June 26, 2009
You Are a Star
"Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." Psalm 147:1-4
Have you ever tried to count the stars? I mean there must be a billion of them. Look at them. They cover the sky at night, as far as your eye can see. Yet the Lord calls them each by name.
Have you ever felt that you were just one of a billion? An insignificant star that gets glossed over in the counting? There are so many stars in the world what do I matter? Well just as the Lord calls each star by name, He calls you. He created you to be who you are. He knew you before you were even born and He calls you His child.
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12-13
When I watch the news or read the paper, I hear about all the things going on in the world. Natural disasters, war, poverty, crime. There are so many "big" things that God needs to take care of and sometimes I think why would He care about my "little" things. What are my prayers compared to the prayers of those who are praying for an end to world hunger or praying for world peace? Yet God assures us that each prayer, each act of faith, is heard and answered in His perfect timing.
Did any of you watch the movie "Bruce Almighty"? It’s a movie about how Bruce got to do God’s job for awhile. There’s a scene in there where Bruce is sitting at his computer and all these prayer requests are coming in. There are so many of them and they just keep coming and coming – every hour, every minute, every second. There were just too many for him to read so he just hits the "yes to all" button. Of course, you can imagine the kind of chaos that caused!
You and I both know that God doesn’t need any sort of computer or email program to hear prayer requests. And He certainly doesn’t just hit a yes or no button when they come in. Every prayer that is prayed, every step of faith we take, every act of obedience – they are all important to God. And every child who bows his or her head in prayer can know that not only are their prayers heard, but that they matter.
"Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them." Daniel 10:12
Can you even begin to imagine this? This God who created the universe, who made the sun to rise in the east and set in the west, the One who put all the stars in place and calls them by name, this same God cares about you and me. In fact He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross so that we could have forgiveness of sins and oneness with the Father. Wow! I don’t know about you, but this just blows me away! To know that I am just as important as some movie star or sports hero. To know that my prayers matter as much to Him as the prayers of your pastor or priest. To know that my little prayers for a healed family are just as significant as prayers for world peace. Even though He has a whole universe to worry about, God cares about me and He cares about you, too.
So the next time you wonder if God sees what is going on, rest assured that He sees and He cares. The next time you wonder if your prayers made it to His ears, know that they did and that they will be answered. The next time you think that you are nobody important, remember that You are His child.
Isaiah 40:26 says: "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
If God cares that much about stars – to arrange them in the Heavens and keep constant watch that not one of them goes out – how much more will He care for us? After all, we are created in His image. We are sons and daughters of the King. We are His most important shining stars.
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7
Be a shining star,
Kim, in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/kim.html
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org
June 19, 2009
"There's Hope!"
"Put your hope in God." Psalm 42:5 NIV
Today was the big day. People all over the county came to run the five-mile race. For the past three years, the local church organized a race to raise money to a rent billboard. Their mission was to reach families and tell them "There's Hope! God Heals Hurting Marriages." With the money raised, they were able to rent two billboards for an entire year spreading hope for hurting families.
This year, Sandra was going to run. She wanted to thank all the runners for raising money for the billboard. It was her way of giving to another family hope. For five years, Sandra would visit her dad every other weekend and every Tuesday evening. She put her hope in her parents to work on the marriage. She put her hope in her parents to "fix" the problem and get back together. Unfortunately, they didn't and she was disappointed again.
One year, two months and three days ago, she saw the yellow, black and white billboard for the first time. Curious about it, she checked out www.rejoiceministries.org when she got home. She couldn't believe her eyes. Story after story told how God restored families. Tears rolled down her face. This was where Sandra first learned about Jesus and accepted his salvation. This was where she learned about a God who is unfailing and faithful forever. This was where she learned how to pray for her parent's souls and to put her hope in a God who can heal her family.
Sandra received emails from Rejoice Ministries encouraging her to keep the faith. One day, she saw the Bible study schedule and they were coming to her town. She asked her mom if they could go to a Bible study. By the end of the study, Sandra's mom had given her heart to the Lord and made a commitment to stand for her marriage. Together they prayed and sought the Lord every day. Exactly five months ago to this day, Sandra's dad accepted Christ and came home.
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchman wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins." Psalm 131:5-8 NIV
Sometimes the Bible seems to say the same thing over and over. There is no mistake. The Bible is the Word of God, His love letter to us. It's God's way of making sure we understand and remember a very important message.
Have you ever asked your mom or dad for something and a little later asked again in case they forgot the first time? God does the same thing to us. He repeats Himself to make sure we don't forget.
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - the Lord, who remains faithful forever." Psalm 146:5-6
"The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love." Psalm 147:11
"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us." Romans 5:3-5
Did you notice how these verses talk about putting hope in a God who is unfailing and faithful forever? That means He never fails and is committed to us. People will always disappoint us at one time or another. They won't do exactly what we want. We expect them to do certain things. That's not fair to them because we get mad at them and that's not fair to us because we get disappointed. Put your hope in the Lord because He always has your best interest at heart. He will never let you down. You can always count on Him. Over and over throughout the scriptures we are told to put our hope in Him. It must be an important message to be repeated so many times.
Putting our hope where it belongs,
Colleen in Virginia
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org
June 16, 2009
A Dad Who Did Wrong
Hey kids! Are really old guys allowed to post messages here? I hope so. Usually it is a mom who writes to you, but since Sunday is Father's Day I have some things I want to tell you about. They probably happened before you were even born.
They happened in the 1980's. Yes, we had cars and electricity back then, but we did not have cell phones or the Internet or texting. Can you imagine only talking to your friends in person or by telephone? When I was about your age we sure spent a lot of time on the phone. (I told you I am just about an antique!)
Charlyne was my wife. We had three children. Tim was the oldest. He was about to get his driver’s license when this all happened. Our daughter Lori was 12 years old. Tom was starting first grade. Our family went to church and everything, but we fought a lot. I made the bad mistake of thinking I would be happier if I did not live with my family.
Have you ever seen someone wearing a blindfold so they could not see? Well, the devil had a blindfold over my eyes so that I could not see what was happening. If you close your eyes, you can imagine anything. Since I could not see, I imagined how happy I could be living with another person and her kids.
Pretty goofy for me to imagine that, but since the devil had me blindfolded, I imagined living somewhere else. Charlyne and I had fights all the time and our kids would run into their rooms and slam the doors crying.
Finally one day I loaded up all my stuff and moved to a hotel. Know what? I missed my family from the very first day! But I would close my eyes and imagine how happy I was going to be some day after the hurt from missing my family went away. The hurt never went away.
Before long, I was trying to be the daddy to some other kids. It all seemed so perfect. There were a lot of problems and my hurts still hurt. My kids at home hurt even more because their daddy was gone. Charlyne tried to make them feel better, but they did not have enough money either.
For a couple of years, I tried to make my new life work out. Maybe to others it looked like it did, but deep in my heart I was hurting very badly. When Charlyne and I got married, God made us to be one flesh. Did you ever see two trees that have grown together? That is what marriage is like.
Back at home Charlyne was hurting and crying a lot, just like our kids. I tried not to think about all of that, but God kept reminding me of what I had done. Charlyne asked everyone what she could do to stop hurting. They all said for her to forget about me, but she could not. Really, she did not want to. She wanted me to come home and for all the fighting to stop, but no one told her how that could ever happen.
I tried and tried to be happy without my family, but the more I tried, the worse I felt. I moved to a lot of different places and had different jobs, but I thought about my family all the time, but no one knew it. My friends thought I was happy.
One Sunday when Charlyne and our kids were at church, a singing group from Nashville, Tennessee was there. Guess what? The man and woman who were singing told their story between songs. They were just like us and God had put them back together again.
God spoke to Charlyne and told her there was still hope for us being a family again, after He changed each of us.
Did you ever have God speak to you? He probably does all day long. Like when you are tempted to look at someone else’s paper during a test at school, and something tells you that is wrong.
Please do not tell anyone, but once when I was a kid, I took money from my mother’s purse, even though God was telling me that was wrong. When my mother asked me about the money, I lied and said I had not seen it. Double trouble, I had stolen and lied. God told me go and tell my mother the truth. I felt a lot better afterward.
Well, Charlyne started praying for God to change all of us. Soon, when I picked up my kids for visitation, I could see that Charlyne was different. She was kind of peaceful and almost happy. I knew she was praying for me every day. It made me think.
Do you like stories with happy endings? Well, this story has a great ending. About two years later, I woke up one Wednesday morning and God had removed the devil’s blindfold from my eyes. I felt so foolish and was so ashamed of leaving my family. God spoke to me that day and told me He could forgive me if I would go home.
Right then, I got in my car and drove 100 miles to where Charlyne worked. We got remarried that same day. Our kids were so happy their dad was home that night.
There is a lot more to this story I can write about another day, but I want to ask you a question. Can you see yourself in my story? Maybe your mother or father is wearing a blindfold right now. Maybe God has been speaking to you. (I hope you did not steal or lie like I did.) Maybe you are happy now because your parents are back together again.
No matter where you are in my story, there is one thing you can do. You can pray. It is awesome that God hears the prayers of kids. He answers the prayers of kids as well as old people like me. Praying is just you talking to God.
I want to tell you one more thing. One day our granddaughter, Alyson was at our home visiting. She was nine or ten years old. Aly picked up a book Charlyne and I had written about our story. Aly read for a while and then said to me, "You didn’t really do this to Grandma did you?" I had to tell her it was true. I also told her how sorry I was for doing things blindfolded. The good thing is that God has healed our family so well that even our grandchildren could not tell what had happened.
God can heal your family the same way. I now know how tough divorce was on our kids. If you will just keep on praying, God has a plan for your family. Please just keep on being that kind of kid that will make your parents proud.
The story about our family did not end with a divorce. That is when our story really started. Thanks for reading my story about how God took the blindfold off my eyes.
Jesus is there with you,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org
June 13, 2009
This Little Light of Mine
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
One of my favorite things to do as a kid during long summer nights was to catch fireflies in a jar. It's not as easy as it sounds! Those little guys were quick! But I would manage to capture one or two every once in awhile. I would put a little grass in the jar for them and punch holes in the lid so they would have air. I would watch them glow in the jar for a little while and then put them on my dresser to watch them in the morning. But they never did glow in the morning. I always ended up letting them go.
Do you know why fireflies glow? Scientists have a big fancy word for it called bioluminescence. (Try that one out on your friends or teacher!) Anyway, it just means that they can produce their own light from the chemicals in their body. And it wasn't that the fireflies didn't have this chemical anymore. It was because they didn't have a reason to glow. You see, fireflies glow to attract a mate or to warn off predators. Since there were no mates around to attract and no predators to contend with, they simply didn't glow.
You and I have a light inside of us, too. I call it our Jesus light. It's there all the time but sometimes others can't see it. Sometimes we cover up that light with our actions or words. Like maybe when I say something mean or hurtful to one of my friends. Or maybe when I'm jealous of what someone else has. Or maybe when I don't tell the whole truth about something. Or maybe when I look at or listen to things I know I shouldn't. Then my Jesus light doesn't shine so brightly.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
Do you sometimes cover up that Jesus light inside you? Do you ever feel bad about it? I know that I do. So I tell Jesus that I am sorry for covering up the light He has given me and ask Him to help my light shine more brightly so that everyone can see it. Jesus reminds me that it is His love that lights my soul and that His Word has commanded that I show this love to others.
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12
So how can we show this Jesus love to others? There are lots of ways we can do it. One way is to make sure that the words we speak to others are good words, not mean words. You know what it is like when someone hurts your feelings. You sure don't want someone else to feel like that do you? So we need to always make sure that the things we say to others show the love that Jesus has for us. Even if this means not saying anything and just walking away.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. …Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:29,32
Another way to make sure your Jesus light is shining is to always tell the truth - no matter the cost. As a grown-up I can tell you that even though it is a real hard thing to tell the truth sometimes, it is always better in the end. Because when we lie or cover-up something, then we let a little bit of darkness into our hearts and sometimes the darkness makes us feel bad inside. Not like when the Jesus light is shining in there. I've felt both the darkness and the light and I can definitely tell you - the light is much better!
We can be even more active in showing our Jesus love by going out of our way to help others. Is there an older person on your block who could use a little help in the garden or with the yard? Is there a young mother who could use your help entertaining the little ones for an afternoon? Is there someone who loves to read but can't anymore because they can't see the print? Is there someone who needs to walk their dog but for some reason or other simply can't? There are lots of little ways to show your Jesus love for people. You don't have to go out and feed the hungry or collect blankets for the homeless. These are good and noble things but sometimes we just need to look around us to see people who need our Jesus love.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:35-40
One of my favorite songs growing up was "This Little Light of Mine." I still sing it quite often today. How about if we sing it together?
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Won't let Satan blow it out. I'm gonna let it shine. Won't let Satan blow it out. I'm gonna let it shine, Won't let Satan blow it out. I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel - NO! I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel - NO! I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel - NO! I'm gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes. I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine til Jesus comes. I'm gonna let it shine, Let it shine til Jesus comes. I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Words & Music written by Harry D. Loes; Public Domain CCLI #1273562
Shine your light,
Kim in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/kim.html
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org
June 5, 2009
It's Almost Time!
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 NIV
When the kids came to their Wednesday night class, they saw a plate of brownies sitting on the counter. One by one they asked Miss Mary if they could have one. She smiled and said "No. Not right now." With heads hung low, the kids sighed and sat in their seats. Some pouted and whined about not getting brownies. Others got mad and sat there with their arms folded glaring at Miss Mary for not sharing right now. Still, others forgot about it and just enjoyed the class anyway.
Half way through the class, most of the kids forgot about the brownies. Not Mike. All he could think about was eating a huge brownie and how Miss Mary's lesson was taking forever. While the class learned about God's timing and waiting for the prize, they made crafts and worked on activity sheets. They learned to not put limitations on God, but to expect the unexpected and wait for God's big blessing instead of settling for something small. Mike just sat there with his arms folded getting more and more angry.
When the lesson was finally over, Miss Mary had the children line up to get their brownies. Mike dashed to the front of the line, grabbed his brownie and rushed out the door. Several minutes later, he noticed the rest of the class had not come out. After walking back inside, he saw the kids eating a hot fudge brownie sundae with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Mike had missed the entire lesson all because he was mad. He didn't get his way. Miss Mary talked to the children about waiting on God's timing as His timing is perfect. She talked about putting hope in Him because He would not disappoint them, but would surprise them with a tremendous gift. She shared how if they waited patiently, they'd receive something bigger and better than they ever imagined. During the lesson, she shared that there were brownies and a special surprise if they waited for the right time. Mike missed that part because he was sulking in his anger.
It's hard to wait. I know because we're waiting too. Don't give up though! God has big plans for your family, bigger and better plans than you can imagine. Don't miss out like Mike did because of anger. Take this time to get to know God more. Tell Him what's on your mind. Share your real feelings. He wants to hear from you. The more you know Him, the easier this will be. He will walk you through this.
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." Hebrews 6:12
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23
Make today a new beginning. Instead of counting the days your parent has been gone, make, print or buy a calendar. Every time God gives you a special bible verse or encouragement, write it on your calendar so you can be reminded of God's promises. Each day God is closer to getting a hold of your parent's heart and bringing them home. You're are closer to getting your super duper big blessing of a restored family. But pray and wait patiently for God to do something amazing in His time.
Don't settle for the brownie when you can have a super duper hot fudge brownie sundae with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Waiting for our sundae,
Colleen in Virginia
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org
