Tag: devotions

Blog, Christian Ladies

TUNE YOUR HEART

Jennifer White

Folks often call me about wanting to sell or give away a piano, hoping I know of a good home for it. Most of the time it hasn’t been played in a while, but once it was a dear possession. Often bought for a child to take lessons, or passed down from a grandparent.  Usually I will sit down to play one of these pianos only to hear that it is so out of tune that the song I’m playing is unrecognizable.

A piano must be played and regularly tuned or it loses its beautiful sound and purpose. This concept reminds me of our relationship with God. When we neglect our daily walk with God it feels like that out of tune piano. We lose the beauty and purpose our walk with God brings to our life. We say we love God but rarely read His Word or talk to HIm. Our heart is out of tune because loving God is not always what we think it is.

Misconceptions about loving God.

I fear God- If I don’t do this or that, God might punish me.

I work for God- I can help if no one else will.

I need God- please fix this problem and give me comfort.

Truth about loving God. Joshua 22:5

Walk in His ways- have compassion on people, make a difference.

Cling to Him- we talk, a-lot..

Serve Him- how can I use my talent to bring glory to God.

Our hearts can be drawn away from God when we let anything or anyone take precedence over God in our life, and before you know it-we are so out of tune that our life no longer sounds like a song. You don’t have to stay out of tune. Talk to God today. He’s waiting to hear from you.

Blog, Christian Ladies, devotions

Rooted in The Word

Jennifer White
The new year is already off to a rocky start. More than ever the roots of our faith must be strong and deep in order to deal with now and the future. Scripture tells us that our world will continue to grow worse and worse.

So, what can we do to prepare for it? My advice is to strengthen our roots like never before. This is not the time to live carelessly, or in fear. It’s time to intentionally plant our faith deep in the ground, by the water. It’s time to grow, and it’s time to thrive!

In James 1:19-27 we find the answer to dealing with the temptations of the world around us and in us. James encourages us to control our emotions and our tongue. To put action into our faith and to implant God’s Word in our heart and mind.

Strengthening my roots looks like this. When someone speaks and I listen instead of jumping to conclusions, I strengthen my roots. Every time I choose to show self-control instead of wrath, I’m strengthening my roots. Every time I choose to control my tongue, when I’m tempted to say things I shouldn’t, I’m strengthening my roots. When I hear God’s Word preached, or I read or listen to it and choose to act on it, instead of doing nothing, I am strengthening my roots.

James tells us the key to victorious living in this crazy world is to know the scripture so well that it becomes engrafted into our life. God’s Word becomes as much a part of us as our arm, nose, or leg.

Let’s get rooted in God’s Word this year.

Blog, Christian Ladies, Uncategorized

God’s Promises in the Fog of Life

Jennifer White

Growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I have driven through the fog numerous times. It seems to get hung above the creeks and rivers and in between all the mountains and valleys. It’s always worse at night and in the winter time. You can be driving along and suddenly become surrounded by thick, smoky clouds of fog. Frantically you begin looking for lines on the road to guide your way. The road lines become your only source of getting through the fog, unless you happen to get behind a big truck. If that happens, you start praying that the trucker can see the road ahead because you are putting your life in his hands!

Driving in the fog reminds me of the problems in life. You can be going along the road of life and suddenly you find yourself in a spot that seems foggy. The road that was once clear, becomes hard to see. Feelings of fear, and helplessness surround you. Survival mode kicks in. You begin looking for something stable and reliable to depend on, just like the road lines.

God’s promises are just like those road lines, they are dependable and will guide your way through foggy times in life. Sure, we read His promises in the Bible. We know they are true. We even tell others to rely on them, but so often we are afraid to trust them. In the Bible God promises that He will fight for you (Exodus 14:4), that He loves you (John 3:16), that He gives strength to the weary (Isaiah 40:29), that He will never leave you (Deuteronomy 31:8.) and hundreds of other promises. What we do with God’s promises determines how we get through the “fog” in life. The area between believing and receiving God’s promises is faith. When we put our faith in God’s promises, He will lead us right through the trouble in life that seem so unclear.

We are not promised a “fog” free life, but we are promised that God will guide us through it. Unlike following that big truck and hoping the truck driver can see, we can rest assured that God sees what’s ahead and He will not lead us wrong. Put your faith in God’s promises. Eventually the fog will lift and you will see clearly again.

This post was inspired by a Sunday school lesson my very talented mother in law taught.   

 

Blog, Uncategorized

Lessons from a Christmas Bell

Jennifer White

The cashier said “you sound joyful” as the bell attached to my key chain was ringing. I was busy unloading my cart and forgot to even say hello. I smiled and said “Merry Christmas!” I was glad my little bell was ringing and changed my thoughts from busy to cheerful and attentive.

The little jingle bell attached to my keychain has provided me several opportunities this week to share the reason for the season.

When I think of bells 3 things come to mind.

First, we use bells to alert everyone of something important. Such as; a wedding, class dismissed, or it’s supper time!

We can be like a bell and alert everyone that Jesus is God’s gift to mankind. He was born so we can be saved. We can alert the world about the good news that Jesus loves them.

Second, we use bells to make a joyful sound, especially in music.  Singing Jingle Bells is so much fun when bells are played.

We can be like a bell and spread joy and cheer everywhere we go. Find something kind to say to people. You never know who is struggling with life. Kindness makes a difference.

Last, have you ever covered bells with your hands and tried to play them? If so, you know they just go thump! Covering the bells causes them to be dampened. The sound is sad not bright and cheery. Dampened bells are used during sad times; they were played at Princess Diane’s funeral.

Are you letting something dampen your “bell”? It’s easy to let Christmas activities cover us up and we no longer “ring” like we should.  Don’t let the worries of this life dampen your spirit. Find the true joy of Christmas and let it fill your heart. Carry a little bell with you as a reminder to ring out with the love of Christ.

“Come on, ring those bells, light the Christmas tree,
Jesus is the King, born for you and me.
Come on, ring those bells, everybody say,
Jesus, we remember this Your birthday.”

Blog, Christian Ladies, Uncategorized

Finding Sunshine in the Shadows

Jennifer White

In August of 2017, we took my twin boys to college for the first time. It was a day of mixed emotions. I was so pleased that they were going to college and would be living near my mom in TN. It was also the beginning of a new chapter of their life and the ending of another.

One of the twins, David, had an old Mitsubishi Mighty Max truck that belonged to his grandfather. Let’s just say it had seen it’s better days. It had served the purpose as a lawn care work truck and a teenage boy’s first vehicle. It wasn’t that “mighty” anymore and could only go about 60-65 mph on the interstate. However, it was David’s means of transportation for a job, therefore, the truck was part of the caravan to college.

We departed that morning on a beautiful, sunny, Carolina day. I had seen the forecast and was aware of the chance of rain later in the day, but was hoping we could make it to our destination before it started. We drove over the beautiful, Appalachian mountains and kept tabs on David, who stayed about 10-15 miles behind us on the interstate. My youngest son rode in the truck with David to answer the phone so we could keep up with them. After a few hours, as predicted, the rain started falling. Just a little shower at first that turned into a heavy downpour making it difficult to see out the windshield. We called David to inform him that he was headed toward heavy rain and to be careful. The harder the rain fell the harder it was to see. After an hour of traveling in the heavy down pour, David finally called and said, “I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to pull over under a bridge, I just needed a break.” So we all pulled over and waited until David was ready to drive again. We started our caravan back on the interstate, and once again, David ended up about 10 miles behind us. The rain continued to fall heavily.

My mom, who was waiting for us at our destination, called to check on us. I told her about the rain, and why it was taking us so long to get there. She said, “just hang in there because it’s sunny and beautiful where I am”. I was so relieved in knowing sunshine was ahead. We finally drove out of the rain as my mom predicted. Suddenly, I remembered David was still behind us in the storm. I called David and told him, “keep going, there’s sunshine ahead in about 10 minutes!”  David yelled out, “yes! I can do this!”

In many ways this story reminds me of the Christian journey.

S- (Sunny)

We start off with positive expectations, and excitement about our future. We know there is a possibility of shadows in our future but we hope to avoid them.

H- (Hello Shadows) John 16:33

Eventually the rain comes. Shadows or storms come in many forms; finances, marriage, job, children, parents, health, death and unmet expectations. I find that many people create their own shadows in life by standing in their own sunshine. We make decisions outside of  God’s purpose for our life. Some of these decisions affect our health, our family and future. No one can avoid the storms of life but your relationship with God is what will get you through them. There are lessons to learn while in the shadow that fortifies us for the journey.

I- (Intermission) Psalm 9:1,2

Just as my son David got off the road when he felt the pressure of the storm, sometimes we need to pull over when we feel overwhelmed. David found shelter under that bridge, and there is shelter under God’s wings of protection. Nourish yourself, read God’s Word, listen to uplifting music, and make heathy choices physically and mentally.  Say “no” to extra activities until you are ready. Shadows are temporary, because they eventually pass away. The intermission during the storm will strengthen you to keep going.

N- (Night is the same as Day to God) Psalm 139:11, 12

In these verses it tells us that God is all around us and that night and day are the same to Him. We see a difference in night and day, but God sees them as one. Our life is composed of events we call “good and bad”.  God takes the good and bad and works them together for His good. What happens to planes and birds in the sky when a storm comes? They rise above it. In Heaven, there is no need for the sun because God is the sun. The sun blocks shadows. Don’t let the shadows of yesterday spoil the sunshine of tomorrow.

E- (Encourage others) 2 Corinthians 1:4

You may have been through several storms in your life or maybe just coming out of one right now. Use your experience to encourage someone else along the way. When my mom told me sunshine was ahead, it gave me strength to keep going and then I wanted to tell David the news to encourage him too. You may know someone who is going through the same storm as you have been through and they are a “few miles” behind you. Tell them that they will drive out of the storm eventually. Let them know you’re on the other side of the storm and sunshine is ahead. You can be someone’s sunshine when their skies are gray.

Keep your face toward the “Son” and the shadows will disappear. God loves you and will be your sunshine in the shadows.

Advice from a sunflower; “Be bright, sunny and positive, spread seeds of happiness, rise, shine and hold your head high.”

Blog, Christian Ladies, Uncategorized

Lessons from the Land of Oz for Christian Young Ladies

Jennifer White

When I was young, I looked forward to the once-a-year showing of “The Wizard of Oz” on television. This was back before DVD’s…before VHS tapes…. I’m talking way back when. I loved the story of how Dorothy and her friends found out that everything they wanted was there all along but never realized it.

There are many life lessons in that story for us all, and actually those lesson were in God’s Word long before Dorothy and Toto ever took a trip to the land of Oz.

I know it’s impossible, but I wish I could go back in time and have a little chat with my “junior high self”.  I would tell her these 4 lessons from Oz…but she probably knew them all along but never realized it.

The Scarecrow- Young lady, use your brain.

Daniel 5:14- “I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.”

Work hard to make the best grades you can. If you struggle in a subject it’s ok to get help. Don’t procrastinate, plan your time. Being the most popular or prettiest girl in school matters very little after graduation. Knowledge and kindness goes a long way.

Spend your money wisely now. Open a bank account and start saving. When you graduate you’ll be able to help with expenses. Start tithing now, there are tremendous blessings when you give back to God.

Make smart choices. Don’t risk doing something stupid to try to look cool or to fit in. When it’s all said and done, you will look back at it for what it was…. really dumb. So be smart! You will need job references one day and a good reputation helps tremendously.

The Tin Man- Young lady, guard your heart.

Proverbs 31:30 “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Spend time growing a beautiful heart. Outward beauty will not last. Do you spend more time looking at Pinterest for new hairstyles, clothes and makeup than you do reading your Bible?

Choosing a guy who loves God really matters in life! Be careful who you date and who you share your heart with. Hearts are easily broken and take time to heal. In dating and marrying you usually get what you are, not what you want. So make sure you have a relationship with God because you will need discernment in matters of the heart.

Choose your friends carefully. Friends can be like elevators, they can take you up or take you down. You will soon become who you surround yourself with. Your heart can be easily influenced by the words of a friend. Find friends who love Jesus.

The Lion-Young lady, have courage.

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Be confident in who God made you. Insecurity is a huge waste of time. Develop the talents and gifts that God has given you and don’t waste time wishing you had someone else’s.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Stand up in front of that class and give a speech, try out for the school play, take music lessons, be in the band.

You can do great things now. Please don’t wait until you are older to get involved in church. You can be a huge help right now in your church. Find a ministry to participate in, bring friends to church, have a good testimony, and tell others about Jesus.

Remember, your courage comes from God. You will go through hard times. No one is exempt from problems. People you are close to may die, money problems or divorce may come to your family. People will let you down, but God will never fail you.

Dorothy-Young lady, have faith.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

You reap what you sow. Do you want to know God’s word? Study it now. Do you want to be able to play an instrument well? Practice now. Do you want friends? Be friendly. Do you want to marry pure? Set boundaries before you’re alone with a guy. Do you want to be healthy? Eat right and exercise now.

Get to know God. Develop a relationship with God. Nurture it by reading your Bible, writing in a journal, going to church, listening to good Christian music. Your parents, preacher or youth pastor are not your connection to God. You can pray straight to Him. He wants to hear from you.

There’s no yellow brick road to follow to get you through life. However, God gave you a road map- the Bible. You have parents, teachers, mentors, and others to keep you on the right path. Actually, God has given you everything you need.  It’s up to you to use the tools and trust Him with your life.

One of the greatest lessons to learn from the Wizard of Oz is that no one, not even the wizard, was able to help the characters in the movie with their problems.  Only God is able to completely bring peace and contentment in your life. He knows you, He created you and He loves you!

Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Note: I taught this lesson to the teen girls at our church. Here is a cute hand out for the girls to take notes on. Lessons from the Land of Oz printable

I also gave each girl one of these adorable magnetic bookmarks to use as a reminder of the lesson. Land of Oz magnetic page clips

Blog, devotions

February Scriptures

Jennifer White

                Theme: Love

During the month of February I will be focusing on the theme of Love in the scriptures.  Here is a link to a printable document you can put in a notebook or check off daily.

FEBRUARY_SCRIPTURES_LOVE

1. Write the scripture out daily. 2. Meditate on what the verses mean. 3. Ask yourself, what changes do I need to make to apply this to my life? 4. Go a step further and memorize the scriptures.

New Galleries in February - Photos by Nanci

Below is the same list of scriptures that is in the link above.

FEBRUARY (LOVE)
Day 1: I John 4:18-19
Day 2: Romans 5:8
Day 3: Romans 8:37-39
Day 4: Galatians 2:20
Day 5: I John 3:1
Day 6: Matthew 5:43-48
Day 7: I John 4:7
Day 8: Mark 12:30-31
Day 9: Luke 6:35
Day 10: Romans 12:9
Day 11: Proverbs 3:5
Day 12: I Corinthians 13:4-5
Day 13: I Corinthians 13:6-8
Day 14: John 3:16
Day 15: John 15:13
Day 16: Colossians 3:14-15
Day 17: Matthew 22:37-39
Day 18: Psalm 18:1-2
Day 19: John 13: 34-35
Day 20: John 14:15
Day 21: Psalm 116:1-2
Day 22: Ephesians 4:2
Day 23: Matthew 6:24-25
Day 24: Psalm 63:3-5
Day 25: Proverbs 10:12
Day 26: Proverbs 4:23
Day 27: I John 4:8
Day 28: I Peter 4:8
Day 29: II Timothy 1:7

1. Read & Copy the Scripture.
2. What is being said about Love?
3. How can I apply this to my life?