Be Strong & Courageous..Jessica Van Roekel

 Be Strong & Courageous

By Jessica Van Roekel

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Autumn unfolds slowly with leaves that transition from varying shades of green to yellow to gold to brown. Leaves flutter to the ground as the wind blows. If summer brought enough moisture, the leaves look like yellow jewels on a green velvet background. Other years, all is brown too soon, and my soul quakes at a monochromatic winter of browns and grays.

Our lives reflect seasons. We have seasons of growth and seasons of dormancy. Winds and storms blow through our lives with varying degrees of ferocity. I revel in perfect fall days when the sky stays blue, clouds scud along the horizon, and the breeze cools my sun-warmed cheeks. All is perfect except for one thing. The pirate bugs. These tiny black insects flock to exposed skin, and their bite feels bigger than their size warrants.

Like fall with its wonder and its painful pirate bugs, life holds pain and wonder. At times wonder exceeds pain, and other times pain overtakes wonder. We can wander through the wreckage of unmet hopes and dreams, or we can fail to enjoy the blessings because we’re on the lookout for the next big bad thing that is going to happen. However, in both cases, we can walk by faith.

Joshua and the Israelites were on the cusp of entering the long-awaited promised land. Out of all the Israelites, it was Joshua and Caleb who had first-hand knowledge of the wonderfulness of the Promised Land. Long ago, they were two of the ten spies sent to scope out the land. Because the other eight spread fear and doubt, the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years.

The same task awaited them now as it did then. Conquer and take the land. The book of Joshua opens with God commissioning and reassuring Joshua. His task is to be strong and courageous, to remember God’s word and obey. God doesn’t say that it will be easy or that they won’t have troubles. Instead, God promises Joshua his presence.

When our lives feel like a hurricane swept through, it’s easy to fall prey to the idea that God has abandoned us. When we face an enemy—whether it’s a person or a diagnosis, or our own self-sabotage—we can remember God’s words to Joshua.

Be strong and courageous: The Hebrew word for strong and courageous expresses the strength of various phenomena, such as the severity of famine, storms, and humans overpowering one another like David and Goliath, Amnon and Tamar, and Samson’s last act of supernatural strength. Moses urged Joshua to be strong. God bid Joshua to be strong—don’t give up, give in, or run away—and then Joshua encouraged his people in the same way.

In Joshua 1, we read how God instructed Joshua not to turn from God’s ways. He was to meditate on it day and night—to let God’s word fill his mind and thoughts. When storms come our way, it’s easy to let their fierceness distract us. But, when we choose to make God’s word our guiding authority for our beliefs and actions, we can recognize and respond to God’s presence in every area of our lives. Unknowns abound. Unanswered prayers and times of waiting are opportunities for us to know and obey God’s word and believe that he is with us.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
So how do you be strong when storms take over your life? How do you be strong when you feel so weak? Beth Moore writes in Believing God, “Faith is never the denial of reality. It is belief in a greater reality.” Strength comes from rejoicing that God is with us, whether we face good circumstances or horrific ones. God’s presence stays constant. That’s faith in a greater reality. Fulfilling God’s goals and plans for our lives is the greatest measure of success for each of us. Sometimes that takes us through times of adversity. But through it all, we can be strong and courageous and let go of our fear because God is with us.

Further Reading:
Joshua 1:1-9

How to Show Hospitality without Grumbling..Amanda Idleman

 How to Show Hospitality without Grumbling (1 Peter 4:9)

By: Amanda Idleman

Today’s Bible Verse: Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. - 1 Peter 4:9

Do you remember the days of Sunday afternoon covered dish potluck meals? Or when going to church was a week-long event! You attended Sunday school, Sunday service, Sunday night church, Wednesday night church, and more!

Most of us don’t have the space in our lives for that much church anymore but we all still are in desperate need of the community. Our sense of community and belonging only grows when we rub shoulders with others on a regular basis. God literally made us for relationships. The first thing in the Bible that God said was not good in all of creation was the fact that Adam was alone! He knew Adam needed companions, friends, and partners for life. The same is true for every human ever created. We need each other.

Sadly, we are all living through a time in history where distance is encouraged. During these trying times, It’s easy to forget that one way to protect each other is through closeness. Loneliness, isolation, and fear wreak havoc on our emotional and physical well-being. We should not be reckless in our interactions, but we must not leave each other alone for too long! Isolation makes space for the enemy to steal so much from our lives.

Now is the time to revive the ministry of hospitality! This does not mean we have to bring back to the 90’s style of church potluck, the same way that Target has embraced the 90’s style in their new clothing line, but it does mean that we need to start making more space to love on others that are in our lives. People need people! This is a fact that will never change. Here are a few ways to show hospitality to others:

1. Cook a Homemade Meal to Share

I know you are going to immediately think of all the reasons cooking and hosting is not for you! Pinterest has totally ruined our idea of what hosting a dinner party should look like.

My husband and I have lived in apartments, old houses, newer houses, tiny houses, and now an average house... I am happy to report that friends have come to dine in each and every one! The imperfect layout of our rooms or lack of square footage had nothing to do with our ability to build community within the walls of the home God had blessed us in at each stage of our lives. Being faithful to love others with the resources God is given is all that is required. Perfection is not at all necessary to show amazing hospitality to others.

2. Organize a Meetup

If cooking and hosting are not your things, then do a little planning and invite others to meet up for an activity! Pick something that brings you joy and takes an extra moment to think of one person who would enjoy doing it with you. Invite them to be a part of your fun!

How many of us are just waiting for the invitation? Wishing we were the ones with closer friends and more ways to destress at the end of our weeks? Guess what you are not alone! Basically, everyone else is also waiting for the invite, so be brave and take the first step towards community by initiating.

3. Start a Bible Study

One quick way to get a group onto common ground is through the Bible! People from different backgrounds can unify through the power of the Holy Spirit that becomes more evident when we study God’s book together. Connection and growth happen when we spend time in God’s Word as a community.

Think of people that you spend time with in your daily life and invite them to take time out of their schedule to read the Bible together. This can be co-workers, neighbors, Mom friends, family, fellow parents at your child’s school, or people from church. Throw in some free coffee and treats and people will feel so loved and excited to connect with you in this way.

Remember, 1 Peter charges us to joyfully open our homes and lives up to others. These words should encourage us to take time to step a little out of our comfort zones in an effort to be a place where other people can find God’s love. We were made to live in close proximity with each other, so that we can be encouraged when we desperately need it.

A Prayer for Grandparents..Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for Grandparents

By Emma Danzey

Proverbs 17:6 says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”

Whether you are a grandparent yourself or you have grandparents in your life, this verse reminds us of the joyful season and the value of the parents of parents. The Proverb says that grandchildren are a crown to the aged. When I think about the joy of my parents and in-laws entering this season, I smile. I am delighted to watch how they step into this new time with such anticipation and excitement.

Many times, grandparents are no longer the disciplinarians, the ones responsible for nighttime feeds, or on call for each diaper change, but they are gifted with being there as lifetime encouragers, givers of wisdom, givers of many cuddles, compassion, and generosity. They are passing the torch to the next generations, and it is an incredible experience. Not all grandparents play the same role. There are definitely some who do play more of a parental role in their grandchild’s life, but there is still a sweet difference because of the gift of being the generation above. Today, we are going to pray over the grandparents in our lives. This is a unique role, and not only that, but a calling from God. Grandparents get the opportunity to disciple their children in this season and disciple their grandchildren towards the gospel through their testimony, words, and actions.

Let's pray:

Lord God,
Thank You so much for the grandparents in our lives. Thank You that You say that they are still bearing fruit in their old age. (Psalm 92:14) and that You say from everlasting to everlasting, Your love is with those who fear You and Your righteousness with our children’s children. (Psalm 103:17) We pray over the generations in our families today. We ask that those who are grandparents would experience great honor and press into the calling that You have entrusted to them.

We pray for grandparents to be like Lois was to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5. Help their sincere faith to be lived out in front of this new generation. Help it to be taught, encouraged, and modeled. Help grace and truth to abide in grandparents' homes and in their visits. Help grandparents to have memories that they share of Your faithfulness to every generation in their families. 

Guide grandparents in the balance of yes and no. Help them to know what boundaries to have in their own lives and ministries. Give them wisdom on how to love well but not to be over or under-involved. Bless them with peace and patience. Help them to reinforce the honor of their children to their grandchildren. Lead them with thoughtful words to help them to learn the principles of honoring their father and mother. 

Help parents to value grandparents and not to cast them off in their aging. (Psalm 71:9) Help them to love them well. Give parents the heart to value the depth of wisdom from godly grandparents or godly grandparent types in their children’s lives. Give them an urgency for their children to learn from them and be around them to glean from their lives. If any grandparents are struggling in their old age, remind them that You will carry them (Isaiah 46:4), that You are faithful to every generation (Psalm 100:5), and that gray hair is a crown of splendor. (Proverbs 16:31) 

Help grandparents to know that the greatest gift that they can pass on is their legacy of faith in Christ and their character. Even if this has not been the case for their whole lives, we pray that grandparents everywhere would see this as a redeeming opportunity to follow Jesus and to walk with Him at this time in their lives. You are not done using them. We pray against that lie. We pray that they would feel valued and be filled up with Your Holy Spirit to be witnesses to their grandchildren of the gospel. We pray for health and well-being so that they can participate in wonderful ways. We pray that Your name would be made known through this role that You have bestowed upon them. Amen.