Out of Order

by Marcia Lee Laycock

I’m what they call a “seat of the pants” writer. That means I don’t sit down and concoct a lengthy outline and figure out my story from beginning to end. I just dive in and write, figuring it out as I go. I find this style invigorating. I never know what might happen in the next paragraph.

The story usually comes to me in scenes - I’ll be happily spinning my tale when, pop, here comes another scene that might not necessarily be next in the plot. I stop and put these “out of the blue” scenes into a separate file and add them in later. That works. Most of the time. But there is a down side to writing this way. Sometimes things get mixed up. Sometimes things are out of order. And sometimes I end up in an editing nightmare.

Like the other day, when I was working on the second book of my fantasy series and had the nagging feeling that something was out of order. So I painstakingly did a chapter by chapter outline and found a couple of things that had to be moved. A character can’t suddenly be talking to someone she meets two chapters later. The villain can’t put his schemes into action until he’s given the information he needs in order to carry them out. Those kinds of mistakes are a little annoying to our readers! That’s why a structural edit is crucial for writers like me. And that pertains not just to my work, but to my life.

Sometimes our lives can be out of order. We start the day in a rush and forget to even breathe a “good morning, Lord,” before diving into our schedule. We’re half way through the day before we realize something isn’t right. Maybe we’re a bit snappy with colleagues or our family members. Maybe we just feel a little ‘off.’ And then there are those days when things just go all wrong, things happen that don’t make any sense at all and often they are difficult or even painful.

That’s when it’s time to do a structural edit of our lives and put things in the right order; that’s when we need to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). And that’s when we can take great comfort in knowing that there is a Sovereign over it all, an Author, who knows the beginning and the end, and every single detail of the plot of our lives. He has made sure that all is in order, even when it seems in chaos.

Hebrews 12:2, says – “I desire to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

That’s the right order – scene number one - focus on Jesus.

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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife, mother of three adult daughters and care-giver to two golden retreivers. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. Her second novel, A Tumbled Stone was recently short listed in the contemporary fiction category of The Word Awards. Marcia also has two devotional books in print as well as two ebooks. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. 

Visit Marcia’s Website

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers is available on Amazon.

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Is Your House Leaking?

Is Your House Leaking?

Ever had a leak in your house? We sure have! Numerous times. It can be quit

messy and expensive, can’t it? But more crucial than a leak in our physical house is a leak in our spiritual house.

There’s a commercial that gets my attention every time: it’s on flood insurance. It’s a cartoon. The voice-over is that of a young girl. Part of it goes something like this:

There was a nice house that lived with a family. One day, it started to rain and rain. Water got inside and ruined everybody’s everything. The house thought she let the family down. But the family just didn’t think a flood could ever happen.

The reality is, floods do happen.

Though God said He would not send a flood upon the whole earth again, we do need to be prepared for spiritual floods.

Solomon warned, “Through lowering of hands, the house leaks.” (Eccl. 10:18 Masoretic Text, emphasis mine) According to the definitions, if through inactivity, negligence, or idleness, we lower our hands from lack of prayer and praise, then the house begins to weep.

So, whose house is leaking? Whose house is weeping? Our house? Our child’s house? Our friend’s house? Our neighbor’s house? Our nation’s house? What about God’s House?

On the mount of victory with hands of surety uplifted into the air, Moses’ spoke prayers and praises as Israel prevailed against the enemy. When he lowered his hands, the enemy prevailed.

In the book of Acts, the disciples said, “We shall devote ourselves whole-heartedly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4 Phillips)

In our prayer efforts, let not our knees go unbent nor our hands weaken in lifting praise to the Lord that the enemy not defeat us in our battles. Others need us to pray for them as well. As the Amplified says in Hebrews 12:12, “So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees.”

Over whose house is the enemy prevailing? Have you raised your hands in prayer to stop the leaking, to stop the weeping, to stop the enemy?

Raise your hands and stop the leaks!

From His feet, Lynn

Lynn Mosher loves to dig into God’s Word and treasure hunts for golden nuggets along the road Home. Lynn lives with her hubby (since 1966) in their Kentucky nest, emptied now of three kidlets and embracing three giggly grand-chicklets. Her greatest passion is to share those nuggets in her devotionals and inspirational stories, fulfilling God’s call on her life to encourage others and glorify the Lord. Lynn writes monthly for several sites and bi-weekly at her online residence, Heading Home. 

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ALL I DID WAS TAKE NOTES

by Cynthia Ruchti


"The real test of the saint is not preaching the gospel [or writing a bestseller], but washing disciples' feet, that is, doing the things that do not count in the actual estimate of men but count everything in the estimate of God…now who becomes broken bread and poured out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for others."  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest


How many serious students of the God-centric life include in their morning or even routines--their spiritual aerobics--a reading from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest?

Considering this popular devotional hasn't been out of print since it first released in 1927, and that it has been translated into at least 39 languages, and that some reread it annually, it's brain-straining to calculate.

I spoke with a twenty-something young woman who had been given a leather-bound copy of the book with spaces for journal entries on each page. Reading Chambers' straight-forward yet practical approach to obedience to Christ and abandoning ourselves to His purposes awakened a fire within her.

Simple truths expressed in profound ways.

I wonder how Chambers' young widow felt when she transcribed the quote mentioned above. Her husband was the one gifted to preach, to move audiences, to influence others. After he died at 43 from complications from appendicitis, she continued transcribing his teachings from the shorthand she'd used to take notes. All she did was take notes.

We would have none of those words to inspire, nudge, and drive us deeper into God's Word if his wife hadn't used HER gift--lightning-speed shorthand--and if she hadn't devoted countless hours to record Oswald Chambers' messages.

In what ways have you become discouraged because of the humble tasks you've been assigned, the ones that "do not count in the actual estimate of men"? 

Even in the world of the novelist, if you're helping tell others about someone else's book, is it possible that one day someone who's faith has grown from that other book will realize, "I never would have heard that story if my friend hadn't 'taken notes' for me"?



Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in HOPE. Information about her award-winning novels and nonfiction, as well her speaking topics for women's events and writers' workshops is available at cynthiaruchti.com or Facebook.com/CynthiaRuchtiReaderPage.

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Achiever? ... or OVERachiever?

Chances are, you are – or know someone who is – driven to succeed. Perhaps you manage a large department, or lead worship, or write inspirational fiction, or even manage a very active family life. With all of those achievements, it can be very easy to spin out of control.

Author and speaker John Ortberg, in his book The Me I Want to Be, writes, “God did not take away Paul’s desire to achieve; rather, he harnessed it so that Paul could serve others.” Before receiving the message from the Lord to do His work, Paul was full of worldly ambition and worked tirelessly to persecute the very church he later promoted. Not only did Paul’s life change, but so did the course of the history of the world. He helped begin a worldwide movement that has lasted thousands of years and impacted countless lives in unfathomable ways.

God put the desire to succeed within us. Ecclesiastes 9:10 states: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” It is how we focus that desire that counts.

When we focus our attention on God and work for Him, we produce good fruit. We use our ambition to not only achieve for ourselves, but to do good for others. Furthermore, when we redirect our work to reflect God’s will for our lives, we stay away from the errant triggers of dishonesty, comparison and a workaholic nature. Instead, we use our God-given gifts to further His kingdom in a way that keeps our focus on Him. The end result is that everyone – our own family and friends, the spiritually restless and unchurched, and mature Christians alike – can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

God put the desire to achieve within us, and we thank Him for this great gift by using it for His glory! Take the time today to put your ambition under a microscope. Examine where you may need to upgrade your achievement desires and center them in Christ.

WARNING: Errant desire triggers include the behavioral tendency to become a workaholic, an underlying dishonesty about certain issues, and habitual comparisons to the achievements of others.

Motivational speaker and author Mark Driscoll encourages us this way: “The root of an overachiever’s problem is a worship problem. They put their work, money, power, prestige or fame in the place of God. We need to get past the fruit and into the root. You can grab all these weeds but if you don’t pull the root, it always comes back. By examining the root of the problem and placing it at the foot of the cross, we turn our need to succeed into something worthy of God’s delight. In this way, we move from worldly ambition to Godly achievement."

Think about what the Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10. Why do you suspect that God asks us to view ourselves as His masterpiece? What assumption can you draw as to why Christ wants us to believe he created us “anew” in him?

Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation)

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

The great thing about achievement is that we want to achieve. Thankfully, as we center our achievements in Christ, we seek the right type of goal to win the right type of prize.

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Sandra D. Bricker is a best-selling and award-winning author of laugh-out-loud romantic comedy for the Christian market. Her most popular series (that started with Always the Baker Never the Bride) will conclude this spring with Always the Baker FINALLY the Bride, which is now available for pre-order at Amazon.

Sandie leads a team of writers in creating the Living It Out daily Bible study for CedarCreek Church. Today's devotion is based on the Living It Out study on the desire to achieve. If you enjoyed it, feel free to check out the daily studies by e-mail or audio podcast by clicking HERE.

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Really Looking at Jesus

Let’s really marvel at Jesus this week. Let’s marvel at the fact that Jesus changed how the world expresses compassion, that he shaped education, revolutionized art and changed political theory. In him, we find hope and the one and only path to God.

For centuries, people lived distinctly divided lives. Identity remained defined by the group into which each person was born or married. Then Jesus taught people about God, himself, and the Holy Spirit that would reside within them after his death, and he gave them a new way to define themselves. Jesus presented an idea of community that no one had ever seen. In this community, all manner of people, wealthy or poor, Gentile or Jew, slave or free, were welcome.

           

Think of all the dissimilar people that Jesus brought together! People like C.S. Lewis, Bono, Pope Benedict XVI, Denzel Washington, and Tim Tebow; all of them united because of one man—Jesus Christ!

           

We are all one body united in Christ. As sinners and broken people, whether we are black or white, Asian or German, tall or short, single or married, parents or children, hip or nerdy, new believers or spiritual authorities, we are one community. Only one thing matters: Our identity is found in Jesus Christ, and he lives in all of us. Jesus brought us all together. He gave us hope through community. Who else could do that?

One of the most predominant principles shared in most westernized societies is the right of citizens to obtain an education. From about five years of age until around age eighteen, it is expected that children will attend school and be taught the knowledge, skills, customs and values necessary to shape them into productive members of society. This has become such a common occurrence that it’s pretty much taken for granted. But it wasn’t always so.

           

The life and teachings of Jesus would radically alter the “status quo” of education being a privilege only for the elite and would shape the foundation of education. Jesus, the ultimate Teacher of all time, set the precedence for making no distinction between fishermen, women, rich, poor, outcasts, young or old. His classroom was on mountaintops, in boats, synagogues, roadways and private homes. He taught one-on-one, in small and large groups, both privately and publically. He used methods that everyone could understand through parables, stories and everyday life occurrences and examples.

Jesus revealed to us the mysteries of God; of His immeasurable truth, love, mercy and grace. Through his teachings, Jesus gives us the hope of a relationship with God and his death on the cross. His burial and resurrection make that relationship a certainty. 

In Mark 3:17, Jesus taught that we are to follow the rules laid down by government while still surrendering to God all that belongs to God...which, of course, is everything else. In his time, Jesus’ statement was an abomination because he pointed out that, while government is an important element in our lives, there is also another realm, a second and ultimate authority by which we are governed. The Pharisees realized that, under this man’s reign, their dominion could be profoundly limited, and they were having none of it! But even by killing him, they couldn’t change what Jesus had set into motion.

From that time until now, disciples of Christ have been standing on these precepts. When it came time for our forefathers to design a governing document for this new world, they purposefully based it on the teachings of Jesus Christ: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and have been endowed by their Creator with certain rights…”

           

Jesus was also the architect of our global concepts toward human rights and dignity. He delivered a fresh perspective, and Galatians 3 reported that, in Christ Jesus, there is no longer a    distinction between people, and that we are all one our servanthood to him. In this election year, it’s important to remember that this powerful perspective grew sturdy legs throughout political history. Martin Luther King, in fact, was inspired by scripture at The Mall in Washington, D.C. when he began to quote the Book of Amos and    ultimately moved forward to declare to the gathering crowd: “I have a dream...that one day…”

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Sandra D. Bricker is a best-selling and award-winning author of laugh-out-loud romantic comedy for the Christian market. Her most recent book, Always the Designer Never the Bride is the third of a series of four novels in the Another Emma Rae Creation series from Abingdon Press Fiction. Check out her BLOG and sign up to receive her weekly posts by e-mail.  

Sandie leads a team of writers in creating the Living It Out daily Bible study for CedarCreek Church. Today's devotion is borrowed from the Living It Out study on HOPE. If you enjoyed it, feel free to check out the daily studies by e-mail or audio podcast by clicking HERE.

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The Weight of Our Faith

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple

must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

Deny myself? Pick up a cross, every single day? Yikes!

Over the years, the symbol of the cross has taken on such a heavy and distasteful connotation with some believers. To follow Jesus, we must pick up something heavy and lug it along after Him? That’s not too appealing. What happened to the idea of being set free in Christ? Freedom emotes a soothing visual picture, like a colorful and happy beach ball, carefree as it bounces along, light as a feather.

I see the cross as a beautiful and wonderful symbol of the Lord’s unfathomable and boundless love. The cross was (and is) the calling on the heart of the Son of God, played out in His painful, but faithful, walk to fulfill it. And to pick up our own cross and follow Him with it means, to me at least, to find the calling on each of our own lives, to dedicate our pursuit of it to our Creator, and to press on against all obstacles to fulfill our destiny.

Has He called you to teach? Then teach to the fullest ability inside you. Called to minister? Then volley all of your efforts into building your ministry according to His leading.

If you look at it that way, the cross we bear isn’t quite so heavy any more, is it? In fact, it can be counted as joy as we chase after the dreams He has planted in us, and as we seek to honor Him in all we do to gain ground toward that destiny.

If this speaks to you, will you pray with me?

Father, I can’t thank You enough for that day when You whispered in my ear what you had created me to accomplish and pursue. It hasn’t always been easy; the road has been paved with obstacles and challenges. But knowing that You are in this with me, that You are pleased, that You are glorified in my efforts, is better than any worldly reward. Grant me Your grace and enable me to honor you in everything I pursue. In Jesus' holy name. Amen.

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Sandra D. Bricker was an entertainment publicist in Los Angeles for 15+ years. She is now a best-selling, award-winning author of laugh-out-loud fiction for the inspirational market. As an ovarian cancer survivor, she gears time and effort toward raising awareness and funds for research, diagnostics and a cure. Her latest novel, Book #3 of 4 in the Another Emma Rae Creation series for Abingdon Press, is Always the Designer, Never the Bride. Sandie invites every reader to click the FOLLOW button on her newly-redesigned BLOG and contribute to the ongoing conversations.

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