Why Believers Drop Out—and How to Stay Faithful - Martin Wiles

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

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

I hated school, so I decided to quit. Join the ranks of the dropouts.

I enjoyed elementary and middle school, but when I got to high school, I developed a sudden distaste for education. By the time I reached my senior year, I’d had all I could take. I had no interest in learning, didn’t see how any of it would benefit me, and wanted out. I pranced up to my parents and said, “I’m quitting school.” Dad didn’t take the news well and politely told me that if I quit, I would be going to work. I was okay with that. I had no plans to sit around and do nothing.

After three or four months, my status as a high school dropout wasn’t fun anymore. The job I found ended, and I was on the unemployment line. Even in the lenient seventies, most employers wanted employees with at least a high school education. I decided I’d return to school. I couldn’t graduate with my class, but I did graduate that summer.

Thankfully, the statistics for high school dropouts have dropped (no pun intended). Only about 5% leave without graduating. But school isn’t the only place from which people drop out. Church follows on its heels. Among 18- to 22-year-olds in America, 66–70% drop out after high school. The reasons vary: life changes, move to college, work, judgmental Christians, and changes in their religious views.

Dropping out of church, however, isn’t relegated to this group alone. Others do as well. And sometimes the dropouts don’t actually leave the church. Some burnout and stay. They take on too much—perhaps because others aren’t doing their part. Others drop out because they’ve been hurt, but stick around and spread their negativity. And some just atrophy, like unused muscles.

God doesn’t intend or want us to drop out of his work. He saves us by his grace and mercy, creates us as his masterpiece, and wants us to do good works that will disseminate his love across the world. These works don’t initially save us or keep us saved thereafter, but they are proof of our connection to him in faith.

When asked, God will give us wisdom to balance our lives, so our chances of dropping out of his service diminish significantly. Don’t drop out on God. With balance, serve him faithfully to the end of your life.

Father, thank you for the privilege of serving you and others. Give me the strength to keep on keeping on in your work. 

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.

Time to Change - Anita van der Elst

Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! Psalm 66:5 NIV

Fall back. Spring ahead. Just when we get used to one, it’s time to change. 

For most of us in the United States, the switch between daylight saving time and standard time occurs twice a year. Originally put in place during World War I to conserve fuel and power, and then abolished at war’s end, the Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966. But it has never made sense to me.

After all, God created systems that help us know day from night. He put everything into place—sun, moon, stars, planets, all we see and don’t see. For thousands of years, people knew nothing about molecules, atoms, viruses, or anything microscopic, and had no means to do so. But God also gave people minds and brains to wonder and think, the desire to explore, and the ability to discover and invent. And still there is much we have yet to see and discover.

How thankful we are that the Holy Spirit gives us understanding as we discover what God tells us in his word. No matter how we manipulate the way we measure the passing of time, all of our times are in God’s hands. 

The important thing is how we spend the minutes and hours in those times. Do we give attention to learning more about God and sharing his most awesome deed for us? In his love, he sent his Son, Jesus, the Messiah, to live on earth. And by his grace, he offers us eternal life in heaven when we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Are you ready for what lies beyond your time on earth? If not, it’s time to change. Make sure that your destination is heaven by acknowledging your need for Jesus and believing in Him.

Anita van der Elst finds joy in creating with words, believing God gifted her with the desire to do so. Married to her best friend, Edward, since 1976, she is a proud mom of four adult children and Oma to three of the most delightful grandchildren ever. Other joys in her life include bringing beauty to Facebook through photos she takes on her iPhone, exploring the state parks in the PNW, facilitating a small group of women, and participating in a Bible study.

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.

 

 

How to Establish Healthy Habits - Martin Wiles

Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil. Jeremiah 13:23 NLT

Old habits are hard to break. And how to establish healthy habits is sometimes more difficult than we imagine. 

For four years, we lived in a small townhouse. Our Chihuahua, Twix, was accustomed to the way the doors to the bedroom and outside opened and would stand at the appropriate side of the door to enter or exit. Then we moved. Although the townhouse we moved into had the same floor plan, it was a mirror image of our previous one, which confused Twix.  

On Twix’s first trip outside, he stood at the left side of the door. That’s what he had been accustomed to. But now the door opened from the right. He repeated the same action for the bedroom door and had to change sides when I opened it. After a week, he managed to break his old habit and stand at the proper side for entering and exiting.

Being born with dark skin was a genetic trait among Ethiopians. So was a leopard having spots. An Ethiopian had no power to change their color, nor can a leopard become spotless.

According to the prophet, we, too, have a genetic flaw of sorts. We can’t do good because we’ve all done evil. The reason is our sin nature, which leads us down the wrong path toward sinful behavior and attitudes.

My dog’s habits were neither morally good nor bad. They were just habits. I’ve had a few habits like that myself. Among them, biting my fingernails. It took my grandmother giving me twenty dollars and one finger getting infected for me to break that habit. But I’ve also had some habits that were morally wrong and difficult to break. Those habits emerged from the sinful nature I was born with. By myself, I was helpless to do good.

In our own power, we can’t break the habit of doing bad and adopt the habit of doing good. But it is possible when we appeal to a Higher Power. Christ in us enables us to change the color of our skin and lose our spots. He enables us to consistently do good rather than evil. Accepting his offer of forgiveness opens new possibilities for an abundant life.

Accept Christ so you can break the old bad habits and adopt new healthy ones.

Father, give me the power to throw away that which is damaging to me and others so I can adopt healthy habits that glorify your name. 

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.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

 

Ingredients

½ POUND GROUND BEEF

½ CUP ONIONS (CHOPPED)

½ POUND BACON

2 CUPS GRATED CHEESE

Directions

BROWN HAMBURGER MEAT AND DRAIN. 

PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS IN UNBAKED PIE SHELL.

Ingredients

¾ CUP MILK

¾ CUP MAYONNAISE

4 TABLESPOONS CORNSTARCH

3 EGGS

½ TEASPOON SALT

½ TEASPOON PEPPER

Directions

WHIP AND POUR OVER MIXTURE IN PIE SHELL.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 35 MINUTES OR UNTIL BROWN.

(Photo courtesy of allrecipes.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.

Finding Safety in an Unsteady World - Martin Wiles

As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:22 NLT

She had been abused and needed a safe place. No one ever said finding safety in an unsteady world was easy.

Johnnie was in a situation of her own making. For thirteen years, she had endured an abusive marriage—one she entered to escape the harsh atmosphere of her upbringing.

When the opportunity came for Johnnie to move out, she took it. Jim seemed like a good guy when she dated him, but his true identity revealed itself shortly after she said, “I do.” Abusive words, demeaning remarks, bruises. They all became the norm. Johnnie tried to fend them off but had to admit they were taking their toll on her self-esteem.

Eventually, Johnnie decided she’d had enough, but she needed a safe place. She didn’t turn to a home for abused women but rather contacted her parents. By this time, her dad had mellowed. She thought she could endure life with them until she could make other arrangements.

Moses needed a safe place, too. While he was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the people were below, partying as if they had no God to whom they were accountable. When God told Moses to leave the mountain and take the people with him, but that he wouldn’t be tagging along, the declaration was more than Moses could stand. God decided to give them another chance, but Moses needed reassurance. So God placed Moses in a crevice and let him glance at his presence as he passed by.

Life is tough and filled with many experiences we’d rather not repeat. Wallowing in self-pity or in the memory of the event only keeps us smelling the toxic nature of what we have experienced. A better course is asking God to put us in his safe place.

When God places us in His safe place, he reassures us of his presence. If separation has taken place, it’s because we left him—not because he left us. He promises never to abandon his children. In God’s safe places, we’re also reminded of who he is and who we’re not. He is the all-powerful Creator, qualified to lead us through any and every circumstance and protect us in the process.

Moses had nothing to fear; nor do we. When life gets tough, ask God to put you in his safe place where you can find grace, reassurance, and peace.

Father, thank you for the safe places you provide when life is more than we can handle.

 

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.

How to Be a Person of Excellence - Patricia Jordan

Give my greetings to the brothers (and sisters) at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. Colossians 4:15 ESV

Not many women of excellence will see their names written in a book or be remembered a few generations from now. Nevertheless, their commitment to do what is good and right influences generations to come. Their reputation for excellence will always be a light for others.   

A lifestyle of excellence includes wise use of time, thought, and energy; honesty; and responsibility for the use of resources, with consideration for all involved.

Those who build a legacy of excellence change people’s lives for the good of humanity. Those who show benevolence, protect life, and honor God by avoiding profanity and immorality build an honorable legacy.  

Nympha was a biblical woman who did those things. Nowhere do we read that she sought self-glory. What we know is that she left a lasting legacy of excellence through her Christian commitment and hospitality in helping to establish the Laodicean church. Her brief but important mention in Paul’s letter indicates she was wealthy enough to have a house large enough for the church to meet in and to provide refreshments to guests, as was customary then and still is today.

Also, helping to establish a Christian congregation shows she was a woman of influence. Nympha may have been a seller in the marketplace where she would have had many contacts, including those from polytheistic cultures. That is where she invited people to church and spread the gospel message

Nympha may have been Jewish and knowledgeable about the Old Testament prophecy of the Messiah. What we do know is that when she heard Paul preach about Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection, she received the message of salvation.

Many Laodiceans also received salvation through the preaching of the gospel by Paul and his evangelistic team. They then spread the gospel message everywhere they went.   

Nympha showed that our acts of kindness lift people of all generations out of spiritual darkness. This first-century woman’s actions still influence us today.

Let God show you how to be a person of excellence. 

Dear God, you know my thoughts, my coming and going. Nothing is hidden from you. Let my thoughts and actions be pure and acceptable to you, Lord. Amen.

Patricia Jordan is a seventh-generation southerner from the Appalachian Mountains. She is thankful to return and live there after living in various parts of the world with her retired military husband. They have raised three daughters. She has published You Are Valuable (Westbow), which is her story of how she overcame chronic low-grade depression through Bible study, prayer, and talk therapy. Lately, she has turned her writing talents to writing devotions about walking with God.  

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 Sorrow Feels Overwhelming - Martin Wiles

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38 NLT

When sorrow feels overwhelming, it can be a bitter pill to swallow, and I felt as if I were being swallowed by it.

Days stretched into months. An act of betrayal by another had turned my family inside out and headed it straight for dissolution. Although the situation could have been fixed, it wasn’t, and the shadow of depression soon hung over my head like a thunderous cloud.

Unemployment followed on the heels of everything else that had disintegrated. Months passed as I sent out hundreds of applications to various places, looking for anything that would help me support my family. Finally, a job opened, but the depression hung around. My outward appearance and actions seemed normal, but my insides churned.

Various trips to the emergency room for chest pains alerted my family doctor that something was wrong. “You’re depressed. Take the medication I’m giving you, and stay out of the emergency room,” he said. I followed his advice, and slowly the depression receded.

One translation has Jesus saying, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow.” I suppose he felt that way. He was overwhelmed by what was ahead, but his disciples couldn’t keep their eyes open to comfort him. He felt alone … as if he were fighting a battle by himself. And He was. The disciples could not accompany him to the cross and die for humanity’s sins. Only a perfect person could. He wasn’t sorry he was doing it, but the weight of what was ahead had the power to swallow his soul in sorrow.

Situations that cause grief and intense sorrow aren’t easy to face, but we can face them more healthfully when others support us. Trying to face sorrow alone often leads to depression, whereas having a support system tends to ward off the dark clouds of depression. If Jesus needed companionship in his time of sorrow, we do too.

Of course, our greatest support system is found in our relationship with Jesus. We can’t physically experience him with our senses, but we can feel his presence in our spirits. This spirit-to-Spirit relationship surpasses anything we might experience with our senses.

Don’t try to face times of sorrow alone. Depend on God and godly people to help you through your trying times.

Father, thank you for your presence and the presence of others when I face sorrowful times that want to swallow me. 

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.