GOOD FRIDAY

"The greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him..... He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today!!" Good Friday seems like such an odd name for the day our Lord suffered so much for our sins yet we know it was good because if He had not died for us we would never be able to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father. However, we must concentrate on the pain and suffering of Jesus in order to really appreciate and understand what He did for us. Take time to visualize the torture and agony Christ endured for you today and give him thanks for it.

COMFORTING WORDS

During this Holy Week as I read the accounts of what Jesus and his Disciples went through, different things "pop out" at me. In John 13, Jesus tells his Disciples that one of them will betray him. Then, he tells Peter he will deny knowing him.
They did not understand yet what was going to happen to Jesus or where he was going but they were confused and scared and wanted to go with him. What really touched me, though, was in John 14, where Jesus tries to comfort his Disciples. He says: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:1-4) Then He promises to send them the Holy Spirit to be with them and in them. In verse 27 he says "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Jesus was about to be betrayed by one of his closest followers, denied by another then handed over to die a painful death. However, his concern was for his Disciples. Instead of seeking their comfort He is the one trying to encourage and comfort them. Would we do the same in this situation? What a wonderful Lord we have. Even when we face our own trials, let's follow Jesus' example and still try to be a comforter and encourager to others. May you feel His peace today!

PLOTTING AND BETRAYAL

Have you ever been in a situation where others were plotting against you in some way?
Perhaps it was your husband they were plotting against. We were in a church situation where a new preacher had arrived and immediately began criticizing everything the large, long-term staff (which included my husband)had been doing.
Everyone in the church had been so pleased and encouraging to the staff during the time they kept the church going after our long-term pastor has retired. For two years they continued to move forward as much as possible and we even had people joining the church, even without a pastor. Suddenly, with the arrival of this new preacher, things began to change. He began to surround himself with a corp of followers (mostly from the search committee who had recommended him). It was almost like he had some kind of strange power over them. People who had been so supportive of the staff and the vision of the long-range planning committee, suddenly were willing to believe whatever this "stranger" said even if it was not the same as what he had said to a staff member. They would do whateve he wanted them to do. He was deceitful behind closed doors and had members basically blackballed if they questioned him. He was not the person some in the congregation thought he was. He was cruel to the staff and when it finally got so bad that some of them spoke to church leaders they trusted regarding some of the "plotting" going on against them and to change certain things and make it look like some of these changes came from the staff and not from him we got a mixed response. Some were very upset and approached him. He denied it or just stared at them or said the staff member misunderstood. Then they were treated badly by him and others of his followers. Some were upset but didn't want to get involved. Others were totally oblivious to it all. Eventually staff and their families began to feel they were the enemy by his followers and so did anyone who disagreed with him or his treatment of the staff. Close friends no longer spoke or trusted each other. It was one of the most painful times of our lives. We felt betrayed and "stabbed in the back" by some of those who had been closest to us for over 12 years. One by one the staff all left and so did large numbers of church members. A few years later, the preacher who caused all this pain and division was advised he needed to resign or he was soon going to be asked to leave. Some had come to see him for what he really was. Others just saw how the church had declined. Many Ministers' families were hurt and many friendships destroyed and have not been restored years later. This experience gives me an inkling of how Jesus must have felt during his last week on earth. There were those plotting against him. One of his own disciples betrayed him. The crowds that cheered Hosanna as he entered Jerusalem quickly changed to chanting Crucify Him and even chose to let a convicted murderer go and have Jesus killed. I hope you never have to experience the pain we did in that church but if you ever go through something similar, know that your Lord and Savior went through something worse and later gave his life for you because of his Love for you. He knows any pain or suffering or trial you may have gone through or are going through and He will see you through it. Let's all remember the great love that Jesus showed to us by allowing them to crucify him that we may be forgiven. Hosanna to our King!

OVERWHELMING NEEDS VS. YOUR WELL-BEING

As a minister's wife, it is easy to get overwhelmed and depressed by all the sicknesses, deaths, marital problems, job losses, surgeries and other needs in your church family. You hear of all the prayer requests on Sun. and Wed. and also get them through e-mails or calls to your home. Plus, you know of many concerns and needs in your own family or those of your own friends who are not in your church.
Prayer is wonderful and we should spend as much time as we can praying for the needs of others. However, don't let it drag you down. I often find myself praying when I lay down to go to sleep at night. I have to make myself limit this time of prayer and then force myself to think of more pleasant things or I can't go to sleep. I read somewhere that you should never watch the 11:00 news then try to go to sleep.
It is hard to fall asleep when you have troubling or sad thoughts on your mind.
Do your serious praying at another time during the day. If you find yourself being drug down by all the needs, take time to do something to help lift your spirits.
Watch some cartoons or a funny movie. Read an uplifting inspirational book or listen to upbeat, cheerful music. Take a walk or get some exercise. With warm weather coming, you can get outside and plant some flowers. Going to a garden center and just looking at all the gorgeous flowers lifts my spirits. Invite a fun friend to lunch or for coffee. Keep on praying but take care of yourself,too.

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Happy Sunday! We had a good day of worship with communion at our church today. It was a beautiful, sunny and fairly warm day. I am so thankful to live in a country where we are free to worship and not have to worry about being persecuted for our faith. We may be harrassed or ridiculed but we don't have to worry about being tortured or killed for our faith. Remember to pray for those believers who worship our Lord at risk to their own lives. I tend to take for granted the freedom to just get up and drive to church on Sunday and worship with my church family. When you are tired or hurried and rushed or trying to get kids dressed and out the door on Sunday morning, think about the blessing of our freedom. Here is a quote from Pope John Paul II that I saw today that I really liked and thought I'd share with you.
"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and Hallelujah is our song". Have a great week!

WHY DO CHRISTIANS SUFFER?

Sorry,it's been so long since I posted anything. We've been on the road alot lately. It seems more than a coincedence that I've had several different people asking me about suffering just in the past couple of weeks. One felt that God was making them suffer and was very angry. Another was wondering if God uses suffering to bring someone to Christ. Others just pondered the question of why God allows Christians to suffer and several of these had been doing some pretty strong suffering. I regret to say, I do not have the answer. I think this is one of those mysteries of God that we as humans may not be able to totally comprehend. However, I have been doing some reading and seeking some answers. One article I read was by Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Here is a brief synopsis of his article.
1) SUFFERING PRODUCES TRAINING IN OBEDIENCE.
2) SUFFERING PRODUCES REFINEMENT OF YOUR CHARACTER.
3) SUFFERING PRODUCES INTIMACY WITH YOUR COMPASSIONATE GOD & SAVIOR.
4) SUFFERING PRODUCES UNDERSTANDING OF THE HURTS OF OTHERS.
5) SUFFERING PRODUCES MATURITY FOR MINISTERING TO OTHERS.
6) SUFFERING PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE IN DIFFICULT TIMES.
7) GOD TURNS HARDSHIPS INTO BLESSINGS.
8) GOD GIVES PEACE IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY.
9) SUFFERING RESULTS IN FUTURE GLORY.
10 YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR.
11)GOD WILL HELP YOU TO TRIUMPH.
12)JESUS UNDERSTANDS YOUR SUFFERING.
13)GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU.
You can read the entire article at www.greatcom.org/resources/why_do_christians_suffer. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. I pray that if you are going through a time of difficulty and suffering that you will receive comfort and encouragement from this article. As I study more on this subject, I will share what I learn with you. Peace be with you!

MAKE THE MOST OF EACH DAY

I READ THIS IN MY HUSBAND'S "QUICK-BITS" NEWSLETTER THE OTHER DAY AND IT REALLY MADE ME STOP AND THINK. "Hoping to get a glimpse into history, an interviewer asked an 87 year old lady, 'What was the world like back in your day?'
HUMPPH! she responded. THIS is my day!. I love her attitude. Instead of being wistful for the years behind her, the elderly lady's mind was on making the most of the day infront of her."-John Maxwell. WHAT A GREAT ATTITUDE TO HAVE AT 87! IT SHOULD ALSO BE THE ATTITUDE WE ALL HAVE AT ANY AGE. I'M OLD ENOUGH THAT I HAVE ALREADY STARTED THINKING BACK TO DAYS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER AND HAD MORE ENERGY AND COULD DO THINGS I CAN'T DO NOW. SOME OF YOU AREN'T TO THAT STAGE YET.
EVEN SO, AT ANY AGE, IT IS EASY TO FIND REASONS FOR NOT MAKING THE MOST OF EACH DAY.
THERE MAY BE DAYS WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL GOOD OR YOU'RE REALLY TIRED, BUT EVEN ON THOSE DAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. YOU CAN PRAY OR CALL A LONELY WIDOW. YOU CAN WRITE A NOTE OR SEND A CARD OR E-MAIL JUST TO CHEER SOMEONE UP OR LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THEM. SENDING FUNNY E-CARDS TO A FRIEND WHO IS GOING THROUGH A TOUGH TIME ONLY TAKES A MINUTE AND LITTLE ENERGY BUT CAN MEAN ALL THE WORLD TO THE ONE WHO RECEIVES IT. YOU CAN SPEND TIME READING GOD'S WORD OR LISTENING TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC OR READING A DEVOTIONAL ONLINE. HELPING TO GROW IN YOUR PERSONAL SPIRITUAL WALK IS A GOOD USE OF TIME AT ANY AGE. OF COURSE, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS YOU CAN MAKE THE MOST OF EACH DAY WHEN YOU DO FEEL GOOD AND HAVE ENERGY AND I DON'T THINK I HAVE TO TELL YOU ALL OF THOSE, YOU KNOW WAYS TO DO THIS. SO, LADIES-REGARDLESS OF OUR AGE OR CIRCUMSTANCES, LET'S MAKE THE MOST OF TODAY!