this touch-less car wash.

I punched in my code and the automated voice told me to drive forward. When the sign told me to stop I put the car in park but as the sprayer started moving around my car I thought it sounded a bit different than in the past. It seemed to be louder somehow, like one of the windows was opened. I pushed all of the window buttons to make sure each one was tightly closed.

As the sprayer rounded the back of the car it still sounded like one of the windows was opened. Then I glanced over my shoulder and saw that my trunk was wide open. As the sprayer moved across the front of my car I jumped out, hoping to close the trunk, but quickly realized that was a big mistake. The sprayer soaked me in water and suds.

I screamed, jumped back into my car and backed out.

It just goes to show that even when we think we have everything covered and that there are no open and vulnerable areas the enemy sneaks in and we get blasted from behind. As a Christian, we must never let our guard down. When things are going good we may leave our lives open and that's the time the enemy will trap us with a false sense of security leaving us exposed and vulnerable.

Luke 21:34 teaches us, "But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man."

Think you got your backside covered? Look again; your trunk might be wide open.

Polly Boyette is the author of "Life is a Buffet So Save Room for Dessert,". She was born and raised in Virginia where she still lives today. Her friends will tell you she has a strong sense of humor and a gift for telling stories. Polly has worked in Russia with orphans providing humanitarian aid and giving them hope through the gospel of Christ.

He Said - She Said - July 25, 2008

How You Bean? -- He Said

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” - Psalm 84:11

- Listen to, How You Bean?

A few miles south of Granada, Nicaragua the Mombacho volcano rises above Lake Cocibolca offering an incredible view of the Zapatera and Ometepe islands. As clouds engulf the hills of the wildlife reserve, toucans, parrots and howler monkeys hoot from the tree tops while below, on the forest floor, volcanic soil, darker than a shot of espresso, spreads like chocolate. Here the richness of God’s beauty is breath-taking.

I stood on the platform, my back resting against the trunk of a tree so thick a compact car could have been parked on the other side. Looking down through the canopy of branches I counted the plants, each almost as tall as a full-grown man. In the spring these plants produce majestic blooms that undergo a natural self-pollination process. As the buds blossom their white flowers open, but for only a few days. It is then, during this time of pollination, that the hills of Mombacho appear as if covered in snow. The abundance of blooms predicts the bounty to come.

It is also during this time, when the plant is most vulnerable to disease, thieves and insects.

Our righteousness is like that. We desire to be holy, to be snow-white pure, but then we pray, asking God to transform us into the likeness of His Son and the enemy swoops in to rob us of our bloom, turning tomorrow’s produce into today’s sin.

The beauty of the petals is the promise of perfection, but it is not the final product. For the coffee plant—the bean, is the harvest. For us, it is service done in His name and the proclamation of the Good News.

In the fall the pickers pluck the beans from the hills of Mombacho, but we must wait longer. Our harvest lies years, perhaps an eternity, away. Still, our righteousness should be evident long before the picker fills His sack with our efforts.

Has sin robbed you of your beauty? Has shame, guilt and bitterness caused you to whither on the vine? If so risk righteousness, dare to be holy and walk blameless. Confess your sin and ask Him to forgive you.

Then get about the business of producing a bumper crop for your Lord.

Christian Devotions

The Flavor of Favor -- She Said

By: Cindy Sproles

- Listen to The Flavor of His Favor


"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." Psalm 84:11

The simple pleasures are the best and Ben and Jerry's ice cream rates at the top. For some the hardest thing about B&J's is deciding which flavor to choose, but I don't have that problem. For me anything chocolate works just fine.

Or it did until a few days ago.

The store I shop at added a few new flavors. Normally this wouldn't be an issue for me because the newbies are usually some off-the-wall concoction like Turkey with Dressing, French Toast or Bacon Biscuit A-La-Load. But this time, they actually came up with something that sounded pretty good.

Chocolate Brownie.....the name says it all. Chocolate on chocolate. Nothing short of a dream. Phish Food, chocolate with chocolate chunks. Now, there was a catchy combo.

Okay, Phish Food was one of the new flavors at the store, but not the one that got my attention. What had my saliva glands glistening was Chocolate Therapy. Humm..... I decided I could use a little of couch counseling, so I bought a whole tub.

The road to righteousness can be like this, sometimes littered with choices tempting us to stray from our favorite - His will and love. Sometimes we take a bite of Rocky Road Rejection and end up with a lot of sticky goo on our shirt. Or Marshmallow Cream Compromise which is sort of like Half-N-Half gone bad, just rotten enough to make you want to spit it out after you've swallowed a mouthful.

God calls us to walk blameless before Him. Some think this leads to boring days of duty, void of any of life's sweet goodies. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just like chocolate mixed with anything, anything mixed with and approved by God is scrumptious. The key is to start with the right base.

Chocolate. God. For me both bring a smile to my face.

Do you have a hankering for something cool, sweet and refreshing? Try God. Add whatever topping you wish but a dish of Him is enough by itself.



Christian Devotions
Authors, Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are co-founders of www.ChristianDevotions.US and writers of the weekly series He Said, She Said. Visit ChrsitianDevotions.US and read the multitude of devotions that will touch your life.

Guest Devotionalist -- Susan Boyer

Acts of God and Other Puzzlements

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:6

I travel a good bit with my husband, Jim, on business. Last spring, business took us to Jasper, Alabama. Jasper is one of the many towns across our country that I would never get to see were it not for the fact that my husband’s job carries him to places generally not found in Fodor's guidebooks. Jasper’s a nice, regular town, much like the one I grew up in, only bigger.

We arrived on Sunday evening, April 8th. April 8th is the anniversary of when an F-5 tornado blew through those parts. Not Jasper, but real close by. Now, I haven’t told y’all this yet, but I have a life-long, blood-freezing terror of tornadoes.

You might be asking yourself if I was raised, perhaps, in Kansas, where such horrific storms are common. No, in fact, I was raised in Faith, NC, and as so far as I am informed, there has never been a tornado there, nor anywhere in the vicinity. The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie as a child. Perhaps that explains it. Or maybe it was the way my family huddled in the hall every time it thundered, even in the dead of night. Mamma would get me out of bed to duck for cover with the rest of the family until the last rumble faded.

Anyway, Jim and I were right there where this media-declared Act of God transpired—
Why do they call such things "Acts of God?"

Why are bad things—tornadoes, tsunami's, earthquakes, et cetera—Acts of God, but none of the good things? The sun came up this morning, and no one else—not even any of the presidential candidates—claimed credit, but no one refers to Daylight as an Act of God.

And what about summer? Home-grown tomatoes, blackberries, and watermelon. And great picnic weather...well, except for places in the Rockies, where it's still snowing. Snow. Now, that's an Act of God…according to newscasters and insurance agents everywhere. But wisteria in bloom? He doesn't get the credit. I find this a puzzlement.

As someone who knows God personally, I'd like to see Him get more appreciation in the media for everything miraculous that happens throughout His divine creation each and every day. We can't have it both ways: If a tsunami is an Act of God, then by golly, so is the rhythmic surf caressing beaches all over the world right this minute.

It’s hard to think that our loving Father would create—or allow—killer storms that punish guilty and innocent alike. I know atheists that cite this as reason number one they don’t believe in an all-powerful, loving God.

I’m no theologian, but here’s where I find my Peace: everything we experience in creation is through our limited, human lens. Loss of a human—fleshly—life is tragic, and I don’t mean to minimize grief. But God, I think, is more concerned with our spirits than our flesh. Our relationship with Him is wholly spiritual, and our spiritual lives vast compared to the brief sojourn we spend on planet earth. He has his eye on eternity, and we live in the moment.
Take one of those moments to appreciate everyday miracles. Each of us is an Act of God.


Susan M. Boyer lives in Greenville, SC with her husband, Jim. She spends her days writing and daydreaming too much. Her work has appeared in Relief Journal, Spinetingler Magazine, The Petigru Review, and Catfish Stew. She is the recipient of Relief Journal’s, editor’s choice award in fiction. Susan serves on the board of directors for the South Carolina Writers Workshop, and is in her second year as chairperson for the organization’s annual conference. In her spare time, Susan travels with her husband, occasionally makes it to her Jazzercise class, and sometimes remembers to update her blog, People I’d Like to Be, where she mostly complains about the exercise and her sluggish metabolism.

Guest Devotionalist -- Pat Patterson

We Must Walk By Faith!


“We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)






I found the bus parked on the side of the road. A small crowd stood to one side, shocked looks on the angry faces. I climbed aboard and found my patient sitting in the aisle in a pile of broken glass, her hands pressed to her forehead, her arms and lap stained with blood. She might have been angry, cursing and shaking her fist at the foolhardy teenagers who had reportedly flung the rock at the bus shattering the window and hitting her in the head, but she didn’t seem to be. She took a deep breath, told me her name, and then quietly submitted as I lowered her hands to examine the wound. And it was deep—a three inch gash above her right eyebrow. A golf ball sized hematoma had already formed. Her eyelid looked swollen, discolored and wet.

“It could be worse,” I said taking a wad of water soaked gauze and gently cleansing the site. “But you’re going to need stitches.”

“There’s glass in my eye,” she said. “I can’t open it.”

“Don’t try.”

I finished washing the wound and dressed it with fresh gauze, careful to cover both of her eyes to prevent unintentional movement.

“Now—” I took her hands. “Stand up and follow me. My partner has the stretcher at the bottom of the steps.”

I saw her face draw up tight. “But I can’t see. How can I—”

“Larissa. Trust me.”

“But—”

“Think of it as a faith walk.”

“Oh.”

Her face relaxed. She nodded as if she understood. I helped her stand and then backed down the aisle, coaxing her with quiet words of encouragement. Her first few steps seemed timid, unsure, but as her faith in me grew she gained momentum and together we walked down the steps, through the door, and outside into the humid night air.

The back of the ambulance was cool and bright. I checked her vital signs and started an IV. We made small talk—about the event, about her wounds—but eventually the conversation turned to faith.

“You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” she said, more a statement than a question.

“Yes,” I responded. “I am.”

“Will you pray for me?”

Now I’m no saint, not even by a stretch. I don’t pray with every patient I get into the back of my ambulance. I’ve argued with many, fought with a few, and battled my own prejudices more times than I can remember. But her words? They were like cinnamon candy to my ears. A sweet feeling came over me. I knew what I had to do.

“Of course I will.”

And we prayed—two people from different worlds meeting in the most unlikely of circumstances, holding hands and praying as if they’d known each other for years. You know, they say God works in strange ways; I see it more as creative brilliance. His love breaks down barriers. It shatters human defenses. It brings people together who would otherwise never meet.

“You know what’s fascinating?” I said when I raised my head from prayer. “You haven’t even seen me yet and, still, you trust me.”

I saw Larissa nod. Then she smiled. And I couldn’t see them but at that moment, beneath the bloody bandages, I’m sure her eyes twinkled.

“We walk by faith,” she murmured, “not by sight.”



Pat Patterson is a novelist and an instructor of Emergency Medical Services at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, NC. He is an EMT-Paramedic with 16 years of service and experience.

Guest Devotionalist -- Catherine Painter

Your Ticket to Real Success


Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.....My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." Proverbs 3:5-6, 11-12

George Truett defined success as, “the ability to find the will of God for our lives and doing it.” All of us want success and are disappointed when failure rears its head instead.

I was introduced to failure during grade school. My name was often called last when team captains chose sides for a softball game. Evidently, an athletic career was not God’s will for my life, as I was athletically handicapped. The good news was, however, that I was on the team.

Day after day the balls dodged my glove. Then one day the miracle happened. The batter hit a ball that landed smack into my glove! The game halted, the class roared, and I stood awestruck, knowing I hadn’t caught the ball; I only received the credit.

One day you and I will join heaven’s team spiritually handicapped. We’ll arrive only because, by His grace, Jesus hit the balls and gave us the runs. He ran the race and gave us the trophy; He took the test and gave us the A. On that wonderful day, He won’t say, “Well done, good and successful servant,” but “Well done, good and faithful servant”. He won’t scold us for the games we lost, but reward us for playing by God’s rules, simple enough even a child can understand.

Here they are:
• Admit you’re a sinner (Rom. 3:23).
• Believe in Jesus (John 3:16).
• Commit your life to Christ (Rom. 12:1).

There’s the rub. Have we committed ourselves completely to following God’s rules? Proverbs is crammed with how-to’s for applying wisdom, the ticket to real success in life.

One day we’ll approach heaven, smiling at the sign on the gate: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” Jesus won’t ask how many balls we caught or missed. He’ll want to know whether we remained in the game playing by His rules, or grew weary and dropped out, deciding the reward just wasn’t worth the effort.

Are you in heaven’s line-up today? If not, fall in anywhere along the way; but don’t delay. One day the Eternal Time Keeper will stop the clock and time will be no more. Where will you be when the final buzzer sounds?




Catherine Painter is author of the twelve-week Bible study,So, You’re a Christian! Now What? published by Hensley Publishing, Tulsa, OK. Catherine is a columnist for Biblical Recorder, a state religious journal. She writes Sunday School curricula for LifeWay Resources, Nashville. She is available for speaking engagements by contacting her at: 617 Great Pine Way, Raleigh, NC 27614. Email: cspwrites@nc.rr.com Or telephone: (919) 846-1745

Visit her on the web at www.catherinepainterministries.com

HE SAID - SHE SAID --July 18, 2008

Another Day in Paradise -- He Said

- Another Day In Paradise- By Eddie Jones

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wickedness.” Psalm 84:10

I took a seat on the “chicken bus,” hugging my backpack to my chest. Outside brown-skin people scurried from stall-to-stand as street venders hawked bananas, mangos and poultry. Spikes of broken glass ran along the top of a cinderblock wall, protecting the busses from vandalism and thieves. In a place where lawlessness runs rampant even rudimentary forms of security offer a measure of comfort.

In a few minutes the aisle swelled with peasants standing chest-to-back, the heat oppressive as the bus idled. Over the radio speaker a popular Phil Collins tune began to play and I wondered if the song was more than just a random selection. Perhaps God was whispering to me.

“Oh, think twice, ‘cause it's just another day for you and me in paradise.”

Nicaragua wasn’t paradise. Not even close. But it was the place to which I’d chosen to vacate so as the sweat soaked the front of my shirt I thought of the long bus rides over dusty highways and muddy roads, cool showers dripping from rusty pipes and a bathroom trash can overflowing with used potty paper. (Only Flush Fluids And Such, read the sign above the toilette in my hostels.)

Then I thought of Christ and how he, too, had left the splendor of His Father’s kingdom to travel to an impoverished people. But for Him, leaving the luxury of His palace to save and serve me was more than a minor inconvenience. It was His life’s mission.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet,” He said. “I have set an example for you. Now, do as I have done for you.”

As the song ended, the bus pulled away. For me it was just another day in paradise, but I sensed God was calling me to a new pilgrimage, to something more than just a week of surfing the coast of Nicaragua. I had the means to help these people find the riches of God’s kingdom, even the time. But was I willing? Had I become addicted to the palatial comforts of my “tent of the wickedness?”

If you feel God is calling you beyond your comfort zone to serve others do not ignore His voice. It just may be your role as doorkeeper in God’s house is to serve those in the streets and invite them into His kingdom.

Christian Devotions




Watching the Door -- She Said

- Listen to Watching the Door- By Cindy Sproles

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.—Psalm 84:10

I sat at my computer, chin resting in my palm, frustrated and shunned. I'd waited, just like I was asked, and then nothing. I gritted teeth and wrenched my jaw. Self-pity seeped in. I'd done everything that was asked, been on time, answered the questions, and now—now I have to wait again. Couldn't someone be inconvenienced for me, just once?

Do this, do that; be here, go there. Wait. I grumbled, tossed my pen, then sent my desk chair rolling across the floor. I popped the monitor switch with my knuckle and shut the door. I'd had it. I took the stairs by threes and headed to the pond.

What does it mean to be a servant? Does servanthood mean always being left behind? Always being last?

A breeze brushed the hair from my eyes as I lay, one arm and leg hanging off my swing. The impending night sky pushed the last remnants of daylight away, and I thought, "I'm tired of being the fall guy?"

The tree limbs swayed back and forth in front of me and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I began to think of how Jesus must have felt when He asked His disciples to wait for Him — to keep watch and pray — only to return and find them sleeping. Could they not serve Him for just one hour?

That's when it hit me, the realization that I, too, was derelict in my duty. I’d allowed myself to fall into the pit of pouting, thinking only of my needs, not the desires of my Father or, more importantly, the needs of others.

Striving to be Christ-like isn’t hard; it only requires that we give up and give in to His will. Ah, but that’s where our free will battles best, striving to retain control.

My bitter thoughts melted as I rolled off of the swing, resting on my knees, face buried in the grass. "Oh, Father, I'm so slack. I had a place at the door of your house and I walked out to go looking for a better room. Please forgive me."

The job of a doorkeeper doesn't protect us from frustration and temptation. The hard time will come. We are, after all, standing in the doorway as the storms swirl outside. But I would rather be abundantly blessed in His house than left to fend for myself in the streets.

Has someone asked you to stand in the gap for them, to lift them up and serve them in a time of need? Don’t shirk your duty. To serve is to see the face of Christ in those who are hurting.

Christian Devotions

Eddie Jones, author, columnist and humorist, and Cindy Sproles author and columnist are the co-founders (along with the Father) of ChristianDevotions.US. Two friends, called by the Father to serve together in this ministry, they work along with 22 other writers to spread the Word of God worldwide.