Not long ago I awakened in a funk. I felt a bit off and in a bad mood. I could not figure why. Usually, I wake up and look forward to the day and what it will bring. On this day, I didn’t want to see or be with anyone. This was strange because my husband says I never meet a stranger and I fill our calendar with social events.

“I was madder than a wet hen!” This is a slang term I like to use about anger. It isn’t very becoming, and it is rare that I get really angry, but this incident pushed my limit. A group of Christian leaders decided to take a weekend holiday at our home on the lake. There were not many restaurants on our side of the lake, therefore George and I frequented one in particular. The restaurant usually employed young women in high school as waitresses and we would get to know them. On this particular night the restaurant was busy, but our group was seated quickly. While we were laughing and telling stories, a young girl came to take our drink order. We paused to answer and a few of the women kept changing their order. By the time the drink order was finalized, even I was confused.

This year the Jewish “Feast of Trumpets” will be celebrated on September 25-27. Many believe that this feast will usher in the end times as Christ returns “at the sound of a trumpet” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). My husband George has extensively researched and recently taught on the signs of the end times, so I asked him to share a short summary of his teaching with you in this month’s devotion. You may agree or disagree, but he has laid out some facts that you can study for yourself. I hope it is an inspiration to you to study more on your own. I challenge you to pray about what you are about to read and come to your own conclusions. With love, Jan

Have you ever said to yourself, “Oh Lord, not me! Please use someone else to do this job!” Most of us can honestly say we have. Yet it is no mistake that God has you where He wants you: strategically placed.

“Sappy” and “wonder struck”: how do those two words fit together? Let me explain. I recently attended the wedding of a darling bride and spiritual daughter in Washington, D.C. during the cherry blossom season. Viewing the cherry blossoms was on my bucket list and when I discovered she planned her wedding during the peak season of the cherry blossoms, I was so excited.

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord” Psalm 27:14 (KJV).

You may have heard the phrase, “April Showers bring May flowers.” I love Spring, but as a child the sound of rolling thunder and lightning scared me. On one particular stormy night, the skies exploded with a spectacular light show and thunder shook the windows of our home. I raced to my parent’s room, knocking over a few items on the way. My dad flew out of bed in a flash, poised to take on an intruder. What he saw was a blonde-headed little girl shaking with tear-filled eyes. My sleepy-eyed mom joined us and walked me back to my room. She had me kneel on my bed with my arms poised on the windowsill. Together, we watched the storm roll in.

When trials and tribulations come upon us, sometimes we feel as if God has turned away and doesn’t hear our cries. Have you ever felt this way?

One year just before Easter, my husband George was asked to teach on the last words of Jesus. He chose “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”, the loud cry that has echoed for centuries (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34). These words beg the question, Did Jesus really feel forsaken by God? And did God abandon His Son to suffer?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 NJKV

When George and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary, we decided to put together a video. You can image my husband’s surprise as I unfolded a long table and began to stack picture albums on the table. There were stacks upon stacks from 50 years of marriage that I had carefully put together. As we relived those years together, with different hairstyles and debatable clothing, I realized our life experiences had shaped us and grown us closer. We shared many high points of joyous times of pure laughter, the birth and raising of our children and grandchildren, and traveling all over the globe.

Last year some of you asked me to share the word the Lord had given me for 2021. I said I would wait until the year had ended and then share. The word God gave me for last year was “favor”. I studied favor and I searched the scriptures for everywhere it was written. I made myself more aware by writing down each time I heard the word “favor” or read it in the Bible, devotional, or a book. It amazed me how many times favor popped up throughout the year.

“Christmas is the season of giving.” This slogan is used over and over this time of year. Whoever coined that phrase motivated people to give. We have lists of people to buy for—husbands, wives, children, grandchildren, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, neighbors—and we scurry around finding the perfect gift for each one. Many people save all year long just to buy that special gift for someone they love. It starts out as a heartfelt gesture, but hopefully in the end it doesn’t turn into a chore.

All of us have lost a loved one, either through physical death or through the death of a close relationship. This year our Thanksgiving table will be set with one less member of our family. This past spring, our son-in-love observed his father being taken into the arms of Jesus to spend his eternal life. Alton was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and friend. The empty place at our table will be a reminder of the man who influenced many young people as a volunteer soccer coach and college professor. His character displayed godliness, kindness, and humility.

“Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?” 
Isaiah 43:18-19 (CSV)

The movie “The Beautician and the Beast” is one of my all-time favorites. It’s about a young woman wrongfully hired to be a science tutor for the children of a dictator. As a beautician, she had no qualifications for the position, and the dictator often got upset with her. When he unleashed his anger on her, she held up her hand, turned her head, and said, “Talk to the hand.” In other words, I’m not interested.

“Please God no. Please, please. Let this not be her.” These words rang in my mind as I received the news that our eight-year-old daughter had a large brain tumor. I held her close as the doctor said he must operate immediately or she would lose all her motor skills.

“Mommy what is a brain tumor?” She asked.

I had been married a little over four years and pregnant with our second child. Our daughter was a very active two-and-a-half-year-old toddler and I was a very busy homemaker. It was during this time my husband, George, was spending long hours at work. I did not feel I got a break to do much of anything except the typical things a young wife and mother normally do. At that time there was not a Mother’s Day Out program for my daughter. We were new to the church and therefore, I had not met any moms for setting up playdates. 

“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
Hebrews 10:36 NJKV

Spring is here. The rains usher in a beautiful display of flowers. Trees are bursting with life and lush plants emerge from the ground. The birds are chirping their happy songs. “The earth is vibrantly alive with my blessings, giving vivid testimony to My Presence” (Sarah Young, Jesus Calling).

When our daughter was in her early teens, she and her best friend had a crush on a Christian artist named Carman. I heard Carman was going on tour, so I looked up his schedule and found out he was performing only 20 minutes from our home. I called the parents of my daughter’s friend and we planned to surprise the girls with tickets to the concert. When we gave them the tickets, they screamed so loud, a person two blocks away could have heard their delight.