Tag Archives: devotions

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Out of the Blue

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Deborah J. Thomas

Out of the blue, things happen. And God speaks. He does this through something a friend says, or a pastor. From His Word, in the news or stories. In prayer. Or while going about daily life, whether in or in-between an attitude of prayer. He shows up.

Two days ago, He prompted me with an FYI email from my Zoom leader about an Ezekiel study. Out of nowhere, the Spirit nudged me to get the workbook and do the study. I had previously decided to forego it.

A day later, a second incident came out of the blue. While emptying the dishwasher, I prayed about a niggling experience from a former volunteer organization, whose leader set me aside. To process this, I shared it with a few friends, to evaluate my sanity. But now I felt God tell me that this sort of “reporting” or reality checking was no longer needed. My reporting task was done. I love God’s sense of humor! I pictured God with hidden cameras, recording me and taking MRIs of the perpetrator’s mind and mine. He sees what we think, scheme, suffer from and analyze.

God revealed that evaluation is fine but limited. Better still is forgiveness. Just as He allowed the administrator to conduct business as he did, He allowed me the freedom to rehash things for months. Now, I put the story into the Editor’s basket. Perhaps this invites God to work. I relinquish the grapes, for Him to turn into wine.

If a flashback enters my mind, I stop. Satan wants this to be a thorn in my side, a torture. But God is not a tempter, nor one who tortures his beloved. Rather, God can use memories as prompters. With reminders, I pray for the wrong doer and myself.

A strong way to pray is to do as Jesus did. He goes to God and asks Him for Love. God gave it to him. With His Love, Jesus loves those who came to him, healing them or solving their need.

God’s Love can bring a forgiving spirit to our hearts. The ping of others no longer crushes us, if we ask God to love us.

This love is not manufactured but given from the Father’s heart. A miraculous Love that heals wounds, forgives our enemy. Love doesn’t excuse sin—sin brings consequences. But Love puts God’s forgiving ability in us. We love the person, not their actions.

Another Out of the Blue happened this week. Why God allows bizarre or horrific tragedies is a mystery. Murderers and evil thrive in this broken world. The beloved Charlie Kirk of Turning Point Ministries was viciously assassinated yesterday. We reel from the sinful slaughter of an innocent man who adored the Savior of the world, Jesus. We’re filled with grief, dealing with sins’ effects. Thorns remain. Satan is unrelenting. Evil calls itself good and calls Good evil. But heinous sins are addressed by our Lord. God invites us to His Love. If an enemy of God repents, God will receive him.

We can ask God for His Love often. With it, we love others. We can pray and invite healing into painfilled situations.

Amazing love, how can it be?  That the Love of God can work in me!

15 Whoever confesses that ‘Jesus is the Son of God,’ in him God remains, and he remains in God; 16 God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ~1 John 4:16   Moffet version

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Tap Dance Anyone?

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At around six years, my mom asked if I’d like to take tap dance or piano lessons. I never hesitated and chose tap. My little sister and I began weekly tap dance lessons at a studio some miles away. I have no recollection of getting into the car to go, but I do recall the regimental “Heel, Toe, Shuffle Step” and “Pointer Step” commands. I think there was a “Slide” command in there, too. Little did I know this was leading up to a formal recital presentation which was announced, some months later. I begged to be excused. Mom was having none of it. So when the morning came to dress up and go, I was so nervous I threw up. She was boiling mad.


“That does it!” she said, “You’re going to take piano lessons now!”


I think Daddy took Karen on to the recital while I stayed home with Mother. I admired Karen that she went without me: she was only five at the time. (She discontinued the tap, thanks to me but took piano and voice lessons and has done numerous solos at church, plus directed church choirs, her fondest love. She has the presence of mind to perform with composure and confidence.)

Next month, I began the disappointing piano lessons after school once a week from Mrs. Bloomer, our church organist. She lived three blocks away and once I learned the route, Mom allowed me to walk home on my own, even though I had to carefully cross a busy thoroughfare called Division Avenue, to reach our house on Garland Street. It wasn’t long before I discovered that the piano was great fun even though practicing was a chore. I worked hard to get that lick- and-stick shiny star on every song I could. I also grew to adore my patient and good-hearted grandma-like teacher. Her first name was Jenny.

I regret not sticking with the tap dancing, for I so love to dance or watch tap dance and Irish clogging. Alas, I chose foolishly to abandon that opportunity just because I had a nervous stomach.

But life throws us curves and sometimes that’s not so bad. Because of my mother, I now can read music well. I played piano for my high school choir and most of the churches we attended, and accompanied soloists. I played the piano in my classrooms and each student had a sing-along songbook of all the tunes we learned in a year! Sometimes good intentions or hopes that don’t work out can spur something else just as amazing! Thank you, Mom!

How wonderful that our Creator gives each of us a talent or two, to add blessing to ourselves and others, and return blessing to Himself. My newest venture is re-learning how to play the flute. I am a long way from being able to play songs publicly, but it is worth working for.

What is/are your talent(s)?

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Crossfire II

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Author’s note: The following is a revised Observation & Prayer. Please disregard previous post with same title.

Dearest Lord,

Life is frightening. 

We need You. We struggle in this world. We cope however we can, some as optimists, others pessimists who say they are realists. Does either position have the full picture? When difficulty persists, it feels like dark sunglasses are placed over our eyes and we cannot see, nor understand.

We grope for answers and alternatives, but they are only experiments. Our fixes usually don’t help too much.

For Lord, unless You direct a man’s footsteps, we fail. Yours is the better plan. Come bring Your mercy, Your Light, and Your wonderful intervention. In You, the struggle is lifted.  In You there is strength to cope with life, or a way through the mountain pass. With thoughtful repentance and consultation with You, we have Hope.

All around, there is corruption and demonic battling, rampant, just as surely as in ages past. Satan is unrelenting. Once again, our republic is under attack, this time with tactics that feel like those of a Third World. Evil is on full display. There is bloodshed not only on battlefields, but in our streets and homes. And often, innocent bystanders are killed or injured.

In this fallen world, evil has been permitted to exist for a period. People die of stage four cancer, and diseases for which medicine has no cure. Deaths happen from accidents or disasters and it is hard to watch, for we are helpless to prevent it; it grieves us. But worse, there is deliberate evil, arrogant in nature, rigged up, funded by mogul terrorists who want democracy and Christianity to die. Demonic forces of all types join hands to scheme, accuse, impeach, and unjustly micromanage the opposition while making sure their own tracks go undercover. Lives of dissenters are threatened, or brought to court on kangaroo charges, anything to silence them.

As was done to our Lord Jesus in the middle of the night.

Evil clasps hands with anyone willing to go along. There is no membership fee to join, only an eternal penalty.

Against this sort of evil, we can fight with prayerful pleading. Oh Lord, send thousands of Your angels to come against evil, in Jesus’ name. Let them conquer it victoriously–every place on earth infected with vile degeneracy. Bless those who have lost innocent family members in the crossfire of its viciousness. {Pause, pray.}

From this sort of bloodthirsty evil, dear Heavenly Father, please forgive our sins, and deliver us.

Dearest Lord, save us.

Forgive and enlighten those who cling to the notion that Jesus is a minor man of little consequence.

Push back the clouds of deceit which have kept many from seeing the light; pluck them from darkness.

Transform those with a painful past and let them see Jesus, who loves them and offers them a new life.

Bring souls made crooked and perverted out from under the hold of cults and atheism.

If anyone refuses this grace, bind and forbid them to work any further evil in our world; heal the forlorn places of the world with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.

Forgive those of us who say we love You, when we don’t honor You, Lord; when we falter in our faith, and stumble over our circumstances instead of fully trusting You to be At Work. Of this, we repent.

When rainstorms come and pound us and hide Your face, we quiver in fear, Lord. We are blown off kilter, drenched and wilted and no longer see Heaven though it is still very much there. Forgive us of tiny faith and increase our trust.

Thank You that You have divine reasons for what You allow, and You will fulfill Your perfect intentions.  That nothing is wasted with You. Selah.

Our Father in Heaven, thank You that Your name is hallowed. May your Kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Yours is the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

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Dancing in the Dark

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Dancing in the dark is not unlike practicing Christianity.

Faith calls for stepping out into the unknown, the unforeseeable, a covered outcome. Life at times can be tragic, and in it, we are cast into a darkness.  We might feel alone, we might not see a way out.  Then comes the master dance instructor and offers us His hands in a classic dance pose.

Have you ever been a beginner ballroom dancer?  Do you know what it is like to be taken into the arms of the owner of the dance studio and whisked around the floor without making even one mistake?  At first you hesitate and blush at the awkwardness of being given such a privilege. But soon you find yourself gliding with your partner, under the strong signals of their hands.  Your beginner status is undetected by the observers; you are safe in the arms of the expert.  What have you to fear?

Not all dance floors are like a ballroom’s. Some are living rooms cluttered with furniture, others like the small dance floor of a bar, crammed with people.  Other dance places may have cluttered floors or small walls with hardly enough room to turn around in more than twice.  But the lead of the partnership dance knows his environ impeccably. He places his hand on the upper back of his partner, and holds out his left hand to them.  One hand steadies them, the other guides them effortlessly.  They feel him steering them forward, avoiding all obstacles in the path.  The gentle pressure upon their back is re-assuring.  A good instructor gives very little verbal cues during the dance itself.  It is all in the hands and the dance frame.

Lee Ann Womack sang,” “I Hope You Dance,” in 2008.  But Gladys Knight wrote it. My favorite line is I hope you give faith a fighting chance.

How we do that is to dance. The master instructor opens His hands to us.