Several years ago, my husband and I were counseling with a drug addict. The addict had messed up his life as well as his girlfriend’s life. I asked the addict if he had ever flown on a plane before? I then asked if he listened to the flight attendant as they make the statement, in regard to the oxygen masks, to make sure you have your mask on before you try to help those you are traveling with – the understanding is that you cannot help someone else with their oxygen mask if you are not taking in your own oxygen. Was that message for the other people on the plane? Or was that message for me?

Plan A - Robin Ogle

Recently, my thinking was adjusted. MY PLAN, ideas, event, or schedule may have be altered- but I realized it was changed to line up with GOD’S PLAN A. Now when there is a snafu, my heart is joyful and excited that NOW the day is going as HE PLANNED. I can embrace the reconfigurations of my life because my great God is constantly revealing His Plan A. No longer do I drudge through Plan C,D, or E. With thankfulness, contentment and peacea, I choose to dwell on Plan A.

Storms of Life - Beth Palmani

We watched from the deck of the house until the storm got a little too close for comfort, then retreated inside. It was a night filled with thunder, lightning and lots of rain, but we were warm and safe inside the house. The next morning, I didn’t get up early to go out and get my sunrise shot, since I knew it wouldn’t be there. Instead, slept in a bit until my daughter came in, begging to go out to the water. She pulled back the curtain, and WOOSH, there it was! The SUNLIGHT I had been wishing for!

Mighty Miracles - Sandy Noonan

1. Be filled with the Spirit and not with selfish desires. Gal 5:22-26

2. Keep prayer as the first “go to”, not as our last resort in a world that attempts to find answers with a punch of a button.

Ps. 143:1, Pro. 15:8, Ps. 141:2

3. Rejoice for the answered prayer. Ps 20:5

4. Lift up the God of righteous people not the people themselves. God uses ordinary people for His glory. I Sam 18:18-19

Children, Christian Life, Encouragement, Faith, God's WillAmy SappDecember 27, 2021mighty, miracles, love, Encouragement

How Thirsty Are You? - Debbie Netterville

Here is when the “thirst” really began. They gave me a “green lollipop”, (that is what I called it.) A green sponge on a stick that I could dip in a glass of water and then just wet my lips. The doctor wanted to wait a couple of days to see if I could hold anything down. On Monday they started giving me some soft foods, but I was throwing up again. My doctor said I needed to have surgery, so they scheduled it for Tuesday. After surgery I could have some ice chips with my “green lollipop”. By this time the ice chips were GREAT! But still barely quenching my “thirst”.

How Well Do You Know Ed? - Jan Neill

Upon crossing over they stopped to build an alter for reflection, and reembrace. Joshua 22:34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.

Are You a Biblical "Influencer?" - Angela Morrow

An “influencer” is one who has the power to move; in persuading or dissuading; one who leads or directs. I know this may sound foolish, but I just recently have found out what an “influencer” is according to our social media culture today. Honestly, I was not impressed. I found it to be a sad cultural norm. However not in the sense you may think. I did not find it sad that people in this day and age do the same thing they have been doing for centuries (just by a different name), but rather we have “Christian Influencer” that trying to “influence” others for Christ by doing it the same way the world does it. They use the world’s music, they use the world’s lingo, they use the world’s method of delivery to do what exactly?

I Think I'll Just Praise Him Anyways - Amy Brown

Last year, our family went through one of the hardest trials that we’ve ever had to face together as a family. My dad had been in the hospital with some major complications from an everyday procedure he had gotten done weeks prior, and he had to have emergency surgery to have his colon reconstructed. That, in itself- was very scary and very serious, but little did we know in the days following, the storm we would be facing. His emergency surgery had been that Saturday, but by Wednesday, instead of him getting better, he was getting much worse. During this timeframe, our church had a huge outbreak of Covid, and my mom finally convinced the doctor to test my dad for Covid.

God is My Super Glue - Dawn Mondt

As I looked at my broken self I began to see that I couldn’t be fixed. I will never be whole in the way I was before again. But what I did see is that God does not fix us he fills in the cracks and broken pieces of our heart with Himself. Kind of like when you crack or break something like a vase and you fix it with super glue. God fills in those cracks and broken pieces of our heart with Himself just like super glue. But its better its God Glue!

Children, Dealing With Grief, Encouragement, Illness, Trials, Prayer, Trusting GodAmy SappSeptember 20, 2021Glue, Super Glue, Death, Trials, Grief, Grieving, Cancer

Weathering Change - Stephanie Miller

As I prayerfully considered what direction the Lord would have me go with this devotional the Lord gently led me to the subject of ‘Change’. I sweetly told the Lord that the subject of change was good, but I was thinking about doing something else. After going back and forth with the Lord a few times and suggesting a few other topics, I decided to settle on the subject of ‘Change.’ Isn’t it amazing how God works!

"Consumed" - Rayana Dignan

As I look around at our country and see constant devastation, negativity, hurting people, an insane and warped government who desperately needs Jesus, I could go on and on... I can’t help but think how our country would look if only we had a generation of people who were truly consumed with the things of the Lord!

Bible Reading, Christian Life, Christian Service, Encouragement, FaithAmy SappSeptember 6, 2021Consume, Engage, Constant, Jesus, Serving

How is Your Day? - Lucinda Metsinger

Throughout my life, I have recognized that this wisdom can be used over and over again, not just on ornery brothers, but other prickly people.

- You can use it when it comes to the church lady who has to let everyone know ALL the gossip.

- Use it on the fella who cut you off in traffic.

- Use it when dealing with people who are unkind to your children.

- You can even use it on your willful child who seems to know just the right buttons to push to send you into “Crazy Mommy” mode.

No matter who the person is, they should NOT get to decide what kind of day you are going to have or what kind of person you are going to be. Only GOD should have that power.

High Maintenance or Low Maintenance - Dawn Weber

The first time I heard the phrase low maintenance, it reminded me of a lady in a church my

husband pastored. She said, “Oh, you don’t need to visit us or worry about us, we’re low

maintenance.” She meant that they would be faithful to church, give their tithe and missions,

help however they could.

Children, Christian Life, Encouragement, Friendship, marriageAmy SappAugust 2, 2021Maintenance, HIgh, Low, Maintain, Relationships, Sister, Friend, Mother, Wife

For His Pleasure - Ruby McMiller

According to the Oxford dictionary, pleasure is a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment. We take pleasure

in family, friends, church, and all types of events. They bring us such joy. We enjoy God’s creation daily, season

after season. Every need and desire were placed here for our pleasure (except mosquitoes, still not sure how they

got on the ark ; ).

Children, Christian Life, Encouragement, Friendship, God's WillAmy SappJuly 26, 2021Pleasure, Family, Friends, Church, Sports, Fun, Activity

Infertility - Mylee Restelle

Now, I know there are unforeseen, horrible, and despicable things that can happen to a precious teenage girl that are beyond her control, resulting in a teen pregnancy that is in NO WAY what I am referring to. My heart breaks for girls in situations like that. However, in my story, this was a "let's try it once to see what happens" kind of thing. I'm going to be completely honest with you: these ones always sting a little more than the others. To know that soon their arms will have a wonderful bundle of joy to love, while my arms remain empty, is gut-wrenching.

Love the Lord Thy God - Rebekah McCullough

How can I love the Lord with all my heart? We use this term loosely and without much thought. I believe God is asking us to love him with all our passion, all our feelings. There's things I'm pretty passionate about, my family (obviously), missions, politics, history, coffee.... Most of these things, just thinking about it, can bring me to great joy, anger, or tears. It's easy for me to get emotional and passionate about these things because I care about them so much. I've invested time, energy, and money into them. I think God is saying for us to love Him with all our emotions, our feelings, our passion. That will require time, energy, and frankly, money. (Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.) Honestly, loving God with all our heart might be the easiest one for us ladies since we tend to be more emotional creatures by design. That leads to the next one.

There is HOPE - Amy Sapp

The anchor is viewed as a symbol that represents "safety"... The anchor holds the ship in place, representing strength and security. The anchor is a symbol of our hope in Jesus!

The Fingerprints of a Mother- Julee Martinez

Fingerprints are a unique design God gave to every individual human. Webster’s dictionary describes fingertips a “an impression or mark made on a surface by a person's fingertip, especially as used for identifying individuals from the unique pattern of whorls and lines.” I marvel at the fact that the God of the universe could easily make the billions of different patterns needed for the billions of people on earth. The marks of a fingerprint are a reflection of the person who holds that mark.

My Desire or His Desire - Tammy Myers

I was a little frustrated that he wasn’t letting me pick the place to eat. I wanted to say, No… it’s my birthday and I’m hungry for Italian food and I’ve looked forward to this all day. I had not dressed for a fancy place and wasn’t prepared for this choice. After my husband kept driving toward the steak house, I surrendered my desires and decided to go along with his plan even though I didn’t understand. After all, he was the one paying for this date.

A Teacher Named Grace - Niki Lott

Grace is a gift – not earned and not deserved. It is given to us because God is good, not because we are. For those who are reading this who have already received this grace, we realize that our salvation depends wholly upon it. For those who may have never understood or received the grace of God, I want you to know that God’s love, mercy, and grace are available to you because of the kindness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Christian Life, Encouragement, God's Will, Love of God, Peace of GodAmy SappApril 12, 2021Love, Mercy, Grace, Teaches, Teaching, Teach, Salvation, Peace