Flawed but Functional - Martin Wiles

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. Deuteronomy7:6 NIV

Sin had ensnared another victim. He was flawed but functional. 

I listened as the newscaster gave a piecemeal report. The leaders of a noted mega church were meeting behind closed doors. The pastor had planted the church sixteen years before on a college campus. From a small start, it had grown into a mega church with numerous satellite campuses. Thousands flocked to its campuses weekly. The following morning, I listened to the newscaster again. This time, the news was grimmer. The pastor had been accused of alcohol abuse and asked to step down.

Had church leaders polled church members for advice on how to handle the situation, they would have received a wide variety of opinions. Some would have wanted him to stay, some to leave, and some to take intermediary actions between the two extremes. What would happen to his ministry was also up for grabs. Opinions of those in leadership positions would determine whether he ministers again.

Though God proclaimed his Old Testament people as holy, they were often anything but. They dabbled in the pagan worship rites of their neighbors while trying to worship God simultaneously. Their repeated pattern was faithfulness followed by rebellion. Flaws decorated their lifestyles, just as they did the pastor of this mega church.

Flaws are inevitable. I was born with a flawed nature. Christ gives me a new one at salvation, but he doesn’t immediately perfect me. I’ll have to wait for heaven to experience that. In the meantime, I’m flawed like the Israelites and the pastor—and all people. I journey toward experiential holiness, but flaws keep me from reaching it in this life.

But the news isn’t all bad. We may be flawed, but we’re still functional. Though this pastor abused alcohol and had to step down, God can give him power over his addiction and use him again. God used the Israelites despite their rebellion. King David committed adultery, murdered, schemed, and lied, but God still found room in his service for him. And God has continued to use me, even though I’ve made many missteps into areas I should have avoided.

You may be flawed, but you are still functional in God’s service.

Father, thank you for using me even when I fail to be all you want me to be. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Baked Chicken Spaghetti

 

Ingredients

1 CAN MUSHROOM SOUP

                           
1 CAN MUSHROOMS

1 CAN BLACK OLIVES (DRAINED)

1 ONION (CHOPPED)

2 CUPS SHREDDED MOZZARELLA

1 BELL PEPPER (CHOPPED)

1 CUP SHREDDED PARMESAN

      
1 JAR RAGU (GARDEN)

12 OUNCES SPAGHETTI (COOKED, DRAINED)

    
1 TEASPOON OREGANO

       1 BOX TYSON (DICED CHICKEN)

           
1 CAN TOMATOES

         1 TEASPOON BUTTER           

1 CAN ROTEL

Directions
SAUTE CHICKEN, ONION, PEPPER, BUTTER, OREGANO, AND SALT/PEPPER.

ADD TOMATOES, ROTEL, MUSHROOMS, AND OLIVES.

ONCE ALL VEGETABLES ARE TENDER, ADD RAGU AND MUSHROOM SOUP.

MIX SAUCE AND NOODLES IN A CASSEROLE  DISH.

TOP WITH CHEESE.

COVER WITH ALUMINUM FOIL.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 35-40 MINUTES.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Series: The Things We Say - Prayer Changes Things … Or Does It - Martin Wiles

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians12:8-9 NLT

A life-changing situation had turned my world upside down. Because of the nature of it, I could no longer serve in the profession I had been in for the previous fourteen years. I prayed for God to open a door. Potential employers had the authority to overlook and understand what had happened and hire me anyway. But few wanted to. I sent hundreds of resumes. Only a few offers arrived, none of which paid a salary on which I could survive. Taking a different career path seemed my only option.

During this time in my life, disappointment, discouragement, and depression were my occasional bedfellows. Like Paul, I begged God to remove my thorn in my flesh. Although I didn’t hear his answer, my unchanging circumstances revealed it: “No.” Would I learn to do what Paul did—boast about his weakness--or continue wallowing in my self-pity? And, of course, some reminded me that prayer changes things.

My prayers seemed to change nothing, but over time, I discovered they had. They changed me. I let go of the bitterness over what had happened. Paul also learned to glory in his weakness. Instead of stewing over my circumstances, I allowed God to use them for his glory. Since then, I have counseled many who were passing through what I did. Others who had not couldn’t comprehend their pain as I could. In time, God put me back into my chosen profession.

Prayer might not change the course of a hurricane or tornado, alter the mindset of a spouse who chooses to walk away, modify the course of a rebellious child, or revise the boss’s mind about a layoff, but it will change our perspective on circumstances, which in turn will alter our attitudes. And when my attitude changes, so will our responses.

Prayer will change things. If nothing else, you.

Father, may I be faithful in my prayers, trusting you to answer them as you see fit. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

God's Timing - Abigail Skelton

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. 2 Peter 3:9 NIV

Old adages like “A penny lost is a penny found” and “No wind blows that doesn’t do someone some good” can inspire us to stay positive for a few moments. But what if this brand of hopeful thinking is true? What if every unexpected twist in our lives is an opportunity to bless others and glorify God while we wait for our turn to find the penny?

God’s sense of timing is incredible. We see this repeatedly in the Scripture. We could argue that the entire Bible is a lesson on God’s impeccable timing. Yet, trusting God with the timing of events in our lives is often an arduous lesson. Especially when situations seem bleak.

The Bible is filled with poetic references to God directing our steps. A couple of examples are “Surely you will count my steps” (Job 14:16 NIV) and “He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6 NIV). We all make many choices each day, often based on specific people or situations around us. Sometimes, I even amuse myself by contemplating how strange life would be if God’s timing were different. 

If I hadn’t started school the year that I did, I wouldn’t have graduated from college before the pandemic. And if I hadn’t graduated when I did, I wouldn’t have gone overseas to do mission work. And if I hadn’t gone overseas, I wouldn’t have met the people I did. Therefore, my current life would look completely different.

Studying the timing of events in our lives is a great way to remind ourselves of God’s sovereignty. Even trying situations, like a lost job or a reluctant move, lead us into interactions with new coworkers or neighbors who need to hear about the hope we have in Jesus. 

Although unexpected circumstances may not always be pleasant, the ripple effect of our actions is often greater than we think, proving that God is doing immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. And don’t worry. God stated that he’s not slow in keeping his promises. He will happily orchestrate the timing of our lives in accordance with the grand story he’s writing.

Trust God’s timing. He will never let you down. 

Abigail Skelton is from beautiful Southern Oregon, where she grew up with an avid love for Jesus, chocolate, and writing. She has lived in three countries while involved in missionary work and frequently travels and studies foreign languages. You can connect with Abigail on her website: https://abigailskelton.com.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

 

 

When the Game Plan Changes - Martin Wiles

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NLT

The week had been slow, but I’d been in full-time ministry long enough to know things could change in a second. And they did.

Besides my regular schedule, the only thing I had planned for the next day was to pray with our church mission team at 6 a.m. They were leaving for Myrtle Beach, SC. Then I received a call from a church member. Her husband would have surgery at 7 a.m. On the way to church that evening, one of my wife’s brothers called. He was on the list to receive a heart transplant and had just left the doctor’s office. They wanted him at MUSC in Charleston, SC, at 4 p.m. the next day. He had no one to take him. Without the heart, his days were numbered.

Suddenly, my game plan changed—and not only for us but also for our two children. Since my wife was caring for our grandchildren, a change in our game plan meant a change in our son’s and daughter’s plans as well. They had no dependable backup plan, so a last-minute call from us could put them in a quandary. But they knew I was on call 24/7. Things could change in a moment.

I like to initiate change—when it’s needed and when the result will entail a helpful alteration—but I don’t like it thrust upon me. I’m a creature of habit, and this change meant getting up two hours earlier as well as a four-hour drive to the hospital—and to an area of the city I dislike. We’d be lucky to get home by midnight—a long day. And I’d have to work from the car.

Trusting in the Lord with all our hearts and depending on him rather than our understanding isn’t easy—or always convenient. A part of following him means making ourselves available to opportunities he sends—even when they change the game plan. Our mission team needed prayer, and so did the man having surgery. My wife’s brother also needed our help. Three opportunities. Three chances to serve.

When God changes your game plan, trust He has a reason. Then enjoy the chance he’s giving you to serve.

Father, although I don’t enjoy changes thrust upon me, help me trust that you have a reason.  

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Beefy Macaroni and Cheese

 

Ingredients

1 POUND GROUND BEEF

1 ONION (DICED)

1 CAN ROTEL

1 CAN TOMATO PASTE

1 ½ TEASPOON CHILI POWDER

SALT/PEPPER

¼ CUP WATER

1 ½ TEASPOON SUGAR

8 OUNCES MACARONI NOODLES (COOKED AND DRAINED)

Directions

BROWN MEAT AND DRAIN.

ADD ALL INGREDIENTS TO MEAT EXCEPT CHEESE AND NOODLES.

COOK ON MEDIUM HEAT FOR 30 MINUTES OR UNTIL SAUCE THICKENS. 

STIR IN MACARONI NOODLES AND TOP WITH CHEESE.

BAKE IN A GREASED CASSEROLE DISH AT 350 DEGREES UNTIL THE CHEESE IS MELTED.

(Photo courtesy of isinginthekitchen.com)

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Series: The Things We Say - Forgive and Forget - Martin Wiles

But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:15 NLT

If we still remember, we haven’t forgiven. The philosophy behind the phrase, forgive and forget.

After seventeen years—nineteen if you count the dating part--Sarah called it quits. Walked out and left her husband and two kids. She couldn’t explain why she did it, but she did. Maybe it was because she never wanted to be a preacher’s wife in the first place. She had endured for sixteen of their seventeen years together. That seemed more than fair. Now the lifestyle was getting to her. She had wild oats to sow that she’d never had a chance to sow before.

John, her husband, was bitter. He couldn’t believe she would do what she had done. Leave it all—everything they had built together. And leave him with the bills and the kids. He knew what the Bible said about forgiveness—and forgave her. Forgetting was another story. Occasionally, one of his church members would remind him if he didn’t forget he hadn’t forgiven. He wondered how you could consciously forget something.

The Bible, and Jesus particularly, has a lot to say about forgiveness. One thing it doesn’t say is that we have to forget what others have done to us as a part of the forgiveness act. Forgiveness is releasing someone from a debt they owe because of a sin they have committed against me. Period. Forgetting is impossible unless we experience brain damage or contract a brain disease such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

What we can and must do is stop dwelling on the infraction. In our own power, we can’t even accomplish this, but God’s power in us can. John eventually moved beyond what Sarah had done to him and the family. He never forgot it because he couldn’t, but he no longer sought revenge. Neither did he stew over the situation all the time.

We know we’ve forgiven when we don’t dwell on the injury, when we’re not out for revenge, when we can interact with the person who has offended us if we must, and when we don’t get angry when we think about the injustice committed. We’ll never forget others’ wounds against us, but we can forgive and move on.

Stop trying to forget the infractions others have committed against you. Just forgive.

Father, as you have forgiven me, enable me to forgive others who harm me in various ways.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.