The Sanctuary of Our Mind

 

Scripture:  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  

Romans 12:2 NLT

In this day and age there is lots of discussion about anxiety and fear.  I am sure just as with any age there is plenty on which we could focus that would stress us out and bring rise to fear and worry.  At different stages of life our anxieties morph and change.  I can recall as a teenager I was worried about what I would be when I grew up.  Everyone asks you, like you should have it all figured out.  As a young married woman I worried if I was doing all I could do to contribute to my relationship and the establishment of our home.  As a young mother I never could find a quitting place.  I worked hard to do all and be all I could be.  I worried about guiding my children toward being good adults.  Now that I am well past the "young" adjective I worry about being responsible enough to prepare for retirement.  There is always something... yet in Philippians 4:6-7 God reminds us, "Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And you will find peace." (That last part was my paraphrase.)

So how and why do we fret?  I definitely think for me it is a control issue.  If I can just control everything and make it turn out the way I think it should, I'll be fine.  Which when typed, sounds almost comical.  How many times has that actually happened?  Rarely.    So how do we focus more on peace and less on anxiety?  I think it is a renewing of our mind.  God must change the way we think!  I'm finding there isn't less about which to worry, ever.  Instead I must focus on bringing peace into those stressful situations.

I recently sat in a circle of friends brainstorming ways we could allow God to transform our thinking.  One friend suggested we have a place we could go, mentally.  A place of peace you can imagine and visualize that will remind you of where you have experienced God's peace in the past.  I loved that idea! As I moved forward I began to seek God about where my happy place might be.  Over the course of two weeks, memories flooded my mind.  To my surprise, I uncovered memories of my childhood  home.  I recalled almost every tree and shrub in my parents' yard: a cotton wood tree, peonies, lilac bushes, chestnut trees, tulips, mimosa trees, cherry trees, a giant willow tree, tiger lilies, clematis vines, butterfly bushes... I could keep going!  I even recalled how that  same yard comforted my dad as he planted flowers, fruits and vegetables.  I lovingly remembered how my mother loved her back porch and how each family member and friend had taken comfort on that same slab of concrete over the years.

Nature was clearly a theme as we discussed in our circle of friends, but never before had I seen the subtle ways God has comforted me throughout my life until I began actively looking for the mental places I might go to find God!  No doubt it was a miraculous encounter that superseded any anxiety I might have had and shifted my focus onto The Comforter instead of trying to find comfort!  That was a big transformation of my thinking.    

This week in your quiet time ask God to give you reminders of where you have been comforted.  Go there in your mind.  You my find those places closely akin to suffering, but we often need to recall all of God's acts of faithfulness, so that we are focused on The Comforter instead of comfort.

Leslie Stephens

Winchester, TN by way of Newark, NJ

Prayer:  Comforting God, do not let us spiral into anxiety.  Instead let us be focused on your faithfulness and recall your promises.  Teach us to find places of renewal and comfort that will transform our thinking and generate peace in the midst of suffering.  Amen.

Prayer Tip:  Seek God to find a mental location to which you can retreat in times of stress that will remind you of God's faithfulness. 

Spring Forth

Scripture:  Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  Isaiah 43:18-18

I'm not sure if you've ever had the privilege to travel in the high deserts of Utah, Arizona or New Mexico, but the thing that I find most fascinating is the fact the layers of rock reveal that at one time a great deal of that desert area was under water!  It boggles my mind and reminds me of how small I really am.

Our vision is so limited by our perspective.  If all we see is the same environment every day, then we think that is all there is.  That movie "Horton Hears a Who" is the perfect example of that.  If you haven't watched it, you should.  I mean who dreamed up some of our most recent modern inventions?  Had I been born in the early 1800's could I have even imagined a cell phone?

God sees it all.  God's perspective is all encompassing.  Although we see life through a small portal of time, God does not.  God was there at the beginning and in God and through Christ all things were made!  We are told this in the gospels, and it often takes something beyond my understanding to remind me of how very little I actually can conceive or understand.

This is where faith comes to me.  In moments where things do not make sense to my mortal mind.  It's like taking the Nestea Plunge into the arms of God in the desert.  I fall back trusting that the God that dried up waters in New Mexico to reveal the beauty in rocks, plants and nourishes ferns hanging upside down from a rock in Tennessee.  How much more then will God cultivate and nourish me and my faith?

When was the last time you found wonder and beauty in something way beyond your control or scope of understanding?  Seek out a place where you can be reminded that God doesn't need you, but instead chooses to invite you into being part of what God has created just for His pleasure and for relationship.

Leslie Stephens

Winchester, TN by way of San Bernadino, CA

Prayer:  Maker of Heaven and Earth, thank you for not overlooking any tiny detail in the world today, including my life and the meaning of it.  Teach me to trust you with all the little details.  Amen.

Prayer Tip:  Stand in awe of something only God could have created.  Let it wash over you!

photo credit: Sandy Dodson

Missing Pieces 

Scripture:  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  

1 Corinthians 13: 9-10

Winter and Covid has yielded being shut in at home more than usual.  I don't really mind it.  In fact, I live with a bunch of homebodies who prefer home over any other place.  We watch movies.  We play games.  We read books.  We laugh and we look at screens.  I however, I am the only one at my house who likes to work puzzles.  I sit among them and do my thang!

My parents always loved working puzzles and I guess it reminds me of them.   I find it strangely entertaining and comforting.  I also analyzed it and realize that it is a personality thing too.  You have a goal.  It has many ways to solve it, but ultimately you work persistently until the task is done.  It has a satisfying end.  It is a very controlled outcome!  Us goal-oriented people like puzzles!  Puzzles are predictable.

My family has started poking at me every time I sit down.  Someone will come over and look for like 5 seconds and immediately say, "The piece I need is missing."  Then they quit and walk away!  LOL  It always makes me laugh and at times makes me wonder if maybe there is a piece that could be missing.

Life is no less puzzling; pardon the pun.  When we pause to look around there is always room for feeling like there is a piece missing.  Largely because when we see the tiny pieces, it is hard to imagine what the bigger picture might look like.  God has no doubt proven to me over the years, that I do not need to know or see everything.  Life can be so overwhelming!

I really need only to see enough to take the next step.  If 15 years ago you had told me you will lose both your parents, have another baby, your husband will go into ministry, you will get a Masters degree and teach school, then resume an aviation career.  If any human had said to me in 2007 by 2020 you will be an airline pilot, I would have laughed at them.

Now I see much more clearly that I didn't need to know all that.  I can only look at one little piece at a time.  The big picture is God's to see.  Faith is about what is unseen.  It is when life feels beyond your control that you should rejoice!  For it is in those times when we see the glory of God.  It is when there is nothing we can do but pray and trust, that faith draws the missing pieces together to make an amazing scene.

My aunt always taps on the piece she places into the puzzle.  It is as if she is saying look, I found a piece!  I do it too!  Place the piece and tap on it!  God is aware of our need for control and even more aware of our desperate need for dependance upon Him.  Sit still and feel God tap the piece He just placed.  If you look too closely it might not even look like anything at all, a blob of color or sometimes no color at all.  But when you draw back and view the faithfulness of God over a lifetime, you will stand amazed at the scene God is piecing together.

Leslie Stephens

Winchester, TN

Prayer:  Creator God, I am thankful that you are the great designer and that you see the big picture.  Help me to have faith and trust in your design.  Teach me to find rest in the unknowing.  Amen.

Prayer Tip:  Take inventory.  Revisit the times in your life in which you have seen the faithfulness of God.  It will be a big source of encouragement for you during difficulties.  

HOLD ON!

Scripture:  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23

Anytime I find myself faced with difficulty people have assured me to "hold on."  Hold on to what exactly I began to query myself?  To faith?  To love?  To hope? Hold onto loved ones?  Hold on...  Sounds easy enough.  I know you likely know the song "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand."  That is one of my favorites!

Today I realized that in order to be successful at anything you need realistic expectations.  You need goals and a plan.  Then as I was listening to music the vision in the picture  came from the words of Andy Grammer, 

"And I will hold

I'll hold onto you

No matter what this world'll throw

It won't shake me lose."

We are not holding out hope for a better day, a good diagnosis, more money, a better job, or you just fill in your blank.  No we are holding onto God, like a bronc rider.  God is fierce and wild and not easily tamed!  It is God to which we cling despite how crazy the ride gets.  Nothing else is as thrilling or endearing as the one who created us and built the arena in which we ride!

So today as you read this, picture yourself in the chute.  God is prancing and snorting.  You are aware of the danger.  You can sense the need for a helmet.  You are very cognizant of the gloves, the vest, the adrenaline.  You tighten your grip.  You breathe in deep and calm your nerve.  You nod your head and the gate comes flying open!  Yeehaw!

Hold on tight to God!

Leslie Stephens

Winchester, TN

Prayer:  Amazing God, we embrace your fierce and wild nature.  We confess we try to control our crazy lives and that when we do, we aren't trusting you.  Forgive us and help us to overcome our unbelief.  Amen.

Prayer Tip:  Seek to find the thrilling side of God.  

 A Timeless Response

https://andersongardens.org/

Scripture:  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to visit gardens.  I am forever enthralled with the  beauty of a well manicured garden.  It doesn't really matter what time of year you visit either, there is always something unique and lovely to see.  I am never disappointed.

Japanese gardens have a special nature about them.  The designs are layered and hold rich symbolism.  Today I visited Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, IL.  The advertisement claimed it was one of  North  America's highest quality Japanese gardens. It was the dream of John Anderson who first began birthing this garden in 1978 along a swampy section of Spring Creek in his backyard.  

After over 40 years and countless hours of design, building and manicuring this exquisite garden held for me some personal beauty and reflection.  I visited in peak fall color, but imagined that even the budding of spring after a cold Illinois winter would be lovely.  There is a water basin within the garden that has some Japanese  characters which when translated read, "I seek only to be content."

Contentment is what I have been asking God to give me for some time.  I don't want to be content only for a season, but instead I want it to be a theme throughout my entire life.  Yes, seasons change and the scripture assures us that there is a time for everything.  However, as I strolled through the garden I felt a deep contentment as was intended by the designers.  Contentment is a product of gratitude no doubt.  

It is easy to feel sorrow when change comes, but like the garden needs changes in season to bring about beauty and dimension, so does life.  Without different seasons and change, life would be without depth and perspective.

Anderson Gardens are open every day.  I hope to return there both in the dead of winter when the pond is frozen over and in the spring as the foliage breaks forth.  Much like the seasons of our lives change, there is always beauty to be seen and appreciated.  If you are in a season of life in which are not content, look for ways in  which to experience contentment.  Revisit a place or memory where you were content and allow God to remind you of His faithfulness.  Contentment is a choice.  It is a way of life.

Leslie Stephens

Winchester, TN by way of Rockford, IL

Prayer:  Designer of the Universe, You have given us seasons.  Show us the beauty in each season of our lives and bring us to a place of deep contentment.  Amen.

Prayer Tip:  Sit in a beautiful spot and use all your senses to absorb the experience.  Feel the rhythm of your breath.  Breathe in contentment and joy.  Exhale anxiety and stress.  Visualize God filling you with contentment.

Burning Off Our Souls

Scripture:  To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.  Exodus 24:17

I had a natural truth pierce my heart this week while in conversation with my sister.  I was reminded about a Discovery Channel show I watched on forest fires.  Did you know that unless a pine cones reaches a certain temperature it will not germinate?  That is right, without a forest fire to clean undergrowth in a forest and enough heat to germinate pinecones, new trees will not grow.

Well that was brought to mind as my sister described a pain she was experienced with sciatica.  She described it as a pain explosion in her hip that burned.  When she said that, I began to recall the pine cone.  I said to her that perhaps God needs to burn something within her to release a new growth!

That fresh reminder from God soaked into my bones all week as I felt the burn within my own heart from what I have been experiencing in my trials recently. We are all at some stage of forest fire in our lives.  Perhaps something is smoldering, or maybe the flames are licking closer than that for you right now.  Maybe you are standing over a completely charred life and asking how you can recover from a devastating thing like this?  No matter where are standing in the midst of the fire, you have to know that God’s divine plan sees new growth on the horizon.  He is clearing out the forest floor within you, so that new pines will burst forth.

One last thought in respect to the tallest and strongest pine trees in the forest.  They are all charred around the base.  If the fire does not consume them, their trunks are strengthened and they become the tallest trees in the forest!!!  O my goodness, someone needed to hear that today!  Stand strong in the midst of your fire.  Even if you get burned up, he will sprout new life, but if you sustain the fire, you will be strengthen and grow even stronger!  God has plans for you!

In the forest with you,

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer:  Almighty God, you care for the forest, how much more do you care for us, your children?  Have mercy on us and burn away the things that encumber us and keep us from fulfilling your perfect will for our lives.  Strengthen our faith and give us peace.  Amen.

Prayer Tip:  Use nature to allow God to speak to you.  When sitting quietly in God’s creation ask for a revelation.  God is peaking through his creation!

To read more astonishing details about forest fire visit this link!

Overgrown Faith

Scripture:  I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.  Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.  Psalm 119:104-105

I was traveling along TN Highway 68 between Crossville and Sweetwater on my way to a baby shower when I noticed a railroad track that came up close to the road.  In some spots it was well kept, but it would suddenly be overgrown and covered with kudzu and various forms of lush Tennessee brush.  After this pattern of tracks and brush I inferred that the track was abandoned.  There are many states in which people have actually turned old abandoned railroads into trails (see http://www.railstotrails.org/index.html).  However this particular rural area had areas that were preserved and other areas that were lost to the earth.

I began wondering if that is how it is with our faith rails.  Do we neglect our faith in seasons of ease and prosperity only to allow it to get overgrown and unexercised?  I mean it is easy to fail off the faith wagon when things are going well and we are caring for ourselves just fine.  It happens to me without much thought.  I fall off the bible study train or the prayer habit is interrupted by something noisier.  The next thing I know I can’t see my track of faith.  It is covered with the kudzu of fear and anxiety.

I quickly searched inwardly at my faith tracks to see how they looked to God!  A passerby might see the tracks of my faith here and there in the areas I had kept well-groomed like church attendance, but what about fasting or intercession?  I was horrified to see how quickly those tracks had gotten overgrown!  O I am full of excuses: school, mothering demands, “church work”!  I shivered at the thought of what my faith track might look like if seen from overhead of my life like God can view it.

It is so easy to care for our faith in the areas that make us feel good and bring about positive experiences.  However there is much more to faith than “feel good experiences”.  I pray that this message causes you to search your faith track for overgrown areas.  Where have you neglected to clear a path for God to travel in your life?

Leslie Stephens

McMinnville, TN

Prayer Tip:  Ask God to speak to you every day.  Then look for Him in the everyday spots of your life.  He will speak.  Are you listening?

Channels of Grace

Scripture:  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  John 6:37-38

For a moment I want you to picture God’s Holy Spirit being like electricity and you are a house.  God’s Spirit is connected to your fuse box when you accept Christ as your Savior.  Resurrection power is made available to you when you are saved by grace. 

There are all these wires that run throughout your life.  Circuits if you will of ways that God’s grace flows through you and reaches out to other people.  Unfortunately our sin creates roadblocks or switches in the circuit system.  When we sin against God, we turn off a switch that limits God’s power made available to us.

I could make a long list of ways that we are running on limited power, but we can look at the church and see that we clearly aren’t raising people from the dead and walking on water.  It is obvious we are limiting God’s grace at work in our lives.  Jesus himself said that we would do greater things than he did in His name (John 14:12).  Why is this not happening?

I want to suggest one area of sin that we are dabbling in that is hindering God’s power in our lives.  That area is unforgiveness.   If we seek forgiveness from God for a sin but do not distribute that same forgiving grace to others, we have just flipped a major breaker in the power of God in our lives.  The grace God issues us must be issued through us toward others in order for that grace to empower us as Christians and free us for joyful obedience.

Picture this:  You are feeling a darkness in your spirit.  You are experiencing anxiety, fear and doubt.  You are wrestling with hopelessness and anger.  You are resentful and cynical.  I would suggest that you check your forgiveness breaker.  Are you withholding grace from someone?  Who is it?  Why?  Only you know and God will show you what it is that is stealing the fruit of His Spirit from you: peace, joy, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, self-control, ect (Galatians 5:22).  Taking a spiritual inventory will tell you pretty quickly if your forgiveness breaker is flipped.

I know that Christ meant for us to walk in these gifts.  He said that He was leaving us His peace.  Why are we lacking?  Do not decide that you are destined to live in darkness.  That you can’t overcome the sorrow you feel.  Start trying to really get to the bottom of it.  Your sorrow is not dependent on someone else.  It is dependent on you forgiving that person, the exact way that Christ forgives you, with love, mercy and grace (unmerited favor).  Stop withholding grace!

Leslie Stephens

McMinnville, TN

Prayer:  O merciful Savior, thank you for loving me while I was still a sinner.  Help me to extend that same mercy and grace to others, so that your light may shine through me and so that I may find Your peace.  Amen

Prayer Tip:  Every prayer should contain confession.  We are sinful people.  Seek out your sin, don’t assume you are covered.

Sitting the Bench

Scripture: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 (NKJV)



As a parent there is nothing more miserable than seeing your children hurt, upset or discouraged. My son loves basketball. From the time the boy could walk, literally, he has had a basketball in his hand and a smile on his face. He has participated in other sports, but nothing tickles his fancy like a ball and a hoop. As a 3-year-old he was a gifted basketball player, but as he grew the phenomenon kind of subsided and he really just developed a love for the game.


Now at age 14 he plays for the freshman team, but has realized that he is not a naturally gifted athlete. He has to work really hard to gain favor with the coach and all those neat little nuances of the game that he loves do not come as natural to him as some of the other players. The poetry some athletes make with ease, he has to really study to write. Fortunately for him he likes his teammates and the coach and has had a good time playing freshman ball this year.


Tonight however was the last home game of the season and with friends and relatives watching the game he sat the bench. And sat the bench. And sat the bench. He did not get to play even one minute. I knew he would be disappointed and so was I, but he came straight in and went to bed without one word except good night. I was so sorrowful as I know it made him angry and frustrated. I talked to God about it and asked Him to teach Wyatt something important as I have said many times there are important things you can learn on the bench that you can't
learn in the game.

Then all of a sudden it clicked for me. You can't acquire the fruit of God's spirit playing basketball. You can only get it sitting on the bench!

• Love: Learning to love people (the coach) when you are not treated fairly.
• Joy: Learning to experience joy when you have a sad or angry emotion over your circumstances.
• Peace: Learning to find peace within when you have inner turmoil.
• Longsuffering (patience): Learning to wait on the things you really want and persevering until you see those things happen or even if you do not see those things happen.
• Kindness: Learning to show encouragement and support even when you are discouraged
  and disappointed.
• Goodness: Learning to be respectful to people even when they do not deserve it.
• Faithfulness: Learning to be dependable and supportive even if people are not faithful and trustworthy.
• Gentleness: Learning to not let your anger change the way you treat people.
• Self-control: Learning how to be a good sport even when you are angry, upset, and disappointed and really want to hit, scream, stomp, cry, and act like a spoiled little brat. (no matter how entitled you think you might be)
  

We live in a world that is not fair. This world is full of people who are not faithful and do not treat people nicely. We can't always have our way. People will always disappoint us. Winning and things going perfectly is not always going to happen. In fact more often than not our plans are spoiled by circumstances beyond our control. Somehow in the midst of that we have to display the character of Christ! God help us!

I can clearly see now that as much as I love my children and want to see them happy and successful, God knows better than me what they need. I want to see Wyatt rewarded for
working hard and get to play basketball and win and love it all at the same time, but more than that (much more than that) I want to see him develop the character of Christ. So really he needs
to learn how to sit the bench. It is on the bench where the fruit of God's spirit grows in us. What bench are you sitting on right now? Thank God that He has put you there!

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: Almighty God, you always have our best interest in mind. Teach us how to sit on the bench of difficulty and adversity bearing all things with the fruit of your Spirit. We want to be more like Jesus, Coach us! Amen.

Prayer Tip: If you have not thanked God for whatever you are going through, do that right now. We need to be content and trust that God is at work in all things to bring about our faith and his glory. Praise him when you feel like fussing and crying!

Starry Night

Starry Night

Scripture: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3-4

Last night as we were driving home from the funeral home after receiving friends for my husband’s Grandfather who died just before his 99th birthday and I became inspired. I looked out at the night sky and posted this to my status on Facebook, “The October plant hung low in the cool crisp night sky just above the tree line reminding me that I am small and God is big.” Funny how a trip to the funeral home will make you reflect on your status in the universe.

Clyde Ongel Stephens (November 22, 1911- October 4, 2012) was a lover of music. He fashioned 21 hand-made fiddles in his lifetime and played as long as his feeble hands would let him. There are actual tapes of him making old-time fiddle music in the Smithsonian Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. because he was one of the few in the last 50 years who could remember many of the old tunes. He raised 5 children, which spawned 9 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren. His life saw almost a century of change.

The very next day innovator Steve Jobs died at the age of 56. He did not live nearly as long as Papa, but is known all around the world for his advances in technology. How do we measure the quality of life? Is one person more successful than the other? A life is a precious thing, a gift, to be shared with those around you. Both men did indeed do that. Yet one is remembered around the world and the other for the most part goes unnoticed.

I suppose there are many gauges we could use to measure success. Depending on the standard you use you could find success in both men’s lives. At the end of every life there is a legacy that continues long after they are gone. I personally always find myself reflecting on my own life at times like these when mortality is a stark reminder of how fragile life really is and I almost always come back to this place of how small my life is and how big God is.

I am amazed that a giant God would want a relationship with me and use a small insignificant life to bring change in the world. You can research me and find pretty quickly that I am no Steve Jobs. I do not have any of my work in the Smithsonian. My greatest work went to Warren County High School, Centertown Elementary School, and just came down the hall in his underwear and said good morning(he is 3 not 38). I must always be reminded that my legacy is important to them and the future of this world does depend upon me.

I am not sure why one man would leave a giant mark on society and another a pin prick mark. Yet I do know that God can use the pen prick as much as He can use the giant mark. We can all be relevant instruments in the hand of The Master Artisan. Life is valued and noteworthy no matter your age or accomplishments. I am generally not that poetic. Why would I find a small prose in the stars last night? The giant mark of a creative God no doubt.

I pray that you surrender your life no matter how significant you think it may be into the hands of God today, asking him to use you to touch the world with the love of Christ.

Creatively,
Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: Amazing Creator, use my hands to touch someone today with your love. Use my feet to go where you would have me to go. Use my words to bless a life today. Use my life to be an ambassador for Christ in the world where I may be. Amen.

Prayer Tip: God uses all aspects of life to speak to us, even death. Always write reflectively about your thoughts a prayers, God will speak to you in those places of change.

Picture of Papa's hands courtesy of cousin Lolita Jones.

Merciless

Scripture: The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you. Psalm 145:8-10

I was driving my husband's car when I went to the bank the other day. I pulled in behind a white Volvo. I grabbed the spot right next to the white car. As I gathered my things and exited the car, the college-aged driver got out of his car an immediately lashed out at me, "Think you could have parked any closer to my car? I left a nice white mark on your door for ya."

I had indeed parked too close to his car. I was quite shocked at how quickly he had remarked with such disdain. I told him that I was in my husband's car and was not used to driving it and was sorry. His mother was mortified by his behavior and came over and began to try and wipe off the white mark. I told her it was ok and that it was no big deal.

As I walked into the bank behind them I felt almost sick. I honestly had to turn and go back to my car and leave. It was not what he said, it was how he said it. There was no mercy. No compassion at all. I felt so sorrowful for all the times I had complained about people parking too close to my car. I mean in the big scheme of things it means nothing. It is certainly not life or death and worth berating someone over. For all he knew I was driving my dead husband's car for the first time since he died. (not the case) Or perhaps I had just gotten the cancer news. (not so) He had no idea what I had been through that day leading up to that moment.

Fortunately I had not had a "bad" day, but he had no way of knowing and neither could I. So many times we deal with people without any mercy. We have no compassion for what they have been through that day or in their life. We simply deal with the moment without any mercy or compassion. I am so thankful that God knows our whole story and has compassion and mercy on us always. He always pushes us toward Him in all circumstances, not growing weary of dealing with us. Let us be full of mercy and grace, just as we have received much.

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville,TN

Prayer: Gracious God, I confess that I have been merciless and judgmental of others. help me to love others deeply and deal with people gently with mercy and compassion.

Prayer Tip: God gives us eyes to see sin in others, so that we can repent of those same sins. Repent before you complain about others.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

Scripture: I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among maidens.
Song of Songs 2:1-2

It is a tradition at our school that after every play, the actors and actresses receive a rose. I pressed the rose from our first play of the year in a large book of mine. I mentioned that book today in one of my classes and I remembered the rose which got me thinking.

It got me thinking about how a Christian is like a rose. There is almost an infinite range of colors that roses come in. This reminded me of how each Christian is different, we are all unique individuals created in the image of our Father. Roses are easily distinguished because they all have certain traits in common. They come in different colors but you can still tell that it is a rose. We all think and see in our own ways, but we share common beliefs, we share our goal to get to Heaven, and we share our love for one another, our Father, and His living Son.

A rose also has thorns for protection. You know that a rose has thorns and so you do not grab one by the stem and yank it out of the ground. As Christians we are protected by God, and Jesus walks with us always, to protect us from harm. As a Christian our thorns may also represent how we will defend our faith. We will never let anyone take our God given right to worship, to pray, or to praise.

The rose blossom is known for its many layers of petals. I believe this relates to the many layers of our relationship with God. We all have a complex relationship with God, each relationship is different and is very deep, and it has many layers. Everyone can see the petals on the outside of a rose, just as they can see the outside of us. But the inner layers of the rose remain hidden within. There are certain things that are between only us and God, our very most inner self. God has the ability to peel back our outer self and see our inner self, the very soul He created.

We are all God's children; we all share the ancestry of the Garden of Eden. We are all roses in the eyes of God and by any other name we would smell as sweet.

Marie Quill
Motlow Student

Prayer: O Great Gardener of my soul, give me fresh living water to drink, and prune my faith so that it flowers and displays your splendor. I want to bring glory to your name as I bloom in the name of Christ. Amen.

Prayer Tip: All of God’s creation speaks of his glory. Studying one small element of His creation can speak to you new truth about His great design for your life.

Who's Your Daddy?

Scripture: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

We often times say about our children, “You are just like your dad. Or she looks just like her mom.” And there is no mistaking that we inherit certain traits and qualities from our parents. I am sure that is both good and bad. Sometimes I see myself in my children and cringe! But my sister spoke to me the other day about some undesirable qualities we have in our linage and she said, “I am thankful I have a new daddy.” I can’t stop thinking about that!

All too often we succumb to thinking that we are “just that way”. We have always been this way and we can’t overcome the “way we are”. That is a lie from the pit of hell! You can overcome those things that keep you bound and downcast! You have a new daddy! You now possess the abilities and traits of your Eternal Father! Christ is your brother. It is possible to inherit His traits and qualities!

How do we begin that transformation? One thing we must do is stop getting in agreement with the lie! You are not just like whomever… You fill in the blank. Was your dad and alcoholic? Was your mom a thief? Just because they were that way does not mean that you have to travel that same course. When you accept Christ, you take on his body and his qualities. However, you do have to renew your mind. Take charge of your thoughts that say well, my sister deals with depression it is natural from me to be depressed. No, decide that you are a new creation in Christ and every time you begin to make excuses for your sinful behaviors stop buying into the thought of this is “just how I am”. You are destined for great things, but we defeat ourselves in our head.

Let me be clear I am not condemning your behaviors as sinful, but I am saying you may be bound by your thinking. Just by default if you have always been a certain way, then you may be under the influence of a lie from your enemy. Satan could be stealing your inheritance by selling you a bill of lies. I will not deny that there are certain physical dispositions that are clinically proven to be passed down through your genes, but God is bigger than that. Do not let your mind tell you that this is just the way you have to be, because it was “passed down”.

I want you to be prayerful about anything that you would classify as hereditary. Whatever it is if it is keeping you from living an abundant life of grace, then you need to seek God to renew your thinking. Sin begins in our head. Ask God to show you what lies you are buying into, so that God can show you truth and set you free. Someone out there needs this miracle! Be sure to let me know when it happens, so we can glorify our Father together! Praise His name!

Your Sister,
Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: God, you are indeed our Father, we want to be just like you. Renew our minds and give us right thinking, so that we can have the abundant life Jesus bought for us on the cross. We want to act like children of the Most High God! Amen.

Prayer Tip: Seeking truth is an act we must choose to do. Take time when you pray to ask God to reveal truth to you as He sees it. When you really want to know the deal, He is faithful to show you.

Tsunami Warning!

Scripture: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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. John 14:25-27

I am still awe struck and horrified every time I watch the video of the giant wave that came into Japan after the earthquake last month. The Japanese had been trained that during an earthquake to go out into the street until the quake ended to avoid any building or things that might fall onto you during the quake. In some locations the Tsunami warning sounded 3 minutes after the earthquake and in some places people only had 20 minutes to prepare before the actual wave hit the coast. The warning issued encourages them to get to higher ground. Some got in their cars and drove inland in hope to escape the water and ended up caught in traffic jams instead of actually finding refuge. Either way, as I watch, I find myself asking the question that many do, what in the world would you do?

Tsunami warnings are hardly applicable in Tennessee, although we do at times experience tornado warnings and threats of flooding and other natural disasters. We try to be as safe as possible, but I am often reminded that we are all at the mercy of God. It only takes one moment of terror to change our entire world. Americans can hardly even begin to relate to the devastation from which the Japanese people are trying to recover.

Spiritually however we all have devastating events that shape our faith. It may not be a giant event like the calamity in Japan, but we have waves of emotion that can debilitate us and leave us asking, what in the world are we going to do? In John Jesus told us that he would send us a warning signal. The Holy Spirit is our Tsunami warning system. His Spirit within us sends out warning signs that we need to get to higher ground! You know exactly what I am saying. Something inside of you starts to rise, an emotion, a feeling that you know if fully embraced will leave you devastated. But we are to find peace and higher ground during those warnings.

So the next time you feel that warning in your Spirit you need to stop and move toward higher ground. Make a conscious effort to go to God in prayer or just go to a place where you can sit silently in God’s presence. Stop that conversation. Stop that way of thinking. Stop that downward spiral into that low ground. Stop what you are doing and head for higher ground, so that you can find the peace that the Holy Spirit has promised to bring us. Stop and seek God’s presence, so that your heart will not be troubled and you will not be afraid.

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: God of all things, help me to recognize the warnings your Hoy Spirit gives to me, so that I can be free of fear. Teach me to head for your higher ground, that place of security and peace. Amen.

Prayer Tip: Sometimes you may be where you can’t pray out loud. Prayer is sometimes just sitting in the lap of Christ. You do not have to say anything, just take refuge there.

Road Kill

Scripture: Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40

I was traveling along a 4-lane road today and passed not one, but two different turtles trying to cross the great expanse. I thought how risky it was, but realized that they were taking the risk without fearing death. They can do that because they are instinctually trying to find a better habitat. Turtles can not use reason like humans. They rely on God-given instinct to guide them.

There on the road I wondered from God’s perspective how much I looked like that turtle. I mean here I am trying to navigate this dangerous world. I am small and vulnerable. I will surely get squashed by the weight of my circumstances, just like the turtle will if he meets up with a truck. Yet the difference is that I can make a decision to not rely on God, the turtle cannot make that decision. He only knows how to rely on God.

Have you ever wondered why God did not take care of something in “time”? Why did God not show up in time to help me before happened… Mary and Martha wondered that same thing. (John 11) Their brother Lazarus had died. Jesus did not arrive in “time” to save him. Mary even told him that in verse 32. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But God’s timing is not ours. If Lazarus had not died, then Jesus would not have been revealed to those people in Bethany. That is why Jesus lingered before he came to see about him, time for God is not the same as it is for us. There is no “too late” for God. Death had to happen.

In much the same way, we are dead. We are dead in our flesh by way of sin. But like zombies we walk around dead in our sin and acting like we have life. Really we are road kill. It is not until we realize that we must rely on God that we can kill our flesh, die to our sin, and be resurrected in Christ. We can’t be resurrected until we die to our flesh! Like Lazarus had to die to be resurrected, we too must die.

When the turtle starts to cross the road, he does not think of his death. He thinks of his life. In his instincts he risks death to live. The turtle is dead, whether or not he crosses the road. Without following his God-given instinct he will die. So you ask, what if he dies in the road? What does it matter, if he is already following God’s guidance?

Now I am not saying that life in not of value. I am saying that life in Christ makes life more valuable. We must die in order to live. There is a spiritual death and resurrection that takes place when we receive Christ. But we must choose to put our flesh to death daily in order to continue to let Christ live in us and be led by God. Then we can really live free from fear of dying. We can cross the road with Christ and it does not matter if we get splatted or not.

All this made me think of a scripture… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:36-39

I came home and put new letters on the church sign. I took a picture. I have been resurrected already. Even though I may die, I then shall truly live! Hallelujah!
Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: Resurrecting God, you have given me life, both physical life and eternal life. Help me to live this life without fear of death, embracing your guidance. I trust you God! Amen

Prayer Tip: Use imagery during prayer to help you internalize biblical principals. Image that you are laying down literally at the feet of Jesus, totally surrendering your life into His hands.

Fresh Buds

Scripture: It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Ezekiel 17:8-9

At this time of year I always find myself desperate for signs of the end of cold weather. The first signs usually come as the buttercups start to spring up. But lately after the buttercups have come and wilted I find myself desperately looking at the things I plated last year to insure me that their buds are setting on and they have endured the winter.

There is no doubt that our God looks at us with that same anticipation. He recalls the bitterness of our cold dark trial and wonders if the things he planted in us at that time will spring forth and bloom into displays of his glory or has our vine of faith withered. I personally love that we serve a God of do-overs (I know I say that all the time). He never looks on and thinks why can’t she get it? I mean, for real, she has been down this road 1000 times. Quite the contrary, he sees our potential. And says, “O Boy! That was time 1000, only 1000 more to go until she stops withering and starts blooming.”

My dad is a fickle hobbyist. Every year he takes on a new thing that requires time and energy. This year’s fixation is fruit trees. I had concerns because I know he likes to see results quickly and I reminded him that fruit trees do not always bear in the first season. Sometimes it takes them as many as 5 years to really bear a harvest. O man, that rang in my ears! How many times has God looked on in hopes that I would bear fruit and that my fruit would not be withered? Then he would once again find worthless or nonexistent fruit?

How can we insure a big harvest of good fruit? Well, we can’t. Only God’s Spirit within us bears the fruit in us. We have to keep surrendering to the work of the Spirit within us. I really think it is our unbelief and rebellion that causes the fruit of God’s Spirit to wither within us. Never neglect to get a fresh filling of that fruitful Spirit each day. And do not be discouraged by small buds. We are human and change comes slowly sometimes. God is not tired of waiting on you to be fruitful.

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: O Great Gardener, thank you for being patient with me. I can’t be fruitful without your Spirit flowing within me. Fill me today and each day as I seek to bear the fruit of your Spirit. Amen.

Prayer Tip: Take a time of silent examination of the fruit in your life. Does it display the qualities of Gods’ Spirit? If not ask for that.

Just 30 Minutes

This devotion is in loving memory of a faithful servant of The Most High God, Travis Burt. I never actually met Travis in person. He has written devotions for me as a gift of love and support. Please pray for his family in their grief. Chaplain, I pray that you are feasting on the bounty of Christ in all its fullness my friend. And I am excited that you now know the VICTORY of Christ!

Travis sent this devotion to me as a personal email on January 29th, 2011, less than 30 days before his death February 13, 2011. He had no idea that his time to share was almost up. I pray that this story inspires you to make the most of the time you have here on this earth for Christ and His Kingdom.

Just 30 Minutes...
I often pray, as you do... for opportunities to share The Hope In Christ, we ourselves have received... with both those I know, but especially with strangers. It is amazing how many opportunities of sharing Christ Jesus... I am sure I have balked on... when I restrain taking action, as He has Commanded to all His Followers, through shamefully... "reserving immediate action" by "not getting involved in other peoples' problems/business... you know what I'm saying.

We needed a few things from the grocery store, so I simply dropped Susan off right at the front of the entrance door of Sav-A-Lot store, off West Lincoln Street in Tullahoma. (Susan had asked me to stay in the car, because I often reach for things that are just too expensive for our limited amount of money to spend to "get what we want". Smile~~~! I think you know what she was saying, too. Smart woman! )

So there I sat... in for a wait... and, I don't like sitting in a car waiting to pick her up. Well, the first thing I spotted was a very elderly woman, who seemed very confused about how to get her groceries into her old 1968 Ford, Thunderbird. I mean she would lift out a bag, only to put it back in the shopping cart... she acted like so many, dare I say... senile people... we all know.

I simply exited my vehicle, carefully approached her, so as not to frighten her... and ask would she give me the privilege of assisting her in properly placing her bags of groceries in the vehicle. She advised me she was 84 years old, and probably should not be driving... that she was shopping for her next door neighbor, too, who was too sick, and older than her... to get out. She could not find her keys, to put the things in the truck, keeping the things belonging to her neighbor separated from her things, said it made it easier to handle that way, when she got home. Well, we found the keys, where she had left them, in the drivers seat of her vehicle. (She was so very embarrassed about this, I just laughed... and told her I had done things like this before, which was not true, but my words seem to give her comfort.) It was so easy to stand there, and listen to her predicaments of her great fears of losing her driver's license, as her doctor had said could happen, if she continued to keep driving. I fully understood how she felt, and which of us elderly seniors, would not? I asked if I might pray with her, and she warmly smiled, although taken back a bit back... and said, "No one has ever prayed for me in a parking lot, but PLEASE do!" I gently took her hands in mine... and prayed... watching her eyes, shed warm tears flowing down her cheeks as we prayed. Yes, I assured her... confirmed in her... Jesus Loves her... and it was by His Spirit I was moved to exit my vehicle, and draw next to her side. I advised her to give all the Glory to God... and the fact I was simply His Servant... and probably His Least One, at that. I walked back to my vehicle, thanking God for such opportunity to elevate His Name, and demonstrate His Love for us all.

Okay, I thought... mission accomplished... now I could rest, and wait on Susan. Wanna bet? The next scene that came before me was an attractive young woman, talking loudly on her cell phone... it was not difficult for me to hear, with windows rolled down on this lovely day... every word she was screaming into her cell phone. Her last words in this one sided conversation I could plainly hear, were... "I am telling you, damn it... I want to see my babies... these are my babies!!! and I'll be &^%$ @*!a, if I let you get by with this!!! She slammed off her cell phone, if one could do that, raised the phone toward the sky... and broke out in angry tears, as she shook the phone toward the sky, in great bitterness and anger.

Well, she walked directly by my vehicle driver's side, my window had remained down.. apparently to move on to reach her next destination. "Young lady... would you walk over here for a minute... I am a Chaplain.. and want but a moment of your time... to pray for you!" "What? I thought... Travis have you lost your mind... this young woman is raging mad... now what will happen here, in this very public place! What will people think? " I was shocked to see her moving toward me, and her story spilled out about what caused her rage. I simply listened to her broken heart speak... and then asked her to give me her hand, and allow me to pray with her... she did so immediately. As I prayed... I literally felt her hands become more relaxed... as her tears fell to the ground... and she thanked me profusely for being willing to pray for a stranger, in a parking lot... and reported she felt a new hope in her heart, as I also assured her God would arrange for her to see those "babies"... in His Time, not hers. I asked her name, and she said, "Angel". I simply told her she had a beautiful name, and now was the time to act like one. I thanked her for her allowing me to pray for her... and asked that she pray for me too (I gave her my "Chaplain Card")... when time would be available for her to do so. She promised she would, and squeezed my hand, before she walked away ... a gesture I understood, as ongoing gratitude, of just knowing God had not, and would not... abandon her.

Now, I sincerely desire to make this VERY PLAIN to you each. I am sending this "sharing"... and want you to realize... None of what happened in this parking lot... was any of my making... it was simply our Jesus creating moments of these of His Gifts of Opportunities to me. Most of you have experienced such things... and allow me to confess... I have not taken opportunities as I should have... many times. Yep, I have missed a bunch... by feeling this would be an awkward time and place... and being so stupidly concerned about how I might be misunderstood... or even more worse an excuse... the famous "What will people think of me... if I do this?'. Well, this year I will be seventy... somehow you get a little bolder in your words... and say, perhaps stupid things... but ya don't care, at least as much, about what people think... you begin to be more concerned about what Jesus Thinks, Amen? (And, to think... all of this took less than thirty minutes... to unfold.)

Chaplain Travis Burt
Heavenly Home (address unknown)

Prayer: Father God, please help us prioritize sharing our faith with others, so that the hope we have in Christ might make a difference before we die. Amen.

Prayer Tip: Before you begin your day ask God to make opportunities for you to share you hope with others and give you eyes to see those opportunities.

Hands Free!

Scripture: Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. Psalm 24:3-5

Since I had another baby I find myself without enough hands. When I go to get in the car I have to make 3 or 4 trips to get it all loaded: Diaper bag, cup, toy bag, purse, baby, jackets, ect. When I return home I always find myself unable to open the door, because I have my hands packed full of stuff.

It occurred to me as I was trying to open the door with my hands full that is how we look standing at the foot of the cross. We are so encumbered that we can’t even raise up our hands. It is only when we come to Christ and lay down those things that we are holding that we can free our hands for service and praise!

Whatever you are gripping tightly, you must lay it down at Christ’s feet, so that your hands are free to praise Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. As you come to your prayer time this week, picture yourself walking up to Christ. Begin to visualize yourself lying down your burdens. With empty hands begin to praise him for all he is going to do in those situations. He is able!

Leslie Stephens
McMinnville, TN

Prayer: God help us to trust you enough to empty our hands, so that we may praise and serve you better. Amen.

Prayer Tip: Imagining Christ standing before you helps make your prayer experience more tangible.

Trash to Treasure

Scripture: “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Malachi 3:17

I love that show American Pickers on The History Channel. If you have never watched it, it is these two antique dealers who travel all over the country in search of treasures. The things they find may not always look like great finds, but I am sometimes amazed at what they consider to be of value. These two dudes crawl into some of the gnarliest places digging through people’s “collections”. And they do it with great enthusiasm.

I wonder if maybe that is how God sees us. We pile years of sin and shame on top of what He sees is a treasure. He keeps driving by and asking if he can dig into our pile and we are not willing to let Him. If we will just open the door to the old garage of our heart, He can come in and pilfer through the dirt and grime and find that thing in us that He meant to be a treasure. He is always willing and does it with great enthusiasm.

Have you been feeling inadequate? Perhaps you feel unaccomplished. Maybe you have just been trying to find yourself under the pile. Well a simple prayer can pry open a small enough crack in the door to let God in, so that He can uncover and restore your treasure. What do you have inside that God can use to bring Him glory? There is a treasure in there.

Leslie Stephens

McMinnville, TN

Prayer: O great God, you turn our trash into great treasure! Help me to be willing to give my life to you for restoration. Amen.

Prayer Tip: Always invite God into your heart, your life, your home, your car, wherever you are praying. It is called invocation and God likes to know He is welcome.

(The picture is what is left of a burned bible I found in the rubble after my home place burned in January 2008.)