Another Grand Adventure

Sunrise in Bulgaria–Photo Taken by Cherie

During much of last year Keith felt the stirring of the Holy Spirit to be open to the possibility of moving back to Bulgaria. I, on the other hand (for those of you who have followed our ministry over the years will get a kick out of this), did not! It wasn’t that I wasn’t open, it was more of a not understanding of what God was up to since we were helping to care for Keith’s dad. What would happen to him if we moved to Bulgaria? I could see God’s plans for us, but what about His plans for him? Oh me, of little faith!

I was blessed to attend the Mission’s Conference the first week of January where God truly spoke to my heart. During each session it was as if His still small voice was whispering to my heart: Let go. Trust Me. Then in the last session He shouted His will so clearly within my heart when the speaker quoted the verse which God gave us twelve years ago to open the Truth and Hope Foundation in Sofia—Revelation 3:8.

See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.

I literally had to cover my mouth as I gasped out loud. I knew, that I knew, that I knew the plans God has for me and I would be faithful to walk in them.

And so it was, Keith and I began to make plans to follow God wherever He sends us even though we didn’t know how it would all work out. On the morning of January 15th we were excited to share with our pastor the wonderful news of our hopes of moving back to Bulgaria in 2013. We then went on to explain that although Keith had known we were to move for over a year I couldn’t figure out how to let go of his dad in my heart. I shared how God made it so clear to me at the Mission’s Conference to let go and trust Him therefore I was ready to follow God wherever He leads.

Pastor Joe then prayed with us to have peace concerning Keith’s dad because we know that God is a good God and that He would care for him in ways we couldn’t imagine.

How true we would see that prayer become in just a few short hours! See the previous blog (Everyday Ordained) for the amazing story.

When we posted that devotional in January we couldn’t write about our plans to move back to Bulgaria because we didn’t want our staff to read about this news on the Internet. Instead we wanted to surprise them! Well, the surprise took place on Saturday May 12th. Now that our staff at the Truth and Hope Foundation and many of our Bulgaria friends know we can now make the news public.

Can you keep us in your prayers? We will be in Bulgaria from May 10th to June 6th. We purposely didn’t schedule any retreats or seminars for this trip because instead we plan to scout out the land. We are not sure if God wants us to live is Sofia, the capital city where we lived previously, or to move to a village near the center of Bulgaria so that it will be easier to travel and minister throughout the whole country.

Next week (Monday May 21st through Sunday May 27th) we are hoping to travel around Bulgaria. The only problem, our van has been in the shop for repairs since before we even arrived in Bulgaria! And the latest news is that it won’t be fixed until Monday night (which we don’t really believe since this is the third date we have been given by the repair shop) so it looks like we might have to change our plans or incur the cost of renting a car for a week!

(You know what will happen don’t you? If we stay in Sofia hoping that the van will be fixed by Monday night we will keep hearing empty promises probably for at least a week. But if we rent a car and take off for a week it will be ready Monday night. Don’t you know it! So we need prayer for wisdom.)

If we do find a way to travel and we have access to the Internet we will try to post some photos so you can see the areas that we are praying about moving to. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us. Thanks for joining us on this adventure through your prayers. We really need them. We cannot do the work without you!

Still enjoying His grand adventure, Keith and Cherie

 

Everyday Ordained

Photos Taken by Keith

Last Sunday began like any other Sunday, off to church early and a visit with Keith’s dad. Little did we know just how special that day would turn out to be in our hearts. We gave Keith’s dad a new Bible, which was a New Living Translation for easier understanding and larger print.

At some point in our visit as we were discussing the different seasons of life and the changes a person with dementia goes through, both mentally and physically, he made some kind of reference to wishing that he would soon be in God’s presence. And so I grabbed his new Bible and turned to Psalm 139 and began to read one of my favorite passages.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. –Psalm 139:13-16, NLT

We explained that this passage of God’s Word is saying that God knew the day he would be born and that God also knows the exact day that he would die. Even better, that day would not be a surprise to God since it is already written in His book. (God is outside of time and therefore knows the beginning and the end.)

As we were reading this passage and talking about it, Keith was taking the photos which are shown below. You can see in the order of the photos the peace and joy that God was speaking to his heart.

Four hours later we received a call that he went home to be with the Lord. We are so thankful to the Lord that He gave us this precious time with him and even captured it on film.

We know, that we know, that we know that he is now in the presence of the Lord. He is in a better place where there is no more suffering and no more sorrow. We know this because on August 9, 2010 at just about 11am (that’s 8/9/10 and 11) he said a prayer to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior just like God’s Word says we all must do if we wish to spend eternity with Him. But not only that, we saw the fruit of this in his life over the last year and a half.

If you don’t understand what Keith and I are talking about concerning accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior take a moment to enjoy the photos of the transformation upon Keith’s dad’s face as we once again shared with him the truth of God’s Word and then read the verses below as we share God’s own Word about what a person must do to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior which would then give them entrance into heaven for all eternity.

 

 Here we are discussing the passage.

 More discussion from him about how amazingly God knit a little baby in the womb.

Here he is reading Psalm 139:13-16 out loud for himself.

The last photo ever taken–look at the joy on his face! Just about 4 hours from seeing Jesus face to face!

 The Free Gift of Salvation

You too can have this same peace and joy in your heart concerning your own death and your own salvation. Just read here to learn how.

  • Salvation is a free gift of God—you can’t buy it or earn it by anything you try to do for Him.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. —Ephesians  2:8-9

  • Every person is born a sinner because of Adam’s disobedience.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. —Romans 5:12

  • The word “all” includes you and me. Every person has sinned. Sin includes our wrong thoughts, our wrong attitudes and our wrong actions. Sin separates us from God since God is a holy God and cannot look upon sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. —Romans 3:23

  • The penalty for sin is death, which is eternal separation from God (in other words you do not get into heaven without accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior).

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23

  • The Good News is that Jesus Christ died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. He was our Substitute. He wants to be our Savior.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

  • A person is saved when he or she believes the truth about sin and a Savior within his or her heart and confesses this truth with his mouth.

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. —Romans 10:9-10

  • God promises salvation for the sinner who comes to Him.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. —Romans 10:13

  • If you want to accept God’s plan for salvation, and join Keith’s dad in heaven, simply pray something like the following:

Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner. I know that there is nothing I can do on my own to be saved. I believe You are God. I believe in Your Son, Jesus Christ. I trust that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and through His sacrifice I am forgiven. I believe that Jesus rose bodily from the dead and by accepting Him I can have eternal life. I accept Your gift. I receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior. I thank You for this wonderful free gift You have given me. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

We want to thank everyone who has prayed for us and Keith’s dad over the last few years as we helped to care for him. And we especially want to thank everyone who prayed for Keith’s dad’s salvation when we asked for prayers. You all have rewards in heaven for taking part in the harvest.

We are looking forward to your comments. Or if anyone has any questions concerning salvation please feel free to ask them in the comment section. God bless, Keith and Cherie

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The Glory of the Lord Revealed (Weekly Devotions 13 of 52)

Photo Taken by Keith Fresonke

Have you ever been in a spiritual slump? A time when you go to church, read the Word and even take time to pray, yet you don’t feel the Lord’s presence? Do you wonder what’s going on? Do you get discourage and start thinking about sleeping in on Sunday mornings or watching a movie instead of going to mid-week service?

This is a normal part of our walk with Christ. There will be times when we don’t see His hand in our lives or feel His presence. But I have found that these types of times in my life usually follow my slipping and sliding away from God’s perfect will for my life. Somehow, somewhere along the way I made a wrong turn and the further I go down that wrong path the further and further I get away from the Lord.

I was at a point like this recently. A time when, although I was faithful to do my morning devotions, attend church, serve and stay in prayer it was as if God wasn’t speaking as often as He usually speaks to me.

Now if you looked at my life, it looked good on the outside, and it was even filled with good work for Him, yet as I honestly sought Him in prayer and asked Him what was going on within my heart, He was faithful to show me that although I was on a good path for my life He has greater plans for me—a better path, in fact, the best path of all.

It was at this moment when I honestly let go of my good plans and once again said, “Here I am Lord, use me in whatever manner that You see fit” a verse from my morning devotions became real in my life.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. –Ezekiel 43:5

That’s exactly what happened the moment that I repented and let go of my plans for my life. The moment I got my heart in line with His heart, He lifted me up and brought me into the inner court to meet with Him. And the glory of the Lord filled the temple of my heart.

Do you feel far from the Lord lately? Is it possible that you made a wrong turn somewhere along the way? Maybe the turn wasn’t even a bad turn, but simply a wrong turn because God has a better way for you to walk. Is that a possibility? May I encourage you to find a quiet place and take time to sit at His feet and honestly search your heart. Ask Him to show you if you’ve made a wrong turn. He will be faithful to show you where you started walking away from Him. My prayer for you is that you will be willing to listen and admit the truth to yourself. The moment that you do, then Ezekiel 43:5 will become miraculously real in your life. It’s so wonderful and amazing to sit in the inner court and meet with God in the depths of your own heart. What are you waiting for?

I’m looking forward to your comments. Please share with the others, who also need encouragement, how God lovingly redirected your steps and how He filled the temple of your heart with His glory the moment you got back on track.

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Reflect His Glory (Weekly Devotions 12 of 52)

Photos Taken by Cherie

Have you ever stood in awe of God as you watched the beauty and grander of a sunrise? Can you just feel His presence in the glory displayed? Well, that’s exactly what happened the other morning. I was blessed to be at the mission’s conference at Murrieta Hot Springs. I so desired to meet with God and to seek His plans for my life. I rose early and rushed to be by the lake. Many times when I am in a beautiful place I love to do my morning devotions in the quiet, at the break of dawn, when a new day just begins. Although I had my Bible in hand, ready for my devotions, it was then that God began to speak to my heart through His creation. No words were necessary.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. —Romans 1:20

As I sat by the lake and beheld His beauty my eyes turned to the wonder of the sunrise’s reflection upon the lake. And although the silhouetted likeness of the palm trees were beautiful in the midst of all the colors displayed; they were marred by the gentle ripples upon the lake’s surface.

I felt at that moment as if it was a beautiful picture of who we are in Christ. You see, we are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). We are called to reflect His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is our identity in Him. And yet, no matter how much we desire to become like Him, no matter how much we grow in our relationship with Him, and no matter how much we die to self; we are only a reflection of the One we stand in awe of, because in many ways we are marred by our humanness. The majesty belongs to Him and Him alone.

Yet, just as in the beauty of the reflection upon the surface of the lake, our lives can be a beautiful reflection of Him to those who are watching. As we choose to die to self and live for Christ, we reflect the Lord’s glory. As we choose to forgive those who have hurt us, we reflect the Lord’s glory. As we choose to give up all and follow Him, we reflect the Lord’s glory. Yet, are we perfect in the reflection? Of course not! But can the reflection of Him in our lives be beautiful? Yes!

That’s what God was speaking to my heart during that quite moment. Although I may blow it and make many mistakes in my desire to follow Him, His beauty is still revealed in the reflection of His glory. And just as many will stop and stand in awe of a beautiful sunrise, people are watching the beauty of His reflection upon our lives.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. –2 Corinthians 3:18

How is God calling you to reflect Him today? As you step out of darkness and into the light is there something you need to do? Is He calling your to die to self, forgive someone, or give up something so that you can shine bright for the Kingdom of God? What are you waiting for? Are you living out who you are in Christ? I’m looking forward to your comments. Feel free to share what God is revealing to you in the midst of His invisible qualities to help encourage all of us in our walks with Him. May we, together, reflect His glory to all who are around us.

 

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Holy of Holies (Weekly Devotions 11 of 52)

Photo Taken by Cherie

Have you ever spent one day—or even one moment—in the presence of God? If you have, then your soul will yearn to be there again. Yet so many times we miss out. We get caught up in the cares of the world and before we know it, we leave His presence. Listen to what the psalmist penned.

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. –Psalm 84:2

Well, it was one of those weeks for me—a week when I yearned to hear the voice of the Lord. There were so many decisions to make, so many answers to seek, yet I felt disconnected. Have you ever felt like that? It was then, as I was seeking and reading my morning devotions that Ezekiel 43:5 jumped off the page.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

What an amazing place to be! Which also reminds me of a chapter in a couple of my books (see below) which uses the Tabernacle as a visual picture of the intimate relationship that God desires to have with us. You see, many times when studying God’s Word, you will see that God speaks to His people with pictures and parables so that they can picture the spiritual lesson He desires to teach. Therefore, we can use the Tabernacle as a visual picture to show us where our hearts are spiritually concerning our relationship with God.

I don’t have time, in this blog, to share the whole chapter with you but basically it comes down to something I learned from Kay Smith. In her study “Dwelling in the Holy of Holies,” she states that there are three types of believers in regards to where they live spiritually. We can draw this picture of the three types of believers by relating them to the Tabernacle.[i]

With this in mind, let me explained about the three types of believers:

 

  • Outer Court Believer—You are saved, but that’s it! You have received the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for you. You are washed clean from your sins, but you are missing out on all that God has for you.
  • Holy Place Believer—You spend time reading God’s Word and praying. However, you are still missing the most important aspect of your relationship with God: intimacy. Because of this, there is no lasting contentment in your life. You continue to run after this or that to find satisfaction and pleasure. You don’t look to God to be your all and all.
  • Holy of Holies Believer—You desire to know God intimately. You realize that sin breaks fellowship with Him, and because of this, you search your heart daily to make sure that there is no offensive way in you. You desire to be all that God intends for you to be. Your life has purpose and meaning along with lasting peace and contentment.

 

Which are you? Is this where you desire to be? If not, what can you do to become a Holy of Holies Believer and spend time in the inner court with God?

I know for me that whenever I feel disconnected from Him somehow I left the Holy of Holies in my relationship with Him. It wasn’t God who moved—it was me! And it is me who must decide and desire to have that intimate relationship with God restored! Therefore, since I know that it is usually sin within my heart that is breaking my fellowship with God, I must take the time to set at His feet and ask Him to search my heart. Psalm 139:23-24 must become a way of life.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Whenever I truly give God permission to search my heart He has always been faithful to show me where I made the wrong turn—the turn that took me out of the Holy of Holies. But what is wonderful about all this is—the moment that I confess my sin to Him He lifts me up and brings me into the inner court and He fills the temple of my heart with His glory. That’s when Ezekiel 43:5 becomes real for me.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

And it is where I want to spend every day of my life. In fact, it is what my heart yearns for.

Where have you been dwelling lately? Is this where you desire to be? If not, what can you do to become a Holy of Holies Believer? I’m looking forward to your comments. God bless!

The chapter is found in three of my books–Go in Peace, Go in Peace for Teens and the Go in Peace Biblical Discipleship Curriculum. All are available for purchase on our webpage http://www.sunflowerpress.net/resources.html

 

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[i] Kay Smith, “Dwelling in the Holy of Holies” (Santa Ana, CA: The Word for Today, 2003), lecture on CD.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Photos Taken by Cherie

This recipe is great for any New Year’s celebration. It’s fast, easy and delicious. In fact, it was so delicious that we ate them all before we remembered to take photos of the finished mushrooms! Sorry! But I did happen to find a picture of Justin’s (our son-in-law’s) plate just before he dug in. You can see three of the mushrooms before they were devoured.

 

1 pound Mushrooms (stems removed)

8 oz. Cream Cheese (soften)

4 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (grated)

5-6 drops Worcestershire Sauce

3 Green Onions or lots of Chives (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon Hormel Real Bacon Bits (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Mix together cream cheese, parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, green onions and bacon bits to make filling for the mushrooms.

Spoon the filling mixture into the mushroom caps and place in baking dish.

Bake until the filling is just beginning to turn golden brown and the mushrooms are tender.  About 20 to 30 minutes.

Oh, and what’s a great recipe without a recipe for love?

 

Recipe for Love – Don’t worry, be happy!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” –Matthew 6:25

 

Great Grandma Birdie’s Pumpkin Bread

Photos Taken by Cherie

For quite a while I’ve wanted to start a new category–Seeds to Cook By–to share some of my favorite recipes with you. I not only love to bake and cook, but I enjoy cooking from scratch and making my own recipes. Plus I have seen how much the women in Bulgaria love the cookie recipes that have now become tradition at all of our women’s retreat. On top of that, it is my hope that you will get to know me bit better, and then perhaps God will use my writing to minister deeper within your heart. With all of this in mind, I wanted the first recipe to be something extra special. Therefore, I picked my Great Grandma’s Pumpkin Bread recipe. She was a woman who loved the Lord and as a little child I always enjoyed going to her house. My fondest memories of her house, amongst all the smells of baked goods and soft tweets of her various birds, was the importance of avoiding my great grandpa’s chair. For if you ventured too close you would soon find yourself snatched up and tickled to death. Christmas time is a time which should be filled with delicious smells, wonderful memories and new precious moments. It is my prayer that you enjoy this very quick and easy recipe. Merry Christmas!

Great Grandma Birdie’s Pumpkin Bread

1 ½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

1 2/3 cup flour

½ cup oil

½ cup water

1 cup pumpkin

¾ cup nuts

½ cup raisins (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and flour.

Add oil, water, pumpkin, nuts and raisins (if desired) to dry mix and stir until blended.

Divide batter among muffin cups, small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan. Fill about 2/3 full. (For Christmas gifts the small loaf pans make great gifts for neighbors and friends.)

Bake at 350 degrees. Muffins bake for about 45 minutes. Small loaf pans for about 50 minutes and large loaf pan for about 1 hour. Test in the center for doneness with a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out dry it is done.

In closing, whenever I make recipe cards for my daughters I love to include a recipe for love. I’ve decided to carry on the tradition with you (see below). Looking forward to you comments. If you try the recipe please share your thoughts.

Recipe for Love – Don’t quarrel and nag!

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house with a quarrelsome wife. – Proverbs 21:9 

 

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A Heart of Flesh (Weekly Devotions 10 of 52)

Photo Taken by Cherie

When you have been hurt, have you ever noticed how fast the hurt within your heart can change to bitterness? Bitterness can make your heart become a heart of stone. But that’s not all, that heart of stone can destroy relationships and keep you from being all that God created you to be.

Recently my heart was sadden because of the bitterness that I saw growing within the hearts of two precious people. Because of a prior spat these two allowed their hearts to become bitter and hard. Yet their bitterness was not only affecting their own relationship, it was affecting others as well. As I watched this, I realized that my own heart was become bitter and hard because of this division. You see there is a misconception—the misconception that time heals. But, as I’m fond of saying, time does not heal a broken heart, it all depends upon what people do with time.

Well, just this morning as my husband and I were talking about this heartbreaking situation he read to me Ephesians 4:32 taken from his devotions:

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

That’s what God calls us to do. The moment that something happens within a relationship we are to be kind and compassionate to one another and we are to forgive each other. If we would just do this, immediately, situations wouldn’t get out of hand and affect others that we love.

While, on the other hand, although the situation is out of my control and my heart may break over this division between these two precious people, I am also blessed to know that God understands my heartache. Yet, although He understands, He still does not want my heart to become a heart of stone.

So what am I to do?

Recently I was blessed, once again, to watch Pam and Michael Rozell from the Potter’s Field Ministry (you can click on the link below to see a short video about them). Pastor Michael teaches the truth of God’s Word as he demonstrates how a craftsman makes a vessel on the potter’s wheel. During the demonstration he shared something that especially caught my interest. He shared how a person can take a dry, seemingly ruined lump of clay and as it is immerse in water, it will become moldable and pliable once again making the lump of clay valuable—something that can now be useful to the potter.

Well, just as in this demonstration of the clay, we too can have a heart that is soft and moldable, useful to the Master, if we will just allow our wounded hearts to be immersed unto the Living Water. And although my heart is wounded, sometimes on a daily bases, as I run to the Master Potter and immerse my heart into His Living Water He will be faithful to soften my heart so that I can become all that He created me to be in the midst of my heartbreak. Listen to what refreshed me during my own daily devotions. Ezekiel 36:26 says:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

“Thank you, Lord! Help me not to react out of my hurt and pain. Don’t let my heart become bitter and hard. Allow me to run to You and be immersed in Your Living Water so that in the midst of the painful trials you will keep my heart soft and pliable so that I can be Your vessel of honor, useful for the Master’s work. Amen!”

I’m looking forward to your comments. Have you noticed your heart getting a little bit hard lately? Don’t allow hurt and bitterness to destroy the relationships that God desires you to have.

 
Click here to see video
  pottersfield.org

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A Gift for Him

What’s your gift to Jesus this Christmas? So many times we run around and stress over what gift to give others for Christmas, yet we forget to even consider the One whom the celebration is all about.

When looking at the Christmas story we can discover the wonderful gifts that so many had to offer to Him. Mary offered her gift of belief when she said to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant . . . . May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). Joseph offered the gift of trust and obedience “When [he] woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife (Matthew 1:24). The angels and heavenly host offered the gift of praise as we read “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). The shepherds offered the gift of evangelism when “They spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (Luke 2:17).

And as the Scriptures go onto tell us, the Wise Men offered material gifts as they came to worshiped Him (see Matthew 2:1-12), Simeon offered him the gift of waiting expectantly for what the Holy Spirit had promised (see Luke 2:25-36) and Anna the prophetess offered her gift of fasting and prayer as she worshiped in the temple day and night (see Luke 2:36-38).

What’s your gift to Jesus this Christmas? Is it to believe like Mary, or to trust and obey like Joseph? Is it to praise the Lord aloud like the angels did? Or to spread the good news like the shepherds proclaimed? Is it to worship Him and give Him some type of material gift like the Wise Men gave? Is it to wait expectantly for whatever promise the Lord has placed upon your heart like Simeon did? Or is it to fast and pray and worship the Lord, with your whole life, like Anna the prophetess achieved?

My gift to Him this holiday season was a yearlong labor of love in the writing and revision of the Go in Peace Biblical Discipleship Curriculum. I literally began the rewrite the beginning of January and completed it just in time for His birthday gift! And someone, of whom has chosen to remain anonymous, offered a financial gift to Him which made the printing possible! And as an extra last minute gift I am going to be obedient to enter a writer’s contest that He has put on my heart to enter. Something I wouldn’t do, if I didn’t feel that this is truly His desire.

So what’s your gift to Him this season? If you ask Him, He will be faithful to tell you what He would like from you. I’m looking forward to your comments and can’t wait to hear what your gift is. Please share with us what you are giving Him—it’s not a surprise—He already knows!

P.S. If you haven’t thought about this before or you don’t know what to give Him, Calvary Chapel Murrieta has put together a Christmas Gift Catalog—Gifts for Eternity—that you could take part in if you are so led. Click here to brows  and ask the Lord if He would like any of these gifts from you this Christmas. (While your at it–don’t miss clicking on the “Truth and Hope” button found on the lefthand side of Calvary Murrieta’s screen to see what gift would bless Bulgaria.)

Oh, and as an added surprise, the gift wrapped package in the picture contains one complete set of the Go in Peace Biblical Discipleship Curriculum which will have a place of honor under our Christmas tree until the day after Christmas. It will then be mailed as a gift to someone the Lord has put upon my heart. Watch the mail–it could be for you! Merry Christmas!

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Sprinkle Clean Water (Weekly Devotions 9 of 52)

Our Staff at the Truth and Hope Foundation

(1) Villie Translating, Cherie Teaching; (2) Bennie and Boyan; (3) Bennie, Boyan, Keith and Cherie Being Silly

Don’t you hate it when you blow it? In the last blog for our year-long adventure taken from my daily devotions we talked about how our sin separates us from God. Well, recently I recognized that the sin in my own heart (the sin of not doing what God was calling me to do) not only separates me from God, but it was also separating me from a friend as well. Actually I’ve understood that concept for many years, but I think I was choosing not to admit that truth to myself because there was a hard issue that God was calling me to address.

As a boss, God was calling me to have a hard talk with someone and possibly cut back some hours; but as a friend I didn’t want to do it. I know the difficult time everyone in Bulgaria is having, while many in America are having just as difficult of a time. Yet, as the director of the Truth and Hope Foundation I need to be a good steward of what God has provided. Therefore, I need to make business decisions based upon facts and I need to put aside my feelings and my desires to do what needs to be done. Yet, I blew it! For months I avoided the inevitable and I realize that my being disobedient to what God was calling me to do not only put a wall between God and myself, but I built a wall within my own heart between my friendship. I could tell, at times that within my heart, I was avoiding my friend (just in my heart—I don’t think anyone watching could tell), not because of her or anything she had done, but because of me because I wasn’t having the talk that so needed to be had.

Yet God is so good and so faithful. And when we are willing to admit the truth to ourselves He will refresh and embolden us with His Word. As I was getting ready for both my next blog post and the difficult conversation that must be had, Ezekiel 36:25 jumped off the page.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.

God used this verse to not only remind me that the moment I choose to repent of my sin and get right with Him, He sprinkles His clean water on me and cleanses me from my sin. But, not only that, He helped to embolden me to be faithful to that which He was calling me to do. I know I need to walk the walk that He has for me, which at times, includes calling me to do things which I would rather not do. But I also know that God has a far greater plan then I can see. He knows exactly how He is going to provide for both the foundation and for my friend/staff member. And I know that His ways aren’t always our ways.

So, I was obedient to the Lord and I did that which He was calling me to do. And from the moment I decided that morning to be bold and to do that which He was calling me to do I could feel His peace in my heart as He washed me clean. So if you think of our staff member, could you lift her up in prayer? Unless things change we will be cutting her hours in March. Please pray for either provision or for God to open the door for additional work elsewhere. In fact, can we pray that IF He provides a different job for her that it would be at a higher wage so that her social security pension (which is just a couple years away) would be higher! (Things work a bit differently in Bulgaria and pension is determined on the last 3 years of work.) So let’s pray for God’s perfect will and if that includes a great, higher paying job we are open to that.

Is there something that God has been calling you to do which you have been trying to avoid? Has that avoidance impacted your relationships with others? I’m looking forward to your comments!

 

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