MORE THAN A MERE STORY - Bruce Atchison.

Though adults assured me the accounts were true, Bible stories seemed like fables to me when I was young. In the black-and-white comprehension of my juvenile mind, tales of crossing the Red Sea on dry ground or the walls of Jericho falling down had no bearing on my daily problems. God seemed to be a remote figure who perform miracles, such as healing blind people, long ago in "Bible times." Now he seemed to do nothing to help those who prayed to him.

While attending a vacation Bible school in my home town of Fort Saskatchewan during August of 1969, I heard the gospel for the first time. Until then, I believed I had to be a good boy or I'd go to hell. The glorious meaning of Christ's resurrection finally burst upon my mind, blowing away those unbiblical notions.

In Deliverance from Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School), I described how Christ's resurrection took on a whole new dimension for me. In this excerpt, I wrote of the impact that the Easter Sunday service at the Church of the Nazarene had after I gave my life to Christ.

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Now that I was a born-again Christian, the Easter message held special relevance. In years past, it was merely a story like all the others in the Bible. Now I understood the tremendous price Christ paid for purchasing our forgiveness as well as why he needed to die and rise again the third day. I believed in previous years that Pontius Pilate defeated him. Now I understood that Jesus died voluntarily for everybody who put their faith in him and rose victoriously on the third day.

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Deliverance from Jericho abounds with vignettes of what life was like in that government-run institution. These range from poignant experiences of homesickness to hilarious incidents of mischief. Please feel free to click on this link to my books or contact me directly for more information about them.

Praying Through the Mist - Denise M. Ford

This morning a goose landed in our backyard as a lone seeker of refuge.  As the fog settled around him I watched him wander aimlessly behind the dogwood bushes bordering the area designated as the “prospective pond. “ Perhaps he tried to navigate towards the small wetland abode that lies just beyond the cul-de-sac, but unfortunately was thrown off course by the obscuring ground cover.

As I watch, he stops momentarily, allowing the fog to enclose his feet; his feathers ruffle slightly as if he is trying to identify the swirling mist.  He’s listening, allowing the hazy dampness to encircle him.  He waits, perhaps searching for a sense of an uplifting current that would help him arise and be airborne amidst the clouds. 

The grayness above merges with the paler layers lurking on the ground.  I try to wipe the window to see the goose more clearly, only smearing a smudge on the glass, not clearing my vision.  When I look again, he’s gone.  Hopefully he discovered a way to rise up and find guidance for his flight.  Maybe he realized he had landed too soon to a place promising a welcome habitat.  Maybe the dampness encouraged him to seek an airstream that would lift him to a higher vantage point.

Following his brief visit I open the book on prayer I am currently reading, The Only Necessary Thing by Henri J. M. Nouwen.  He states, “The discipline of the heart…makes us aware that praying is not only listening to but also listening with.  We stand in the presence of God… with all we have and are: our fears and anxieties, our guilt and shame...our joys, hopes, dreams…in short, all that makes us who we are.  With all this we have to listen to God’s voice and allow God to speak to us in every corner of our being. “

Sometimes when I pray I feel like I have landed in a patch of swirling fog, admitting my mistakes, but still hoping to find the promises I am seeking.  I’m trying to acknowledge the greatness of all God does, while still justifying my prayer requests.  Sometimes I come wanting future plans to be revealed within my timeline, reluctant to wait for God’s designs. 

Lord let me be more like a goose grounded in the murkiness of a morning fog, awaiting the right timing to take flight again.  Let me listen to you with all I am. Help me to reposition myself so that I am ready to hear and to find the place where you want me to be.  Lord let me listen like a goose ruffling its feathers sensing the uplift of a low-lying cloud’s hidden current.  Lord may your spirit flow to every corner of my being as I trust in your guidance and love.

I begin to pray, letting myself settle into the presence of God, knowing that He will be with me as I rise through the mist.

To read Denise's personal blog and writing website go to:   www.WalkingWithDustyandDee.com

Knowing - and doing - God's Will - Karen Toews

Sometime last fall, the desire to lead a women's Bible study at our church started germinating in my heart. Just like sowing tiny spinach and lettuce seeds to lay in the ground over winter, waiting for longer daylight and warmer spring days - it wasn't the right time for my study to push through the ground until April.

Now, public speaking and taking leadership are gifts I've been given - but even my daughter expressed surprise when I told her I was leading a Bible study. Yes, I read my Bible, sometimes attend other Bible studies, search out scripturally inspired books and online devotionals, am thankful for Biblical messages from the pulpit - but initiating to lead a study is new to me.

That's the neat thing about God putting something within your heart. He gives you the confidence and passion to follow through on your mission. My motivation included several reasons:

• to provide opportunity for women from our church to learn from God's word together
• to meet other women in our church (two Sunday morning services can create"gaps")
• to provide a secure place to share our hearts
• to believe that other women would gain confidence to pray out loud in a group setting 
• for my own deeper walk with Christ through designated time preparing for the study

It was a challenge deciding what study to choose. I had three options in my mind, two of which had a body, soul and spirit thrust and the third which was strictly a topical Bible study. I bounced these ideas off our pastor and the only other woman I knew who was keen on joining a study. Their comments were almost identical, " God has directed you this far and he'll let you know which one you should do." Big help!

Number three option was my pick,  Notes on my Night Table, a 14-week study on knowing the will of God, written by Inscribe's own, Elsie Montgomery. From the vantage point of being a third of the way through the study, I realize God helped me make the best study choice - one I would recommend.  The lessons prompt us to dig into scriptures and consider our response to God's word.

From six to twelve women attend each week, everyone participates and the best encouragement has been the appreciation expressed for this opportunity to share hearts and experiences with other women - around the study of the Bible.

I thank God for planting this desire within me. He's helping me to be a facilitator as we learn together. As hoped for, my faith is being strengthened - reviewing and reviving this fundamental theme in my walk with Him.

"Teach me to do Thy will, for You are my God. Psalm 143:10

 

God's Love - Dorothy Bentley

God knew I would be strong-willed and insist on making my own way through life.

Even though He could have, He didn't stop me from making a mess of things.

He is a Gentleman, not forcing anything upon me. He gave me free will.

God is close to the brokenhearted.

When I finally turn to Him because of my emptiness and disappointment, He accepts me.

He washes away my mistakes and gives me a fresh start.

He never turns me away.

Sometimes I am too busy to think about God, but He is never too busy to think about me.

Though time travels in a straight line for me, it doesn't for God. He created time, space, physics. He can travel in time and be everywhere at once, with everyone. I can barely understand this, but He is with me.

God created me to walk with Him through life; to talk with Him about everything. He wants to give me guidance for how to live; to help me with all the issues in my life. God cares about me.

Only He can fill the emptiness and give my life a worthwhile purpose

When I focus on myself, I am discouraged.

When I focus on God, I am amazed.

He loves me.

He loves me so much, that He wants me to live with him forever in eternity. There are no strings attached, no price I need to pay.

He already took care of that.

He sent his own Son, Jesus, His human form, to come as a Man and die for me.

He paid the entry price of Heaven for me.

All I have to do is believe.

Just believe.

Do I believe?

Is Jesus real?

Is there really a Heaven and hell?

Why did God become a man?

Why would He die on a cross for me?

Yes.

Because He loves me.