Bev Foster shares with us...

John 16:33 NIV 
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
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Life comes in waves.  God has told us that in this life we will have troubles!  The last few months have done nothing, if not show us the truth in this Bible verse.  The truth is, that life throws us curves, but the most important thing to remember is that God will always be there for us, through it all.

I could never have imagined a pandemic, coupled with the need to take my mom in after her hospitalization.  As hard as it all was, God has taught me some important life lessons.

He has opened my eyes to the realization that life sometimes comes full circle.  Never, as a child, would I have ever imagined that I would become the caregiver, to the mother who had given so much to me as a child, and even more as I became a mother to my own children. 
Nothing I could do could ever have been able to equal all she did and how she was there for me during some really tough times. 

As we drove her down to Valley Cares, she held my hand and thanked me for all I had done for her.  I told her that there was no need to thank me for it. I would do it again and again, for all eternity, because she had given so much to me. I am the person I am, because she loved and nurtured me. She sent me to Sunday School and instilled in me a love for the God who is sovereign over all.  I would never live long enough to be able to repay her for her unconditional love and grace.  

The same is true of the God we serve! Nothing we could ever do could repay Him for His love and mercy. And though, in this life we will have trouble, take heart, because He has overcome and we are promised a life with Him, free of the world that sometimes throws us curves.

Bev Foster shares with us...

This past week, before my mom went to the hospital, I was over helping her to take a shower.  Because of her fall, I had not been letting her shower alone.  It was during this process that I became keenly aware of how Jesus must have felt and what He was trying to show us when He washed His disciple’s feet. 

The scripture is from John 13: 14b-17
 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

As I gently toweled my mom, I felt a warmth and tenderness that washed over me like a flood.  I was doing just what I needed to be doing in that moment.  I experienced a genuine feeling of serving.  It is a feeling that will be with me for the rest of my life.  A bittersweet, tear jerking, moment, when I knew just what I was put here for, service to others.

We used to have a Praise Hymnal at church, and in that book was a song, “Cups of Cold Water.”  The words of that song came to my mind when I was helping my mom.

Here are the lyrics to the song written by John W. Peterson:
Healing the widows and orphans in their needs,
Healing the sick ones and binding hearts that bleed,
Feeding the hungry this we must surely do.
By this we serve Him and demonstrate His love.

CHORUS:
Cups of cold water, given in Jesus' name,
Cups of cold water are never given in vain.
Someday in heaven when we meet the Lord,
Each deed of kindness will bring a rich reward.

During this hard time for our world, our country, and our community, finding small moments when we can serve others, may just be the medicine we all need right now.  And God has promised that you will be blessed!  Go and serve, in whatever small way you can!

Prayer:  Lord, help us find those small moments to serve others during this trying time.

Be well my friends! 

​ Bev Foster shares with us these words...

Sometimes I get obsessed with things!  One of those things is music.  Once I hear a song I like, I hit like on Spotify and then add it to my playlist and then I listen over and over again. 

I don’t know about you, but the unsettling feeling I have these days sometimes overwhelms me and I feel like crumbling into a ball and crying.  I think that this has happened to many of us during this crisis.  This is an extremely trying time, and if we ever needed a way maker, it is now!

I happened to be in the living room on Friday, when the Fox news station had Michael W. Smith on.  (Because my husband is always watching the news.)  It immediately caught my attention, as he is one of my faith heroes! His music has inspired my faith journey for years.  I even got to see him in concert once. 

I had no choice!  I just had to sit and watch.  He spoke from his home studio, talking about how at this time we all need our God.  And then he sang the song Waymaker and I sang along (because it is in my playlist.)  I just love the words and the message it gives.  Here they are:

You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You, I worship You
You are here, working in this place

I worship You, I worship You
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You, I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You, I worship You

Waymaker, Miracle Worker
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
Waymaker, Miracle Worker
Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are

 The words that have stuck with me these past few days are “Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, My God, that is who You are.” 

He is our Light in the Darkness, this present darkness! And he is a promise keeper. He will sustain us through this, even though it feels like the darkness is encroaching. 

From His word,  Psalm 145:13:
"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does."

Let’s be obsessed with this from His word!  Be safe, be well, and lean into the everlasting arms! 

Lord, we pray for your light in our lives and for your promise that this will end. And, we will be stronger!

Amen

Bev Foster shares with us this morning:

I woke up this morning, with a thought that I needed to share with anyone who would listen, a message of hope.  As I began my day, the thoughts kept running through my head (literally, as I was running, because I can do that) and I landed on a thought.

Back in the late 90”s, I was working at the West River Montessori School.  I was nearing the completion of my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and was wondering if I was meant to do more, especially since I had put so much effort into obtaining my degree.  

It wasn’t long before I found an ad for a position as the director of a preschool in Springfield.  Yes, it would be a drive, but I was ready to try for it, so I applied.  I was called for an interview.  It was summer and we were vacationing at Lake St. Catherine.  The interview was scheduled during our time away, but I got up early, left the campground, stopped at home, showered and dressed and headed on my way.  I was extremely nervous, to say the least, but I had to rely on Jesus to get me through and to give me direction in my career.  

After it was all over and I was reflecting I wrote this and submitted this to The Secret Place.  They accepted it and I wanted to share it today, because it is relevant even in these circumstances.  

Trusting Jesus
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-7
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

My interview was at 10:00 a.m. My mind was racing, my stomach was churning.  The jitters had hit!  Was I doing the right thing? Could I leave my old job for this new one? What would I tell my employers?  All these questions were running through my mind.  I forced myself to focus on Jesus and remember His promise that He would be with me through any situation.  During a few quiet moments, before I left, I sat down and told Jesus that whatever happened, whatever His will for me, I would accept it.  

As I drove down the highway, I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of peace.  My stomach stopped churning, my mind cleared, and I was unbelievably calm. I felt the Lord’s presence and was ready for whatever happened. I knew I could trust Him.

There are times in all our lives when we feel alone and need the presence of the Savior more than ever.  Take the time to ask Jesus to be with you, and He will.  He loves us with a love that knows no boundaries.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, be with me as I go through this stressful time.  Guide me and direct me.  Help me know that whatever happens is your will for me.  Amen

Remember in these times, intense times of need for hope and peace, He is with you! Our God is a God of compassion.  As 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 

If your family is anything like mine, I’m sure you have some family traditions that are a bit silly but that help make your family your own. Many might even be shared with other families. For instance growing up  my family had a tradition on Christmas Eve many years that after we went to church, we would take a drive through a couple surrounding towns and look at people’s Christmas lights.  As a kid that always felt like something unique to my family, although I’m sure that many other families had similar traditions.  

One family tradition passed down from my household growing up to my kids now has to do with breakfast cereal. In general we do not eat a lot of cereal in our household. There are several factors that led to our lack of cereal eating. First of all, our older two kids get breakfast at school many mornings. Second of all, Kathleen bakes amazing bread, and we all like eggs, so often we have an egg on toast. Lastly, Kathleen is not that fond of cereal. We do have cereal though, and we basically limit our cereal choices to those that are not primarily sugar. That isn’t to say they do not have sugar in them (look up the ingredients list for cheerios - there is plenty of sugar). These cereals just have less sugar. On camping vacations; however, we let the kids choose any cereal they want. It is fun, short lived, and a treat.

Every year when we go down the cereal aisle and the the kids choose a box of their own, I am amazed at how many choices there are for cereal. Dozens of choices all with a different “mascots” on the box and “games” on the back of the box to show how Coco Puffs is so much different and better then Coco Krispys (spoiler alert Coco Krispys are way better!). We take this choice seriously in our household, and the kids often take a good deal of time trying to make just the right choice. Last year Daniel saw a new type of cereal he had never tried before. It was Sour Patch Kids cereal. If you are not familiar with them, Sour Patch Kids are a delicious sour candy that Daniel likes. Well after careful consideration, he choose that cereal. All it took was one spoonful; however, for Daniel to realize he had made a mistake. Spoiler alert: Sour Patch Kids cereal is way more disgusting than it sounds, and let’s be honest, it doesn’t sound good unless you are seven.

I share this story, because it reminds me of how many choices we seem to always have around us. We are often swamped by an endless barrage of really trivial choices. We have to choose which TV show to binge on Netflix, which scent of dish soap we want most, what color shirt we want to wear, and what country we want our coffee from on a particular day. Honestly all of these options mean basically nothing in the overall picture of our lives. They are some of the wonderful/paralyzing array of options our modern life throws at us.  

The real potential problem with them though is that they can start to distract us from the really important decisions we do need to make. We start to feel either the day to day decisions we make do not really matter, or that all decisions no matter how trivial carry the weight of the world with them. Neither of these two things is good or helpful.  t is incredibly important that we see the difference between choosing a type of cereal and choosing to treat our annoying neighbor with dignity. We need to know that the world does not hinge on whether my dish soup is lemon or berry scented, but my community’s health might be affected by my decision to stay apart from other people during a pandemic.  

As Christians we are not immune to this kind of confusion. Many times during the history of the Church and of our church, we have become confused with regard to what is truly important and what does not really matter. In James 1:2-8 we are provided with some guidance for how we can make good, wise, Godly decisions:

James 1:2-8 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

As God’s people may we use this time of limited choices, frustration, and confusion to grow perseverance, and may we be assured that if we feel like we need wisdom, we would ask God - trusting that through the Holy Spirit, we will indeed grow in our ability to know which decisions are important and how to make the important decisions.

​What Kathleen is listening to right now: The Porter’s Gate: Neighbor Songs  especially  Nothing to Fear.  

Podcasts Chris likes to listen to that help him connect with God:   The Bible Project    and   The Holy Post.

If you have any music or podcasts that you listen to that help you feel connected to God share them!

​Here we are in a time of unparalleled social disruption. As a people we have been through incredibly difficult times in the past. September 11th, 2001 comes to mind as a time, when it seemed like everything in our lives was uncertain and there was really no way to know what would come next. The actual disruption to life though was pretty insignificant and short lived compared with the reality we are all now facing. I’m far too young, but I have to imagine that the last time daily life for average Americans was this drastically altered was during WWII.  

More than that though for followers of Jesus the very thing we do best - be the hands and feet of Jesus to hurting people - has been interrupted. The most remarkable thing about our faith is that we think God came as one of us and lived as one of us. We have a fancy theological word for that: incarnation. God knows that there is something dramatic that happens when we are together. Barriers break down, forgiveness becomes possible, and lives are transformed.  

The Bible paints this wonderful picture of the people who follow Jesus. We are His body now. The image works on many levels, but two show just how important it is for us as humans to be together. The first image is that a body is made up of a bunch of different parts that all have to work together if anything good is to be accomplished. To that end we all have a place and we all need to come together as Jesus body if we are to become everything God wants us to be. We were not designed to do that on our own. The second image of Jesus followers as His body serves another purpose especially applicable in our current circumstances. Jesus uses us His followers to be His presence on earth now. We are the way God is incarnational in the world now. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and when we interact with others, we bring God into the room with us! What does that look like now that we should not be in the same room as other people?

That is the question left to those trying to follow Jesus. We know that we need to stay away from one another for a time. God has given us intelligence to understand that a virus we cannot even see is spreading. We know that it has the ability to make many people sick and the real potential to overwhelm our hospitals, and we know what we can do to help slow that spread. We must not gather in groups, which is the opposite of what our faith would teach us to do. What a strange quandary. To best love my neighbor I need to not go visit them. Does that mean I abandon them though - I think not. God has given us creativity and ingenuity for a reason. We can use those abilities to do good even at a time like this. We can call those around us, and I would encourage you to make a list of people you can call/text/Facetime once a week to check in with and just to be God’s presence from your own home. We can be gracious to one another. We can realize that people are scared, uncertain, and insecure at a time like this. We can be a listening ear for them, and by doing so, we remind them that God is a listening ear for them all the time.

We are living day to day, not sure of exactly what tomorrow will bring. In the days ahead, we will strive to be posting to this blog daily. Our prayer is that we will be able to use this blog as one way to connect with one another. Feel free to comment. Feel free to share with friends. Let’s be creative in how we continue forward as the body of Christ.