The Legacy We Leave by Julie Arduini

Posted on July 6, 2022 by juliearduini

How’s summer going for you so far? I released Anchored Hearts, our daughter graduated, my husband just returned from his annual family golf tournament, and this week we visited our son in his new apartment. In less than a month, he will be a married man. A fun but busy time for sure.

During our visit, I noticed he had a menu board where he wrote what each night’s dinner would be. I smiled, because for a month, he’s there basically making meals for himself. But, it’s tradition. At our house, we have a white board where we write out the meal each day, as well as our schedule.

Looking at that menu board made me think of my choices. Silly as a white board is, knowing he followed suit with a menu board showed me he was watching. Both kids were, and are.

Today I received a message from a family member who showed me a quilt my mom made. The member had a room decorated and wanted to show the quilt. It’s the showpiece of the room. Mom spent so much time on those quilts. Each one was unique and every aspect was thought of just for that person. My response was every time I’m in Wisconsin, our oldest daughter has her quilt from my mom on her couch.

My mom shared that as the youngest child by a decade and then some, she grew up basically an orphan. Her mom passed away when she was seven. She didn’t receive instructions or wisdom from adults when she married and had us. She raised us the best she could.

There is a lot I questioned or disagreed with in her parenting, but this I never doubted, her love for us.

Those quilts are tangible evidence of her love.

With everything going on around us, it’s very evident we aren’t promised tomorrow. We never know when our last breath would be. What I do know, is we leave it all behind. What will it be? Tradition and structure like the menu board? Love spoken through heirlooms like quilts?

How about eternal life?

My kids will certainly attest that I haven’t been a perfect parent. But when my husband asked how I was doing emotionally now that our son has moved, I said I know a lot of moms fall apart over it, but not me. I poured everything I had into him and his sister. Those kids know I don’t just believe in God, I believe God. They are literal miracles because I believed Jesus and that He heals. Our house knows prayer changes thing and worship is key. He’s ready to face the world.

When our daughter is faced with worldly choices, she stands firm and explains her answer. It’s always the same.

Jesus.

That’s the true legacy I want to leave. Not how much in an account or a beloved Christmas decoration passed down. Not even the quilts, and I love those. It’s making sure my kids know who Jesus is, and His Word. That He is the way, the truth, and life. That’s legacy.

—Julie Arduini

If you’d like to know more, reach out to any one of us here at Christians Read.

What legacy do you plan to leave?

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Jesus and His Family by James R. Coggins

Posted on July 5, 2022 by jrcoggins

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, His earthly family, His mother and brothers, did not accept Him as the Messiah. At one point, they even thought He was insane and tried to take Him into care (Mark 3:21). But this does not mean that Jesus’ family were enemies of Jesus in the end.

After all, after Jesus’ death, Mary found refuge in the home of John the Apostle (John 19:26-27). Why she did so rather than living with her other sons is not known. After the resurrection, Jesus apparently appeared to His brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7), and James became a leader of the early Christian church (Acts 15:13) and wrote one book of the New Testament. His other brother Jude might also have become a follower (Jude 1:1), and it is said His brothers (Acts 1:14) were part of the early church, although that need not imply that all of the brothers became believers.

Therefore, it is not known when Mary and Jesus’ brothers came to believe in Jesus. Perhaps it was after the resurrection when Jesus appeared to James (but apparently not to Mary). Perhaps it was when Mary heard John’s account of the resurrection. Perhaps it was earlier. We just don’t know.

God has no grandchildren. Being related to Jesus or to other Christians is no guarantee that one will be a follower of Jesus. But it is no barrier to following Jesus either. 

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Celebrate Our Country by Tara Randel

Posted on July 4, 2022 by tararandel

Happy July 4th! Hope you are enjoying the long weekend.

Today I’m grateful to live in a county where I am free. Where I can worship God without fear of reprisal for my beliefs. I believe God has His hand on America, regardless of how each individual looks at their lives. There are many who pray daily for this country, many who speak out for the Lord. We are children of God above all else and I will boldly proclaim my relationship with Jesus each and every day.

I am also an American. I appreciate the sacrifices many before me made in order that I may live in this free country. We have a rich history of men and women who answered the call to service in the military and the government, both local and national. We may not all agree on every topic, but we all live in a great county.

So, as you barbecue or picnic in one of our wonderful national parks, go out on a boat, enjoy the beach or hike trails in the beautiful mountains, from sea to shining sea, we are all of one mind today; thankful that we live in the United States of America.

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her next Harlequin Heartwarming romance, His Small Town Dream, available August 2022 . For more information about her books, visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks. Sign up for Tara’s Newsletter.

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The Singer and the Song by James R. Coggins

Posted on June 29, 2022 by jrcoggins

What is the connection between singers and the songs they sing? Phrased another way, do singers take responsibility for the songs they sing?

What I have in mind is the singers who sing songs with messages such as these:

• “My girlfriend left me, so I’m going to kill myself.”

• “I am great all by myself.”

• “I’m going to get revenge.”

Of course, the songs are phrased more poetically than that. But when I hear one of these songs, I think, “Really? That’s the message you want to give the world?”

Similar questions could be asked about actors who play serial killers, mobsters, fraud artists, rapists, drug addicts, etc. For singers are really playing roles, a different role for each song they sing—the hopeful suitor, the jilted lover, the person in mourning, the self-centered egotist, the person grateful for undeserved blessings, the searcher for meaning. These songs sell because there are people in those situations who identify with these songs—the songs express what they are feeling but in clearer ways than they could do themselves.

Therefore, it is helpful to recognize that it is not the singer expressing these sentiments but the character the singer is portraying. Or is it? What responsibility does the singer have for the messages in the songs he sings?

This came to mind a while back when I was watching If You Could Read My Mind, a documentary about legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Many Americans will not recognize the name, but they have probably heard someone else singing one of his many songs.

Lightfoot did not follow the modern route of pounding away on a guitar in his garage and posting the result on YouTube, hoping to become famous. When, as a young man, he decided he wanted to be a singer, he went off to a highly regarded school in California to study music. He is a consummate professional who has worked hard to perfect his craft, both music and lyrics.

The documentary opens with one of Lightfoot’s early hits: “That’s What You Get for Loving Me.” It’s about a man who is unfaithful: “I ain’t the kind to hang around with any new love that I found…I’ve had a hundred more like you…I’ll have a thousand before I’m through.” In the documentary, after a few lines, Lightfoot tells the producer to turn it off. He is deeply embarrassed by the song now. He wrote it just after he had abandoned his wife and children for another woman. He said he has been divorced three times and each time it almost killed him.

Lightfoot was also an alcoholic, which almost destroyed his career—until he quit cold turkey. His experience with alcohol might have informed some of his songs, such as “the Old Man Came Home from the Forest” (a lament for an old wino) and “Early Morning Rain” (a song about a man who is cold, broke, and drunk, far from his family).

Lightfoot also wrote some beautiful love songs and addressed wider themes. He wrote some memorable songs on historical events: “The Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” and “Black Day in July” (about the 1967 riots in Detroit).

Lightfoot also wrote “Sit Down, Young Stranger,” which he said was about his first failed marriage but which has echoes of the many songs written in the days of the Jesus movement as mainstream artists tried to understand Jesus. Some of Lightfoot’s songs were truly inspiring, such as “Rainy Day People” (“always seem to know when it’s time to come around”), “Rich Man’s Spiritual” (“I’m gonna buy me a poor man’s trouble, yes, Lord, to help me home”), and “The House that You Live in Will Never Fall Down if You Pity the Stranger who Stands at your Gate” (which echoes the social provisions in the Mosaic law).

Lightfoot is a great songwriter whose songs have been an influence for good—and for evil. His many songs inspire much thought.  

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He Hears!

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Author Mary Alford

Have you ever prayed—poured out your hear to God—and waited for an answer but it feels as if no one is listening? I think we all have felt that way at some point in our lives.

No matter what you are praying for, sometimes if feels as if God just isn’t responding to your needs. But He is. . .God will always answer prayers. It just may not be the way we want Him to.

Sometimes God delays answering our prayers to strengthen our faith.

As humans, we want to fix things ourselves. It’s hard to admit we are helpless.  

James 1: 2-6 says, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Maybe there is some hidden sin in our lives that we are clinging to.

God knows about it and sin separates us from Him.

1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayers because they do not align with His will for our lives.

Just because we feel what we are praying for is right for us, doesn’t mean God does. He might have something far better for us in mind. God sees things that we don’t. He only wants what is best for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Maybe the timing isn’t right.

God’s timing is always perfect even when we don’t understand it. Continue to pray and wait on Him. Sometimes it takes days or weeks. And sometimes it may take more than fifty years for Him to answer. But know this. He will answer!  

Psalm 123:2 says, But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wait on the Lord. Ask him to reveal anything that is keeping you separated from Him. And keep praying!

All the best. . .

Mary Alford

www.MaryAlford.net

Among the Innocent – Available now!

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Nightmare or Adventure? by Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Nancy J. Farrier

Some of you may remember just after the first of the year (2022) when I wrote about picking up the three young people whose car broke down on a remote road in the mountains. We were so blessed to be able to help them. And it turns out this past week was our turn to be rescued and blessed by another person.

Last week, we had our two youngest grandsons visiting and planned to take them camping. We got the truck and camper ready for the four-hour trip to the mountains. On the way north, we pass through a deep canyon and then begin the climb into the high country. Several miles out of the canyon, our truck quit. We had enough power to get off the road but that was it. 

We climbed from the truck into the 99° heat and found there was zero cell reception. No way to call for help. No real shade and even in the little shade around it was still stiflingly hot. We were miles from any city and there were no houses anywhere close.

But I prayed and God provided one blessing after another. First, a man on his way home from work, stopped and gave us a ride. He made room in his small car for the boys’ car seats, my husband and I, and our dog. He took us to the nearest town (over 40 miles) and helped find a place that could tow our camper.

He didn’t stop there. While my husband arranged the tow, I called about a rental car and found a motel for the night. Our rescuer played an I Spy game with the boys while we made these calls. He even invited us to bring the boys over to play with his sons while we were stranded but we didn’t get to do that.

Finally, he took us to the rental car place and saw that we were taken care of and helped us move the car seats and dog to our rental. He was truly an angel sent from God. (Just days earlier we heard about someone breaking down in the desert and they didn’t survive the heat while trying to get help.)

Our trip was sidelined since no one could fix our truck or even look at it for a few days. Still, there was one blessing after another. The car rental place was about to close, but stayed open and had a car on hand that fit us even though it was a small town. Most hotels were booked, but I found one with openings, but all the pet friendly rooms were booked. When I explained the situation, the woman figured a way to get us a room for the night.

The towing company towed our truck to the repair place and then took our camper to their side yard for the night until we could find a place to set up the camper. Most places were full but we found one a few miles out of town that had a spot for us. The tow company took our camper there the next day and didn’t even charge any extra. 

People said our vacation was more of a nightmare, but I replied that it was an adventure. An adventure with God. I had so many opportunities to point out to our grandsons how God was working on our behalf. He kept us safe. He provided in extraordinary ways. We had fun—not the fun we had planned—but still a lot of fun.

This trip will be as memorable as picking up those stranded young people on that freezing mountain pass. It’s amazing to see how God works in our lives. We can keep watch, even in times that appear to be headed toward disaster, and see His hand at work. I am so thankful. 

I pray that you see the way God works for you even in tough times.

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Number Our Days by Bridget A. Thomas

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Bridget

Many of us tend to live life on autopilot. We stumble along, from one day to the next. Not fully living, but existing. We react to things that come our way, instead of being proactive when possible. It’s like going through a car wash. We put the car in neutral and allow ourselves to be pushed and pulled along the path. Then one day we might wonder, “Is this all there is to life?”

And these days, with our devices, social media, and the like, we have an array of “opportunities” to sit idle and waste precious time. Too often we look around and see people with their noses in their phones, as they scroll with their thumb. And I wonder, what is the purpose? In our world, so much of people’s time and energy gets sucked into meaningless tasks. And then they wonder where their day went. Days turn into weeks and weeks into months. I think many will look back and regret that their lives were not spent wisely.

I love the words of Moses found in Psalm 90:12 NKJV, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

What a beautiful and gentle reminder to approach each day differently. When we wake up each morning, we can make a conscious decision to appreciate the 86,400 seconds we have been given that day. First thing in the morning when we wake up, we can thank God and remind ourselves, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NKJV).

If we point our minds in the right direction first thing in the morning, that helps us to keep our hearts in the right place throughout the day.

And then as the day rolls on, we can intentionally focus our minds and hearts on the Lord and on the things we want to accomplish. Having goals and living each moment to the fullest can help us to have a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Then, in turn, we are better able to:

  • Tackle the things that God put in our paths for that day
  • Be diligent with pursuing our goals
  • Spread the light of Jesus
  • And ultimately live a life for the Lord

However, I will say that we should find balance as well. God does want us to enjoy life and seek rest. But I just feel in our current culture, there is a lot of lost time on senseless things.

Young people think they have so much time before them. But if the young people sit down and talk to a seasoned adult, the elder can tell them how quickly life goes by.

Every single moment we have a chance to start anew. We can live a meaningful and intentional life. We can lean into the Lord with every situation we face. We can spread His love to the world around us.

And then when we get to heaven, hopefully we will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:14-30)

Thank you for reading!

Image by Debby Hudson on unsplash.com

© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas

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Why I’m Smiling by Julie Arduini

Posted on June 22, 2022 by juliearduini
Our son trying out a new bed as my husband observes.

It’s our busy season with the book release and graduation down, but a wedding to go. At the grad party friends asked us how we felt about our son moving out and starting a life of his own.

I didn’t know it, but apparently before the question finished, I started smiling. Our friend called me out on it. I laughed and confessed that with our son moving out, I get my basement back. It’s where he spends most of his time. It’s like a little apartment and I remember doing the same with my room in our childhood home. It was a sanctuary against the anxiety and rejection I often faced.

Having the basement back means I can exercise and have a place to go when I can’t take the literal heat anymore. With the price of gas, my husband is working from home again. Our daughter is home and will be going to college full time, but online. This introvert needs the basement.

As we shared those kids moving out stories, I admitted I can smile because of what I know to be true:

If I’ve done my job right, it’s time for them to go, and I don’t have to feel bad about it.

Our son and I have had a great relationship. As a family we’ve mastered the Rock Band experience through so many snow storms throughout the years. We’ve watched movies. He joked that for years he fell asleep hearing the timer from the show, “24” because Tom and I ran to watch it as soon as the kids were in bed. I’ve watched his videos and listened to him expertly play drums.

Will I miss those times? Of course.

But those are memories. He’s a college graduate with a career. He’s getting married. It’s time for him to make memories with his about-to-be-wife.

Was I a perfect parent? Not even close. I still fight the enemy’s whispers at night that I failed him when I had to focus on keeping his sister healthy. I can tell you this, I’ve been a praying parent and I poured all the wisdom I’ve learned about Kingdom living into both kids. When they turned 18, I let them know great times come from 18-23, but they are also the years most have the biggest regrets. I challenged them to be prayerful and seek God’s wisdom and discernment. With each year in young adult range, I let them know the safety net decreases. And for our son now that he’s a college grad, it’s time.

I’m smiling. It’s not just the basement, although all of us at the party with kids this age agreed it is a perk. I’m smiling because God is good. He gave us an amazing kid to steward and now he’s a man that is after God’s heart.

With a new address!

Have you had a child leave home? Were you emotional?

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Jesus and Mary by James R. Coggins

Posted on June 21, 2022 by jrcoggins

There is a famous statue (called Pieta) by Michelangelo of Jesus’ mother Mary cradling the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. It is one of a number of medieval and Renaissance pieces of art reflecting the same theme.

However, it is all a sham. As far as we know, it didn’t happen.

After the crucifixion, Jesus’ body was taken by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and placed in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60, Mark 15:42-46, Luke 23:50-54, John 19:38-42). Some “women who had come with Jesus from Galilee” (Luke 23:55) saw where the men had placed Jesus. After the Sabbath, they returned to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. They are identified as “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons” (Matthew 17:56), “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” (Matthew 28:1), “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome” (Mark 16:1), “Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Cuza the manager of Herod’s household, Susanna, and many others” (Luke 8:2-3), and “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others” (Luke 24:10). The Gospel of John mentions several women (19:25) at the crucifixion, including Jesus’ mother, but does not identify them as those who followed Jesus, and John only mentions Mary Magdalene as going to the tomb (John 20:1).

Now it is possible that “Mary the mother of James (and Joses)” is Mary the mother of Jesus (since James was later a church leader and it might make sense to identify her by her human son rather than by her divine Son), but it seems strange for the Gospel writers not to make this clear, especially when Luke later identified Mary as Jesus’ mother in Acts (1:14). If Jesus’ mother Mary had been present for the burial, surely she would have been mentioned. Moreover, since she is never mentioned as one of Jesus’ followers, it is unlikely that she “had come with Jesus from Galilee.”

However, Mary was undoubtedly in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover like other devout Jews. And Mary did show up at the crucifixion, when Jesus told the apostle John to take her into his home and take care of her (John 19:26-27). If it is true that she had not talked with Jesus throughout most of His ministry, a couple of years, perhaps she came to see Him only because she had heard He was dying. The death would have been the terrible end she had feared when she had become convinced Jesus was insane and needed to be prevented from doing something foolish (Mark 3:21).

But even though she was present at the crucifixion, there is no evidence Mary stayed till the end. Perhaps she had to hurry back to prepare for the Passover. Perhaps she left at the point when Jesus gave responsibility for her to John, and she did not stay until Jesus had died. She was with the other women at this point but was not described as being one of the women who followed Jesus in His life and cared for Him after His death.

Mary’s absence may have been deliberately arranged by God so that people would not worship her. While she gave birth to Jesus, she was not His parent, one in authority over Him. This is where the Pieta is misleading. It shows a larger-than-life Mary caring for a powerless Jesus. This is theologically wrong. It is the all-powerful Jesus who ministers to weak and sinful human beings.

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Recycling by James R. Coggins

Posted on June 15, 2022 by jrcoggins

Municipalities have strange rules.

Many municipalities have banned grocery stores from giving out free one-use plastic bags for customers to carry groceries home in.

Municipalities have not banned one-use plastic bags containing produce or prepackaged foods from the same stores.

Instead of giving their customers free one-use plastic bags, the stores now sell their customers thicker, multi-use plastic bags.

Customers, not realizing the banned bags were one-use plastic bags, often used them more than once, such as for garbage bags.

Municipalities have also not banned thicker, one-use garbage bags from being sold in the same stores, garbage bags that must now be purchased since the formerly free plastic bags can no longer be used for this purpose.

Our municipality insists that garbage must be wrapped in plastic garbage bags to protect garbage collectors from getting COVID.

The same municipality insists that recyclables cannot be placed in even recyclable blue bags because recyclable collectors cannot get COVID. They must be placed loose in the recyclable bin.

The municipality says that compost cannot be put into plastic bags, even compostable plastic bags, because compost collectors are also immune to COVID.

This creates unending dilemmas for householders. Is that Macdonald’s hamburger wrapper clean paper? If so, it goes in the recyclable bin, where it cannot be in a plastic bag. Is it dirty? Then it must go in the compost bin, where it also cannot be in a plastic bag. But what if the wrapper is waxed? Then it should go in the garbage, where it must be in a plastic bag.

The municipality says that cardboard and paper can be placed in the blue recyclable bin only if it is clean and dry.

If it rains, the clean, dry cardboard in the blue recyclable bin gets wet because it can’t be put in a blue recyclable bag and the lids of the blue recyclable bins have all blown away. (None seem to ever blow on to other people who have lost their own lids and could reuse them. Maybe they go to the same place as lost socks.) But, as long as the paper and cardboard were dry when they went into the bin, it does not matter how sodden they get after they were put in.

Our municipality now says that milk containers, like pop cans and plastic drinking bottles (but not other plastic bottles), can be returned to recycling depots for a refund of ten cents. However, cream containers cannot be returned to recycling depots and must be put in the regular recycling bin. (Now I am wondering: Should half and half containers be cut in two, with one part returned to the recycling depot for a deposit refund of five cents and the other part put in the recycling bin?)

And they wonder why people become cynical about government rules and saving the environment.

And I wonder why people think they are wiser than God.

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Take a Breath and Pray

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Author Mary Alford

While I love the writing life, sometimes I have the tendency to overbook myself and before you know it, I’m extremely busy.

Last month was a prime example of this. I had to finish a full manuscript to turn in while working on three partials and preparing for a book release. Yeah, I know. But I’m slowly working my way through these tasks and hopefully I will learn my lesson and not overbook myself in the future.

We’re all busy. Whether you’re a writer with too many deadlines, or a mom trying to juggle work and family, it’s easy to find yourself with more things to do than you have hours in a day. Soon you feel frustrated and stressed out. When that happens, take a moment to step away from your busy schedule to take a breath. . .and then pray. Ask God to calm the storm inside you and give you a clear head to focus on what needs to be done in this moment. Then you can move on to the next one, and then so on.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If you ask Him to, God will provide peace of mind.

God does not want his children to live in fear or stress. Ask Him to show you ways that you can eliminate your to-do load so that you can spend more time with Him and less time feeling stressed. I did and He was faithful to answer me while lifting the burden from my shoulders.

Psalms 94:19 says, In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

No matter what you’re facing, don’t let the frustration and stress of what must be done overwhelm you. Take a moment. Step away from the problem and take a breath. And then pray to our Father. He will give you the answers you need to keep going.

All the best. . .

Mary Alford

http://www.MaryAlford.net

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Unanswered Prayers by Bridget A. Thomas

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Bridget

Many years ago, my husband and I attended a high school baseball game, in which our friend’s son was one of the athletes. I don’t remember a whole lot about this particular game and I can’t tell you who won. But I do remember one incident that dealt with one of the parents. There was a mom who wanted her son to do well. When he came up to bat, she got up from her seat, stood behind the bleachers, and appeared to be praying. When her boy struck out, she let out a frustrated cry and stomped her foot. To this day, I cringe over the lady’s actions. Mainly because of the way she acted when she didn’t get what she wanted. Especially in public and over something that perhaps wasn’t a big deal, in the grand scheme of things.

I am not claiming to be a saint in this area. I am sure I also had times when I was frustrated or sad or disappointed because my prayers weren’t answered.

And the truth is that not all of our prayers will be answered the way that we want. This can be difficult to deal with. Especially when it is something big or meaningful that we would like to see happen in our lives.

But one thing I am learning is that God is a trustworthy God. If He doesn’t answer prayers or if He answers them differently than we wanted – He has a good reason.

Below are just a few reasons why our prayers might not be answered in the way that we had hoped:

  • Sometimes what we we want is not what we need.
  • Sometimes we might ask for something with the wrong motives.
  • Sometimes what we think is right, God can see is wrong. He sees the big picture. The beginning and the end.
  • Sometimes we have to walk through a difficulty in order to grow. Therefore, God might not answer our prayers to remove a particular difficulty right away.
  • Sometimes if we have sin in our hearts, God will not hear us.
  • Sometimes what we want is not God’s will.

Here are some Bible verses to ponder:

  • “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” – 1 John 5:14
  • “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” – James 4:3
  • “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” – Psalm 66:18
  • “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
  • “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
  • “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

Of course there are countless times when God does answer our prayers. So please don’t let this post discourage you from praying. We have a priceless gift in prayer. We are able to speak to the Most High God, anytime and anywhere. And He loves to hear from us. That thought alone brings me joy. And it hope it brings you joy too – to know that the Lord of the universe wants to talk with you.

When we have a solid relationship with God, one in which we spend time with daily, getting to know Him and His love – this helps us to rest in the comfort of knowing that He always has our best interest in mind. Then when our prayers aren’t answered the way we want, we still have peace and contentment knowing that the King of kings is on our side.

Image by Aaron Burden on unsplash.com

© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas

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Miracle at the Wedding by Julie Arduini

Posted on June 8, 2022 by juliearduini
The Chosen/YouTube

Earlier this week Nancy Farrier shared wedding thoughts, and it got me thinking about weddings. Our son marries next month and now that our daughter graduated from high school, it’s wedding mode.

There’s a wedding I’ve had on my mind since I saw it.

The Chosen, the crowd-funded project where the Gospels are presented in a “binge-able” fashion, showed Jesus and His first public miracle in Cana. It’s been a while since I’ve watched that episode, but so much stuck with me.

Thomas is the caterer and Ramah is the daughter of the vinter. She presents Thomas with three jars of wine for the wedding. Forty guests are expected, and she feels this is enough.

Tension builds as they watch the guests dance and drink. Jesus and some of His disciples have arrived, and the guest list increases to eighty. Thomas frets as the wine supply dwindles. Remember, Jewish custom was for weddings to last days. This is only the first day, and the wine is nearly gone.

Also at this wedding is Mary, mother of Jesus. She is aware of the pressure the groom and his family faces if anything goes wrong. Back then, the groom was expected to pay for the wedding, and Mary learns that the bride’s family is less than impressed with the in-laws. They are not a wealthy family, and reputation is everything.

In fact, one thing I read said the wedding in Cana came during an “honor and shame culture.” That sounds familiar, right? I feel like nearly everything I read in current events is about the cancel culture. Well, the groom’s family is scared of being canceled.

And so is Thomas. If word gets out that he didn’t bring enough wine, he’s finished.

Mary approaches Jesus. She asks for His help, and He announces it’s not time. Her response mirrors the response 12 year old Jesus gave when Mary and Joseph could not find him for three days. When they did, he was teaching the elders. Mary tried to scold Him and he said, “If not now, when?”

How can Jesus say no to helping out this family when His mother responds, “If not now, when?”

Jesus gives her a look that Mary knows means He’s going to help. Mary instructs the disciples to do whatever Jesus asks.

The wedding guests are looking for more wine. The groom’s family is looking to the caterer. Thomas is as they say, “sweating bullets.” The bride’s family has spent most of the first day insulting the groom’s family. Mary knows it is going to work out. Jesus asks for the stone jars to be filled with water.

Jesus then asks for privacy. He tells His Heavenly Father He’s ready. Jesus dips His hand in the water, and wine drips as He lifts His hand.

It’s a breathtaking scene, even if it is something I’ve read in the Bible. The pressure Thomas and the groom’s family was under. The numbers game. Three jars and eighty people and the first day of the wedding equals a big problem. Jesus and His love for His mother.

And as we all know, the wine tastes better than what the caterer has already served. The master of the banquet announces,

“Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
— John 2:10

The bride’s father has to find out for himself. He partakes. When his wife asks what’s wrong, he’s contrite. “I was.” He was certain the groom’s family would fail.

But, Jesus.

I’m a visual person so The Chosen has been such a gift to watch, and “The Wedding” really moved me. Those issues the groom’s family and Thomas faced might not feel like a big deal to you, but how about the price of gas and how to pay for it? A medical diagnosis? A marriage conflict? Whatever you’re facing, Jesus is ready. He can meet your needs faster than He dipped His hand in the water that transformed to wine.

—-Julie Arduini

Will you ask for Him today?

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Jesus’ Mother and Brothers by James R. Coggins

Posted on June 7, 2022 by jrcoggins

Mark 3:21 reports a strange thing in the life of Jesus: “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”

When they heard about what?

There are two triggers for the actions of Jesus’ family. (We learn from Mark 3:31 that the family probably consisted of “Jesus’ mother and brothers.”) The immediate trigger is that Jesus “entered a house” (Mark 3:20). What was so remarkable about this? The Greek could contain implications of “came home.” Because of the press of the crowds that were following Him, Jesus had been out in the mountains and the wilderness. His family would not have known where to find Him. However, now that He had come back — if not to His home, at least to a house nearby — His family finally saw an opportunity to take control of Him.

Beyond the immediate trigger stood the real reason for the family’s actions. This reason was Jesus’ remarkable claim to be the Messiah, to be able to heal people and to cast out demons. This claim had become concrete when He had appointed His apostles as the first step in setting up the new Kingdom of Israel.

Jesus’ family wanted to take control of Him because they didn’t believe His claims and thus thought Him to be insane.

Mary had been a witness to the virgin birth and all of the remarkable events around that but didn’t seem to understand that Jesus was divine. Perhaps she thought that He would be a prophet like Samuel or Samson. But when, at age twelve, He had stayed behind in the temple to get involved in His Father’s business (Luke 2:49), she didn’t understand. She might not have understood who He was saying His Father was.

Mary had expected Jesus to do something at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11), but again perhaps she was still only thinking of Him as a prophet.

What is also remarkable about this passage in Mark (and the parallel passages in Matthew 12:46-50 and Luke 8:19-21) is that Jesus apparently refused to see His family. They asked Him to come out of the house, but there is no record of Him coming out and talking to them, or of Him inviting them in. Perhaps they were too intimidated to try to seize Jesus in the middle of the crowd of followers and went away. Indeed, there is no record of Jesus’ family ever being near Him again throughout His entire earthly ministry. When Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30, Mark 6:1-6), there is no record of His family being present.

Instead of welcoming His family, Jesus used the occasion to make a point. He said that the real members of His family were the people who did God’s will (just as the true Israel are the people who love God, not the literal descendants of Israel: Romans 9:6-8, Luke 3:8). What Jesus was saying is that love of God has priority over love of family and all other relationships (Matthew 10:37, 19:29, Luke 14:26). Jesus commands us and enables us to love our families, but without Jesus we can’t love our families. Jesus must come first. Jesus said the greatest command was to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second was to love others as ourselves (Mark 12:28-31). When we try to reverse that, we often end up loving no one.

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Wedding Thoughts by Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Nancy J. Farrier
Photo by Tom The Photographer on Unsplash

June is traditionally one of the most popular months for weddings. Summer is here. Kids are out of school. And people want to celebrate something after a long winter and the storms of spring.

Weddings can be elaborate or simple. Either way, the bride takes care with her dress on her special day and the groom also takes care with his appearance as he prepares to meet his bride. Their dress shows off their particular style or personality. Whether the bride walks the aisle in a simple sheath dress or a gown of lace and pearls, there is meaning in what they wear. 

There is hushed expectancy as the bride prepares to walk down the aisle. Friends and family members strain to see, some standing on tiptoe to catch a glimpse or her. They watch the groom as he stands at the front waiting for his bride to join him, wearing his wedding finery. 

My favorite part of the wedding is watching the groom and the utter joy or expectancy on his face. Several years ago I attended a wedding where the tough motorcycle riding groom had tears of joy streaming down his face as he watched his bride walk down the aisle toward him. The picture of his love was so amazing I’ve never forgotten.

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 (NKJV)

What a beautiful verse this is, comparing God clothing us in salvation to the bridal couple in their finery. God’s gift to us surrounds us with beauty for all eternity. He doesn’t see us with all the dirt of our human nature, but clothed in His nature and cleansed from all wrongdoing. 

He covers us in garments much finer than those of a bridal couple. We are covered in His righteousness, adorned in the jewels of His choosing. We have reason to greatly rejoice—to be joyful in our God.

Our salvation is much more meaningful than a wedding and carries greater significance, but the wedding is a picture of our relationship with Christ. I wonder what expression will be on His face as we walk toward Him. Expectancy? Tears of joy? The light of His love? 

I can’t wait to see.

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