Summer Is Here!

It is officially summer here…..

and I am officially trying to start this blog back up.

KattyRae has generously offered to help me in my efforts to revive this site; i.e. sprucing up the look and all that fun stuff!

Now, I am trying to sort through the contributors….some of them have had their lives take a busy direction, and will no longer be able to post with us. Others are hoping to contribute more, while still others still wish to remain involved, but will have to post less often. Hopefully, we will all work through this soon and head back into the blogosphere.

So, check back soon….if too much time is going by without anything happening…shoot me a comment. Encourage me to get back to work on things! I’d appreciate it; and any prayers you have. Thanks!

Blessed Assurance

fragile emotions
shattered trust
broken heart
wounded soul
falling tears

eyes searching
knees bending
voice trembling
halting words
wishes unspoken

whispered comfort
unseen arms
love extended
grace accepted
mercy received

inexplicable peace
overwhelming calm
unexplainable joy
healing begun

by: Melody Rankhorn

Olympic Training

I’m a day late, again! I’m sorry. The Olympics have made my life a little more difficult to schedule, but hey, it’s just once every four years.

As you might gather from the above statement, like most of you, I have been watching the Olympics. Experiencing the adrenaline rush as our athletes compete with the best in the world; the celebrating when they win; the satisfaction of receiving gold; and the defeat of…well, defeat. It is so easy to get carried away by it all, but then, just 16 days long, it’s all over. Most of us will not remember who won what in fifty years, and (assuming we are not too deaf to hear it) will probably have to be reminded every several days. That is, providing we remember to have them remind us… But there I go again. I can’t help but think, after all that training, a life of daily discipline and self -denial, is it worth it? Don’t get me wrong, I am ecstatic about the Olympics, but it makes me ponder my own training, my own aim. And it’s not for an Olympic gold.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Right now those verses remind me of the champions of the Olympics. Micheal Phelps holding his eighth medal of the ‘08 games; Nastia Liukin dancing into her all-around gold; Rogers and Dalhausser rejoicing in the sand; Bolt flying past the finish line with an impressive lead. All these and more. The feeling that all the years of training, of discipline, and pain gave you the gold must be sensational. But it compares but dimly with our own reward.

‘Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.’ ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

‘On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.’ -1 Timothy 4:7b-8

I wish I could go out and swim laps or practice balance beam and then say, “That should do it, I’m sure to get the gold!”. But it’s not that way, it’s tough work to become an Olympian, and even so it is not going to count in the long haul. So this spiritual training stuff… it, like, seems hard too. Thankfully our salvation does not hang on it at all. And God also does not ask us to do it in our own strength. Though He does set down rules that we are to follow…

2 Timothy 2:5 ‘Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.’

Did anyone see the Men’s or Women’s 4×100m? In the two relays, both women’s and the men’s, our U.S. team dropped the baton. As a result we couldn’t win. Both teams looked devastated. Also this week Spearman had to give up his bronze placement. Why? Because during the race he unintentionally stepped on the line. Still the rules are the rules. And if we lose focus we can easily bend them. Me? Oh yeah, I do that too- big time! Sometimes I focus so much on staying focused I lose focus……. Where was I? Oh yes, focus. In Hebrews 12 the first few verses tell us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Not the other runners, not the audience, not the elements, not the difficulties, Jesus. He is the only One who can truly direct us to the finish line. He is the only One who can run the perfect race. So, I’ll just keep focused on Jesus, thank you very much. It does not matter if so-and-so is way ahead of us, or if the crowd is cheering or booing. Rain? No problem. Sun? No sweat. All these things, though true realities and elements, should not be our focus or our drive. Because when we let them become so we either lose aim, or shift aim. When we lose aim we become wrapped up in the fact that it’s raining, or hot, or too difficult. Or we run with the aim of beating the other runners or to keep the crowd cheering, not to run for Christ. And if we do that we cannot win. So, with the words of the Apostle Paul I shall leave you.

‘Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.’ 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

A Continuation on the Subject of Singleness.

I was reading in Elizabeth George’s book, “Loving God With All Your Mind”, this morning. The back cover (and I don’t know who wrote this) says “When we find our thoughts overwhelmed by fear, worry, and depression, it’s dificult to keep our minds focused on truth and joy!” And don’t I know it!  As I’ve mentioned before (if not here, then on my personal blog), I face depression on a fairly regular basis; worry and fear even more. And I feel robbed of truth and joy constantly. George writes in chapter 2, “Crippling fear comes to us for a variety of reasons.” I can completely identify with paragraph six…I too worry that I shall be single all the days of my life. I know, though, that God has called me at this time in my life, right now,  to be single. “So”, as Matthew 6:34 says, “do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.”

I was also reading in Hebrews 13 today, and this passage stuck out to me in the context of what is written above…”‘Make sure that [you are]…content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid…” verses five and six. And verses 8, 15, and 16; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever…Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

I do not know what God has for me in my years of singleness, but I do know it is not to be pining away for the married life; that’s definitely not being “content with what you have”. Jesus is the same, always and forever, and His Word never changes. He has given me a purpose for this time; He has given me things to do and plans to accomplish; and I should not be shirking them. If you ever struggle with feeling as though God can’t possibly live you if you’re still single, take a look at these following verses…you’ll have to change your mind.
“‘Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,’ says your God. ’For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,’ says the LORD your Redeemer. ‘O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones. All your sons will be taught of the LORD; and the well-being of your sons will be great. In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you. Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin. No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,’ declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:4-8, 11-17.

Part One:Keeping Your Heart & Serving The Lord As A Young Lady

When I was growing up, I did not “date” like most girls my age. By “date”, I mean going out or spending lots of time with guys on a regular basis for fun, or for the slim possibility that I might marry one of them years down the road.

When the time for marriage came, I was planning for my father to be involved in helping me choose a husband. The Lord has said; “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). My parents taught me this principal from the Word when I was growing up. They also taught me that I did not need to be “boy crazy”, and date when I grew of age. When I got into my late teens I saw that my wicked, sinful heart could not handle the emotions that come with a dating relationship (Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”).

I also saw from the Word that I did not want to date (Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”).

I saw that I needed to keep my heart from having a crush on some boy, and keep my thoughts and emotions in check. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians10:5.

As a young lady, it was hard not having a “sweetheart” on Valentine’s Day to bring me flowers, and it was not always the easiest thing for me to tell people why boys were not hanging around; but I was waiting on just the right guy that the Lord had for me. I really wanted to be married, which was interesting; I had such a strong desire to get married and be a wife and mother, being that I was still in my late teens. But the Lord knew what was ahead. I remember thinking of some of the women in the Bible, and what they were doing before they had gotten married. I realized that Rachel (Genesis 29:1-28 ) was watching her fathers’ sheep when Jacob came along. Rebekah was getting water at the well when Abraham’s servant saw her and knew that this was the one he had prayed for (Genesis 24). Ruth was gleaning in the fields, working to get food for herself and her mother-in-law, when Boaz took notice of her. All these women were serving or working when their husbands came into the picture. Psalms 37:3 says “Trust in the Lord, and do good…”-So, I was to do good; what I knew the Lord would have me to be doing, and trust the Lord for a husband. The Lord had also shown me some things about serving (John 13:14-15 etc.). Thus, I needed to serve, and whatever else He had shown me, and not worry about finding a husband. Of course, I’m not encouraging you to start serving so your husband-to-be will take notice of you, but I do think you need to be about the business the Lord has shown you through His Word. “And this is love, that we walk after His commandments…” (2 John 1:6). Another good verse that helped me was Psalms 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.”

So, in summary, as a young lady, I was to keep my heart from emotional distractions; trust the Lord to send me a husband; rely on the wisdom of my father for help in choosing a husband; and while I was waiting, serve the Lord in the things He had shown me.

Part Two continued later….

A quick note from the administrator….

I wanted to apologize for the lack of material in this site lately….The summer is almost over, and with all the extra activities winding down, I hope to get back to Handmaidens once more and continue what was begun. Thank you for your patience the past few months.

Trusting and Believing

I must start with my usual spill, but I don’t think I could stress it enough-Do not trust what I say. Look up what God’s Word says about these things and trust Him alone!

I had a few verses I had noticed on trust, along with a few thoughts I’d like to share. I’d like you to focus more on the verses than my thoughts, though. The first is one most of us have heard over and over.

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.’

Proverbs 3:5

This was one I would sort of skim over, after all I knew it by heart ( or so I thought). I thought that I had already received everything there was to receive from it. Same message every time. Like an overplayed CD. But then I was tested, and I found I was very deficient in trust. This verse I found both encouraging and instructive. Not only ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart,‘ (Italics mine) but also ‘do not lean on your own understanding.’ All my “understanding”, what I “think” I know can’t hold anyway weight upon it.

Transferring my trust from myself to God is a pretty hard thing. And the passage I have found to really captivate my interest and speak to me in this matter is Luke chapter 1. There are two verses that stuck out to me, but I’d like to share a few more so it all makes sense. In one of the two verses the angel, Gabriel, is speaking to Zacharius. The other is Elizabeth, Zacharius’ wife, speaking to Mary, the mother of Jesus. In both verses the individuals (Zacharius and Mary) have heard astounding news from Gabriel. Zacharius heard that his barren wife (vs. 7) was to bear a son (vs. 13). Mary heard that she, a virgin (vs. 27), would bear the Son of God (vs. 31-32). But their responses were different. In verse 18 we have Zacharius’response: ‘Zacharius said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”‘ Luke 1:18 And Gabriel responded in verses 19 and 20. Verse 20 is one of the two verses I mentioned before. ‘”And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”‘ Luke 1:20 Mary, however, had a different reaction. She had a question of her own (vs. 34), but she believed God. Her response demonstrates her trust. ‘And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.’ Luke 1:38 So here comes the second verse I promised. This is one that blesses me each time I read it. It makes trusting God clearly the only thing to do. Here Elizabeth is speaking to Mary: ‘”And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”‘ Luke 1:45 Blessed. Wow! Mary believed God and so she was blessed. It didn’t say that it wouldn’t happen if she didn’t believe. But she did believe that it would be fulfilled. Zacharius did not, and so he was mute until the day of his son’s circumcision (vs. 64). His reaction was not to believe, yet it still was fulfilled. The tricky thing is, it is easy to believe after the fulfillment, but beforehand it is so hard! Like it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 ‘for we walk by faith, not by sight-’ Believing God takes faith, and faith seems to have an element of trust in it. But I don’t want to go too far. Let me just say that there are only benefits for trusting in the Lord, no downsides. After all, God is a good God- the only God.

‘Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Hmm. Good and Faithful. Personally I can think of no other I would trust.

More on Hope and a Future

I thought I’d share some notes I’ve taken over the past few Sundays at church. It seems that everywhere I look, I find more on this topic. Is the Lord trying to teach me something or what?
The words in italics are from the notes; the ‘regular’ print is my own.

Excerpt of teaching given by Mr. Frank Wallace; May 18th, 2008.
Who/what is driving you? What is your purpose?
If you don’t have a purpose, you’ll only drift and drift, like a ship with no sail; only drifting where the tide goes.
A purpose fulfills us.
Knowing your purpose simplifies your life. Think about it; if you know what your purpose is, you won’t have to wander about looking for it….you can get right down to business; you don’t have to focus on many things-wondering if that’s the purpose for you!-but just on one thing; your purpose. Right there you’ve already simplified your life.
Philippians 3:12-16;”Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the gaol for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect (redeemed) have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.” Keep your purpose in mind, and keep it in your focus. Don’t let other things distract you.
Colossians 3:1-2; “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Know what your purpose is; know what your focus is and should be!

Knowing what your purpose is can fill you with hope, giving you security for the future.

Excerpt of teaching given by Mr. Virgil Culver; May 25th, 2008.
There is tremendous power in the spoken word-positive and encouraging OR negative and devastating.
Psalm 39:1; “I said, ‘I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.’”
Psalm 19:4; “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
What we say and how we say it can bring life and hope…or cause despair and destruction.
Think about this; the difference between how you say “I’m sorry”; “Thank you”; and “I love you” can have a profound effect on those you say these words to. When you say them, are you speaking in sarcasm, or from sincerity?
Sometimes we say too much.
Sometimes, we say too little.
Did you know that children three years and under need to hear 30,000 words each day?! Studies show that women speak an average of 20,000-30,000 words a day (over half of those words could actually be only spoken in their minds! Self-Talk, Soul Talk.); while men speak an average of 7,000-15,000 words each day. The average of both men and women is 16,000 wpd (words per day).
But it’s not the volume (or quantity!) of words we need to be concerned about. It’s the impact of the words we speak.
Ephesians 4:29-”Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to thee need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

What comes out of our mouths can affect hope. It not only affects the hope of others, but our own. Words can rob us and others of joy, life, happiness, and hope. So next time an unwholesome word comes to the tip of your tongue, think twice about it. Don’t let it out to rob yourself and anyone else around you at the time.

All I Want

I cannot describe the impact that this video has on me. Everyone should see it at least once a week!

This song has been one of my favorites since I first heard it years ago, but when I saw the video, it made more sense and the words just fell into place. I can’t say too much about it because it speaks for itself, but I will just share which parts touched me the most.

In the beginning, Jesus is marveling over His creation, us. He woos us, courts us, shows us how much He loves us. Every beautiful thing in creation is a gift from Him.

When the man in black comes in and interrupts, it is our choice to make whether to hold onto Jesus or be attracted by the flashy distractions all around us. The beautiful things of creation become a tool against us when taken out of His Hands. Everything, one after the other, line up between us and Him, ’til it seems impossible to get back. But once we make the choice to get back to Him, He is waiting with open arms.

The most powerful part of the video for me was after everything had beaten her down and she was on her knees reaching out, JESUS JUMPED BETWEEN HER AND EVERYTHING IN HER PAST PUNISHING HER. He took the pain, the guilt, the punishment onto Himself, and came out victorious! He has done this and promises to continue to do this for everyone reaching for Him.

If you have the chance, please watch this video as well. It’s a take on the same skit, just redone a bit. I don’t think it’s better, but the part where she is fighting to get back to Jesus is definitely well done.

Lifehouse – Everything

Remember, grace means that no matter how far we walk away from Him, He never leaves us, but is just waiting to prove His love for us. Let Him!

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

Hi, I am sorry this is several days late. I wasn’t able to post Tuesday, and well, after that I plain forgot. I apologize.

Anyway, I went to see Expelled the other week, and have been thinking about it a lot. I really appreciate Ben Stein’s work and would recommend this documentary to others. Basically, Expelled is a documentary on Intelligent Design (ID) vs. Evolution and how the ’scientific’ world is sooo against even the mention of ID. He compared it to the Berlin wall and how there is a wall in the scientific community, and if you happen to be on the wrong side (ID) you are ostracized. I really appreciated how he brought the decline in morals in. That is were I come in – I love the whole ‘morality’ question. When humanity is debased to animals, what is left? How do we know what is right or wrong? If right and wrong is different for everyone, why do we feel collective horror and grief at happenings such as 9/11 or the V. Tech shootings? Shouldn’t we just be like, ‘huh, people were killed again’ and go about our normals lives? Why do people in general root for the good guy and yell at the bad guy?

Despite popular belief, there IS a moral code embedded deep within us, because we WERE created in the image of God. And no one, not even the top scientists can change that.