By: Christina McKiddy, guest blogger
"The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders." ~ Deuteronomy 33:12, NKJV
Not so long ago, I lost something that no one should ever loose. One tiny word, but a whole lot of meaning. Hope. As a future nurse (I like to refer to myself as a nurseling), we have been taught that the one thing that we never take away from our patients is hope. Why? Because hope is the one thing we must hold in our hearts to keep on striving. When we lose that hope, we lose our will to keep on going. The circumstance that brought me to my deep, dark place threatened to defeat me. At first, I thought it would too. After talking to many faithful friends and to my faithful Lord, I decided not to let it. God whispered to me to stand up, dust myself off and fight back. And fight I did.
God delivered me from the monster of hopelessness.
What monsters are you facing today, friends? Is it unemployment, anger, depression or illness? This world is a scary place, I know. However, do not ever give up your hope. Where ever you find hope, dwell there. For me that is in the safe and sound arms of my Father. When you feel like you can't run, walk. When you are too weak to walk, crawl. But whatever you do, just keep going. Don't stop.
God's love is the hope that lies within me; that flickering light that never dies - the light that keeps me safe and sound.
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Christina McKiddy is a second year nursing student, a mother of three, and a wife. She is leaning towards a field of spiritual nursing to connect the body, and soul. God has clearly shown Christina that the two are intertwined. She hopes to one day have a nursing blog that will help nurses become a more spiritual health provider.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
God Cannot Deny Himself
by Nan Trammell Jones, guest blogger
"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself." ~ 2 Timothy 2:11-13, New International Version
Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness. I ask You to show Yourself strong in the lives and hearts of my friends who hunger and thirst after You. Open their ears that they might hear Your whispers of love and peace. We praise You, Lord.
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Using the written word and the spoken words of her heart, Nan Jones assists fellow believers in discovering the essence of who God is in their darkest hour. Her devotional blog, Morning Glory at http://morningglorylights.blogspot.com/ has become a place of community for Christians to find encouragement in God's Word and comfort in His Presence. Nan is available as a speaker that will encourage your ladies. Whether there are two or three, or a sanctuary full, Nan believes that every heart is precious to the Lord. Please visit her blog for more information.
"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself." ~ 2 Timothy 2:11-13, New International Version
"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father...," I belted out the familiar hymn, humbled by the faithful provision of God. My eyes puddled as I remembered His goodness. We were in seminary at the time with two weeks remaining before our first church assignment. Our friends had graduated, taking our mutual support with them. We were down to our last few dollars, the pantry was nearly bare and we needed to feed three young children. But, how?
My husband, David, gathered us together to ask the Lord for help. One day went by. Two days went by. My anxious thoughts were on the rise. "Don't doubt Me," the Lord said, "I have heard your cry." On the third day, a knock drummed at the door. There was a stranger standing in front of us holding a box. He told us the Lord sent him with provisions. David and I stood dumbfounded. Around the corner came three other people, all of which were strangers to us. They each carried a box of food - enough to last a family of five, two weeks. From the treasure trove of food came macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, vegetables and fruits galore, a canned ham, and boxes of cereal. The bounty seemed endless. There were even Scooby-Do fruit snacks, our kids' favorite. The children jumped up and down, I cried, and my husband hugged the stranger at least three times.
"How did you know?" we asked.
The stranger answered, "Our bible study was praying about finding someone in need. The Lord reminded us of the seminary students. As we drove through graduate housing, it looked like everyone was gone, but then we saw your light on and knew this was the place."
How could we ever doubt the faithfulness of God?
The words of Timothy give us pause: We die - we shall live. We endure - we shall reign. We disown Him - He will disown us. But then the rhythm changes, the core message shifts: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot disown Himself" (verse 13).
God will remain faithful, no matter what. He must because His Word - the Word that represents Him in totality, the Word that is Him - proclaims His faithfulness.
"Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided: Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!" (Thomas O. Chisholm)
Our God is faithful. On this we can depend.
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Using the written word and the spoken words of her heart, Nan Jones assists fellow believers in discovering the essence of who God is in their darkest hour. Her devotional blog, Morning Glory at http://morningglorylights.blogspot.com/ has become a place of community for Christians to find encouragement in God's Word and comfort in His Presence. Nan is available as a speaker that will encourage your ladies. Whether there are two or three, or a sanctuary full, Nan believes that every heart is precious to the Lord. Please visit her blog for more information.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Don't Give Up!
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)
"I want to give up. I don't want to go on." Those were the words a friend spoke through her pain. She felt like she'd had all she could take. We all have that feeling of wanting to give up at times. But this verse tells us that when we run, we won't grow weary; when we walk, we won't be faint. She was feeling pretty weary and faint. Are you at a place of giving up today? Do you feel like your circumstances are overwhelming? If you do, let me encourage you to not give up. Keep running, and when you can't run anymore; walk your way through it. The Lord will be there to pick you up and carry you the rest of the way. So when you get tired and feel like you can no longer stand, fall into the arms of the one that knows you by name. Before you were formed, He knew you. Let Him carry you. So before you totally give up, try Jesus. Once you do, He'll give you the strength to run the race. And if you have to walk a while, that's ok too. Ladies, walk in to His loving and outstretched arms. He's waiting for you!
Father, thank You for being there to grab when we reach the end of our rope. Thank You for holding us in Your arms when we get tired. I pray for each readr. Lord carry her through her struggle. We praise Your Holy Name!
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)
"I want to give up. I don't want to go on." Those were the words a friend spoke through her pain. She felt like she'd had all she could take. We all have that feeling of wanting to give up at times. But this verse tells us that when we run, we won't grow weary; when we walk, we won't be faint. She was feeling pretty weary and faint. Are you at a place of giving up today? Do you feel like your circumstances are overwhelming? If you do, let me encourage you to not give up. Keep running, and when you can't run anymore; walk your way through it. The Lord will be there to pick you up and carry you the rest of the way. So when you get tired and feel like you can no longer stand, fall into the arms of the one that knows you by name. Before you were formed, He knew you. Let Him carry you. So before you totally give up, try Jesus. Once you do, He'll give you the strength to run the race. And if you have to walk a while, that's ok too. Ladies, walk in to His loving and outstretched arms. He's waiting for you!
Father, thank You for being there to grab when we reach the end of our rope. Thank You for holding us in Your arms when we get tired. I pray for each readr. Lord carry her through her struggle. We praise Your Holy Name!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Your Valuable to a Holy God!
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17, NKJV)
"You're worthless! Noone loves you!" Those were the words that rang in her ears. She's heard them for the last several years of her life, so she naturally didn't believe her friend when she was told differently. You see, her friend had the message of Christ for this precious lady. She told her how much she was loved and valued not only by her, but more importantly by her Creator. Have you been told that you have no value? No self-worth? Ladies, every bit of that is a lie! You have value! You were valued so much that over 2000 years ago, Christ went to the cross and paid the ramsom for you. Not only are you valued, but when He looks at you; do you know what He sees? He sees perfection. He sees a lady who, in her flesh isn't perfect, but in the eyes of the one who formed you, you're a jewel. Ladies, do you need to be reminded of your value today? I pray this message will remind you just how valuable and precious you are!
Father, thank You so much for seeing us as value. Help us to realize just how You do see us. In Jesus name, Amen.
******For those of you on facebook, I'd love for you to take a moment and go over to "like" my new ministry page, Connecting the Heart of Women. Beginning on June 4th at 7:30 PM, we will be having an hour of prayer. Bring your prayer needs...your praises...your heart. We want to hear it all!******
How great is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17, NKJV)
"You're worthless! Noone loves you!" Those were the words that rang in her ears. She's heard them for the last several years of her life, so she naturally didn't believe her friend when she was told differently. You see, her friend had the message of Christ for this precious lady. She told her how much she was loved and valued not only by her, but more importantly by her Creator. Have you been told that you have no value? No self-worth? Ladies, every bit of that is a lie! You have value! You were valued so much that over 2000 years ago, Christ went to the cross and paid the ramsom for you. Not only are you valued, but when He looks at you; do you know what He sees? He sees perfection. He sees a lady who, in her flesh isn't perfect, but in the eyes of the one who formed you, you're a jewel. Ladies, do you need to be reminded of your value today? I pray this message will remind you just how valuable and precious you are!
Father, thank You so much for seeing us as value. Help us to realize just how You do see us. In Jesus name, Amen.
******For those of you on facebook, I'd love for you to take a moment and go over to "like" my new ministry page, Connecting the Heart of Women. Beginning on June 4th at 7:30 PM, we will be having an hour of prayer. Bring your prayer needs...your praises...your heart. We want to hear it all!******
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
You Are God Alone!
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14, NKJV)
Earlier in the week, I read a blog that said we have a choice. We can either put God into a fishbowl, or we can let Him be in the river. This got me thinkin. I went back to the way I was raised. I was raised that we put God in the fishbowl-in His little box. And that's where He will stay. But you know what I realized? No matter what I choose to do with my knoledge of Him, He's still God! He's God alone, and there's noone else like Him! Going back to the way I was raised, we were taught to believe that the only version of Scripture was the KJV. We were taught to believe that the only music you sing in church are old hymns. While there's nothing wrong with either of those practices, God has so much more for us! He has more for us than tradition. He has more for us than the "we're doing it this way because we always have" mentallity. Ladies, let's let God out of the box! Let's enjoy Him to the fullest! In other words, like the blog I read said, let's let Him out of the fishbowl and into the river! Because once again, He is God alone!
Oh God, there is noone like You. You're the Creator of all things. Let us truly see You for who You are. Lord open our eyes to diclaire your majesty everywhere we go! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Earlier in the week, I read a blog that said we have a choice. We can either put God into a fishbowl, or we can let Him be in the river. This got me thinkin. I went back to the way I was raised. I was raised that we put God in the fishbowl-in His little box. And that's where He will stay. But you know what I realized? No matter what I choose to do with my knoledge of Him, He's still God! He's God alone, and there's noone else like Him! Going back to the way I was raised, we were taught to believe that the only version of Scripture was the KJV. We were taught to believe that the only music you sing in church are old hymns. While there's nothing wrong with either of those practices, God has so much more for us! He has more for us than tradition. He has more for us than the "we're doing it this way because we always have" mentallity. Ladies, let's let God out of the box! Let's enjoy Him to the fullest! In other words, like the blog I read said, let's let Him out of the fishbowl and into the river! Because once again, He is God alone!
Oh God, there is noone like You. You're the Creator of all things. Let us truly see You for who You are. Lord open our eyes to diclaire your majesty everywhere we go! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Empty Places
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1, NKJV)
As I read this verse this morning, I was able to see something that I've never noticed before.My mind went back to the story of the woman with the issue of blood. For 12 years, she tried to get help from every source available. She went to doctors. My guess is she probably tried all the home remedies that were given to her, and she may have even made some of her own. But then, something happened. She became desperate.She'd tried everything she could do humanoy possibly and she got nowhere. Finally, the day came. The day came where she was desperate enough to do anything. So she did what we all need to do. She came to the end of herself.She did whatever it took to get to Jesus, the one who she knew could heal her. She'd heard everyone in the town talking about Him, so she decided to see for herself.Just by touching the hem of His garment, her blood was dried up. Have you ever been in a place of total desperation? Have you ever been in a situation where you're willing to do whatever it takes to get relief? This woman was. Let's be like her. Let's be desperate enough to run to Him with our arms outstretched.
Oh God, let us come to that place of desperation. Let us come to the place where we say "I've done all I can, You take over." Thank You for meeting us right at the point of our need. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1, NKJV)
As I read this verse this morning, I was able to see something that I've never noticed before.My mind went back to the story of the woman with the issue of blood. For 12 years, she tried to get help from every source available. She went to doctors. My guess is she probably tried all the home remedies that were given to her, and she may have even made some of her own. But then, something happened. She became desperate.She'd tried everything she could do humanoy possibly and she got nowhere. Finally, the day came. The day came where she was desperate enough to do anything. So she did what we all need to do. She came to the end of herself.She did whatever it took to get to Jesus, the one who she knew could heal her. She'd heard everyone in the town talking about Him, so she decided to see for herself.Just by touching the hem of His garment, her blood was dried up. Have you ever been in a place of total desperation? Have you ever been in a situation where you're willing to do whatever it takes to get relief? This woman was. Let's be like her. Let's be desperate enough to run to Him with our arms outstretched.
Oh God, let us come to that place of desperation. Let us come to the place where we say "I've done all I can, You take over." Thank You for meeting us right at the point of our need. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
What a Friend!
A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24, New King James Version)
Walking into the house on that October afternoon, I had no idea what to expect. I was walking into a place of unknown territory. I was nervous and afraid all at the same time. Those feelings fled however when one lady that I didn't know walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me. That lady was Edie Melson. She hugged me and told me how glad they were to have me as part of the group. The next thing she said really broke the ice. She told me that she was reminded by a dear friend to be sure she took really good care of me while there. Since that first encounter, Edie and I have become extremely close. While the 2 of us are really good friends, there's an even greater friend that we have in common. His name is Jesus. If not for Him our friendship would be nothing.He reminds us in this verse that He sticks closer than a brother. While I know Edie would do anything she could for me, I also know that her friendship can't bring eternal peace. It can't bring me salvation. Only one person can bring that peace that we have for all of eternity. Once again ladies, that's Jesus. While you may have close friends here on Earth, do you have a relationship with the closest friend you'll ever have? Once you have that relationship, your earthly friendship will be all the more sweeter. I can promise you that!
Dear Lord, thank You for the friends you've so blessed us with. But thank You most of all for the friendship we share with You. We know that no matter how close wemay be to one another, You want us closest to You. Lord draw us all closer to our dearest friend-You. Lord we love You and we praise You. Amen.
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24, New King James Version)
Walking into the house on that October afternoon, I had no idea what to expect. I was walking into a place of unknown territory. I was nervous and afraid all at the same time. Those feelings fled however when one lady that I didn't know walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me. That lady was Edie Melson. She hugged me and told me how glad they were to have me as part of the group. The next thing she said really broke the ice. She told me that she was reminded by a dear friend to be sure she took really good care of me while there. Since that first encounter, Edie and I have become extremely close. While the 2 of us are really good friends, there's an even greater friend that we have in common. His name is Jesus. If not for Him our friendship would be nothing.He reminds us in this verse that He sticks closer than a brother. While I know Edie would do anything she could for me, I also know that her friendship can't bring eternal peace. It can't bring me salvation. Only one person can bring that peace that we have for all of eternity. Once again ladies, that's Jesus. While you may have close friends here on Earth, do you have a relationship with the closest friend you'll ever have? Once you have that relationship, your earthly friendship will be all the more sweeter. I can promise you that!
Dear Lord, thank You for the friends you've so blessed us with. But thank You most of all for the friendship we share with You. We know that no matter how close wemay be to one another, You want us closest to You. Lord draw us all closer to our dearest friend-You. Lord we love You and we praise You. Amen.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Lord, You're So Faithful!
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV)
"Great is thy Faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning, new mercies I see,
All I have needed,
Thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me."
Those words mean so much to me. I could tell story after story of the faithfulness of our God. I'll share one with you now. I was born 3 months premature weighing only one pound 14 ounces at birth. My parents were told that I'd never make it through that first night. Well ladies, I'm here to tell you that 24 years later, our God is still faithful! Not only did I make it through that first night; I also made it through a 6 month hospital stay. With all the surgeries I've had to endure in my life, I'm still saying "our God is so faithful!" I never dreamed that I would get this privilige to do what I'm doing now, writing to over 100 ladies! Now, I'd like to hear some of your stories. In the comments section, share with us how God has been faithful in your life. Your story could be what someone needs to hear. Ladies, your story could change a life!
Lord, thank You for being so faithful to me...even when I've not been faithful. Lord we give You praise for so many things. Thank You for being so faithful! Lord we love You and we praise You. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV)
"Great is thy Faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning, new mercies I see,
All I have needed,
Thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me."
Those words mean so much to me. I could tell story after story of the faithfulness of our God. I'll share one with you now. I was born 3 months premature weighing only one pound 14 ounces at birth. My parents were told that I'd never make it through that first night. Well ladies, I'm here to tell you that 24 years later, our God is still faithful! Not only did I make it through that first night; I also made it through a 6 month hospital stay. With all the surgeries I've had to endure in my life, I'm still saying "our God is so faithful!" I never dreamed that I would get this privilige to do what I'm doing now, writing to over 100 ladies! Now, I'd like to hear some of your stories. In the comments section, share with us how God has been faithful in your life. Your story could be what someone needs to hear. Ladies, your story could change a life!
Lord, thank You for being so faithful to me...even when I've not been faithful. Lord we give You praise for so many things. Thank You for being so faithful! Lord we love You and we praise You. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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