It is Well

By Brita Crouse

“Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:10 (NLT)

This past Sunday, I was sitting in church, and as the pastor began speaking, he opened up by telling the congregation that this sermon was going to be on suffering. I could feel my body going rigid and my mind putting up mental walls to tune out what he was saying because I did not want to hear this. But then, I heard that still, small voice nudging me to listen because I might just learn something.

I am currently experiencing a “season of suffering,” so, the fact that this pastor was preaching on this very topic, convicted me about my attitude toward an unwanted obstacle that is being used to tell others about God. Suffering seems to mean certain things to different people. It’s not experienced the same for everyone and everyone handles it differently, but it is something that everyone has, or will, experience.

Horatio Spafford, the writer of the popular hymn “It is Well with My Soul,” experienced an immense amount of suffering. He was ruined financially because of the Chicago fire, and on top of that lost all of his children, either to illness or drowning. He lost so much, yet remained faithful to God and was prompted to go on and write one of the most well-known hymns of all time. His suffering was used by God to reach millions of others over decades and generations through this powerful song.

When God makes us weak through periods of insult, hardship, persecution, or calamity, it gives us the opportunity to fully depend on Him. He is the only one who can provide us true comfort and strength.

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

This is one of my favorite verses from “It is Well...” because it encourages us to be faithful to God, in good times and in bad. So whether you are experiencing “peace like a river” or “sorrows like sea billows,” remember to always depend on God, for when we are weak, then we are strong in Him.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Are you or someone close to you experiencing a season of suffering? How is God using you to glorify Him through this time?

2. Listen to the hymn “It is Well with My Soul” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80x6wDi9umY) every day this week. What words or lines apply to you specifically right now?

FURTHER READING:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Peter 5:6-11; Romans 5:1-5

Brita is currently working toward her Master’s in Counseling at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She has called Oakwood her home church for the past seventeen years.

Experience Cards
By Elin Henderson

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth.”
Galatians 3:1a (NKJV)

Sometimes, life is like the game Monopoly. You buy, you sell, you win, you lose. You look forward to those “experience card” spaces where the unknown waits for you! What new experience will I get? “Straight to jail, do NOT pass go, do NOT collect $200”? Or “Win a free ride on the Reading Railroad”? Our lives are built around experiences. We are an experience-driven people!

Yet, there is a separate and essential component to our Monopoly experience cards called “TRUTH.” Experience and Truth are two factors on a precarious balance. Experience without truth can be misleading. Truth without experience can be empty and meaningless. From a human perspective, which is easier to measure? Our natural default is always Experience. We can see it and feel it. Truth can be abstract and distant, difficult to discern. The balance is then set with Experience as the Judge, and Truth as being judged by it.

But we, as believers, live by a different standard, a balance on which the reverse is true. Truth is the essential factor by which we weigh all of life’s experiences. Truth in the unchanging form of God’s Word, revealed by God’s Spirit to our human hearts and minds, influencing our actions and behavior! While experiences can change from person to person, truth remains the same. “God is the same yesterday, today and further” and He is, after all, “the way the TRUTH and the life.”

He often does use experiences to reveal truth to us and to help us grow. The key is to get to know Him as the Truth, and His Word as the revelation of that Truth. Then, our scales will be able to properly discern the different experiences that we encounter.

In the second and third chapters of Galatians, Paul gets after the Galatian believers and asking them pointedly: Who has fooled you? You are hung up on experiences but have forgotten the Truth. They had lost sight of the truth of the gospel (2:14) by looking to experiences (in this case, circumcision and outward conformity or, in other words, “experiences”). Let’s not follow in their footsteps and become so experience-focused that our scales become skewed.

The next time life deals you a unique “experience card,” pick it up without fear and measure it against the truth of the Person and Word of God and see what He has in store for you!

GOING DEEPER:
1. What recent experiences do you need to throw onto the balance of truth?
2. How well do you know the “TRUTH” side of the scale? How can you better apply yourself to the study of His Person and His Word?

FURTHER READING:
III John 4; I John 5:6; I John 2:21; II Timothy 2:15

Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to fourteen-year-old Callie and eleven-year-old Elias.

Advice to the Top Dog
By Carolyn Hulliberger

“Have I (the LORD) not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (NIV, emphasis added)

“…Only be strong and courageous!”
Joshua 1:18b (NIV)

Being in charge is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Sure, from the outside, getting to be “top dog,” “head honcho,” “big shot,” “boss” or “Mom” looks pretty attractive. The person in charge gets to be the most informed, make decisions, tell others what to do, and grab all the glory after everything works out alright.

OR…

If you are the leader, you get to do research, ask questions, weigh your options, make decisions, hope that others will do as you instruct, and take all the fall-out if the decisions you make do not work the way you envisioned.

Being in charge is not for the faint of heart. We see this in the life of Joshua, the Old Testament leader of the Israelites.

Joshua took over the leadership of the Israelites after Moses died. He was tasked to safely lead what appears to be around two million people into the Promised Land. The mountain of responsibility this entailed was tremendous. But God knew that, and as He spoke to Joshua directly, three times God says, “Be strong and courageous.” I don’t know about you, but if God said something directly to my ear just once, it must be pretty important, let alone three times!

Joshua follows God’s instructions, preparing himself and the Israelites for the fight that awaits them. He explains the plan and gives the orders. The leaders of the tribes then answer Joshua: They will obey. They will see that there are consequences for individuals that do not obey. And…here’s the best part…they tell Joshua, “Only be strong and courageous!” There is no indication that these men knew the details of what God had told Joshua. These men only desired one thing…that the leader LEAD! These men did not want Joshua to direct them from a place of indecision, uncertainty or fear. They were putting their trust in Joshua, as God’s appointed leader, and confirmed God’s direction to Joshua.

Today, you might have your own mountain of responsibility before you. Remember that those you are leading want you to “only be strong and courageous,” too!

GOING DEEPER:
1. Think about where you are called to demonstrate leadership. Pray for God’s guidance on how to “be strong and courageous” in those settings.
2. Encourage a leader in your life today.

FURTHER READING:
Deuteronomy 31:7-8

Along with caring for her family, Carolyn works as an insurance representative, serves in Oakwood Church’s Student Ministries with an awesome group of junior high girls, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries.

Refreshment

By Peggy Kleckner

“See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

Autumn can bring rainy, dark days. Typically, these are not my favorite. They seem cloaked in gloom and somewhat tighter-fitting or confining. They remind me that winter is closer, the days are shortening and the temperature will be dropping. I prefer the sunshine days of autumn, where God displays His glory in bold colors and the sky seems broad and roomy.

However, once in the midst of a dark and gloomy, rainy day, my heart spoke whispers of new growth. I thought of all of the roots of the trees and plants rejoicing in praise as they were drinking in the rain. Perhaps they danced in celebration!

A couple years ago, it had been a year of drought. We knew our ground needed the life-sustaining and refreshing rain. We could more easily see and accept His gift of showers, because we had experienced the need.  We had seen the effect of the lack. When the showers came, it brought us visions of new growth for next spring and we could look ahead with fresh hope.

That drought two years ago was a great reminder to me. I had been in some dark and gloomy spiritual days. I felt as if I was confined, hemmed in. Some days it felt complete with thunder and lightening. But other days, He reminded me that He is up to something good. He spoke to me and says, “Do you not perceive it?...Don’t you know me by now?”

These days are not to frighten me. They are for my refreshment. They have been given as a gift from my Father’s heart. He is watering His seed in me, looking forward to fresh blooms and good fruit.

All of the seasons are necessary, and are set in order by our sovereign God. He calls out the seasons of our life, both the darkness and the light.

So, I will rejoice in my dark days and dance in my gloom, for God is springing up good things in me!

GOING DEEPER:

1.  What darkness is trying to hold your attention captive?

2.  Are you willing to ask God to help you look past this season to see the vision of new growth He has planned?

FURTHER READING:

Psalm 139:11-12; Proverbs 23:18; Psalm 30:11-12

Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield. 

Trick or Treat

Trick:

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say………” Genesis 3:1 (NIV)

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”  2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)

“Be alert and of sober mind your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”  1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”   John 10:10a (NIV)

Treat:

 “I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  John 10:10b-11 (NIV)

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Matthew 10:28 (NIV)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - -  not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, “says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:8 (NIV)

GOING DEEPER:

1.  Who have you chosen to follow: the thief or the Shepherd?

2.  Are you looking past this present day into the Hope we have in Jesus?

FURTHER READING:

Psalm 23; Psalm 56:3-4; Psalm 89:6-8

HOPE

By Karen D’Amore

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?

 Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

Just weeks after losing her mother to cancer, my client/friend was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer. Having spent months supporting her through her mother’s illness, I was stunned by her disheartening news. As I attempted to digest her prognosis, I felt crippled with helplessness…and initially, a feeling of hopelessness.

Committing to walk through this battle with her, I prayed for distinct ways to encourage her. And as I wallowed in those feelings of hopelessness, God clearly impressed on my heart the word…HOPE!

The Free-Dictionary’s definition of hope is: to wish  for something with expectation of its fulfillment; desire, aspiration. In contrast, biblical HOPE transcends far beyond a fragile and flimsy “wish.”

“According to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to biblical usage, HOPE is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, HOPE is akin to trust and a confident expectation.” [1, emphasis added]

As a believer, my friend is embracing this battle with confident assurance that her HOPE is in the Lord. She’s also trusting God has allowed this battle to pass through her life for His purpose. Because I am a  former cancer warrior, God is continually redeeming my cancer battle to comfort and encourage her.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).

It’s been several months since my friend’s initial diagnosis. Her good news/bad news journey fluctuates daily, with some tumors shrinking while others continue to grow. Her future is uncertain; each time I see her, I recognize it could be the last. Believing God called me to encourage her with inspired words of HOPE, each visit I leave her with an object/gift with the word HOPE on it. With her chemo-ravaged body displaying distinct signs of illness…I’m HOPE-full and encouraged, as her Spirit reflects the joy of the Lord.

Is your soul downcast by life’s struggles? Are you in a situation that feels hopeless?  Turn to God…the True source of HOPE! And… “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13, NIV, emphasis added).

                                      He

                                      Offers

                                      Peace

                                      Everyday

GOING DEEPER:

1.  What have you fixed your hope on?

FURTHER READING:

Romans 12:12; Hebrews 10:23-25

[1] https://bible.org/article/hope

Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.

Kings & Leaders

By Lexi Ellis

“So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind…”

1 Thessalonians 5:10b-11a (MSG, paraphrase)

I recently started watching a documentary on the English monarchy. The first kings' reigns were laughable in comparison to the extensive previous Roman Empire. These kings had one thing in common...each leader couldn't maintain control for very long. Alfred the Great, King of Wesex, (849-899) changed this.[1]

Inheriting a kingdom on the cusp of continual invasion from the Vikings, this brilliant general recognized there was a necessary and imperative ingredient to victory: investing in others' leadership. The result? While all other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had fallen to the Vikings in 870, "Wessex alone was still resisting."[2]

Alfred did this by allowing other, smaller leaders to keep their "positions of authority in their localities. [2] Unlike other kings in the 800’s, Alfred the Great realized you can't have your army filled with men who had just had their authority stripped away...and expect them to fight to the death for your name.

Isn't that true in the spheres of our lives where we lead? There are ways I lead in my home, in my job and in ministry. The question becomes: Am I great at investing in others’ leadership? As a wife, do I invest in my husband’s strengths and encourage ways for him to lead? As parents, do we correct when necessary, but also allow for leadership opportunities for our kids? As a teacher, am I modeling the type of leader I want my students to be? As a ministry leader, do others’ natural leadership strengths intimidate me, or do I encourage and invest in these abilities?

Jesus is the example of leading others and launching their strengths with opportunities to lead. He spent three years with His disciples, training and equipping them so that eventually they could to go on their own in the Spirit’s power. But while still on earth, Christ also sent the disciples out in pairs in Mark 6 and sent an even larger group out in Luke 10... giving His followers opportunities and training to be leaders even before He returned to heaven.

Albert the Great knew in order to be successful, he had to allow his troops to lead in their own spheres. Based on the example of Jesus, may we continually look for ways to encourage our spouses, children, and those we lead at work and in ministry to tap into their strengths and to lead, as well.

GOING DEEPER:
1. Think of those you have been entrusted to lead.

2. How do you give appropriate opportunities to showcase others’ strengths or to lead in smaller ways?

FURTHER READING:

Mark 6:7-13; Luke 10:1-24; Hebrews 10:24-25

[1] “Monarchy,” 2004. David Starkey. Series 1, Episode 1: “A Nation State.”   

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great

Lexi and her husband, Andrew, have an adorable dog named Calvin. She serves with Oakwood’s Children’s Ministries, teaches at sixth grade at Silver Lake Intermediate School and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.

Unlikely Friendships

By Susan Klein

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”

Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 (NIV)

In the Disney film Up, a widower named Carl is not looking to make new friends. In fact, what he’s really looking for is solitude to grieve the loss of his wife. Along comes 8-year-old Russell, a kindhearted, overeager Wilderness Explorer. He talks incessantly and doesn’t understand the meaning of “go away!” And then there’s Dug, the insecure talking dog who hides under the porch, but really just wants to be loved. Not your typical Three Musketeers, yet, this mismatched trio sets out on an unexpected adventure that draws them into a unique and tender friendship.

Scripture reinforces this concept of unlikely friendships. We meet Naomi, a bitter old Jewish woman who wants to be left alone in her misery. She ends up befriending Ruth, her young Moabitess daughter-in-law, with whom she has nothing in common except the loss of their respective husbands. And let’s not forget Jonathan, royal son of King Saul who befriends David, a mere shepherd boy (who is later pursued by Saul as an enemy). Sometimes, the most enriching relationships come from the most unlikely places.

We often tend to thrive on relationships. But we also tend to flock to our own kind. As a young mom, most of my friends were other young moms with children similar in age to my own. Now an empty-nester, I tend to engage other empty-nesters. But a few of my most endearing friendships have been with people not like me. God has used the most unlikely circumstances to introduce new friends into my life. For example, I’ve tutored some adorable inner-city boys, as well as an Iranian grandmother who speaks little English, all of which have now become my friends. I met a 90-year-old pastor online whom I’ve developed a very dear friendship with. I don’t particularly have a lot in common with any of them, but I can’t imagine all I’d have missed out on had God not intersected our lives in such unexpected places.

What about you? Are the majority of your friendships with people just like you? Might God be placing others in your path who look very different from you whom He might want you to build friendships with? Don’t limit yourself. Be willing to open the door to an otherwise “unlikely friendship,” and see what amazing things God will do!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Take stock of your current friendships. Ask God to provide opportunities to meet new people. Perhaps an elderly shut-in, a new mom, or a college student from out of town would enjoy your befriending.

FURTHER READING:

Proverbs 27:9-10, 17; Luke 14:12-14

Susan is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council.

Outside vs. Inside

By Tracy Smith

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Two years ago, two different doctors looked at the mole on my husband’s back and declared it nothing to worry about, it looked fine. The dermatologist offered to take it off because it was big and could catch on things. The surprising diagnosis came back a week later: basal cell carcinoma. Something that looked okay on the outside was, in fact, something ugly when the inside was inspected under a microscope. He needed to make a trip back to the doctor in order to make sure they got all of the cancer out; otherwise, the cancer would grow back.

We, like the doctor, look at the outside of a person in order to try to judge the inside. Like the doctor, we can be wrong; the outside can deceive. God looks to the inside. He knows that the inside is what shows a person’s true heart. The Lord knows how good we are at “prettying up” what is, in fact, quite ugly.

If we look to the inside of ourselves and find something ugly, we need to be open to cleaning it all out of our heart in order to make sure it does not return. Psalm 139:23-24 (MSG paraphrase) says, “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong - - then guide me on the road to eternal life.”  This verse is about asking God to show you any “cancer” that resides inside you and asking the Great Physician to heal you!

While regular trips to the dermatologist for skin checks are in my husband’s future, we all need to make sure we are making regular trips to the Great Physician for a heart check!

GOING DEEPER

1. What kinds of things do you do to “pretty up” what is in your heart?

2. What actions can you take, with God’s help, to clean it up?

FURTHER READING

1 Peter 3:3-4; Psalm 51:10; Luke 6:45

Along with being a wife and mother to two boys, Tracy is an administrative assistant at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry Special Events Team and leads a great group of Junior High girls.

The Sixth Sense

By Elin Henderson

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” 1 Corinthians 2:12,13 (NIV)

Did you know that sharks actually have six and even some say seven senses?? We poor humans rank in with only the boring five. Yes, I watched and learned this from “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel. Apparently they have these little pores on the front of their snouts called Ampullae of Lorenzini. These pick up electromagnetic waves of the earth and the other fish/animals around them, and allow them to have a sort of radar that guides them to prey. Now, a lot of you moms out there are shouting, “HEY! Wait a minute! We have this sixth sense, too!” We may not have any Ampullae of Lorenzini but we know when a kid is getting into mischief even with our backs to them. Not to mention that niggling feeling that tells us, “It’s just a little TOO quiet in here!” So, maybe we rank up there with the sharks, after all!

Either way, I was challenged the other day to the fact that we, as believers, are called to act on a type of sixth sense. This sense is a “spiritual sense.” It tells us when something else is going on behind the scenes. It is the Holy Spirit niggling our spirits and saying, “Look beyond the obvious.” When we are meeting with people throughout the day, whether it is in a ministry place, at home, at work, or at play, may we have a spiritual sixth sense that sees the deep-seated issue that perhaps is coming out in an odd form of behavior. It may just change the way we react to the situation!

So, let’s keep our Ampullae-of-the-Spirit  sensitive to the waters around us. As we encounter different individuals (of all shapes and sizes) throughout the day, may we be quick to allow this sixth sense to take over and guide us to what is really going on and how to respond appropriately!

GOING DEEPER:                                               

1. Have you experienced this spiritual sense before? In what way?

2. How can we sharpen this sense? What “spiritual” practices can we be putting in place to help us develop this “spiritual sense”?

FURTHER READING:

Romans 8:27; 1 John 4:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to fourteen-year-old Callie and eleven-year-old Elias.

One-Of-A-Kind

By Karen D’Amore

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

In recent years, I’ve developed a fond appreciation for one-of-a-kind, handmade goods…especially jewelry. This type of jewelry strongly contrasts with what I’ve purchased in the past, which was mass- produced and manufactured from expensive materials and gems. Within my growing collection of handmade pieces, one particular necklace is among my favorites. Formed from inexpensive materials, this particular one-of-a-kind necklace was handmade for me by a precious friend. Knowing someone cared for me enough to create something custom made me feel valued and loved. From a material perspective, this favorite necklace wouldn’t be considered “valuable.” However, because of the designer’s love and unique tailor-made design, I value this necklace beyond words.

Reflecting on Psalm 139:14, I’m reminded that we too were each handmade, uniquely designed by God. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV, emphasis added). God formed each of us in a way that cannot be replicated. He selected our personalities, established our talents and gifts, and crafted our physical attributes and traits. Our aptitudes, interests, temperaments and abilities are varied and distinctive. We are each remarkably original. By divine design, we are each a one-of-a-kind!

Throughout my life, I wrestled with dissatisfaction when comparing myself to others. Desiring to be like them, I attempted to mimic others’ desirable attributes. God never compares us to other people, nor does He replicate us. Considering this, I realized it is potentially insulting to Him to be dissatisfied with the “me” He’d so intricately handmade. As I viewed my uniqueness through the work of His hands, I resonated deeply with Psalm 139:14 and tattooed it on my ankle. It’s freeing to finally be able to value and embrace my individuality!

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV). Considering this, I’m impacted by another purpose for our uniqueness. God not only created each of us to be  unique, He has planned and willed something uniquely purposeful for each of us to do!  I’m awed by the realization that in this highly diverse and competitive world… I (you) am uniquely purposed and divinely formed to fill a place in this world that nobody else can fill…except me (you)!

Strive to be the original God created you to be…valuing and celebrating your exclusivity. Compliment your Designer by becoming the best you that you can be for His glory. Remember, God doesn’t create junk:

You are Be-You-tiful…You are You-nique…You are a…One-of-a-Kind!

Be Yourself!

GOING DEEPER:

1.  Consider… who is the YOU…God designed you to be?

FURTHER READING:

1 Corinthians 6:20; Isaiah 44:24

Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.

Wrestling Match
By Peggy Kleckner

“So Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’

“But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’”
Genesis 32:24-26 (NIV)

Left alone with a wrestling match. I’ve been there with God. I have gone to prayer whining and complaining and wanting my way. I have gone to prayer trying to hide behind my “success,” at least to all outward appearances. God, in His grace, kept me wrestling, wearing away my pretenses, and still I stubbornly hung on. Like Jacob, I haven’t even wanted to admit a new weakness that God has pointed out. Finally, light begins to dawn in my darkness and I won’t let God go because I know I need Him. I want His blessing and He is willing to give it when I come out of denial and admit who I am, or at least who I was, before the wrestling began.

I remember in the movie “You’ve Got Mail,” the woman is given advice from yet another movie, The Godfather. She is told to “go to the mats.” Apparently, to fight for what she wants, she should give it her all until she has nothing left for the fight. Well, here we are on the mat with God! Kind of funny, if you were posting the marquis “God vs. (insert your name).” It certainly sounds silly, yet we each do it more than once in our lifetime. We want what we want. We stubbornly hold on to our plan. We think we can persuade God to agree with us, to let us win this one particular match.

The key to a win in this, or any other, wrestling match with God is our surrender. In surrender, we are blessed. We are called to release our plans, our hold, and allow Him to lead us.

Jacob left the match blessed with humility and a changed heart. May the same be true for each of us.

GOING DEEPER:
1. What dream or plan are you holding on to?
2. Have you considered surrendering it to God?

FURTHER READING:
Genesis 32; Jeremiah 29:11-13

Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield. 

Just Get in the Chair
By Carolyn Hulliberger

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me [Jesus].”
John 14:21a (NIV)

My daughter, like many of us, does not like to have the attention of others focused on her. The idea of being pointed out in a large group of people is mortifying. Maybe you can relate.

Two years ago, my daughter was at a school assembly where a world-class basketball team consisting of wheelchair-bound athletes was giving a demonstration. Shannon was chosen to participate. While she was reluctant and about to decline the invitation, her friends extended a bit of peer pressure to encourage her. She got in the wheelchair, took a basketball in hand, and began to concentrate on what the instructor was saying. (Listening was important if she did not want to look foolish in front of a couple of hundred classmates.) Shannon ended up having a lot of fun, and her comment to me was, “Mom, I pretty much forgot about all the other kids watching me when I started playing the game.”

Isn’t our life the same way sometimes? There might be times when you are asked by God to come forward, and perhaps the attention of other people might be focused on you. Maybe you’ll mess up the task, lose the ball, or fall out of the chair a few times. But Christ asks for us to focus on Him…to listen to His instructions…to shut out the distractions…to forget what someone else might think…and obey anyway! And as we do that, the task He’s asked us to perform on His team becomes more important than the crowd on the sidelines.

GOING DEEPER:
1. Is God moving you reluctantly out of your comfort zone? What steps of obedience do you need to take?
2. Is a friend being moved to something new? How can you “extend a bit of peer pressure” to be an encouragement?

FURTHER READING:
2 Corinthians 4:18

Along with caring for her husband, two children and the dog, Carolyn serves Oakwood Church in Student Ministries with an awesome group of junior high girls, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries. 

Security

By Tracy Smith

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

Thursdays use to be my grocery shopping day.  In running my errands, I would pass my oldest son’s middle school. Two years ago, on one particular Thursday, I happened to glance at the school as I drove by and saw my son sitting on the sidewalk reading a book! I pulled into the parking lot; after he was in the van, he told me that he had missed the bus. Knowing his dad could be there within the hour, he called his dad’s cell phone and left a message to pick him up. When I asked why he didn’t call me, he responded that he knew I grocery shopped that day. I reminded him that the reason I saw him is that one of the stores I shop at is right across the street from his school!

In recounting the story to my sister, something occurred to me - - my son was so secure in the knowledge that his dad would come get him when he got the message that he was calmly sitting on the sidewalk reading a book! He was in no way worried about how he would get home.

If my son can have that much security in the love and trustworthiness of his earthly father, why do I struggle with having that same trust in my heavenly Father?

In asking that question, I decided to search out Bible verses that I can use to remind me of God’s character.  My favorite is the one at the top of this devotional; here are a few more that really resonated with me:

“In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.” Psalm 22:4 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:4  

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

GOING DEEPER

1. Have you been struggling with fully putting your trust in the Lord? If so, would you commit to memorizing a verse about God’s trustworthiness?

Along with being a wife and mother to two boys, Tracy is an administrative assistant at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry Special Events Team and leads a great group of Junior High girls.

(Parentheses)

By Elin Henderson

“To declare Your loving-kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.”

 Psalms 92:2 (NKJV)

In a time when life has a lot more unknowns than knowns, God has given me this precious verse to remind me that He has placed His parentheses around me each and every day.  Every morning, He awakens me with a declaration of His loving-kindness and every night I fall asleep being reminded of His faithfulness.  Everything that happens in between falls into the protected middle and are filtered through these two little (curved walls).

His loving-kindness reminds me that He has a love for me that will never let me go, a deep tenderness combined with consideration.  That is the Hebrew translation in a nutshell of this word “chesed”. [1] It means more than love and more than kindness, rather the best of both! It signified the covenant between God and Israel and the same could be said with us, His children bought by the precious blood of His son!

His faithfulness brings to mind God’s unchangeableness.[2] There is no shadow of turning with Him.  It is a reminder of His consistency towards me, and the fact that He will never leave nor forsake me. 

May you remember these parentheses as well when you wake up each day and fall asleep each night. May they hedge you in every hour of every day: His tender consideration which will never let us go starting you off, and His consistent character and unchangeableness closing you in for the day!

         

GOING DEEPER:                                               

1. What’s a practical way you can remind yourself (or others) of these “parantheses”? (Write it on a card above your bed? Put it on your fridge? On your coffee maker?)

2.  How can this impact the way we handle the things (and people) that come our way during the day?

FURTHER READING:

Psalms 36:7; Psalms 40:10; Psalms 89:1; Lamentations 3:22-23

[1] http://www.bible-researcher.com/chesed.html

[2] http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/faithful-faithfulness.html

Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa.  Elin is mother to fourteen-year-old Callie and eleven-year-old Elias.

A New Woman

By Karen D’Amore

Therefore, if anyone is  in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;

behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV, emphasis added)

As my fortieth high school reunion grew near, I spent hours flipping through the pages of my senior yearbook. In an effort to refamiliarize myself, I studied pictures and re-read classmates’ personal inscriptions. Because I’ve rarely reflected on that period of life, it was somewhat a blur. But that reflection process illuminated the contrast between who I was…and who I am today!

Relocating to a new city, I began my first year of high school a stranger to most. Unlike junior high, where I was active in sports, cheerleading, service clubs and student council, I refrained from such activities. My unique style of dress and mysterious loner-like eccentricity impelled students to notice me…yet not really know  me. My involvement in a local church translated into “religious-ocity” versus a personal identification with Jesus. As a deep introspective thinker, the maturity of my life-thoughts distanced me from my peers. My passion for writing spurred involvement with the school newspaper and yearbook. And as editor of our senior yearbook…the book became my voice to unlocking the mystery of “me.”

Other than a handful of Facebook connections, I haven’t stayed connected to the majority of my classmates. After much introspection and prayer, the decision to attend this particular reunion was prompted by God. As I considered the years that bridged time between the girl I was back then and the woman I am today, the contrast is as different as night and day.

The woman I am today is not the result of anything manufactured by me: not hard work, education or personal successes. I am who I am today because of the miraculous work of a loving and merciful God. Because of my personal relationship with Jesus, I’m a new woman, being continually molded into the image of Jesus. My motive for attending this reunion was for the express purpose of displaying the transforming work of our Lord. As classmates would be drawn to remember the girl in the picture on my nametag, my hope was that they would linger just long enough to see the contrast in the woman I am today.

With the reunion now behind me, I’m praising God for the opportunity to show Him off! In the process of reconnecting with old friends/acquaintances and meeting some new, God orchestrated opportunities to share my transforming faith journey. Reliving that journey served as a valuable reminder that I’m nothing without Jesus - - but because of Him - - I’m a “new creation…the old things have passed away…behold, all things have become new.”

GOING DEEPER:

1.  How can you better reflect the “newness” of who you are in Christ?

FURTHER READING:

Ephesians 4:24; 1 Peter 1:23

Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.

Compassion without Compromise

By Susan Klein

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Our society is all about encouraging compassion. “Give to the United Way.” “Help the hurricane victims.” “Donate to Coats For Kids.” Whether it’s in our own backyard or overseas, if there is a need, Americans want to step in and help. In fact, as Christ-followers, Scripture exhorts us to exhibit the same kind of compassion that our heavenly Father bestows upon us. But is our compassion truly like His?

As I peruse my Bible, I see many examples of God’s compassion, also referred to as mercy. Hmm…mercy implies forgiveness. And, forgiveness implies an acknowledgement of sin. Am I possibly missing something in my compassion? I once heard a speaker talk about loving our neighbors as ourselves. He boldly questioned if, while in our showing love to people, we are actually “loving them to hell?” In other words, are we so caught up exclusively in the “acts” of compassion that we are forgetting to share the “message” of compassion? True love is God sending Christ to die for sinners so that they aren’t condemned to a horrific eternity. True compassion on my part is sharing that message with the lost. It’s leading people to the God of all compassion. If I work hard to show acts of kindness and love to someone, but I show no regard for his or her salvation, am I compromising the truth of compassion? Of course, there are definitely times when we are called to simple acts of kindness without sharing the gospel, but God also presents times when we are to share a bit more.

Our pastor has been taking us through the book of Romans. Recently, I was greatly convicted by Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” (NIV). I learned this verse years ago while helping my kids memorize it for AWANA. I’ve always believed I’d never be ashamed of the gospel if challenged about my faith. But as I read it this time, I was convicted that “not sharing it” when presented with an opportunity is practically the same as “being ashamed of it.” God showed me that in my recent acts of compassion for a dying unbeliever, I have not actually shared the gospel message of forgiveness. I had to ask some friends to hold me accountable, to not “love this friend to hell.”

In our compassion, we must be careful not to compromise. In our loving on people, let’s be careful to also compassionately direct them to the One who grants mercy and forgiveness.

GOING DEEPER:

Will you accept the challenge to not compromise in your compassion?

FURTHER READING:

Psalm 105:8-13; Colossians 3:12-14

Susan is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council.