The Chair Day 40

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out…” —Acts 8:26–27a

There is an amazing story in Acts 8:26–27. Phillip was having great success as an evangelist among the Samaritans. Suddenly, God calls him to go to the desert. There is no explanation, just the command to go. As you fast and pray for people far from Christ, be open to the idea that the Holy Spirit may take you down a path and lead you to people you never intended to meet.

I have a chair in my office that reminds me that God’s plans are not always what I have decided to do. Several years ago at Thanksgiving, my wife and I went to Brenda’s parents for the thanksgiving meal. It had been a very stressful time at church and I was glad just to eat a lot and watch football and probably fall asleep. Esther, Brenda’s mom, told me about her neighbor, Julie, who was very sick. Julie was a Lutheran, but she had not been to church for a long time and they could not get a pastor to come out and give her Communion. Esther wondered if I would go over and take Communion to Julie. I was less than excited. I needed a day away from constant demands! Surely Esther of all people should know that. I reluctantly went to Julie. She was a tiny woman sitting in this little lounge chair. I talked to her about Jesus’ love and had prayer with her and served Communion. The next day Julie told Esther that during that prayer she asked Jesus into her heart. Two week later Julie died. Every time I look at that chair I realize how close I came to missing God’s plan.

As you pray today, remind the Holy Spirit that you are available to the Julies in your world. The Bible calls these special moments kairos moments, opportune times that if we are available God can use us to change our world. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Dear Father, as I pray for people I know far from you, help me to be open to those opportune moments you place in my life. In the loving name of Jesus, amen.

Dr. Steve Birch, Pastor, White Chapel Church of God, South Daytona, Florida

Have an awesome Resurrection Day celebration with our risen Lord and carry the Focus 40 spirit with you all year long! MAY THIS BE "YOUR EASTER!"

Prayers of the Righteous: Day 39

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. —James 5:16

Since I was a child, I have seen persons within the church anointed for healing as instructed in James 5:13–16. When I accepted my call to ministry, I followed what had been modeled for me by my pastor and the leaders of our church. Even as a teenager, when asked to pray for someone, I would quote this passage, anoint the person with oil, and pray for God’s will to be done. In the intervening forty-five years, I have prayed thousands of times for individuals seeking healing of body, soul, or mind. I have not kept a statistical account of how many were healed in the moment, some later, and some never. Yet all received the best I had to offer in that moment as I requested a mighty outpouring of God’s grace and power.

Often, people outside the church, and sometimes inside, make disparaging remarks about praying and fasting because they have not seen evidence of results. At the core of any type of prayer is the fact that you are addressing the Creator of the world, the holder of all destinies, and our ultimate adjudicator—asking for his will on this particular subject or issue. At times, our own understanding of the situation may be clouded by our own desires and biases. The text from James places in proper perspective the attitude of the one praying: “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”.

It is critical to understand what it means to be a “righteous person.” As I understand it, a righteous person is one who seeks the will of the Father in all situations and circumstances and has his or her life and lifestyle committed to living out the “perfect will of God” (Rom 12:2). The solution we envision in any given situation may or may not be the will of God. It can be very difficult to separate our personal viewpoint from the will of God. This is where fasting and praying intersect. There are times when we need to get our own wishes out of the way so we can hear from God. An extended time of prayer, an interruption in our normal schedule, or some other change in our normal routine, may provide the opportunity for God to speak into the situation in a fresh way.

A moment from my first pastorate illustrates how God may take our humble efforts and bless them. I had been called to the home of an elderly lady who was near death’s door. The family wanted me to pray for her before she died. She had been a faithful servant of the Lord for many years. As I entered her bedroom with other family members, I saw a very frail person having difficulty breathing and barely conscious. I prayed for God’s will to be done in her life, for support for the family as they walked this journey with her, and that God would be glorified through this experience. We all left the bedroom to let her rest. Later, as I was eating dessert with the family in the kitchen, she appeared in the door and asked if they had any more pie. We were pleasantly shocked and immediately gave thanks to God for her recovery. Some months later, I preached her funeral, but for that night, the prayers of the righteous were heard.

In our praying, let’s keep God in the proper perspective as defined by the Bible and recognize that we are vessels made of clay. Praise God for the opportunity to pray. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, empower me to be a righteous person seeking the will of the Father in all situations and circumstances; a person whose life and lifestyle are committed to living out the perfect will of God. Then, empower me to speak powerful and effective prayers that escort people into your presence to be touched, healed and transformed. Amen.

Dr. Ronald V. Duncan, General Director, Church of God Ministries

Building Bridges Day 38

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times that amount.” —Luke 19:7–8

Most of us have some negative feelings about evangelism. Rob Bell describes the guy with the bull horn screaming at people passing by that they need Jesus. I find it interesting that people far from Christ were attracted to Jesus. What was his secret? One of my favorite Bible stories is found in Luke 19:1–9, the story of Zacchaeus.

What I find most interesting about the story is that Jesus does not begin with the obvious: Zacchaeus is far from Christ. He is a sinner. Instead, Jesus begins by inviting himself to dinner. Truly a man after my own heart. What was Jesus doing? He was building a bridge so the gospel could be heard. He was demonstrating a true concern for Zacchaeus, the man, not the spiritual scalp.

Sometimes I share with my church the concept of seven touches; there is another one called five touches. Basically the concept is we need to build relationships with people so we can share the good news of Christ. Those bridges can be sports or a lunch. While I was pastor at Lexington, at one time we had four or five people coming to church through bridges built while working out at Gold’s Gym. When you think about the whole gospel message, it is about relationships, a relationship with God and a relationship with others. Relationships are by nature messy. It is easier to preach to someone than it is to get involved in their life.

When I came to White Chapel and we began to pray for the families in our community, I warned them that the families in our community had messy lives, and if we were going to pray for them, we would have to get involved in the mess. That has proven true. Various people over the years have made this statement, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It is our acts of love that give us the open door to share God’s love. So when you pray for someone far from Christ, realize this means you must be willing to get involved in lives that can be messy lives. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Dear Father, as I pray for people I know who are far from Christ, I realize their lives are a mess. I am willing to get involved in their mess if it means I can build a bridge to you. My prayer is that you will show me how to build that bridge. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dr. Steve Birch, Pastor, White Chapel Church of God, South Daytona, Florida

God Healed Her Negative, Bitter, Critical Attitudes Day 37

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. —Ephesians 4:31–32

If we would model, teach, and empower people to live like these verses instruct us, we could transform the world. God is still in the prayer-answering, life-transforming business! In my morning prayer time, I wrote a list of prayer requests, leaving space to record their answers. One of those requests was for Geri1

Those of us who knew about Geri’s situation began praying for her. I wrote on my prayer request list Geri’s need for healing of her negative, bitter, critical attitudes. I prayed that she would experience release from these feelings and would be able to make amends with Penny. My wife Sandie had tried to talk to Geri in a helpful way, but Geri had tuned her out. Two weeks later, Geri called Sandie and our office manager to tell them that she regretted the way she had handled the situation with Penny. She felt that she had committed sin in the way she had acted. She had already called Penny to apologize and ask for her forgiveness. , who lived in personal turmoil and frustration. She always had a critical attitude, looking for the worst in almost every situation. She complained to the parents of children she taught in Sunday school, about things she didn’t like in the church. Geri found it difficult to talk constructively about changing her attitudes. She said things that severely hurt our hand-bell choir director, Penny, and Geri didn’t want to deal with her harsh attitudes in a positive way.

When Geri brought a plate of homemade Christmas goodies to me two days later, I sensed a spirit of release in her. God had begun his healing work in her spirit. She began growing spiritually and relationally. I prayed that she would allow him to continue and complete the work, for she was one of our most gifted children’s teachers. If she could be released from those negative, complaining, critical attitudes, she could be used by God to teach children about his love, forgiveness, and acceptance.

This is evidence of the power of intercessory prayer to heal inner wounds, strained or broken interpersonal relationships. This opens our inner spirits to the healing balm of God’s love and grace. It reminds me of on my hand. My hand and forearm were red, swollen, hot with fever. When I saw the doctor, I wasn’t prepared for his treatment. He cleaned it with alcohol. With small sharply-pointed scissors, he cut an X-incision in the boil. The pain was excruciating! It got worse! The doctor closed the scissor blades, inserted them into the incision and opened them, spreading the incision wider. I thought I would pass out as the infection gushed out. After pressing around on the boil and draining a lot of infection, the doctor cleaned the incision and covered it with antibiotic ointment and a bandage, and wrote an antibiotic prescription. Within a few days, the pain, swelling, and fever left. It was painful, but by lancing the boil, the doctor set the stage for healing to begin.

Likewise, “getting rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” from a person’s heart is painful like draining a boil. Applying kindness, compassion and forgiveness is like the antibiotics that aid in the healing process. In intercessory prayer we escort people to God for healing. It’s about Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, shape me as a bearer of Your healing balm of love and grace to bitter, hurting, broken, critical folks I meet; a carrier of kindness, compassion and forgiveness. Enable me to open my heart to your great heart of love and compassion as an intercessory prayer warrior. Amen.

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

A Burning Bush in Haiti Day 36

So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” —Exodus 3:3–4

Our church was planning to send a work team to Haiti, but for various reasons the trip fell through. One of the most disappointed people was Brandon. Brandon was a seeker who had been attending church with his family for some time but just hadn’t put the whole “becoming a Christian” thing together yet. However, he was deeply affected by the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. Finally, after two more failed attempts, Brandon was able to join a team (this one with people from Texas and Colorado) that successfully made their way to Haiti.

Since the arrival of construction materials for their project was delayed, Brandon ended up doing “people” things and spending a lot more time in deep conversation with his other team members and the people he was assigned to work with.

Through many different conversations Brandon continued to seek and God continued to reach out to him. From his Haiti journal, “I have been asked many questions about my relationship with God that I have been unable to answer. I am trying to figure out why I can’t really ‘talk’ to God, or if I am, how to understand it.” One night after some serious table talk at dinner, Brandon gave his heart to the Lord. After Brandon returned home, he wrote in his journal, “I was not able to build any walls for the people of Haiti, but I was able to tear down most of my own. It is a daily struggle to fill up my newfound space, but I have learned so much. I have learned what we are doing is not just a series of random events but a plan. Not my plan, and that’s ok with me.”

Brandon is now discovering the spiritual disciplines and their relationship to spiritual transformation. Just like Brandon we have to remember that our primary task is not to calculate how many verses of Scripture we read, how many minutes we spend in prayer, or how many meals we’ve missed. Our task is to use these types of activities to create opportunity for God to work—to get ourselves out of the way so God can do his work.

Just as Moses and Brandon found out, God’s responsibility is to provide the burning bush. Our responsibility is to turn aside and give attention to the bush. We never know what burning bush God will use. For Brandon, it was an earthquake in Haiti. But, as God does his work, transformation will take place. God will change us, from the inside out, as we get out of the way and allow him to work. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

God, today help me to turn to the burning bush you have put in my way so you can do your work—transforming my heart and then my life. Amen.

Rev. Gary Moore, Transformation Team / Cultivate Member; Associate Pastor, Cloverdale Church of God, Boise

A Voice in the Storm Day 35

The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. —Psalm 29:7

The Churches of God in Southern Idaho had junior high camp in June at a United Methodist camp in the Sawtooth Mountains. We always recruit a nurse to go with us since the Idaho wilderness plus junior-high energy and decision-making ability often lead to “medical opportunities”. This year we found ourselves without a nurse close to camp time. A mother (an ER nurse) of one of our preschoolers, even though not a church-goer, saw a camp registration form we had posted, remembered she had attended this same camp in her youth, and contacted our youth pastor, Brian Seidel, about the opportunity.

After Brian interviewed her and prayed about the situation, he felt God was telling him that Jenna was the person he wanted for the position. Brian contacted the other camp director, Drew Stenson, about the situation only to be told that Drew had already engaged someone for the assignment. However, after they talked Drew also felt impressed that God wanted Jenna and so he disengaged the other person. As Brian was making the final arrangements with Jenna, she asked if her seventh-grade son, Tucker, could attend the camp. Brian quickly assented.

To say this was a camp unlike any other and that God moved in mighty and miraculous ways would be a classic understatement. Major miracles began on a stormy Wednesday night. In Jenna’s own words, “Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome week. How do I thank you for helping me find God again? How do I thank you for being with me and guiding me as I opened my heart and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior? Thank you for making me feel safe when I was scared and uncertain. Thank you for helping me find the words I needed to begin my journey again …thank you for not judging…Thank you for offering me every opportunity to find my faith again…I have been ready for years, but found too many excuses. I was too scared, too doubtful, and too weak. But you helped me find my strength again so I would be ready to witness the miraculous events I did…I have a long road ahead of me as I continue my journey. I know I have much to learn. But I also know he waited for me for so long and he will lead me if I just keep working and keep my heart open.”

Jenna’s son Tucker also committed his life to the Lord on that eventful Wednesday evening. Again in Jenna’s own words, “I love seeing the change in him. He prays every night. He sends me scriptures that relate to events going on in his life. He has much to learn as well, but his heart is open. He speaks openly of his relationship with God and seeks his guidance. Thank you.”

Lord, may we always listen for your voice, whether in the flash of lightning or in solitude. And in hearing, may we obey. Amen.

Rev. Gary Moore, Transformation Team / Cultivate Member; Associate Pastor, Cloverdale Church of God,

Never Too Late for Salvation Day 34

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. —Galatians 6:9–10 MSG

Ninety years old, a retired railroad engineer wearing the weight of the past, unforgiven sin and grief on his face, Paul came to church one Sunday night. He had never been a church-goer, but he had married a widow who loved the Lord and attended church every time the doors were open. Because Paul wanted to be with his bride, he came along. Usually, on Sunday night the pastor gave an opportunity for testimonies, prayer requests, and praise. A short sermon would follow and a prayer of dismissal. Although he didn’t normally give an invitation on Sunday night, this night the pastor opened the altar for anyone who wanted to come pray.

Paul got up out of his seat and slowly made his way to the altar, with his expression of sadness, grief, regret, despair, pain, fear of dying written on his face. Who knows all he was feeling at that moment? The pastor asked him how we could pray for him, what was he seeking. Paul said he had never been saved and he wanted to do that now. The pastors and congregation gathered around Paul and laid their hands on him. Fervent prayer went up for Paul.

What a glorious transformation in countenance the congregation saw when Paul raised himself up from that altar with the help of people near him. His face was literally shining with freedom from sin and guilt, release from fear of dying, and his sorrow turned into joy. Paul was changed from the inside out. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives! He was still ninety years old, but now he was ready to meet the Lord whenever his name was called.

As pastors, sometimes we assume everybody coming to church is okay—everyone is saved. Sometimes we miss the expressions, the meanings behind the words spoken, and the body language that would give us a clue that all is not well. Of course we ask and the person usually says “I’m fine”. Many people in the church are not fine. Sometimes people have a mask in place and we truly believe they are fine. The Holy Spirit speaks to hearts even on Sunday night when one might assume only the faithful are present. Every time the Word of God is proclaimed in a service, in a book, on the radio or television, the opportunity for someone to get saved exists.

Lord, help me to really see people, really comprehend when they are in pain or are afraid. Make me willing to stop doing what I think is most important and just listen, just be there for them. Amen.

Mary Bruce Fuller, Minister and Attorney, Florence, Mississippi

A Prayer of Sincerity: “Search Me” Day 33

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. —Psalm 139:23–24

Psalm 139 has always intrigued me. I find it to be a magnificent prayer. It seems like a well that never runs dry. You can return to this prayer of David’s again and again and find spiritual refreshment and revelation for your life. There is an aspect of the prayer I find very interesting. David begins by stating, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.” As he comes to the conclusion of the prayer in verse 23 and 24 he states, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

“Wait a minute,” he said, “You have searched me and know me.” Then he says, search me and know my heart.” David, are you contradicting yourself? I believe David’s closing entreaty gives to us the sincere prayer of his heart. God, I want to know me as you know me, therefore, “Search me!”

This is a prayer that calls for divine scrutiny. David is implying, “God, the truth is you are the only one who can hold me accountable. Lord, I want to be accountable to you. God pull back the layers and let me see my heart like you see it.” David wanted to handle the truth about himself. When we desire the truth from God concerning ourselves, we have reached a deeper level of spiritual maturity.
David reveals that such an answer to his prayer will require divine discipline. He then calls for God to test him. “Lord, examine me, even if it is painful.” It is our natural tendency to avoid pain at all cost. However, a right relationship with God may require a time of testing to reveal our anxiety so that we may grow in our faith and trust of God.

David seems to be calling for divine accuracy. He has suffered enough from the pain of sin and self-ego. He now calls for the laser accuracy of God to point out anything offensive to God, to himself and to others. “O what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

Finally, David calls for divine leadership for his life as he prays: “and lead me in the way everlasting.” David has reached a moment of truth in his life. He has become aware that knowing oneself by a pure light is not a false light. He wants his pathway to be eternal in all its ways so that all his ways are eternal. David has reached that place where he wants to move beyond forgiveness alone to heart purity. And this is what empowers Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

O God, the words of David truly reveal to me the man after God’s own heart. Help me, O Lord, to find the will to pray such a sincere prayer that I may walk upright in your ways. Amen.

Rev. Claude Robold, Pastor New Covenant Church, Middletown/Franklin, Ohio

“Grandpa, You’ve Been That in My Life!” Day 32

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. —Psalms 37:4

I teach online courses at Mid-America Christian University. My favorite course is Spiritual Formation. In one of our discussion questions, I asked, “How does delighting yourself in God fit into the overall process of spiritual formation? One student answered, “To me, the spiritual discipline of delighting myself in God are the moments that take my breath away. Those moments that capture my heart and I can see God shining through those relationships. The intimacy of our human relationships reflects our intimate relationship with God.” Another student said, “I have never had a take-your-breath-away moment, as you wrote. An emotional one, for sure, tears, etc., but nothing jaw-dropping. What would qualify to you for such a moment?”

I responded to that student, “I’ll tell you about one of my take-your-breath-away, jaw-dropping, heart-capturing, day-making moments. My eleven-year-old grandson Allen and I were sitting on log stools by our wood pile, splitting pine lighter kindling to start a fire. It was one of those tender, awesome times as we laughed together and talked about grandpa-grandson kind of stuff! Allen said, “Now, Grandpa, this is what I like—just hangin’ out with you, splitting firewood, or anything else we do together!” That’s what I’m talking about, that’s one of my take-your-breath-away, jaw-dropping, heart-capturing, day-making moments.
Allen is now eighteen, a senior, and a wonderful Christ-follower. He is an excellent guitarist, who can hang with about any praise band. He does a lot of illusionist tricks, like picking out a card someone places in the deck without Allen seeing it and making money and other stuff disappear. He has lots of invitations to do presentations for youth groups and other settings. After doing several of the disappearing tricks, he’ll say, “Everything I’ve done up to now has been an illusion, but I want to tell you about someone who is real, and positive, and life transforming. His name is Jesus.” And he gives his testimony.

A few weeks ago, I shared with Allen the following story about My Life Goal Prayer, expressed in Elisha’s request to Elijah, just before Elijah was transported to heaven in the fiery chariot. Elijah asked Elisha, “What can I do for you before I’m taken from you? Ask anything?”. Elisha responded, “Your life repeated in my life, I want to be a holy man just like you!” (2 Kings 2:9 msg). And Allen said to me, “Grandpa, you’ve been that in my life!” That’s what I’m talking about, my take-your-breath-away, jaw-dropping, heart-capturing, day-making moment. My heart leaped within me, and I prayed, “Lord God, let me always be that in Allen’s, Austin’s, Kelsey’s, and Caleb’s lives and in the lives of all you bring into my sphere of ministry. Out of that experience, my Life Purpose Prayer was born, based on Elisha’s request to Elijah: “Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do.” If he will accomplish that in my life, I will feel that I have fulfilled his awesome plan for me. My challenge is to make this prayer part of your spiritual disciplines:

Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me,

Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do. Create through my life and witness many of those exciting take-your-breath-away, jaw-dropping, heart-capturing, day-making moments in the lives of all you bring into the sphere of my life and ministry. And let me live in partnership with you, my Lord, in Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Planting Trees Day 31

Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. —Revelation 5:8

A number of years ago I read the story of a German tree farmer. This farmer was planting trees that would not mature for at least a hundred years. When the farmer was questioned about why he would plant for a harvest he would never see, he replied, “I am harvesting trees planted long before I was born by my great-grandfather. I am planting trees for those not yet born.”
My wife Brenda and I started praying for the future wife for each of our boys from the time of their birth. We prayed for just the right woman to enter each of our son’s life. We prayed for a woman whose heart was tender for God. We were praying for someone who might not yet be born. We believe God answered that prayer for each of our three sons.

As you pray for people far from Christ, I think it is important to also pray for future generations that will need to know Christ. The same prayer we used to pray for each of our sons is now an appropriate prayer for each of our eight grandchildren. These prayers should not be necessarily be secret prayers. We often told our sons what we were praying for in their lives.

There were moments that it seemed those prayers were not going to be answered. Two of our sons were traveling a dangerous path, but God brought the right people at the right moment into their lives. These prayers need to be consistent and persistent. Brenda’s mother prayed for decades for her brothers and sisters who were far from Christ. One by one they came to Christ, most of them in their seventies, after years of prayer that seemed to be going nowhere. Your prayers are planting trees for a future harvest, plant faithfully and persistently.

I love the image of Revelation 5 where it describes the golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints. I envision some of those prayers to be hundreds of years old. Prayers prayed by great-grandfathers for children yet unborn.

Dear Father, today I pray for family members who are far from you. I also pray for children in my family who are not yet born. I pray that you will send people into their lives who will speak your words of hope and that they will come to know you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dr. Steve Birch, Pastor, White Chapel Church of God, South Daytona, Florida

The Great Commandment Experienced Day 30

And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” —Matthew 22:39

Not too many months after arriving in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, as the senior pastor, I was called into our bedroom by my wife Linda. Our five-year-old son Ryan was lying on our bed. He had been listless for several days and we had taken him to the doctor, but it did not seem serious. However, Linda asked me to look at his hands. With the palms of his hands facing upwards, we watched bruises just move across his hand. We immediately took him to the emergency room, thinking he would be given a shot or we would go home with some medication. You can imagine our surprise, when after running some tests, the doctor came out and said that a medical helicopter was on its way from Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital.

With almost unbelief at this turn of events, we placed him into the care of the medical personnel, called our dear friend Cindy Emhoff, who came to get Elizabeth, our eight-year-old daughter, and then headed to Pittsburgh not knowing what to expect. Ryan was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). During the next several days, his head swelled to the point that he could not see out of his eyes. He had spontaneous bursts of blood from his bowel. He had near total kidney failure. His words were at one point, “Mommy, I just cannot go on.” At times his pain was severe, but for the doctors to always know the symptoms, he could not receive pain medication. Neither of us left his side much for those two and one half weeks.

But during that horrendous experience, we also experienced Great Commandment love. In fact it permeated the whole experience. God’s faithfulness was amazingly expressed through so many. We were so exhausted, and although wanting to pray, we had little strength to do it. Thank God for intercessors who held all of us up—near and far! Our state minister, Greg Hall, had just arrived at a meeting out of state but immediately returned to visit with us. Many pastors and parishioners came by to encourage us. The church leaders told us to stay with him as long as we needed to. We made countless trips to the doctor after the hospital stay, but the fees were all waived. A neighbor mowed our yard. In so many ways we experienced Great Commandment love over and over. Shortly after returning home the symptoms began to show again. (In most situations the disease returns but not as strong as previously.) We took him to the altar during the morning worship service and prayed for him. God touched him and the disease never came back.

It was the prayers, presence, and generous acts of kindness from so many that helped us through one of the toughest time in our lives. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Dear God, may I serve as a tangible conduit of your grace and encouragement to those who are struggling. Remind me of the critical importance of interceding for those who have become weary with life’s challenges. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Rev. Ryan Chapman, Credentials Services Coordinator, Church of God Ministries

Praying the Power of the Blood of Jesus Day 29

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. —1 Peter 1:2 NLT

Jim is in mid-sixties. He retired from his job as a professional welder. He and his wife raised some wonderful children. Jim and Donna are now in the season of enjoying their grandchildren. Last year as our congregation was participating in Focus 40. Jim and Donna came forward for prayer in a Sunday service. Jim had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and on the day of his diagnosis, a brain tumor was found in his five-year-old grandson. The tumor began to affect his grandson’s motor skills. As he walked, he was dragging one leg. Jim said, “I’m not worried about myself, I’m in God’s hands; but I ask that you pray for my grandson. The whole family was now standing in front of the congregation—Jim, Donna, their son, daughter in law and grandson. They shared with us that Jim and his grandson would be going back for further tests that week. We took special time to anoint with oil and prayer over them.

The next visit to the doctors did not bring wonderful news. Jim was told that his leukemia was an aggressive form of cancer. The family was told that their grandson would have to have brain surgery. And both were scheduled for another round of tests to prepare them for surgery and treatment. Jim later said about this day, “It was one of the darkest days I had faced in a long time.” He shared that when he faces this kind of turmoil, he often paces. He stated, “I was just pacing around my dining room table, saying, Lord, what are we going to do? He shared that in those moments the old hymn “There Is Power in the Blood” came to him. Jim said, “I am not a singer but I started praying that hymn. There is power in the blood to heal my cancer; there is power in the blood to heal my grandson.” He stated, “I just kept pacing and praying, ‘There is power in the blood.’”

This became Jim’s continual prayer as he and his grandson prepared for their next round of tests. They returned for their test the following week. The physicians working on both cases had called in specialists to assist with this round of test. As the grandson visited the doctor’s office on that day, they all noticed he was no longer dragging his leg but walking normally. Jim went for another round of blood tests. After tests were completed, they were told to return in a few days to hear what the physicians would determine should be the next steps. After the final round of tests and review, the doctors determined that the best action for the grandson would be to monitor the tumor, which they said was not increasing in size. Jim’s blood test came back with all results in normal range. The doctors determined to watch Jim’s blood test and not do any immediate treatment. They are now into their seventh month of observation. The grandson entered school again this fall and is living and learning with no difficulties or side effects. Jim’s blood counts all remain normal. There is no loss of weight or any signs that his cancer is active. Jim says, “There is power in praying the blood of Jesus over your life and your family’s lives.” Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, we thank you for your precious blood shed on Calvary. We thank you that the power of the blood of Jesus saves from sin and renews our lives. Thank you, Lord, that a blood line has been drawn around my life. I proclaim today over my life and my family’s life the power of the blood of Jesus for every area of our lives. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege to plead the blood of Jesus over all circumstances, to declare that there is wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb. Amen.

Rev. Claude Robold, Pastor, New Covenant Church, Middletown/Franklin, Ohio

Salvation to the Third Generation! Day 28

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. —2 Timothy 1:5

About three months before Russ Rogers’ death, I visited with Russ, Lois, and Russ’s son Robert. Robert, who was reared under the influence of two generations of agnostics (his mother was into New Age stuff), was sharing how he had accepted Christ two weeks before this time as a result of the radical change Christ brought to his dad’s and grandfather’s lives. It was refreshing to talk with him and Russ about who Jesus is and the paradox of submitting our lives to his control and leadership. We talked about Jesus’ statement that the only way to really find life is to lose one’s life. Such a commitment is awesome. It was encouraging to hear Russ share his commitment to Christ. Even though he was losing the battle against cancer, his faith and trust were growing.

During our conversation, when Russ was sharing his concerns about the pain and feeling like the cancer was taking over his body, Robert reached out and placed his hand on his dad’s hand. Russ said, “Robert, that big hand on mine feels great.” It was a demonstration of love and compassion from a son to a father. It was inspiring to see a son and father who came to Christ out of a tumultuous past expressing deep love for one another after years of strained relationships—a demonstration of the reconciling power of the love of Christ. It was graphic portrayal of the potency of intercessory prayer. Reflecting on this demonstration of the unconditional love, unlimited grace, and unending life transforming power of God, I thought, “But isn’t it a bit sad that Fred and Russ waited until the end of their lives to receive Christ. Wouldn’t it have been so much better if they had made the decision back when we first met many years ago?” A still, small voice—a gentle whisper—in the deep inner recesses of my spirit said, “But just think! We’ll have all eternity to celebrate with them!” And I understood: it’s the quality of life, not the quantity of time, that’s important; and I could rest in that truth.

I was privileged to witness that day a live model of Paul’s thrilling comments to Timothy, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Tim 1:5). The biblical pattern is the good news handed from generation to generation: Grandpa Fred; dad Russ, and son Robert. The message is: Do not give up when you are praying for someone and the answers are not immediate. God always hears our prayers, and he is always at work with the answers. We simply wait for his timing and resources. The stories of radical transformation of people who have basically turned their backs on God remind me of the ministry mandates our Lord gave us in the Great Commission. In summary, we have a lost world that is broken, hurting, dying, and separated from God. There’s a loving Savior who died on a cross to reconcile a lost world to God and to bring salvation and healing to men and women, boys and girls. We need living witnesses to bring together a loving Savior and a lost world in reconciliation and peace. We need liberal partners—generous people—to invest in various ways to empower the continuing ministries of God’s people in creating lasting legacies for men and women, girls and boys, who come to Jesus and receive life—abundant and eternal.

Energize us, Lord, to be Liberal Partners who empower Living Witnesses to connect a Loving Savior with a Lost World to create Lasting Legacies for people to come to Jesus and receive life – abundant and eternal. Enable us, Lord, to join you in Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives…and to never give up on those who seem hopelessly lost! Amen.

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

“I Want to Be Baptized into the Christian Religion!” Day 27

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” —Psalms 14:1
Everyone who believes in him [Jesus] will have eternal life. —John 3:15 NLT

Fred Rogers’s son Russ was a man who had a deep respect and reverence for life. He took me hunting and fishing in the Sierra Mountains of central California. He came to church a few times. We had a great friendship, but he was not interested in Christ. He said he was an agnostic, like his father Fred. Then Russ went off the deep end, got involved with drugs, divorced his wife, wandered around for a while.

I lost contact with him for several years. Then I ran into him when I was fishing Granite Creek, high up in the Sierras. It was like old home week. He was on his honeymoon. He had just married Lois, a beautiful lady, who was a committed Christian. But Russ was still not interested in Christianity. I didn’t see him again for months, until his dad became ill with cancer. We were drawn together around Grandpa Rogers as he made preparations for his home-going. Russ attended the Communion and baptism service we had for Fred. Sometime later, Russ was stricken with cancer. I began visiting with him. We renewed the friendship that had begun eighteen years earlier.

Russ was deeply impressed when his father accepted Christ at age ninety-two, and he saw the peace that Christ brought into Grandpa’s life. Fred had taught his family to be agnostics all their lives, but now Russ and I talked about Christ, eternity, and the abundant life God offers us. He believed in a “great Power in the universe” and had a certain reverence for that Power, but he didn’t believe in a personal God as revealed in Jesus Christ. I shared with Russ about how to invite Jesus into his life and receive eternal life and peace with God. He said he was not ready to make that commitment that day. My phone rang early next morning. It was Russ who said, “Happy Thanksgiving, Sam. After our talk yesterday, I invited Jesus into my life, and I want to be baptized into the Christian religion Sunday in the church baptistery?” I was thrilled! That made one of my best Thanksgivings! The Bible says there is rejoicing in heaven every time a person invites Jesus Christ into his or her life. I baptized Russ and Lois next Sunday.

Russ became a tower of strength to all who knew him, until his coronation day when he stepped into heaven. His relationship with God became the strength that carried him through his suffering with confidence and peace. As I watched him grow in faith during his last few months, I was reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, which

I used in his memorial service: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor 4:16–18). When Russ accepted Christ, it was the fruit of many years of intercessory prayer. Later in the evening after Russ’ memorial service, one of his close friends asked Lois how Russ found the peace that Pastor Sam had talked about. She explained the plan of salvation, and he invited Christ into his life. He went home a new person because of intercessory prayer for Russ.

Awesome Lord Jesus, thanks for caring enough to die for people like Russ…and me, too! So we can have abundant and eternal life! Thanks for the intercessory prayer partners who believe, love, care, witness, and pray until…You are able to enter into our inner beings, Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives! May we always reflect Your transforming presence as bearers of Your unconditional love, grace and peace. Amen.

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From Agnostic to Creationist Day 26

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” —Ephesians 6:19

They called him Grandpa Rogers. I first met him when he was about seventy-seven at my first Thanksgiving dinner in the Newcombs’ home overlooking Millerton Lake in the Sierra Mountains above Madera, California. He was a brilliant successful lawyer and land developer. He was an avowed agnostic. A staunch advocate of evolution, he had neither desire nor time for God, and he most certainly did not believe in creation. However, through his relationship with the Newcomb family, Fred became a friend of mine. He took me duck hunting and fishing. We had wonderful times together, talking about law, politics, farming, hunting, fishing, psychology, current events, and education. But as I moved the conversation toward Christ, he would move it in a different direction. So, for fifteen years, the Newcombs and I prayed for him.

Eleanor said Grandpa Rogers had cancer and that we needed to visit him. As we entered, Eleanor said, with urgency, “Grandpa, I brought Pastor Sam to see you. He’s going to tell you how to ask Jesus into your life so you can go to heaven. Listen carefully to what he says, because heaven will not be complete for us if you’re not there!” He broke in to her sentence and patted her on the cheek, and said with a smile, “My dear, I already have!” I said, “Eleanor, listen to what he’s saying. He’s already invited Jesus into his life!”

I talked to him, explaining the plan of salvation, and giving him some scriptural assurances to make certain he understood. He did! Over the next few days we visited and prayed with him several times. Soon the doctors told Russ that he should take Fred to a convalescent home where he could receive better care during his last days. Knowing that he would not be able to attend church again, I suggested that we have a baptism and Communion service in his room. The Newcombs and his family all came. After the service, Grandpa told his daughter Pat, “Honey, all across the years, you have been a creationist and I have been an evolutionist; you have been a believer and I have been an agnostic. You have been a Christian, I have been a sinner. I have now joined the ranks of Christianity! I too am a creationist and a believer.” A few days later, he was home with Jesus. I officiated at his funeral service, which was a beautiful tribute to a special man.

This is a testimony of the awesome power of intercessory prayer. The Newcombs and I prayed for, and witnessed to, Grandpa for nearly twenty years. We never gave up on him. He was ninety-two when he was born as a babe in Christ. As long as people draw breath, there’s hope. Intercessory prayer keeps persons we love before the throne of the God, whose purpose is to draw them to himself in love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The true spirit of intercession keeps us praying for those who are dear to us until…until we see our prayers in their behalf answered.

Lord, this kind of prayer isn’t easy. It’s difficult to follow through with a commitment to pray for others, for I often face more difficulties and setbacks of my own than I can handle. Yet it’s true that when I enter deeply into the needs, hurts and concerns of others, I begin to find my own needs, hurts, and concerns being met, healed, and fulfilled. For when I bring other persons before your throne, I too am escorted into your healing presence where I can be touched at the very core of my being. Since your heart, Lord, is large enough to embrace the entire universe” certainly there is room there for me and for those you have entrusted to my care. Empower me, Lord, to be faithful in intercessory prayer. In the name of the One who is my strength, my help, my shield, my source—my Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. It’s about Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives! Amen.

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Loving Grace Day 25

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. —1 Peter 4:8

The message of the gospel is simple. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Our challenge is simply to give people a taste of what it means to be loved by God. When we love people deeply, they will experience grace that attracts them to the love of our heavenly Father.

Jesus was generous with people. His love toward people displayed that they were more important to him than anything they had done. You see, like grace, love covers people. Being generous with people means we don’t take opportunities to expose them. We don’t seek to shame them for what they have done.

Who was it that brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus? It was the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. Because of Jesus’ love and tenderness, more exposed than the woman’s sin was the absence of loving grace in the hearts and lives of the religious leaders.

Jesus spoke lovingly to the woman because she was what was important to him, not what she had been accused of. Grace isn’t focused on a person’s behavior but on their need. Her need was for forgiveness, so Jesus dispensed grace in order to help her experience what was needed, the forgiveness of her sin.

Grace lovingly points people toward the future they can have in Christ rather than recounting the dark details of the past. “I don’t condemn you.” “Go and sin no more,” was Jesus’ prescription. Guilt, shame, and condemnation will cause people to retreat away from the grace of God, but generous doses of loving grace will propel people into the future and destiny God has for them. Loving grace says, “Though you aren’t like me, I will love you.” Why should it shock us that sinners engage in behavior contrary to the standards of holiness in God’s Word? Their actions merely reflect who they are—sinners who have yet to know Christ.

I was on Facebook a few years back when my eye caught the post of a young girl I had known several years prior. She had been a part of a youth group at a church and had been pursuing the things of God. She was in college now. Her post seemed to indicate that she had gotten away from that pursuit as it was filled with all kinds of expletives. Well, righteous indignation rose up within me, and when I saw she was online, I thought, “I’m going to set her straight.”

I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit immediately say, “No you’re not.” Love her. Grace her. Check in on her. So, I started the chat this way, “Are you alright?” Rather than slam her behavior, God allowed me to see that her behavior was a cry for love. She had a need, a need that loving-grace should respond to. She typed back, “I guess you have heard?” “No.” “Heard what?” “I’m pregnant.”

My heart was filled with loving compassion, and in that moment and in the following weeks, God gave me opportunities to let her know God loved her, that I loved her, and that I was praying for her. I became a listening ear rather than a condemning voice, and I am so glad. The last thing this precious young woman needed was some Christian pointing out what she had done wrong. She already knew what she had done. Because of loving grace, she chose Christ again, reconnected with a church, and found the support she needed to begin her life as a single, young mom. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, please give me the opportunity to go out and “grace” someone in love today! Amen.

Dr. Melissa Pratt, Pastor, Teays Valley Church of God, Scott Depot, West Virginia; Transformation Team Cultivate/Refresh

The Gift Day24

Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. —Matthew 10:8 MSG

“This man must be older than dirt,” I grumbled to myself as my mother introduced me to my new music teacher, Mr. Grady. I was twelve years old and was sporting a bit of an adolescent attitude. My first fifteen minutes of introduction time consisted of listening to him describe in great detail his triple-bypass heart surgery and all the other physical ailments which vexed his body. He informed me that his “ticker” could go at any moment. This was an unnerving concept for me as a young girl, and I prayed the final tick would not occur during my lesson time. He presented his life with optimism rivaling Winnie the Pooh’s friend Eeyore.

Mr. Grady was convinced he had one foot in the grave. He lived in a body that seemed to imprison the vibrant desires of his heart to live life as fully as he once had lived. At twelve years old, I too had been living with one foot in the grave. I had been an unhappy teenager who was braced for another divorce to occur for my mother. The vibrant desires of my heart had started to wane and had likewise become imprisoned in my unhappy home environment.

Mr. Grady had a resurgence of purpose and joy as he gave me lessons and I had a resurgence of purpose and joy as I was challenged to learn to play several instruments over the years. When my mother could not afford lessons, he provided them free of charge for many years. Preparation for talent competitions became the new positive focus for Mr. Grady and me. He found his life could still make a difference in someone else through the gift of music, and I found my life could encompass dreams beyond my home. We brought a new sense of life to each other as our friendship grew throughout the years.

Twenty years later, Mr. Grady’s health declined. I found myself at his hospital bed looking at a small frail man whose body seemed much too small for his large heart of love. He had given so much to me. He had given me the gift of music and spoke into my life to encourage me to reach for my potential. Through the many competitions, I found courage that I never knew I had within me to successfully face challenges. It was this same courage that helped me face the challenge of having a critical conversation with Mr. Grady. I had to talk to him about Christ.

He was a good man, but he never expressed having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I could not imagine letting him pass without sharing Jesus with him. At this point in my life I was not in pastoral ministry and had not led an adult to Christ. Nevertheless, I was compelled to share the gospel with him. Mr. Grady was not wearing his hearing aids, so it was rather awkward and humorous having his hospital roommate stare at me, as I yelled the gospel message for Mr. Grady to hear. To the glory of God, that night he prayed to receive the gift of salvation. He gave me the gift of music and I gave him the gift of the gospel message; and Jesus gave him the gift of eternal life! Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Dear Jesus, please help us to be faithful to freely give what we have been given. We are here to be used by you to transform hearts and lives through the love of Jesus Christ. May we be faithful to generously love others through sharing what we have been given so that your name is glorified.

Rev. Judy Weeks, Pastor, Northside Church of God, Jacksonville, Florida

Prayer for Michelle’s Dog Day 23

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. —Mark 10:13–16 MSG

Late night calls at the church parsonage seldom mean good news. Our phone rang late Saturday night and Betty said, “I am so sorry to disturb you, Pastor Fuller, but my five-year-old granddaughter is staying with us and said I needed to call you. Betty was a beautiful redheaded grandmother. Her daughter was a brunette, but her granddaughter, Michelle, was a miniature redhead just like her grandmother.

Betty said “Michelle has a Boston terrier, and someone dropped poisoned hamburger over the back fence. The vet told me the dog will probably not survive the night. Michelle wants you to pray for her dog.” At first my husband was speechless, but then he began to pray for Michelle’s dog – that God would heal the dog if it was his will to do so. (We always have to get that phrase in there just in case the prayer is not answered exactly like we want it answered.) It was difficult to sleep that night knowing a child’s heart was broken and none of us could ease her pain.

Through the night our hearts were breaking for a little girl experiencing the death of a loved one for the first time. I truly dreaded seeing Betty and Michelle Sunday morning. They were not in Sunday school, but as the morning service began, I noticed they were present. At the prayer time, Betty stood up to give a testimony. She told the story of the poison meat and the little Boston terrier, which was expected to die. Then she told about Michelle’s request to call Pastor Fuller and ask him to pray. Tears glistened in her eyes and she said, “Her dog made it through the night and the vet doesn’t know how, but the dog will survive.”

I have no problem knowing how that dog survived. The reason was certainly not Betty’s faith, not Tom’s faith, and not my faith. No, we were too blinded by knowledge, logic, and common sense to believe God would reach down and heal a poisoned animal. Life just does not usually work that way. But a child had absolute faith in what she had been taught about God, about the power of prayer, and she exercised that faith.

Oh Lord, help me never to be faithless. Help me to believe you meant that “whatever you ask in my name, I will do.” Help me to comprehend that “whatever” means “anything”. Help me to understand that I cannot come up with one thing that is left out of “whatever.” Amen.

Rev. Mary Bruce Fuller, Minister and Attorney, Florence, Mississippi

Lord, Do You Really Mean This? Day 22

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. —John 15:7–8 NRSV

There are times when the Lord speaks and his instruction seems too simple for our skeptical minds to grasp and believe. For instance, look at the above passage. In a previous devotion, I shared about a time when the Lord spoke to me about a lady who was ready to yield her life to him. I followed the Lord’s instruction and discovered what he had told me was true. She was indeed ready, and joyfully opened her heart to Christ. That was the beginning of a magnificent transformation in her life. Her willingness to receive Christ was the event that broke the barriers that had held her and her family in captivity to lifestyles that were destructive to themselves and others associated with them.

It was sometime before this event that our church decided to try something different in our mid-week services. We decided to test and see if the above passage was really true as it relates to prayer and answers to prayer. We knew better than to pray selfishly. Somewhere I had heard that if a church began to focus on the harvest and pray for individuals far from God that it was highly likely that they would see God move in powerful ways. So in a very naïve way, we began to list names of individuals who we knew needed Christ and began to pray for them. That practice became a major part of our mid-weeks services. It took a while, but we began to see God start drawing some of those persons we were praying for to himself. The above story was one example. One after another we began to mark individuals off the list as they came to know Christ. The amazing reality was the very ones we were praying for were the ones coming to Christ. Imagine that!

This was a miraculous time in the life of our church. When I began to conduct discipleship meetings in the homes of this family, it caught the attention of others who needed Christ. Most of these people were trapped by Satan’s devices, but they were so hungry to know the truth that they would call in and ask if the phone receiver could be placed on the table so as to listen in as we discussed this new life in Christ. One night in our prayer circle a lady was delivered from alcoholism. She never drank again!

Honestly, I miss those days. I miss the simplicity of a few people who believed that if we would look outside ourselves and focus our thoughts and prayers on others far from God that we would see God do mighty things. What we discovered during that time was that Christ really did mean what said. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Father, thank you for the many promises you give to us through your word. Please forgive us for our cynical attitudes and lack of faith. Grant to us the child like faith to take you at your word. This we ask in Christ’s name. Amen.

Dr. Charles Wright, Regional Pastor and Overseer for Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle

Who Rubs Off on Whom? Day 21

When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing. —Ezekiel 44:19 NLT

Think of the message of this verse. God is warning the priests to be careful because when you have been in God’s presence, you are contagious and you can be dangerous. That is profound in its simplicity. God is saying the closer we are to him, the more likely we are to rub off on those around us.

Jesus believed that. Jesus was constantly being criticized by the religious leaders of his day for hanging around with unsavory people. The religious leaders were careful about who they hung with because they didn’t want the dirt and sinfulness of others to rub off on them.

Unfortunately, that attitude didn’t die with those first-century religious leaders. Most of us Christians tend to gravitate toward other Christians. It’s easier and it feels safer to hang out with others who think and believe the same way we do.
Because of this, we’ve turned evangelism into a standalone activity. Books are written on evangelism techniques. Churches look for the latest evangelism programs.
The truth is we can’t argue people into the kingdom. In fact, we can’t even attract people to Christ. Only Christ can attract people to himself. To be attracted to him, people have to see him. He can only be seen through us; that can only happen if we look like him. The only way to look like him is to spend time in his presence.

Jesus’ pattern was simple. He started the day in the presence of the Father, and then he went out and loved people where their lives hit the ground. In that same manner he’s been rubbing off on people for two thousand years.
If we spend enough time in God’s presence, Jesus rubs off on us. As we go out and love people where they live, I think we’d be amazed at who begins rubbing off on whom.

Father, teach us to make your presence the starting point for everything in my life. Please rub off on me, so that through me, you can rub off on others.

Rev. Bruce Steffensen, Portland, Oregon

A Child’s Love Day 20

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” —Matthew 22:37–40

Can a five-year old child love his neighbor and make a difference? Yes. An eternal difference can be made by a child’s love for Christ and his love for his neighbor. Our son, Caleb, was only five when he made friends with the elderly lady who lived across the street from us. We had recently moved into the neighborhood and noticed that this lady was particularly shy and did not exude any desire to visit with neighbors. Her life consisted of tending to the hundreds of roses in her yard.
She did not have the joy of having any grandchildren. Sadly, she did not have the joy of knowing Jesus either. She made it clear when we introduced ourselves and she found out that I was a pastor, that she was not interested in religion.

Since my grandmother lived too far away to see very often, I asked our new neighbor if she would mind if Caleb could treat her like he would his own great-grandmother by occasionally bringing over a dessert for her. The elderly lady warily agreed.
Every Monday a men’s prayer group met at our home, and Caleb helped me prepare the desserts. I prepared the pies for the men, and Caleb prepared a single-serving sized pie for our neighbor, whom he now called Grandma Angie. Each week Caleb would deliver to Grandma Angie a warm pie prepared by his chubby little hands. With each pie, Grandma Angie became more and more friendly. As the weeks and months continued on, Caleb’s love and friendship softened Grandma Angie’s heart. He became to her the grandchild she never had, and she became for him as his own great-grandma.

Along with praying for his other grandparents, Caleb’s love for Grandma Angie extended into his nightly prayers as he prayed for Jesus to touch her heart.
After a year and a half, the day came for Grandma Angie’s eighty-second birthday. Caleb, carrying her birthday cake, led our family to her door to deliver the surprise treat. When she came to the door, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Grandma Angie. In the course of that birthday conversation, Grandma Angie talked about how the love she had experienced from Caleb was different than any she had known before. The opportunity to share gospel was opened as she expressed a desire to know Christ. Caleb held her frail hand as our family prayed with her. On her eighty-second birthday, Grandma Angie was born again as a child of God because one little boy loved his neighbor as his own great-grandmother. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Dear Jesus, may we be faithful to persistently pursue relationships with those who appear to be reclusive so your love can draw them to you. May we also be faithful to help our children demonstrate your love to a hurting and lonely world of people. May those who are guarded toward adults be reached through the genuine and innocent love from your little children.

Rev. Judy Weeks, Pastor, Northside Church of God, Jacksonville, FLorida.

Come Out of Hiding Day 19

Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus…asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body…With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus by night…they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. —John 19:38–40

After the conversation Nicodemus had with Jesus by night, we don’t hear his name again until this scripture. Jesus had told Nicodemus he must be born again, and in this moment of supreme grief and loss something came alive inside of Nicodemus. He went public with his faith. Throwing caution to the wind Nicodemus and Joseph come out of hiding and identify themselves as disciples of Jesus. They had to go to the very one who ordered Jesus’ death. They received the body of Jesus and took it to Joseph’s tomb. They performed a shortened version of embalming because the Sabbath was approaching. And a Roman guard was commissioned to guard the body. There was no turning back. They risked everything.

Can you believe it? This tomb became the place where the greatest miracle in the history of the world took place! Year after year people from all over the world flock to see the empty tomb. What a turnaround! Two disciples come out of hiding and God uses what they have to offer to change the world forever!

I hope that encourages you as much as it does me. I think of people I know today who may believe, but they are secretive about it. For whatever reasons, they explore faith outside of the public eye; but don’t write them off. They could be one decision away from making a choice that God will use in a history-making way. What chain of events could be started if they would come out of hiding? Keep praying for your friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers. Their eternal destiny is at stake. It could change in a single choice to act on what they already know to be right.

I get excited when I think about people putting the pieces together. Something clicks in their head and their heart goes all in. I’ve seen it happen to my friends. Keven became the dad and spiritual leader Robin always hoped he would be. Glynis restored her marriage on a Sunday when she knew it was her time to choose. Eugene said yes at a pizza restaurant when I drew the bridge illustration on the paper table cloth and he’s never looked back. One choice, one step to cross the line of faith, and everything changed. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives! Don’t give up on your friends. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep looking for opportunities to share your story and his story. The change may be closer than you think. In fact, go ahead and let yourself get excited about it now in faith. God is at work. Things will change. The tumblers will fall in place and your loved one will trade hiding for faith.

Lord, thank you for the privilege of helping people find their way back to God. Don’t let us grow weary while we wait for your timing and preparation in their lives. Give us your words and courage to keep sharing until they come out of hiding.

Rev. Gary Kendall, Lead Pastor, Indian Creek Community Church, Olathe, Kansas

“Yes, I Still Have My Joy!” Day 18

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. —Philippians 1:3–5 MSG

In 1978, my husband and I moved to Anderson, Indiana, to attend the School of Theology. For the next four years I had the privilege of taking classes from Dr. Gilbert Stafford, whose teaching influences my preaching even today. The first thing I noticed about Dr. Stafford was his sheer joy in his personal life and in his professional life. I still smile when I remember having to give an impromptu eulogy and having difficulty getting started. Dr. Stafford pulled up two chairs in front of the class and stretched out on them and folded his hands as if he were the deceased. I cannot remember what I said, but I remember his sense of humor and his infectious joy. In the Introduction to Philippians in The Message, Eugene Peterson said that Paul’s letter did not tell us we can be happy, nor did he tell us how to be happy. Paul was simply and unmistakably happy. That quality is what students and colleagues saw in Dr. Stafford.

Years later, Dr. Stafford was speaking at a ministers’ retreat. Our family had been through attack after attack on our family and our ministry. One pastor left us a message on our answering machine that he was praying for us while we were “under this siege.” That was a true description of our experience. I attended the retreat so I could hear Dr. Stafford. After his morning conference, he greeted me and we walked outside to sit and talk on the benches out under the trees. He got right to the point and said, “I’ve heard about your situation. What’s going on?” I related the circumstances of being under siege, and he listened intently. At the end, I shrugged my shoulders as if that is just how it is and there is nothing I can do about it. Dr. Stafford said, “Do you still have your joy?” Up until that moment, I had not thought about joy. I was hanging on by my fingernails. Suddenly, the heaviness lifted from my heart, a smile came to my face, and light filled my eyes. I responded, “Yes, I still have my joy.”

That was a turning point in my life. By August of that year, God allowed me to start on a dream I had set aside to fully participate in my husband’s pastoral ministry and to raise a family—I was one out of 150 people accepted at Mississippi College School of Law. I began to practice “being happy” and found that the witness of joy is one of the most powerful tools a Christian can use. People are drawn to happy people. People want to know what makes you happy, what makes you able to weather the storm. Another significant period of time passed and we were at the International Convention of the Church of God. Dr. Stafford was in charge of a healing service. People moved to the aisle all over the auditorium to stand ready to pray for whoever needed prayer. My husband and I gravitated to where Dr. Stafford was standing. He laid his hands on both of our heads and prayed a prayer of blessing on our lives and our ministry. “Yes, I still have my joy!” Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, I choose to be happy. Just like Paul wherein none of his circumstances contributed to his joy—he was in jail, attacked by people with bad intentions, tired, sick, and weak. Let me experience joy from the inside out. Amen.

Rev. Mary Bruce Fuller, Minister and Attorney, Florence, Mississippi

Interruptions That Turn to Blessings Day 17

While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. —Matthew 9:18–26

Jesus was interrupted two times in a few minutes. While he was teaching, a ruler interrupted him, asking him to come to his home to heal his daughter who had just died. Jesus healed her. While he was on the way to the ruler’s home, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years interrupted him when she touched his cloak and was instantly healed. Many would be upset with those two desperate people for interrupting Jesus in the middle of his important business. Not Jesus! He turned interruptions into opportunities for healing hurting people.

Several years ago, during my recuperation following knee surgery, I had set up a study in our home. Early one Sunday morning, while I was making final preparations for the morning worship service, I heard a gentle, quiet, little knock at my door. It was my little girl Janelle, who was seven years old. She had come in earlier to get a phone book from my desk, and Sandie had told her not to bother me because I was preparing my sermon for the morning service, but this time she came over close to me and said, “Daddy, I just came in to hug you and give you a kiss, and tell you I love you!” After she gave me a hug and a kiss, she stepped back, with a big, beautiful smile, and said proudly, “You know what? I’ll bet I’m more important than your sermon!” I pulled her up on my lap, gave her a big hug, and said, with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye, “You sure are, honey! You’re more important than anything to me!”

As she walked out of the room with a proud That’s-my daddy-kind-of-smile on her face, I paused to reflect and thank God for the special gift he had given me in that little girl. Sometimes we get so tied up with the things we’re doing, the goals we’re trying to reach, that we forget the most important relationships we have: God, children, wives or husbands, friends. It’s important that we set our priorities in proper order. Then we need to be open and responsive to the spontaneous interruptions from God that are some of his finest blessings. It’s about Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!—investing love, prayer, listening, modeling the Christ-follower lifestyle, sharing the Word, and mostly, just being there, leading those we love on the path home to God. Today, Janelle is a godly Christ-follower, wife, mother, and teacher. As we’re open to God’s will and plan, we will be recipients of constant blessings and joys that no amount of planning or money can achieve.

Lord, thank you for those little interruptions that turn into huge blessings. Help me to always recognize and cultivate them, to recognize them as opportunities to renew and strengthen those precious relationships. Enable me to keep my priorities in order in my relationships with you and others who are especially important in my life. I love you, Lord, and I praise you again for another gentle reminder of how blessed I am to be surrounded by people I love and who genuinely love and respect me. Thank You! Amen.

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Are We Listening? Day 16

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” —Genesis 18:17

Often prayer is more about listening. Early in my ministry, a group of five persons visited the church I was pastoring. Three of the individuals were siblings of a lady whose immediate family was long-term members. A few days later, I was informed that one of the guests had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was hospitalized for treatment. This family that had visited our church had spent their lives living on the edge. “You name it, and they had done it” was an apt description of their lifestyles.

After hearing of the lady’s diagnosis, I determined to visit her at the hospital. As I was about the leave the office for the visit, I heard what I sensed was the Lord saying, “Pray for Jane (not her real name), she will give her life to me today.” First, I asked “Lord is this really you?” Then, I thought of possible distractions from family members that may be present. Finally, I prayed that if this was really from God that he would clear the way and fulfill what he said.

As I entered the room, sure enough, some family members were present. They quickly excused themselves. As I approached Jane’s bed I said, “I have some good news for you.” She replied, “Good, I could certainly use some good news.” To which I responded, “Jane, God loves you and wants you to spend all eternity with him.” That brief conversation began one of the most beautiful transformations I have ever witnessed. The next eleven months she radiated with God’s love and was instrumental in leading those other family members to Christ. During the following months, transformation after transformation occurred throughout that family. I have often thought back on this incredible time. Here are some lessons I have learned from this experience.

God is at work in the world, even when it seems he is not. God had been preparing this family to receive his gracious love in Christ while the external evidence looked bleak.

We are never first in other persons lives; God is! God had already prepared Jane to receive him. He just told me what he was doing and sent me to tell Jane. She accepted his invitation and was forever transformed. Helen Keller, the famous American author and activist, contracted a disease at nineteen months of age that left her blind and deaf. It is said, when someone communicated Jesus Christ’s love to her, she exclaimed, “I have felt him for a long time, but I never knew his name.”

If we will listen, God will direct us and use us in his transforming work. God is going about his transforming work in this world. If we tune in, we can hear his voice and be directed by him in his work. I have discovered that is much more fruitful than me attempting to direct my own efforts.

Father, we are thankful that you are working your plan in this world. Forgive us for not listening as we should, and deliver us from our attempts to direct you in your work. Help us to maintain sensitive hearts and ears that we may hear clearly when you speak. Amen.

Dr. Charles Wright, Regional Pastor and Overseer for Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle

Didn’t Our Hearts Burn? Day 15

“They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’” —Luke 24:32 NLT

Sometimes you need a change of perspective to hear what God is saying. There were two guys who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection. He walked with them, but they didn’t recognize him. He asked them a question, and they replied, “You must be the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know about these things”. That must have seemed ironic when they thought about it later. They thought they were going to enlighten the stranger, but they were in line for the surprise of their lives.

Jesus in resurrected form walked with them but was hidden to them. He explained the Scriptures from Moses through the prophets. They saw the events, but they didn’t understand what was going on. As they got into the Scriptures their hearts began to burn. It started to make sense. They began to put the pieces together, and the more they learned, the more they wanted to learn.

When they got to where they were going, Jesus was going to keep on walking, but they implored him to stay and eat so they could continue the conversation. In the process of breaking bread, Jesus revealed himself to them. They were so excited, they turned around and went back to Jerusalem that same night to tell the others Jesus was the risen Messiah! Can you imagine? They were some of the first to see the risen Savior!

How long has it been since your heart burned within you as you discussed the Scriptures? It started because they were willing to talk about their faith with a stranger. It is amazing what can happen when you give God a chance to show up in your conversations. Remember that when you bring the Word of God up in a conversation, it is a living Word. If you give God a chance to show up in a discussion, it is an opportunity to watch truth reveal itself. It can change the perspective of everyone in the conversation.

Why is it that we pray for opportunities to share Christ with others and then talk about things like the weather, traffic and everything but the Scriptures? The Bible promises that God’s Word never returns void, but it accomplishes God’s purpose. So why don’t we talk more about it? When we do it is powerful and life changing just like it was for these disciples.

Will you commit to study God’s Word, not just for yourself, but also for those with whom you will cross paths? When you get into conversations, will you bring up God’s Word? If you do, you might just feel your heart burning with new passion and insight. You might experience the Holy Spirit giving you new insight even as you talk. And you might find yourself breathless later as you tell your friends about how Jesus showed up in the conversation. Do you need a change in perspective? You don’t study the Scriptures for yourself but to share them with others. It’s about Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, meet us today as we study the Scriptures. Make them come alive in us and give us the courage to share them with others. Show up in those conversations and make the truth burn with us. Thank you.

Rev. Gary Kendall, Lead Pastor, Indian Creek Community Church, Olathe, Kansas

We Just Need to Get Together and Pray! Day 14

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! —Ephesians 3:20–21 MSG

When I was visiting in Madera, where I formerly pastored, I attended Ken’s wedding. After the ceremony, his mother, Ann, told me that she had not told me before we moved. Soon after Tom and Ann began attending our church, they learned that Ken had gotten in some trouble with the U.S. Army in Germany and was going to be court marshaled. Ann and Tom requested prayer for Ken repeatedly, in worship services and men’s Bible study. Ann and Tom went to Germany to help Ken through the crisis. He could be imprisoned for a long time. It was the night before court martial; the three of them were sharing a motel room.

In the wee hours of the morning—during a time of extreme turmoil and agitation—after Ann had fallen asleep, she said that my face appeared in a dream In the dream I said to her, “Ann, remember, I’ve told you that we just need to get together and pray about these things. Pray together.” She awakened from her sleep, woke Tom and Ken, and said, “Pastor Sam said we just have to get together and pray about these things!” So the three of them stood in a circle holding hands and prayed for guidance. God answered their prayers. Next day, in the court martial, things turned out in ways they could not have imagined. After just a few months of incarceration, Ken was back home in Madera. But the awesome good news is that during the ordeal, in the midst of intense intercessory prayer by the church family, Ken invited Jesus into his life! When he returned home, he began attending church and our men’s Bible study. He met and married a lovely Christian lady. Ken served on the church board for some terms, and he and Susan are involved in various ministries. But that’s only part of the story.

Ann wrote the following letter to me: “You know how many years we have been praying for our daughter and her family to come to know our Savior? Well this last year has brought the realization of our prayers. Our children, their spouses, and all six grandchildren call Fourth Street Church their house of worship! Maybe no one else can understand what that means to us, except you, having been alongside us through some of the worst times in our lives. Ken and Susan are very active in various programs, Tom has just started helping with the Truck Stop Ministries, we are both attending a Bethel class, AND Susan and Jeremy are teaching their second Sunday school class. I hope you understand that I am not trying to toot a horn, only to show you how much their love for the Lord has grown. I feel so peaceful even with all the anguish around us. I just really thought it was time that I took a moment to thank you for your advice to never give up!”

That’s the awesome power of God-fired intercessory prayer, Transforming Hearts …Transforming Lives! That is cause for rejoicing! Prayer can melt the hardest heart, remove the toughest obstacle, cleanse the worst motives, clear the hardest conscience, and mend the severest broken relationships, both with God and with other persons. Prayer can accomplish what we know humanly to be impossible.

Thanks, Lord, for the power of intercessory prayer and letting us partner with you in it. You can do anything, far more than we could ever imagine or guess or request in our wildest dreams!

Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Joy Is Just a Way to Live and Die Day 13

“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.” —Matthew 5:7 MSG

There is a ballad by John Denver about his Uncle Matthew that tells the story of Matthew’s life, of joy and sorrow, having and losing, life and death. When I hear that song, I always think “That’s how I was raised.” Most of the time we do not recognize that life and death go hand in hand and the key to living is to live with joy. The way we as Christians experience life and respond to the death of a love one is a powerful witness to the world of the hope of eternal life that we possess. People facing death themselves or facing death with a loved one grasp for hope from those around them who have the hope and serenity of being in a right relationship with God.

When my father experienced his second stroke within a week’s time, he was in the intensive care unit in a deep coma, so deep he did not even respond to pain stimulus. The whole family—Mom, three children, four grandchildren and their spouses—gathered in his hospital room. The doctor, nurses, and we knew there was little hope of recovery. We asked permission to sing in his room since music and ministry was part of our lives. We sang his favorites, “The Old Rugged Cross,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, ‘Come unto Me and Rest.’” I was watching Dad’s vital signs and his heart rate was erratic, but as we sang his breathing became even and his heart rate smoothed out as though he relaxed and was at peace.

During this time of looking death square in the face, there was a knock at the door. A woman was standing outside the door wringing her hands. She said, “My husband is in the next room dying. I heard you singing. Does anyone in here know how to pray?” My husband and I were closest to the door, so we left with her and entered her husband’s room. She told us that she was not sure if he was a Christian or not. We held her hands and her husband’s hands and prayed for his salvation before meeting God. Whether he could hear, whether he could respond, whether he had already made his peace with God, we did not know. Hopefully, his wife received comfort and sought God for her own salvation after this experience. What we do know is that God, like the waiting father of the prodigal son, is eagerly waiting when his wandering created-ones to turn toward home; and like the thief on the cross next to Jesus, hearts and lives are transformed! And we wonder if, in God’s seeking grace, the man opened his heart to Jesus, and he and Dad walked through the gates together? We don’t know, but it does resemble the heart of the Waiting Father, doesn’t it?

The doctor told us to go home, go back to work and be prepared for days, weeks, months or years of Dad being in this kind of coma. We did, except two of the family remained overnight. The call came early the next morning that Dad died peacefully in his sleep. There was no doubt in our minds about the mercy of God, the love of God, and the joy in both living and dying. While each of us daily cared for congregations of people and carried their burdens, several hundred people came from all over the country to pay their respects to our family. Your faith, your witness, in fact, your whole theology is on display to others as you live and as you confront death. Transforming Hearts…Transforming Lives!

Lord, let our lives count, let our lives be “care-full”, so that when we need to be cared for, we rest in your arms.

Rev. Mary Bruce Fuller, Minister & Attorney, Florence, Mississippi

Fasting as a Way of Bearing One Another’s Burdens Day 12

“Bear one another’s burdens.” —Galatians 6:2 NRSV

Dan is a believer in his early fifties. He has a wonderful supportive wife in every aspect. His two children are grown and living very productive lives. However, Dan was called upon to face what he had never faced. He had grown up in a poor economic environment. He had therefore determined he would rise above this level. He spent the important years preparing himself through education, training, and experience to always be able to provide for himself and family.

Suddenly, at the age when he thought he would have reached his professional apex, he found himself without employment for the first time in his life. The first few months he took it as a challenge and set about spending time becoming credentialed in areas of his field that he thought would bring more opportunity. Yet after months of such advanced training there were still no job opportunities. As most men would he threw himself into sending out more resumes hoping that the law of percentages would be on his side. Still the months moved on without a concrete job offer. Then the phase began when the few offers that came called for him to enter new fields or relocate jeopardizing his wife’s career.

All the time he was serving his local church and going through an elder-in-training program. During one of his meetings with the Board of Elders and me (his pastor), I suggested we as an elder board and spiritual brothers of Dan join together. Let us designate a specific day for fasting and prayer on behalf of Dan’s employment issue. A few days later Dan e-mailed me with a thank you stating how encouraging it was to have a group of men in his life willing to fast and pray for him. This very effort brought him closer to each of us as we fasted and prayed every Wednesday for Dan. Each man was weekly in contact with Dan. They were naturally drawn to seek Dan out each Sunday to speak a word of encouragement or pray with him.

This time of committed fasting continued for the next four months. During those four months, Dan reported to the board of elders various possibilities, with all the highs and lows of expectations rising and falling.

On September 1, 2011, I opened an email from Dan that read; “Hello All, The prayer and fasting has been answered. I start my new job on September 12.” The new job was in his field and was just twenty minutes from his home. Dan would later share with the elder board that although he was unemployed for over a year, his checkbook balance ended $400.00 above the day he lost his job.

The bearing of one another’s burdens will produce “perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us” (Rom 5:3–5).

Dear Father, may I not waste the use of spiritual disciplines just on myself. Help me to see that in engaging in these spiritual disciplines I can benefit another. May I come to experience that your discipline in my life will produce a blessing in another’s life. I yield myself to you, O Lord, this day for your spiritual formation in my life. Amen.

Rev. Claude Robold, Pastor, New Covenant Church, Middletown / Franklin, Ohio

God-Flavors and God-Colors Day 11

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” —Matthew 5:13–16 MSG

In 1982, I became an ordained minister in the Church of God and served side-by-side with my husband in pastoral ministry. We co-pastored churches with Tom preaching in the morning worship services and me preaching in the evening worship services. My preaching always seemed to turn into teaching. At times I looked back and wondered why my messages were not evangelistic. However, two occasions stand out in my mind when God validated my style of ministry. And two phrases come to mind: Life-style evangelism and marketplace evangelism.

On one occasion at our daughter’s wedding, her friend from high school came into the bride’s dressing room and said she wanted to tell me something. She thanked me for letting her stay in our home on many occasions throughout high school. She said my example as a mother and a Christian woman influenced her life and was the reason she is a Christian today and raising her children in a Christian home. (Not my preaching.)

The second occasion was this past summer while visiting with friends of nearly thirty years. As we all sat around the table with mutual friends from the same time period and same pastorate, my friend said, “Mary is the reason I became a Christian. (We worked with our desks pushed together so that day in day out we faced each other.) Mary never pushed her faith on me. She was just my friend through a very difficult time in my life.”

Wow! People were watching my life, not particularly hearing me preach. So, in our homes, in our churches, at our jobs, where we shop and do business, people are reading our lives and making decisions to follow Christ because they see something in our lives that they want. The old hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” says it best: “Drop Thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; Take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace.” My mother, Lois Bruce, had this gift. Once she entered the intensive care newborn nursery where she was the head nurse and one of the doctors declared, “Here comes the stabilizing presence of calm.”

Lord, let us be salt wherever we are placed, so people can experience all the flavor of God. Help us be light in a dark world so people can see all the colors and beauty of God and sense his stabilizing presence of calm. Amen.

Mary Bruce Fuller, Minister and Attorney; Florence, Mississippi