Category: Christian

One of the first pieces of advice that I received after moving to Hickory NC was that I needed to be sure to drive around with my GPS on. We were moving into an apartment complex full of “out of towners” like ourselves, and they knew from experience just how important it was to just let Google maps get you to where you needed to go. As a directionally challenged person, this made me a little nervous and so before I left to go anywhere, I made sure my cellphone was fully charged that the address of the appointed place was already typed in before pulling out of my parking place.

As I began to get a little more comfortable with the area, I decided to give driving around without my GPS on a shot. It ended up being a disaster. I made turns that day that I felt were the right way to go and those turns ended up taking me completely the wrong way. My gut instincts were nowhere near right!! It took me forever to get home that day, and the mental stress of it left me exhausted and extremely frustrated. I needed my way completely directed for me in order for me to get me from point A to point B.

Much like moving to a new place and needing your way laid out before you with each and every turn, so is our life here on Earth. Life was not meant for us to be self-directed but rather it is one that is to be guided each and every step of the way. We are a “do it myself” kind of people and acknowledging that we need help often blemishes our pride, but I have learned that when I take my own self-directed steps, I, more often than not, choose the wrong way and get completely turned around. There’s nothing more discouraging than to look around yourself and realize that you are standing in a place that you did not intend to be. We lack the wisdom and foreknowledge on guiding our own lives.

Lives self-directed end up being full of wrong turns, road blocks, and hindrances. Lives self-directed often end up becoming full of useless idols that have slowly, and subtly appeared.

BUT God! (Can there be more of a hope-filled phrase than ‘But God’?!) But God grandly intervenes and offers us a gracious route of deliverance. He offers us a directed life, with directed heart towards HIM, and in doing so, we receive the RIGHT directions and moment by moment deliverance that we so desperately need!

1 Samuel 7:3 says:

“And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and {DIRECT YOUR HEART TO THE LORD} and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

But what does direct even mean? Looking at these definitions helped the meaning of this passage of scripture grow deeper roots for me as I strive to understand what God is calling us to do as we direct our hearts towards Him:

• Adj: without intervening factors or intermediaries
• Adv: with no one or nothing between
• Verb: to aim something in a particular direction or person

In essence, a heart directed to the Lord is one that has no factors that interferes with our hearts and God’s. A heart directed to the Lord has no one or thing standing in between our hearts and His. A heart directed to the Lord is a heart that is perfectly aimed towards the heart of God.

How lost my heart can become when I am self-directed. How I long to have a heart directed towards God, my Creator! Our connection to God’s word must be constant in order for Him to direct our steps, but the beauty is that when we lose our way, He is graciously there waiting for us to seek Him and to direct our hearts towards Him once again!

The sensitivity amongst those we live around in our communities continues to skyrocket. You can literally feel the tension rising. And what has caused me the greatest concern, is that the people you have stood with in agreement in the church on Sunday, the ones we call brother and sister in Christ, the ones we say ‘Amen’ (and I mean amen) with in a chorus of voices in a sanctuary, the ones with which we lift up hands of praise to our Creator, are the exact ones who have begun cutting each other off, shaming one another, and disowning one another – all in the name and game of politics.

You say anything remotely political these days and you are either heavily crucified or applauded, and this reaction has seeped its way into the Church… and I don’t necessarily mean the physical building… I mean the people of God, and causing a great divide amongst the very ones that Jesus came to die for. We have allowed our various political stances to come in and cause a great divide between brothers and sisters in Christ! And for that, our hearts should feel pained, burdened, and conviction over.

So, I personally have had to begin doing some soul searching and I have asked myself some hard questions:

* Do my political stances come before my commitment to Christ?

* Am I willing to love and continue to be unified with another professing believer whose political stances differ from mine?

* Would I rather align myself with those who are politically likeminded over those who are Biblically like- minded? (You can be Biblically like-mind and still have different political views)

* Am I willing to sacrifice my unity among other believers for something broken and temporal?

Answering these questions honestly was not an easy thing to do. I confess that I have felt the struggle in my own heart, and my desire is that in a dark and stormy world, that we as the Church, can be bonded together with other believers in peace, and find a place together that is free from this raging storm. As we take on our responsibility political, my prayer is that we keep it in the proper place in our hearts and lives! In our strong desire to protect our communities and our nation, let us not forget to be heavily burdened to protect the Church, the bride of Christ.

As we draw near to the end of the year, so many are finding themselves tired and weary. We have all had to bare the heaviness of 2020 atop the normal, everyday stresses that life already brings our way. We all have lived through a year like no other.

With this year in mind, how much sweeter it is to celebrate the birth of the One who brought true hope into the world- a hope that is everlasting and is still present with us today! Christmas looks very different for many this year, but the message of hope that it brings does not and will not change!

I’m praying that God would fill you with His joy, peace, and hope this Christmas season as we spend time reflecting on the true meaning of the season… the birth of our Savior!

Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, God is holding you in His hands today and He won’t let go!

I’m praying that this Christmas will be a worshipful one for you and yours! Merry Christmas to you all!

In His Grasp, By His Grace, and For His Glory: Tiffany

She fell and broke the eggs today…. my six year old daughter had scampered through the kitchen and was on her way to show me that our hens had yielded three eggs! It was the first time we had gotten three eggs in one day, and that meant that all three of our hens had finally started laying! It was exciting news, especially for her!

From the other room I heard the thud and a loud cry, followed by an intense, “Oh noooo!” I immediately knew what happened. I had just sent her out to check for eggs and her cry was one of heartbreak, not injury.

My heart immediately sank. I could feel her disappointment so deeply, and in that moment I knew she needed to hear a message of mercy, grace, and hope.

As I sat her in my lap, I shared with her that yes, she had in fact fallen and broken the eggs, but there will definitely be new eggs to collect in the days to come. Our hens would not stop giving us eggs just because she had fallen and broken a few. Just like we could count on those hens to give us more eggs, we could also count on Jesus to never stops giving us new mercies each and every day!

Her moment of great disappointment led to a beautiful moment of helping her grasp our need for the fresh new mercies that God continues to pour out onto our lives each and every day! Yes, we all fall at times and ‘break the eggs’, so to speak, and in our brokenness we feel as if we’ve lost it all, but the love of our Savior ushers in to assure our hearts that the opposite is true!

Just as I knelt to the floor to help my daughter clean up the messy, brokenness up off the floor, likewise, our Savior comes and helps us pick up the broken pieces and cloaks us in His new mercies!

What a joy to know that in our brokenness, God sent us a Savior to love us, redeem us, and clothe us in new mercies each and every day!

“Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” Luke 2:11

Let’s be honest for a moment… as we continue in our walk with God, there are just seasons in life when we don’t feel very fruitful. Subconsciously, I think that I have always believed that bearing fruit only occurring in the cheery, smooth sailing, and sunny times parts of life. But what about when things seem dark, and the deepest parts of your heart are experiencing such pain that you are literally working to make it through the day? What about those seasons in life when you are just surviving? What about those seasons in life when you are certain that you aren’t producing anything?

When I read in Psalm 1:1-3 about the thriving tree that is producing fruit in season, I think I have always subconsciously attached life being fruitful to when it’s lived in the “good and seemingly prosperous” portions of our lives. But yet, fruit is to emerge in every season of life, even the dark and dreary portions.

After we lost our third child to a miscarriage several years ago, I didn’t feel very prosperous or fruitful. I wasn’t thriving but definitely surviving.  I was in pain physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I remembered my husband and I praying with tear filled eyes that God would use even something so difficult for His glory. In the months to come, God used the pain. When life felt dark, God’s light had still been shining and producing new fruit in both of our lives. I wasn’t aware that God had produced this fruit until the moment came when God had made me aware that it was there, and provided the opportunity for me to pick what He had produced and then give it away. The fruit that God had been producing in my life, in a time of great difficulty, wasn’t a fruit for me to keep, but rather a fruit that He had produced in order to be given away. In a time of hardship, God was producing a new fruit in our lives, and then give away the gift of comfort and peace that God had been supplying to me all along to other moms who had also experienced the loss of their babies.

The beauty of giving away the fruit that God had produced, is that it allowed me to see what God had been doing all along. In a time when I thought I was just surviving the days, I had been in fact thriving. That’s the beauty of being a tree planted by a stream of water, because we will bear appointed fruit in each and every season of life because that is the result when the water of life, Jesus, is our constant supply.

God is our fruit supplier in every season of life, and especially seasons of darkness! Stay connected to His constant supply of living water and allow Him to produce the fruit in your life … fruit to be given away!

Unsafe, uncertain, confused, angry, disheartened… these may be a few of the many words that describe how many of my fellow Americans, myself included, are feeling these days. These feelings towards the reality of life as we know it today, does a great job at dominating our minds, leaving us exhausted, only to flood our thoughts with questions like: What do we do? Where do we go? What is the truth? Is there even a solution?

The ‘fight or flight’ feelings definitely come in to play during times like these, and chances are, you’ve experienced both! And I believe the appropriate response during these uncertain times is to do both! We should fight and take flight.

As God has drawn a believer’s heart unto Himself, our fighting has to be done on our knees and when we are afraid, we should run! We should take flight and run fast to our God who never fails and is always our defender!

Psalms 91: 1, 2 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

Just last night, my 9 year old son was explaining to me that when you see LORD in all capital letters that it means covenant (promise) keeper! So as we read verse 2, we are saying, “I will say of my covenant/promise keeper, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust!”

In a time of wondering what is true and who can we trust, we can run to our LORD, our covenant keeper, and know that He is our reliable source of truth. When fear seeks to take over and we long for a place of safety, we can know that our Covenant Keeper is our fortress… our permanent, unmovable wall of defense for those who run to Him and stay there!

When the feeling to fight comes, may we find ourselves falling to our knees with great cries to our defender, who always fights on our behalf; and as we seek to take flight, may we run to our LORD, our covenant keeper, and know that He will always be our constant shield of defense!

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

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I came home one night from a paint party years ago with this painting in hand. I was guided step by step on how to paint this canvas, and the results took me by surprise! As I walked into the living room that evening , I excitedly showed my husband my great accomplishment! His immediate response was, “YOU painted this?” His question was completely e appropriate because he knows arts and crafts are definitely not a strength of mine! And he followed that question with, “Why did you pick that verse?”

“Great is His faithfulness! His mercies begin afresh each morning!” I read that verse that evening and I felt an immediate sense of comfort and peace completely surround my heart! I knew that I need to visually see this truthful declaration every day, hanging somewhere in my house, and then I needed to teach my heart and mind to rest in that truth!

It’s way too easy to live buried beneath a heavy pile of condemnation, guilt and shame. But yet Jesus declares that those of us that are in Him have been pulled from all that rubble and have been made free! In Christ, we have been redeemed and have received mercy! (John 316-17) Although, our sin deserves condemnation, instead we have received an unending supply of His mercy!

In the process of God cleaning us up, our fight against our sin nature can be quite painful and discouraging. The purpose of God sanctifying us was not to lead us down a path of discouragement, but rather one that leads us closer to Him and to be more like Him! But yet the grace of God is present, providing a timely, impactful word of truth in verses like Lamentations 3:23, that we all need in those painful moments …. and that truth is is that God’s mercies ARE new every morning… EVERY morning, and all throughout the day!

When guilt, shame and condemnation seek to overcome you, remember that you have been washed in new mercies today by a God who has a great love for you and He has set you free!

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12.

If there was a verse that seemed most applicable to this day and time and what we are experiencing as a nation, I believe it’s this one. Everyone has their own way, their own opinions, their own “truths”, their own perspectives, their own feelings… Need I go on?

It seems everyone wants their own “way,” and caving in to this sort of mentality and behavior is not panning out so well for America, nor the church. To place ourselves in a position where we make ourselves the focal point of what should be right and wrong puts us in a position where we are trying to play God, and ultimately, it leads to nothing but trouble and absolute chaos… and the proof is certainly in the pudding.  

As I sat disheartened before God, I couldn’t help but ask, “Lord, what must we do? A path must be taken, so how do we know where to go and who/what is right?” In God’s faithfulness to hear and answer, He calmed my heart and blessed me with a great set of verses to read that I believe contain a very timely truth.

 2 Samuel 22:31-33 says:

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock besides our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

The answer for our chaos, confusion, division, and despair is to live a life completely yielded to God and His way. It means giving up relative truth for His absolute truth; it means giving up being led by all of our many swaying emotions and being guided by what is true; it means recognizing that we must trade in our striving to grow the shallow roots of our own opinions and perspectives, and to learn to be deeply and firmly rooted in the thoughts of God. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

As I found myself feeling confused at times with all that is occurring all around us in the year of 2020, and wondering what way is right, these verses clearly proclaim that it is always God’s way that is the right way. When I wonder whose words can really be trusted right now, these verses remind me that God’s words are always without flaw and can be fully trusted every moment of everyday. When fear seeks to take over, these verses affirm that God is that shield of protection that I can run to. When the chorus of loud voices constantly fight to be heard and declare their own righteousness, these verses remind it is God alone who is Lord of all and His words are supreme. When life seems uncertain and I begin to question what is next, these verses remind me that God has provided us with a firm foundation to stand confidently upon. And finally, when the storm continues to rage on, reminding me of my own weaknesses, these verses remind me that it is God who will continue to impart to me the strength and guidance I need to live by each and every day.

As I make this observation of what I see occurring all around me at an accelerated rate, I have to admit with an honest and humble heart, that I too have found myself among those who have longed to push their will and way. In the struggle to fight our flesh, God has given us a means in which we can see clearly and know the perfect way. He has given us the living truth of His word that actively works in our lives to constantly remove the scales from our eyes that can easily and quickly form, and as well as work to keep our hearts softened.

As we seek a way and a path to follow, let us seek to only follow His!

I remember the good ole days in elementary school, those days on the playground or in P.E. class, when team captains would be selected for a game we were going to play. These team captains would then take turns picking their teammates. If you found yourself huddled up in the crowd of kids waiting anxiously to be picked, then there is a good chance you had a few butterflies floating around in your stomach. There was something about standing there wondering if your name was going to be called next that really got your nerves going. Typically, I was amongst the ones still standing till the bitter end…. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that I wasn’t a shining star athlete.

I think back on those times now and smile, but in those moments, my heart always sunk a little. Who wants to be picked last or maybe not even picked at all? Situations like these like to try and seep into our minds, take hold of our hearts, and ultimately strive to have an effect on shaping our identities. We tend to find a certain satisfaction with being picked because associated with being picked is the idea that you have obtained a sense of value and worth. In all honesty, I think more than being picked, the true longing of our hearts is to be chosen.

Truth be told, we will find ourselves in situations like this all throughout life. Sometimes we label these times as “opened or closed doors” or “we just aren’t someone’s cup of tea.” Bottom line though, sometimes we just aren’t picked, and sometimes not being picked is a part of God’s will. (Proverbs 19:21) Nevertheless, not being picked does not equal not being chosen.

To be picked means that you choose someone or something from a number of alternatives. To be choose on the other hand, means to decide that a particular person or thing is the one that you want.

In Ephesians 1:3-6, Paul is emphasizing to those believers that they were lovingly chosen by God. His affections had been fully set on them before time began, with full intentions of making them His own and calling them His sons and daughters. This proclamation that Paul was making was not only for those in Ephesus, but to believers everywhere and believers to come. (1 Thessalonians 2:13) Therefore, we can trust the plans God has for our lives because of the perfect, transcending work that Jesus accomplished on our behalf!  God’s plan from the very beginning was to choose us!

As we think on this truth, we can experience true peace, rest, complete fulfillment and joy as we faithfully serve the One who has faithfully chosen us, and chooses us every moment of every day! We are wanted by God! Whether we are picked or not for things of this world, for those of us who are in Christ, it is paramount that we know that we have been chosen before the foundation of the world! God’s choosing is permanent (John 10:28), and His choosing can provide us with all the worth we could ever need!

• A Moment for Hope-filled reflection: How does knowing that God didn’t just pick you, but instead He chose you satisfy the longing of your heart?

• More Moments of Hope:

As believers, those lovingly chosen by God, we have been gifted with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places because of the perfect, complete, and undefeated work of Jesus! That work is our covering and from this work springs forth eternal treasures in heaven that will remain for all of eternity. Life here on Earth is uncertain and temporal, but a life in Christ gives us a perfect position before our perfect God! The things of this world may fade away but it is the mighty word of God that endures forever, and His word says we are tremendously blessed in our eternal home with Him!

            Ephesians 1:3-6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

From the time my son was probably 2 or 3, he developed a love for transformers. My husband fostered that love by buying him a DVD box set of all the transformer shows from the 80’s. He absolutely loved watching his son enjoy the same shows that he had enjoyed as a kid. As our son got older, maybe around 4 or 5, we bought him a real transformer toy. My husband pulled out the instructions and showed him how to follow each step so he could transform his transformer. It did not take long for our son to have all the steps mastered, and when we attempted to throw away the torn opened box and the instructions, a major meltdown occurred! We realized right then and there that the little foldable instructions were just as important to our son as his new toy. In fact, even after he had mastered all of the steps of transforming his transformer, he continued to look through the pages of the instructions, carefully studying each step. He looked through that little book so often that one day a tiny tear appeared on one of the pages. He came to me with the instructions in hand and tear-filled eyes, showing me the tiny tear. I quickly repaired the place by putting clear tape over it and he was immediately relieved. To this day, at the age of 9, he still has a high value for his instructions. He keeps every single one and he repairs the pages that have been withered and torn due to him constantly flipping through them.

Over the years my husband and I have gotten a kick out of how particular he is with all his instructions. If it had been me at his age, I would have taken the toy and ditched the instructions! In fact, I know that’s what I did that because never in my young life did I had a collection of instructions for my toys, but what a tremendous example our son has set for us over the past 4 or 5 years! All of these years, he has been living with great wisdom!

This morning I sat down to read Proverbs 4 and as I read verse thirteen, my heart and mind became instantly flooded with thoughts of my son and how he has wisely held on to his instructions, understood their value, and how has been so vigilant in guarding them. This verse says, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” After reading that verse, I called for my son so I could share this verse with him. I wanted him to know that his love for instructions have set a beautiful example for me, because not only did he keep them, he continued to study them so he could continue to know them well!

 Although these instructions have been centered on toys, it was a beautiful moment for us both to see how God can take that desire and transfer it to His word- the supreme set of instructions for our lives. These are instructions that God has graciously given to us, and therefore, we must hold onto to them tightly, guard them well, and constantly flip those pages until they become worn and withered so that those words are kept fresh in our hearts and minds!