Thankful for His Gifts

It’s good to be back writing my column again. I am blessed to have such wonderful writing friends (Connie Johnston and Nanette Friend) who are willing to take over so I can focus time on other pressing items, such as the publicity and marketing of this new book.

When I first started writing almost twenty years ago, many book publishers could afford to hire their own publicists to set up interviews and arrange book signings for their authors, allowing writers more time to, well…write. But these days, unless you are a well-known and widely published author, most publishers don’t have it in their budget to promote your book. So, it is up to the author to see that those who could benefit from reading what they have written are made aware of it. The downside is—publicity is very time-consuming. Along with that, after months (or even years) of writing about your subject, you’re more than ready to move on to something else. But, you now have to stay excited about your book.

Thankfully, for me, it is easy to stay passionate about ministering to those behind bars. If you are a regular reader of this column you know God has given me a desire for prison ministry. It is a passion that has only increased over time, not diminished. I have been so blessed this past year to get even closer to some local jail ministry board members who share this passion, as we tirelessly worked together on many of the stories in the devotional book, Stories of Faith and Courage from Prison. And I’ve also been privileged to meet many dedicated people from around the country who diligently reach out to the incarcerated, spurring me on to keep laboring over this huge project.

God, in His infinite wisdom, knew just what I needed and when I needed it. And, He longs to do a similar work in your life, too. No, not necessarily writing a book, but there is some unique gift that He has placed inside of each one of us. There is something that He has made each of us passionate about. When we sincerely seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal to us what our gifts are, coupled with a true longing to serve others (instead of our focus being on making a name for ourself or becoming rich), I believe God is more than happy to reveal those gifts to us. He sits up and takes notice when our heart matches His. Nothing in life is more fulfilling than discovering who we are in the body of Christ, and then using our God-given gifts and talents to build up and bless others, thereby glorifying God in the process.

As we've entered into this time of thanks, followed by a hectic time of gift giving, I urge you to get alone with our Heavenly Father and seek Him with all your heart. You are special to Him and He has big plans for your life. Give Him thanks for the many blessings you have, including the unique way that He knit you together in your mother’s womb. Become determined to discover your gifts and to stay focused on living your life for His glory…for He alone is worthy to be praised.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Thankfully,
Connie

 

The Single Red Pane

My husband and I visited our first male prison a few weeks ago. It was a nice prison, as prisons go, and we had a great visit. The man we visited, Timothy, is a good writer and has several stories in the upcoming prison devotional book, Stories of Faith and Courage from Prison. More importantly, he came to the Lord three days after being arrested. His conversion experience was powerful and sincere. It was a pleasure to meet him and witness his love for the Lord.

Tim teared up twice during our visit; once when we prayed with him before leaving, and the other when my husband asked if he minded if we came back to visit him again. He was humbled almost beyond words.

Tim gave me permission to share a special poem he wrote. It was recently published in our jail ministry newsletter, and is included in the new devotional, too. I think you’ll agree that he has, indeed, been given a gift. (Tim was recently transferred to another facility and is no longer at Lebanon Correctional.)


The Single Red Pane
By Timothy James Burke

It is ironic that in prison, where I have very limited freedom of movement, I should often feel lost. The distractions and temptations inside these walls are every bit as powerful as the ones outside, and staying focused is just as difficult.

In the chapel at Lebanon Correctional, we have all variety of inmates attending the services. Most are there for the right reasons, but some guys use the worship time to talk with their friends from other blocks, pass contraband, or just get out of the confines of their six-by-eleven boxes.

One Sunday, during a service in which I was having a tough time with my feelings and the distractions around me, I looked up and noticed that all of the chapel’s stained-glass panes were yellow, blue, or white – all but one pane. The following poem came through me….


Sunday, each Sunday, I sit in these pews

And listen to preachers dispensing their views.

Doing my best to ignore and deflect

All the talkers around me that won’t show respect…

Trying to tell if the sermon I heard

Matches up with the lessons I learned in the Word.

Trying to quiet my anger and violence

So I can hear Jesus alive in the silence.



Forgive me, God, for my negative mind

For the times when I don’t trust the plan You designed,

For the nights when my faith flies away on a breeze

Cause I’m too weak or stubborn to drop to my knees.

Dear God, my thoughts are full of disease

So I sit in these pews and I pray, “Father, please

Help me to walk on the path of pure light

With my eyes always forward and Jesus in sight.”

Tears wet my cheeks in a lacrimal flood

When I think of the Savior shedding His blood.

I look to the heavens for God to explain

And there…in the stained glass…a single red pane.



“I have not left you, My Word’s never lost;

The blood I gave freely has covered that cost.

That single red pane is there to remind you

Whenever you wander…I can still find you.

The blood that I gave left a permanent stain,

A sign and a promise, My love will remain.”



“… God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

As the Christmas season approaches, may we all keep in our hearts the true reason for the season.

In His Grace Alone,
Connie

God Knows Our Location

Not too many years ago it was easy to tell if another driver was lost on a road. Not only would they be pulled over, but usually the interior of their windshield would be completely covered—with a map.

In today’s electronic world maps are almost obsolete. I still enjoy using them, however. (AAA is glad of that!) For me, there is something about seeing “the big picture” that makes me feel better—more grounded. I like being able to see where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going, all laid out on a paper map. I enjoy circling my destination and highlighting landmarks along the way. What I don’t like is folding it back together—I never could master that!

Nowadays most people have a GPS (Global Positioning System) of some sort. These remarkable devices can quickly spot our location and tell us how to get to where we want to go. They can immediately display the restaurants, gas stations, and points of interest in the area, too. These little gadgets are amazing. We’ve selected a lady’s voice for ours and she quickly gets on my nerves when she tells me to “turn around,” or to “make a U-turn, if allowed.” (As if I didn’t know I just blew it.) And I’ve learned, too, not to completely trust her as she has been wrong on more than one occasion.

Along with using a map and a GPS, I also like to print out the directions from online map sites. So if you haven’t realized it by now, getting lost scares me. As my dear friend and ex-columnist of the newspapers that this column appears in, Faye Landrum, used to say, “Getting lost with a friend is an adventure; getting lost alone can be a nightmare.” Faye was always the optimistic one. I have never thought of getting lost as an adventure, whether I am with someone or not.

But during those times when I am lost, what helps ease my fears the most is to remember that God knows where I am. He knows my physical location; He has not lost sight of me. I can still talk to Him, and I do. I ask Him for wisdom and to show me the way. I ask Him to calm my fears, help me to stay clear-thinking, and to keep me safe until I can get turned around or get my bearings. He always comes through—every time.

For Christians, it’s the same principle when we feel spiritually lost. When we remember that our all-knowing, all-loving, and all-caring Father is there for us, we can cry out to Him and ask Him to show us the way. He will. His directions may include making a U-turn in life—but unlike the GPS lady, God will never point us in the wrong direction. His way is always best.

From the moment we invite Jesus into our heart and choose to live our life for Him, we have the most wonderful GPS available to man—God’s Power Source—the Holy Spirit. Let’s not forget to stay plugged in. He has our best interests at heart and won’t mislead us.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

The “Incentive” to Pray

I recently read an article about whether incentives should be used to entice people to come to church. The usual lures were named to get the attention of the public, such as potlucks, special programs, and ice cream socials. This article was supposedly written by a Christian, but he left out one important factor: prayer. While each of the above named attractions do sometimes draw a few outsiders in, whatever happened to praying and then following the leading of the Holy Spirit? The Lord may very well impress upon the hearts of the believers to have another program or potluck; but then again, it may be something entirely different.

When I think back over my own salvation experience and the draw I felt to come to Christ, it wasn’t a meal, or even a lot of meals, that led me to the Lord. It wasn’t seeing Jesus on a cross in a moving Passion play, or the temptation of a huge buffet; rather, it was the Holy Spirit—period. It was decades ago, back when our son was four and our daughter was two. One day after his pet turtle died, my son began asking questions about death and where we went when we died. I gave him a vague response about heaven. That response only led to more questions about God; who He was and where He lived. Again, I responded vaguely. While my answers seemed to satisfy his curiosity, I became driven to gain answers about death and the afterlife—for myself.

I now know it was God who would not let me be content; He kept nudging me to come to Him. There was no sign in front of a church that offered barbequed pork or homemade desserts—just promptings from the Holy Spirit stemming from the simple questions of a little child. (Thankfully, God uses little children to lead many an adult to the cross.) Don’t get me wrong, I know some people have eventually become Christians after responding to an outside incentive, but if God is left out of the picture—incentives won’t be blessed.

I also know that when my Grandma Grimes was alive she prayed regularly for her family—for each of her descendants to come to the Lord. She was a strong Christian lady who wasn’t pushy about her “religion”; rather, she was sweet and kind and lived out her relationship with Jesus. Grandma had been in heaven for years before I became a Christian, but I know with certainty God was answering her faithful prayers the day I dropped to my knees, repented of my sins, and invited Jesus into my heart.

Sometimes I think we are getting lazy, or even forgetful, when it comes to prayer. We’d rather “do” something about increasing church attendance instead of praying and waiting on the Lord. We tend to forget that it is His church, and it is His Spirit that will draw people to Him. When we pray as a body of believers, truly caring more about lost souls than we do about our attendance numbers, God will answer and will also bless our “Spirit- led” efforts. What a privilege we’ve been given to intercede on behalf of the lost—let’s not forget to do it.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3).

Prayerfully,
Connie

PERFECT PEACE


Last February marked the beginning of our fourth year of finishing our basement. We temporarily stopped the work a while back while my husband was unemployed. And yes, I am more than ready to have it done. Our furniture has been stored and the dust has been never ending. A few months ago we discussed with our remodeler that our goal to be completely finished was the first day of summer, which also happens to be a big birthday for my husband. For some reason it seemed fitting to me to have things in order before Chuck began a new decade.

Finally the painting was done, the carpet was tacked down, the furniture was out of storage and the curtains were hung. It brings a smile to my face each time I travel down the steps and see the finished product.

For those who have read my book, God’s Gentle Nudges, you know I used to live in a 150 year old farmhouse on 53 acres. Prior to that nine year experience, I never cared much about owning a new home. But after the first year or so of living with uneven floors, limited counter space, few electrical outlets, and a laundry room located in an old, dingy cellar; I couldn’t stop daydreaming about a new house. More than five years ago we sold the farmhouse and built a ranch. Now with the deck added and the basement finished, it feels complete.

Getting to this point, though, was wrought with many choices and some heated discussions. My husband and I had different visions of the finished product. He wanted a man cave and I wanted a pretty apartment for when our kids and grandkids came over. In the end, we compromised and we are both very happy with it.

There’s something about having restoration in your life that brings about a level of peace and contentment. After spending more than a year on my latest book I took a few days off from writing to bask in its completion and to rest. And—I found I missed it. Just pondering the next project was enough to get my creative juices stirring again. It’s the same with the basement remodeling— I look at these upstairs walls that are five-years-old and realize it is time to repaint some of them, too. I’m daydreaming about colors….

As much as I long for complete restoration and perfect peace in my life to stay, I know there will always be some project that needs tackled. And that is how it should be. God planned for us to stay busy; it is part of His design that things on earth rust and wear out, needing replaced and repaired.

We are not supposed to be content here—for the Believer, lasting contentment will come someday—in another time and another place. But for now, there is much to do. It’s time to get back to work.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:20).