Have you ever endured a really long "dry spell" in your relationship with God? It's hard to harvest much in a desert isn't it?
I once heard a sermon on "desert seasons" about the 40 years of wilderness wandering for the Jews, David's time of hiding out in the desert to escape King Saul's death threats during nearly 20 years of waiting for the fulfillment of his anointing as king, even Jesus' 40 days of fasting and temptation after He was baptized by John and spoken as God's "beloved Son" straight from heaven at the beginning of His earthly ministry. It is hard to go through spiritual deserts where the pursuit of fellowship with Him seems so dry and fruitless and pointless!
If it's any encouragement, you are not alone in these feelings. In fact I think it is a pretty common experience for maturing Christians where God allows us to "outgrow" that initial passion and have to lean on Him more "blindly" in faith at times. Praying that He will give you the courage to keep "going through the motions" as an act of obedience, even when your heart doesn't feel like you are connecting, and that He will bring you through this "desert" (or "deserted" feeling?) time with renewed hope and purpose for the next season of your journey with Him.
Following God Through the Trials is a beautiful article I read this morning, further reflecting on these desert seasons. I pray it will bless you as it has me. Then go on to Storms in the Desert and be reminded that the Living Water will never leave you or forsake you, even when you don't "feel" Him near. {{{hug}}}
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Encouragement Day
Sept. 12 is National Day of Encouragement. To mark this day, DaySpring was kind enough to encourage me by sending a package of 10 beautiful cards so that I could, in turn, pass encouragement on to some friends. As cards spilled out onto my bed, I was delighted to see how God had inspired the card authors and artists to match the unique needs and personalities of several specific friend. Names popped to mind one after another as I quickly made a list of those who could use a reminder that they are loved and important and prayed for right now:
- a few friends for whom life has not gone as planned
- some grieving friends, including an elderly woman in a nursing home and the husband of a dear friend, both whom lost spouses to cancer within the past year
- a family fighting for hope in the face of long-term unemployment
- several battling cancer, recovering from recent surgeries, or fighting chronic health challenges
- someone courageously journeying through depression
- a couple of thank yous to friends who have been a faithful encouragers to me in the past
- someone who is learning to be a "single mom" in the midst of painful separation from her husband
In fact I was so encouraged at the idea of dropping hugs and prayers in the mailbox that I soon found myself selecting additional cards and addressing more envelopes. Most fun of all, I addressed a card that I think we be of special encouragement to a whole group of ladies who are closely connected. I included instruction for them to forward it on from one to the next, adding their own notes along the way, until the card has circulated to this entire group who is in need of a dose of extra encouragement at the moment. I'll tuck a book of stamps inside before I seal the envelope to help accomplish this goal. :)
In addition to being National Day of Encouragement, we are also entering National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and this year's theme is "each one reach one." Is there one person for whom you can find a small way of offering encouragement today? Perhaps send her an eCard, leave a sticky note, or check out comments at (in)Courage to see how others are offering encouragement today.
Are you in need encouragement? Please leave a comment and let me know how I can be praying for you!
- a few friends for whom life has not gone as planned
- some grieving friends, including an elderly woman in a nursing home and the husband of a dear friend, both whom lost spouses to cancer within the past year
- a family fighting for hope in the face of long-term unemployment
- several battling cancer, recovering from recent surgeries, or fighting chronic health challenges
- someone courageously journeying through depression
- a couple of thank yous to friends who have been a faithful encouragers to me in the past
- someone who is learning to be a "single mom" in the midst of painful separation from her husband
In fact I was so encouraged at the idea of dropping hugs and prayers in the mailbox that I soon found myself selecting additional cards and addressing more envelopes. Most fun of all, I addressed a card that I think we be of special encouragement to a whole group of ladies who are closely connected. I included instruction for them to forward it on from one to the next, adding their own notes along the way, until the card has circulated to this entire group who is in need of a dose of extra encouragement at the moment. I'll tuck a book of stamps inside before I seal the envelope to help accomplish this goal. :)
In addition to being National Day of Encouragement, we are also entering National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and this year's theme is "each one reach one." Is there one person for whom you can find a small way of offering encouragement today? Perhaps send her an eCard, leave a sticky note, or check out comments at (in)Courage to see how others are offering encouragement today.
Are you in need encouragement? Please leave a comment and let me know how I can be praying for you!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Homelessness
It's a problem all across our country, evidence by the huddled lump under the blanket as I drive under the freeway overpass, the man on the corner with the cardboard sign, the lady with way too many layers of clothing who is pushing her shopping cart down the sidewalk laden with all her worldly possessions.
It's such a big problem. What can I do? What should I do? I don't want to be scammed. I don't want to enable someone in their drinking or drug addiction. I don't want to turn a blind eye either. What's the answer?
These questions were recently addressed in a straight-from-the-heart confession by Lysa Terkeurst over at (in)Courage. As I read through her story and remembered a few of my own encounters with people in need, I realized it was time to share these stories with you as well.
One bitterly cold winter evening several years ago, we drove past an elderly man on the corner, icicles dripping off his beard. We had only the length of the red light to make a decision and chose to drive on when the color changed to green. We knew in our hearts God was calling us to do more but let the rush of holiday excitement stand in our way. A couple hours later we left our party and went back to find him so we could pay for a cheep motel room for the night, but we couldn't track him down.
To this day I can't help but wonder if he wasn't an "angel unaware" that we failed to offer the hospitality God so clearly prompted us to give. I've never been able to pass another cardboard sign without deep conviction that God calls us to reach out to the hopeless and needy, sometimes in small ways, sometimes more.
We pray for each person we encounter who seems to be in need and have a family policy that if it is within our power to help, that will be our default plan. We have, at times, bought meals or even given cash, as God prompts our hearts. More than once we have passed someone, driven on to the nearest fast food drive-through, then circled back around to go out of our way to hand a lunch out the window. (Our kids have felt "doubly blessed" the couple of times that we've had a bag full of fast food goodies then not been able to track the person they were purchased for back down and the kids have fallen to the task of eating the food for us.) I've heard of many other creative alternatives like friends who carry fast food $5 gift card to share with those in need.
As we pray for people, there are rare times God gives us peace to refrain from giving in that circumstance (simple inability to physically get to a person who is out of our flow of traffic, personal safety for ourselves and our children, or outright lack of peace that giving is what we are called to do in that particular situation), but overall we believe that unless God is telling us NOT to give, that His commandment to give is clear. I have no doubt we have been scammed a few times, but that's between the other person and God. I'm only responsible to act in obedience as God calls me.
Our church introduced us to the concept of Manna Bags. We now carry Ziplock bags in our car containing a bottle of water, a couple of protein bars, socks (sock are like gold if you live on the street, even in the heat of summer), dried fruit, etc. You could add things like toothbrush, travel size toiletries, or whatever else God puts on your heart. Check out this list of ideas.
The name being Manna Bags acknowledges that this little bag will not change anyone's world, but like manna, it can be God's provision to meet his or her physical needs for this one day. I may not be able to make a huge dent in the plight of homelessness or meet an ongoing need for any one person, but just like in the Starfish Story, I can bring a glimmer of hope to one person for one day. When I gave out a Manna Bag in a parking lot last week, the man had totally eaten his first granola bar before I even made it back to the car - no doubt he was truly hungry. As so often happens, it was the socks that really got him excited and brought tears to his eyes.
I'm also working on a list of area missions and shelters and soups kitchens and such, along with addresses and phone numbers, that we can enclose in the bag along with a written prayer so that hopefully we can help direct people to more long-term solutions. I long to help meet the needs of spiritual hunger as well as physical and continue to pray about what kinds of resources I might include that will fill this void. Please share your suggestions and ideas to help me in this!
I'll never forget the day I had just taken our kids to a special bakery and bought a loaf of gourmet bread for three times what I normally would pay in the grocery store. It was warm and fresh and we each savored a single piece as soon as we got to the car, anticipating the rest with our dinner. Pulling out of the parking lot we spotted a couple shivering by the stop sign. I had nothing in the car to give but that treasured loaf of bread and even though it was a treat they loved, my kids didn't think twice. I pointed out the couple and before I could even ask what we should do I heard from the backseat, "Roll down the window Mommy. We still have most of our loaf of bread!"
It's hard to say what that couple thought of a partially eaten loaf of bread, though I think they were hungry enough that they seemed genuinely thankful to receive it. But watching my kids give from the depths of their hearts meant more to me than a million dollars, and scam or no scam, we were all richer for the experience! "The people who needed our bread" was something they joyfully talked about for years.
Please share with me your stories. How have you been blessed by the kindness of a stranger? How have you made a positive difference in someone's life, even if only for one day? Have you witnessed creative ways we can bring comfort and hope as the hands and feet of Christ. I would love to hear what YOU have to say!
It's such a big problem. What can I do? What should I do? I don't want to be scammed. I don't want to enable someone in their drinking or drug addiction. I don't want to turn a blind eye either. What's the answer?
These questions were recently addressed in a straight-from-the-heart confession by Lysa Terkeurst over at (in)Courage. As I read through her story and remembered a few of my own encounters with people in need, I realized it was time to share these stories with you as well.
One bitterly cold winter evening several years ago, we drove past an elderly man on the corner, icicles dripping off his beard. We had only the length of the red light to make a decision and chose to drive on when the color changed to green. We knew in our hearts God was calling us to do more but let the rush of holiday excitement stand in our way. A couple hours later we left our party and went back to find him so we could pay for a cheep motel room for the night, but we couldn't track him down.
To this day I can't help but wonder if he wasn't an "angel unaware" that we failed to offer the hospitality God so clearly prompted us to give. I've never been able to pass another cardboard sign without deep conviction that God calls us to reach out to the hopeless and needy, sometimes in small ways, sometimes more.
We pray for each person we encounter who seems to be in need and have a family policy that if it is within our power to help, that will be our default plan. We have, at times, bought meals or even given cash, as God prompts our hearts. More than once we have passed someone, driven on to the nearest fast food drive-through, then circled back around to go out of our way to hand a lunch out the window. (Our kids have felt "doubly blessed" the couple of times that we've had a bag full of fast food goodies then not been able to track the person they were purchased for back down and the kids have fallen to the task of eating the food for us.) I've heard of many other creative alternatives like friends who carry fast food $5 gift card to share with those in need.
As we pray for people, there are rare times God gives us peace to refrain from giving in that circumstance (simple inability to physically get to a person who is out of our flow of traffic, personal safety for ourselves and our children, or outright lack of peace that giving is what we are called to do in that particular situation), but overall we believe that unless God is telling us NOT to give, that His commandment to give is clear. I have no doubt we have been scammed a few times, but that's between the other person and God. I'm only responsible to act in obedience as God calls me.
Our church introduced us to the concept of Manna Bags. We now carry Ziplock bags in our car containing a bottle of water, a couple of protein bars, socks (sock are like gold if you live on the street, even in the heat of summer), dried fruit, etc. You could add things like toothbrush, travel size toiletries, or whatever else God puts on your heart. Check out this list of ideas.
The name being Manna Bags acknowledges that this little bag will not change anyone's world, but like manna, it can be God's provision to meet his or her physical needs for this one day. I may not be able to make a huge dent in the plight of homelessness or meet an ongoing need for any one person, but just like in the Starfish Story, I can bring a glimmer of hope to one person for one day. When I gave out a Manna Bag in a parking lot last week, the man had totally eaten his first granola bar before I even made it back to the car - no doubt he was truly hungry. As so often happens, it was the socks that really got him excited and brought tears to his eyes.
I'm also working on a list of area missions and shelters and soups kitchens and such, along with addresses and phone numbers, that we can enclose in the bag along with a written prayer so that hopefully we can help direct people to more long-term solutions. I long to help meet the needs of spiritual hunger as well as physical and continue to pray about what kinds of resources I might include that will fill this void. Please share your suggestions and ideas to help me in this!
I'll never forget the day I had just taken our kids to a special bakery and bought a loaf of gourmet bread for three times what I normally would pay in the grocery store. It was warm and fresh and we each savored a single piece as soon as we got to the car, anticipating the rest with our dinner. Pulling out of the parking lot we spotted a couple shivering by the stop sign. I had nothing in the car to give but that treasured loaf of bread and even though it was a treat they loved, my kids didn't think twice. I pointed out the couple and before I could even ask what we should do I heard from the backseat, "Roll down the window Mommy. We still have most of our loaf of bread!"
It's hard to say what that couple thought of a partially eaten loaf of bread, though I think they were hungry enough that they seemed genuinely thankful to receive it. But watching my kids give from the depths of their hearts meant more to me than a million dollars, and scam or no scam, we were all richer for the experience! "The people who needed our bread" was something they joyfully talked about for years.
"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
- James 2:15-17
Please share with me your stories. How have you been blessed by the kindness of a stranger? How have you made a positive difference in someone's life, even if only for one day? Have you witnessed creative ways we can bring comfort and hope as the hands and feet of Christ. I would love to hear what YOU have to say!
Friday, December 4, 2009
A Lemon Fresh Blog Tour
Sour circumstances left you feeling down? Unemployment, foreclosures, divorce, bankruptcy and cancer don't even begin to peel the skin off all the bad news in our world today. At a time in history when the evening news contains more bad than good, people wonder if sweeter days will ever come. In steps James (Jim) Watkins. With a fresh perspective on life, love and the pursuit of happiness, Watkins serves readers a refreshing cup of encouragement and hope.
Written from his own experiences with cancer, unemployment and other life-puckering crises, Jim prompts readers to look at the cup of suffering with eyes focused on the true thirst quencher - Jesus Christ. Readers will be pleasantly surprised at the balance of readability and deep wisdom offered within the pages of Squeezing Good Out of Bad
. With scripture references, humor-filled lists, and a creative manuscript, Watkins brings the bitterness of hard times and blends it with the sweetness of God's presence. He's been there. His transparency is as refreshing as, you guessed it, a tall, cool glass of lemonade.
Leave a comment here and ask your friends to do the same. One comment from the blog with the most comments in this tour will win:
First prize: Jim will stop by your house with fresh-baked lemon cake and hot lemon tea. (Disclaimer: Offer available only to residents of Corn Borer, Indiana.
Alternate prize includes a copy of Squeezing Good Out of Bad, mixes for lemon tea, lemon cake, lemonade and assorted lemon candies. Not available where taxed or licensed. Winner responsible for safe and proper use of products.)
If Jim's disclaimer isn't enough humor for you, read on:
When life gives you lemons . . .
10. Don't confuse them with hand grenades (Identify the problem)
9. Check the delivery slip (Determine if it's your problem)
8. Sell them on eBay (Profit from the problem)
7. Paint smiley faces on them (Laugh at the problem)
6. Join a citrus support group (Share your problem)
5. Use as an all-natural, organic astringent (Grow from the problem)
4. Don't shoot the delivery driver (Forgive the problem-maker)
3. Graft to a lime tree for a refreshing, low-calorie soft drink (Take the problem
to a higher level)
2. Grow your own orchard (Live a fruitful life despiteor because ofthe problem)
1. Give off a refreshing fragrance (Live a lemon-fresh life)
Interview with Humorist and Author
James (Jim) Watkins
about his new book, Squeezing Good Out of Bad
Jim, you've been in the literary world for a while, give us a quick recap of how you got started to where you are today.
In Squeezing Good Out of Bad you give many insightful tips on how to turn around sour circumstances. Share a practical way we can be encouraged during tough times.
No life is perfect. Can you give us an example of how you got through a challenging situation and were able to use these principles to see the good in it?
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
What's the last book you read and why?
What do you hope readers will gain by reading your book?
Publisher: XarisCom
ISBN: 978-0-578-01006-9
Retail: $12.96
Paperback
http://www.jameswatkins.com/squeezing.htm
A book that will make you laugh, think, and start looking at those sour places of lfe in a whole new way.
James N. Watkins is the author of sixteen books and over two thousand articles. He is the acquisition editor for Wesleyan Publishing House, an editorial advisor for ACW Press, instructor at Taylor University and a sought-after conference speaker. He's won Campus Lifes Book of the Year award and various other awards for writing and editing. Together with wife Lois, they have two children and four grandchildren. His family is the lemonade in his life.
---------
Disclosure: I will recieve a complimentary copy of Squeezing Good Out of Bad via Kathy Carlton Willis Communications, gifted to all participants in this blog tour.
Written from his own experiences with cancer, unemployment and other life-puckering crises, Jim prompts readers to look at the cup of suffering with eyes focused on the true thirst quencher - Jesus Christ. Readers will be pleasantly surprised at the balance of readability and deep wisdom offered within the pages of Squeezing Good Out of Bad
. With scripture references, humor-filled lists, and a creative manuscript, Watkins brings the bitterness of hard times and blends it with the sweetness of God's presence. He's been there. His transparency is as refreshing as, you guessed it, a tall, cool glass of lemonade.Leave a comment here and ask your friends to do the same. One comment from the blog with the most comments in this tour will win:
First prize: Jim will stop by your house with fresh-baked lemon cake and hot lemon tea. (Disclaimer: Offer available only to residents of Corn Borer, Indiana.
Alternate prize includes a copy of Squeezing Good Out of Bad
, mixes for lemon tea, lemon cake, lemonade and assorted lemon candies. Not available where taxed or licensed. Winner responsible for safe and proper use of products.)If Jim's disclaimer isn't enough humor for you, read on:
When life gives you lemons . . .
10. Don't confuse them with hand grenades (Identify the problem)
9. Check the delivery slip (Determine if it's your problem)
8. Sell them on eBay (Profit from the problem)
7. Paint smiley faces on them (Laugh at the problem)
6. Join a citrus support group (Share your problem)
5. Use as an all-natural, organic astringent (Grow from the problem)
4. Don't shoot the delivery driver (Forgive the problem-maker)
3. Graft to a lime tree for a refreshing, low-calorie soft drink (Take the problem
to a higher level)
2. Grow your own orchard (Live a fruitful life despiteor because ofthe problem)
1. Give off a refreshing fragrance (Live a lemon-fresh life)
Interview with Humorist and Author
James (Jim) Watkins
about his new book, Squeezing Good Out of Bad
Jim, you've been in the literary world for a while, give us a quick recap of how you got started to where you are today.
By second grade, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I felt the suspension of disbelief was stretched too thin when the real-live puppet Pinocchio became a real live boy. So I rewrote the ending having the wooden puppet die a painful, prolonged death of Dutch elm disease. (At that point, I'm sure my parents and teachers weren't sure if I'd become a writer or a life-long patient at a psychiatric hospital.) I later went on to become the editor of my high school paper, worked at a Christian publishing house as an editor during college, and then dabbled in writing while holding down a real job. Since 1988 I've been writing and speaking full-time.
In Squeezing Good Out of Bad
you give many insightful tips on how to turn around sour circumstances. Share a practical way we can be encouraged during tough times.My "top ten list" of chapter titles 10-4 provide practical steps for dealing with lemons, but the real secrets are found in chapters 3-1. (Yes, like a true top ten list, the chapters are numbered backward.) Romans 8:28 promises that that God is working all things out for our good to accomplish His purpose in our lives. But we have to read on to verse 29 to find that purpose: "to be conformed to the image of His Son."
No life is perfect. Can you give us an example of how you got through a challenging situation and were able to use these principles to see the good in it?
I think it's so important that we take our faith seriously, but I certainly don't want to take my situation or myself too seriously. So I create a mental "top ten" list of what good can come about in this situation. For instance, last year I had radiation for cancer and it totally depleted me physically and mentally. My family dubbed it "radiation retardation." Because of that, I was fired from a wonderful part-time job because I just couldn't do it. So, "Top Ten Great Things about Losing My Job":
10. I'll be paying less taxes next year.
9. I've got twenty hours a week of free time.
8. . . .
Our family is going through something right now that is far worse than cancer, and I can't see a single good thing that can come out of it. So, at those times, you just keep hanging on--with white knuckles--to the fact that God loves you and the Romans 8:28 is still in effect.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spare time? What's that? I'm a firm believer in "redeeming the time" so I try to keep busy doing things that matter for the Kingdom. But after my little brain is worn out--usually around 7 pm--nothing beats a session of "Freecell."
What's the last book you read and why?
Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr. Unfortunately, the only real reading for pleasure is on airline flights. The King book is research for a book I'm proposing as we approach the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
What do you hope readers will gain by reading your book?
I wrote the first draft nine years ago, and even though I have a great agent, we just couldn't find a publisher. That was before cancer, family crisis, unemployment.
. . . So it's a much more comforting, honest book. And it forced me to not be so flippant and casual about the serious issues people are dealing with. Henri Nouwen talks about "wounded healers." I think, because of the lemons that have piled up in my life, I can more compassionately offer comfort to those buried under a pile of lemons.
Publisher: XarisCom
ISBN: 978-0-578-01006-9
Retail: $12.96
Paperback
http://www.jameswatkins.com/squeezing.htm
A book that will make you laugh, think, and start looking at those sour places of lfe in a whole new way.
James N. Watkins is the author of sixteen books and over two thousand articles. He is the acquisition editor for Wesleyan Publishing House, an editorial advisor for ACW Press, instructor at Taylor University and a sought-after conference speaker. He's won Campus Lifes Book of the Year award and various other awards for writing and editing. Together with wife Lois, they have two children and four grandchildren. His family is the lemonade in his life.
---------
Disclosure: I will recieve a complimentary copy of Squeezing Good Out of Bad
via Kathy Carlton Willis Communications, gifted to all participants in this blog tour.
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