Just An Ordinary Chip? Look Again

Star of Bethlehem?

How do you like my Star of Bethlehem potato chip? Pretty cool, huh? Maybe I’ll post the pic on Twitter, and it’ll go viral. People will flock from all over the country—or maybe the world—to get a glimpse of the Star.

Not likely?

Last spring, thousands of people strolled through New Orleans’ Ursuline Academy chapel to view a shadow many claimed resembled Jesus.

A grilled cheese sandwich bearing the image of the Virgin Mary sold on eBay for $28,000 in 2004.

Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn’t it? Yet I’ve seen this idol behavior, not only in the world but, steadily creeping into our churches and daily Christian lives.

It’s much easier to seek an object to boost us spiritually than to seek after the Spirit of God. After all, a potato chip, a shadow, and a grilled cheese are tangible. Seeking God takes an investment of time and soul—and an act of faith.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

The ironic thing is—God's not hard to see or feel. He’s all around us in the natural world. If we’d just turn off our TVs, iPods, smartphones, and all the other man-made distractions, we might hear Him speak to us. If we quit looking for the “golden calf” (Exodus 32:1-4) and focus on God's spirit instead, we would experience His supernatural presence.

It’s easy to make the assumption that only shallow believers would make pilgrimages to see religious “things.” But how many people go to church each Sunday or send their kids to youth group in an expectation of being entertained by “things?” After all, we can’t attract teens unless we do what the world does, right?

I listen to contemporary Christian music, and I enjoy most of it. But when contemporary Christian songs and concerts are indistinguishable from what’s on a secular radio station or stage, we have a problem. When rock bands are brought into the church to entertain, and we can’t distinguish their message from the world, we have a problem.

Lord, help us when the day comes that the world’s message spills into our Christian literature. And it’s trying. One of our conference leaders at The Cove last weekend shared a story of critiquing manuscripts at another Christian conference recently. She said the opening paragraph of the manuscript contained the F-bomb. Once she recovered from her shock, she asked the author to define his target audience. Children. Then she inquired about his occupation. He’s a middle school teacher. His reasoning was that children talk like this. This is the 21^st century. Christian literature has to get with the times, right?

Wrong.

Lord help us all, if we don’t get back to doing His business the right way—His way.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

When there’s nothing distinguishable between the church and the world, Christianity is in real trouble. We have to offer more than and different from the world of silly idols masquerading as a potato chip with the Star of Bethlehem, or a grilled cheese with the image of the Virgin Mary, or church programs mired in secular junk. People are hurting. Children are hurting.

The world is what they need rescue from.

Idols offer temporary pleasure and satisfaction. The church is about the eternal. Christians are the church. Our lives should reflect hope, peace, spiritual wholeness, and salvation through Jesus Christ.

When the world looks at you, does it see a reflection in the mirror, or does it see Jesus looking back?

For a more in-depth discussion about the consequences of idols in the church, click here to visit my other blog, Count The Costs.

If you have a prayer need, I’d love to hear from you. Either leave a comment below or e-mail me confidential requests. Would you take a moment to check the prayer list at the top of the blog, as well as information on Sgt. Jesse McCart, an American soldier injured in Afghanistan last year, and then lift these folks up in prayer? Thanks.  

New request this week:
A childhood friend of mine, Beth, who was also part of my church family has just been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. I'd appreciate prayers for her as she begins treatment.

Shalom,

Laura J

© Laura Hodges Poole

The Value of Bad

Life's mishaps

“Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Are you a good learner? I wonder sometimes if I am. I often repeat mistakes before I learn from them. I trust and extend goodwill, despite being burned in the past from those I’ve trusted. I won’t say it hasn’t made me more guarded, though, because it has.

Embracing bad times as valuable means a willingness to walk through a trial instead of asking God to remove it. Tough one, huh?

So maybe the better question is: Am I a willing learner?

A heart well prepared for adversity in bad times hopes, and in good times fears for a change in fortune.~Horace, Roman poet

How do we prepare for adversity? For a Christian, that means staying rooted in God’s Word and at His feet in prayer. If we do that, we need not fear a “change in fortune.”

When times are good, be happy;

but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one

as well as the other.

Therefore, no one can discover

anything about their future. Ecclesiastes 7:14

Would it help us to prepare for the bad, if we knew our future? Probably not. As Horace observed, it would fuel our fears and rob us of happiness during good times. God’s plan is always better than ours. The ebb and flow of good and bad is something He has deemed worthy for us to experience to grow deeper in our relationship with Him.

Are you ready to embrace adversity as an opportunity for growth?

Do you have a prayer need? I’d love to pray for you. Please share in the comments section below or e-mail me confidential requests.

Betty asks for prayer for her mother-in-law who recently lost her husband to Alzheimer’s. She’s experiencing her own health issues now including memory problems and fibromyalgia. Please pray for a return to good health and wisdom for the family as they seek answers. 

The permanent prayer list is at the top of this blog, as well as Sgt. Jesse McCart’s updates. Would you take a moment to lift up these folks in prayer? Thanks.J 

Shalom,

Laura

©Laura Hodges Poole

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free clip art

(Almost) Live From The Cove

Whew! What a weekend. For those who aren’t regular followers, I attended “Writers Advance! Bootcamp” at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, NC. As promised, I took many photos, though my jammed-packed schedule didn’t allow for blog postings. 

Guard house at entrance

Shepherd's Inn

I arrived at The Cove around 3:00 p.m. on Friday, an hour later than I’d planned.

After check-in, I rushed off to the first early bird class at 3:30, “Writing Big in a Little Space,” taught by the brilliantly gifted writer, editor, and social media guru Edie Melson.

Dinner, the opening session, and the keynote address followed, “Your Writing Career and its Longevity,” by the acclaimed Christian fiction author Yvonne Lehman. Yvonne published her 50^th book, Hearts That Survive: A Novel of the Titanic last spring. It's always a pleasure to hear her speak.

Evening networking began at 9:30, followed by Christian Devotions staff meeting, after which I fell into bed around 11:20 p.m.

At 6:20 a.m. I was ready for day two. Or maybe not. You be the judge of how tired I already looked at breakfast on Saturday morning. LOL.

I attended another wonderful day of classes, ate incredible meals, and enjoyed a brilliant keynote address given by Vonda Skelton, followed by fireside chats with fellow authors during snack time at 9:00 p.m. Exhaustion had definitely set in, but the Holy Spirit had given me much to think about when I went to bed around 11:00 p.m.

Sunday morning we awoke to a beautiful snowfall...

...and a time of worship and receiving our bootcamp marching orders, which were based on Isaiah 6:8:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Despite the condition of the world around us or, more importantly, because of society’s spiritual state, Christian writers don’t retreat—we advance with God’s power supporting us.

I’m eager to see where the Lord continues to lead me on this writing journey He gifted me with. I’m happy to be sharing my journey with you.

needlepoint gift portrait

Below are more Cove photos, if you’d like to look at them.

prayer room in the training center

writers (and friends) from Anderson, SC

Samaritan's Purse missions

Medical missions

One of many memorabilia displays

Ruth Graham's funeral

"End of construction. Thank
you for your patience."

At the chapel

If you enjoy my blog and receive it through e-mail subscription, would you consider forwarding to a friend you think might also enjoy it? If you’re reading the blog itself, would you take a moment to tweet or facebook to your followers and friends? The icons are below. Thanks so much!

Laura J 

©Laura Hodges Poole

Tomorrow Is A New Day

Choose a new direction

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A radio host recently asserted that ninety percent of our thoughts are the same from one day to the next. Do you believe that?

When you stop to consider, the figure makes perfect sense. Don’t we follow the same routine schedule, deal with the same problems, and encounter the same people? Without conscious effort to do otherwise, it’s logical our thoughts would be the same. We ruminate over mistakes and sometimes blunder ahead with no better choices or refuse to make changes that could lead to a better path.

A trend has unfolded since the first of the year. Instead of resolutions, many folks have chosen a word for the year. Abundance. Dependence (on Christ). Forgiveness. Perseverance. Yet, one word I haven’t seen is the one I mentioned a few weeks ago in reference to fear.

Change.

How can a six-letter word be so scary? Why does it take so much effort to think new thoughts, believe new ideas, and embrace a new path?

The failure to do so is what leads to all other failure in life.

So there you have it. My word for 2013 is change. Better late than never, I guess. J

Some changes this year will be bittersweet, like my son graduating high school, while other change I’ll embrace. And yes, some will be scary. But in the meantime, I’ll cling to a verse that reminds me, no matter what changes in my temporal earthly life, there’s one thing I can always count on to stay the same:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Can I get an amen?

I will be leaving for The Cove (Billy Graham training center in Asheville, NC) on Friday for a weekend writers’ conference. Please pray for my traveling safety both Friday and when I return on Sunday. Pray that my writing will be edified and my goals strengthened by the presence of the Holy Spirit always in abundance at this beautiful mountaintop complex. My schedule will be chock-full, but I will attempt to blog some photos during the conference.

If you have a prayer request, please share it in the comments below or email me confidential requests. Would you take a moment to lift up those on the prayer list at the top of the blog, along with Sgt. Jesse McCart as he continues rehab?

TC Avey requests prayer for her sister-in-law. It has only been three months since her brother (TC’s father-in-law) died of lung cancer. She was diagnosed a few weeks ago with the same cancer. She is progressing really rapidly. Without a touch for God, she will not make it.

We have a praise report from Courtney’s family on her MRI last week. This is from her Caring Bridge site:

Courtney's MRI showed no changes and the area below the tumor cavity that they have been watching for months, looked the same as last time. Dr. Peters still feels that this may be calcium deposits from prior radiation treatment and not tumor growth. To be sure, she has ordered a PET scan along with the contrast MRI on our next visit in late March. This will determine if it is indeed scar tissue or tumor. Should the PET scan show scar tissue, Dr. Peters plans to address reducing or removing one of Courtney's chemo drugs. She will remain on the Avastin IV indefinitely, but at least she may be able to drop one of the two oral chemo drugs.

Thank you all again for your concern and interest for Courtney. I assure you that we are so thankful and take great comfort in knowing that prayers and well wishes are coming her way, especially on the days we are Duke waiting on results. God bless you all.

The only thing I can add is Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

God bless,

Laura

©Laura Hodges Poole

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free clip art

Trusting in Him

Seeking answers

“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires which He creates.” Amy Carmichael, missionary, (1867-1951)

I’m a firm believer in praying specific prayers. After all, anything worth putting before God shouldn’t be done in a trite way of “God bless so-and-so. Amen.” However, it’s one thing to pray specifically, it’s another to pray with an answer attached.

I’m re-reading Amy Carmichael’s biography “A Chance to Die.” A gift from my mom, I read it the first time almost ten years ago. Beautifully written by missionary Elisabeth Elliot, the biography sheds light on Amy’s early life and the 55 years she spent in India as a missionary without a furlough home. Of Irish descent, Amy learned early in her life about prayer as illustrated in this excerpt: 

“Taught by her mother that God was a hearer and an answerer of prayer, One who could change water into wine, she [Amy] determined to test His powers. Kneeling by her bed that night she asked for the one thing she most passionately longed for: blue eyes. Surely there would be no difficulty for the Lord in this. The little girl went to bed with perfect confidence. She jumped out of bed at dawn, pushed a chair to the chest of drawers, climbed up and looked in the mirror—into the same brown eyes. She never forgot the bewilderment she felt until, somehow, an explanation was given (did the Lord Himself speak to her, or did someone else?): Isn’t NO an answer? So prayer was not magic. Like her earthly father who loved her, her heavenly Father might also say no.” (A Chance to Die) 

This poignant story is heartwarming as we each see our own children (or maybe imagine ourselves as children) praying naïve prayers. But let’s be honest. We often do the same thing as adults. We don’t stop at praying the specific prayer. We then give God the answer we want in return.

As a small child, Amy only knew that her Irish siblings and many around her had blue eyes, and she did not. It seemed a travesty to her. She couldn’t have known she’d spend most of her life in India, amongst brown-eyed people, and how imperative it was she blend in. She often dyed her skin with coffee and covered her head to move about in unsavory places to do God’s work. Her missionary worked turned into rescuing children from temple prostitution and establishing a safe haven for them, the Dohnavur Fellowship. At the time of her death, Amy had rescued over a thousand children.

Like Amy, we often pray too specifically such that an answer is wrapped up in our petitions.

“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” Romans 11:34

With our own limited view of the world and with no knowledge of the future, we are often hesitant to step out on faith and say, “God, no matter what the answer might be, I accept it.”

Scary, huh?

Not really, when you consider that God knows our future, wants the best for us, and has designed us for a specific purpose. We only have to trust Him to get it right.

If you have a prayer request you’d like to share, please do so in the comments section or email me confidential requests. Here are the new requests for this week:

·        Today, Courtney is en route to Duke for her two-month follow-up brain MRI. She has had three  clear reports since last summer. Please keep her in your prayers as she battles brain cancer and anxiety. For those of you who do not know her story, please click on the prayer list at the top of the blog for more info.
·       Linda and Stephen’s marriage is at a crossroads right now. Please pray that they’ll seek God’s guidance in their decisions.
·        Matthew is having mental health issues and is living an unhealthy lifestyle. Pray that God will give his family wisdom and strength as they seek answers, and that Matthew will get help for his problems.

Shalom,

Laura

© Laura Hodges Poole

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free clip art

Your Work or God's Work?

“The way to success and a broad, beautiful outlook on life more often than not leads over obstacles and up a stiff climb before we reach the hilltop.” Laura Ingalls Wilder

Have you ever started the week on Monday and by Tuesday realized you’re already behind? This sums up my life more often than not lately. The more I cross off my to-do list, the more the list multiplies—almost like rabbits—before my eyes. I ask myself: Where does all this stuff come from? Well, me, of course. J But, like Laura Ingalls Wilder observed, life often leads over obstacles and up a stiff climb before we reach the hilltop. 

Do you ever feel this way? If so, how do you strive to find joy and rely on God’s strength at the same time? Is it through trial and error—or placing your faith in God’s plans, no matter what?

Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of my favorite authors. She left a treasure trove of writings, not only her Little House books but decades of journals and newspaper columns. One of my favorites is her recollection of how she came to understand the difference between her work and God’s work. 

Laura was 15 years old when she became a school teacher to help support her family. At 18, she married Almanzo Wilder and became a farmer’s wife. Three years later, Almanzo suffered a stroke after having diphtheria and never fully regained his strength or health. Laura became his hands and feet, helping him to harness horses and do farm work, much like she had been sister Mary’s eyes after she became blind when they were children.

A few months after Almanzo’s stroke, Laura gave birth to a second child, a son, who died two weeks later. A month later, a fire destroyed their home. At age 22, Laura packed up the family to spend a year with Almanzo’s parents in Minnesota, then two years in Florida to help rehab his legs outside of a frigid northern climate.

After returning to their South Dakota home, Laura did the unthinkable for a married woman in the 1890s. She took a job outside of the home—working as a seamstress for ten hours a day, six days a week, at a dollar a day to earn money to move again. With $100 in savings, at age 27, she and Almanzo with daughter Rose left the Dakotas for good and moved to the Missouri Ozarks where they spent the rest of their lives. 

Did she have moments of despair? No doubt. But did she let the hardships consume her or shake her faith? This is from her writings:

“There were dry years in the Dakotas when we were beginning our life together. How heartbreaking it was to watch the grain we had sown with such high hopes wither and turn yellow in the hot winds! And it was backbreaking as well as heartbreaking to carry water from the well to my garden and see it dry up despite all my efforts. I said at that time that thereafter I would sow the seed, but the Lord would give the increase, if there was any, for I could not do my work and that of Providence also by sending the rain on the gardens of the just and the unjust.” (Words from a Fearless Heart)

Are you struggling to discern the difference between your role and that of God’s in your life and work? Take heart from this prayer the Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians, and ultimately for all believers:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

Please take a moment to lift up in prayer those on the prayer list and Sgt. Jesse McCart as he continues rehab. If you have a need, please share in the comments section or email me confidential requests. 

God bless,

Laura

©Laura Hodges Poole

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free clip art

Fear of Change

Are you afraid? 

“One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.” ― Elisabeth Elliot, missionary and writer

Overwhelmed…too many commitments…can’t say no…worry…sleepless nights…Do any of these describe you? They describe many Americans in today’s society. 

Yet, the irony is surveys have shown, despite the overwhelming circumstances many deal with, most people wouldn’t trade their own trials for someone else’s. 

Something to ponder.

This week my life finally settled back into routine after the Christmas holiday. With my son back in school, my daughter in North Carolina, and my husband at work, the house is quiet. I can hear the birds singing through the sunroom windows and the jingle of my Australian Shepherd’s dogtags as she tosses a ball around in the back yard on this crisp, sunny morning. 

With my Bible in hand, I settled into a comfy chair to pray over my goals for 2013. I’ve learned without God’s blessing, my goals are seldom achievable through my own strength. Mostly, this is because my goals involve Him and the ministry He has given me. 

I’ve said before I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I ask God to show me a character trait or habit that, if improved upon, would help me achieve my goals. Last year it was better time management. I won’t say I mastered it, but I definitely improved, and it did make my work flow better. 

As I’ve prayed this week, one thing became apparent—most of what I want (or feel led) to do is impeded by fear. Maybe you have this problem, also. Fear of failure, fear of danger, fear of the unknown…and the list goes on and on. 

And maybe this sheds some light on what we were pondering above. Despite our circumstances, we won’t trade for someone else’s hardships, but apparently we’re often unwilling to take the necessary steps to change our own. We’ll continue in our own harried, overcommitted way.

Why?

Could it be fear in both scenarios?

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

Through God’s grace and with His strength, we can overcome and be empowered to conquer anything to bring positive changes to our life and work.

If you have a prayer need or something you’re struggling with, I’d love to hear from you today. Share in the comments below or email me confidentially. Take a moment to pray for others on the list above. 

New prayer requests this week:

• Sarah asks for prayer for her niece Lori who has recently been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.
• Jeremy, Elizabeth, and Ashley. These three young adults have turned their back on Christ and have chosen a self-destructive, sinful path instead. Pray for them to realize their sin and turn back to the hope only found in Christ.

I hope you are as blessed by this song as I was when I first heard it a couple of months ago.  

God bless,

Laura

© Laura Hodges Poole

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free clip art