Are you the Weakest Link? by Theresa Zuber

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. But, it seems that God oftentimes uses the weakest, most unlikely people, to accomplish his work.

Take Gideon (Judges 6 & 7) who declared himself the least man from the weakest clan, yet God used him. Gideon found it hard to believe so he asked God to give him a sign. Then, he asked for more signs – not that he didn’t trust God- but he had no confidence in his abilities to lead God’s people. Could he possibly understand God correctly? Was he completely bonkers???

Gideon is not the only one who had trouble believing God could use him. Moses argued with God that he was “slow to speak”. Did you get that? He said he wasn’t able to speak to Pharaoh, but he had no problem arguing with the most High God.

Other times God has used unlikely people: Rahab the prostitute (Josh 2), David the young shepherd boy (1 Sam 16), Joseph the dreamer (Gen 37-41), Matthew the tax collector (Matt 9), Zaccheus the “wee little man” (Luke 19), and Peter, who denied Christ three times. (Mark 14)

1 Cor 1:26-27 “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

Our society places great importance on being self-confident and believing that you can do great things. Yet God seems to use those people who have emptied themselves out so that there is room for Him. Suddenly, being a link that God can use for His purposes seems much more important than fitting in with the rest of the world.

2 Cor 12: 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Dear Lord by Rachel Pitcher

Dear Lord
Hear my prayer
Know that I
need You there
beside me all the way
each day

I need you there
hear my prayer.

I fall
and confess my sin
you forgive
and draw me in
hold me close and say, "You're fine,
you're mine."

I need You there
hear my prayer.

Sorrow comes
and with it fear
I'm far away,
you draw me near
so I can feel You lifting me
up to see 

You were there
You heard my prayer.

Joyful feelings
flood my soul
you are there
to make me whole
creating within me life anew
to honor You!

Lord,
I'll be there
with You in prayer.

The Frog Pond by Donna (Ensign) Woods

As I sit by the frog pond to meditate and pray,

A dog barks from somewhere far away.

The distant timber line stands tall and proud,

A protective fortress, a woodland shroud.

Tree tops filled with feathered delight,

Announcing a new day, from the still of the night.

A multitude of birds, each with their own song.

Singing peace, the whole day long.

A nearby tree reflected in the aqua mirror...

I thank God for the calming peace I feel here.

The water on the pond, so still and serene,

Framed by dew covered grass, so soft and green.

A bull frog croaks his morning song,

At the little frog pond...where nothing is wrong.

The water bugs dance to the frog's serenade.

All is at peace in the frog pond parade.

Playful fish create ripples that go round and round,

Silent and gentle, without making a sound.

Above the water, dragonflies dance to and fro,

With no worries and no place to go.

Cattails and wildflowers awaiting their winter's rest.

To awaken next Spring in their splendid best.

The little frog pond, a simplistic delight,

I find refreshing peace, in God's creative might.

Here, I find renewed hope for today,

As I listen to God, and thankfully pray.

Your Story by Julie Short

You are not invisible.
God sees you!
You are not alone.
God knows right where you are
at this very moment!

Beginning new chapters in our lives is scary, especially those that involve loss. Our lives are filled with many chapters: some exciting, some are edge-of-your-seat suspense thrillers, some boring, some are tear-jerkers, hopefully we have some romantic comedies throughout our lives filled with love and laughter. When someone we love dies, we don’t want to start a new chapter. We just want to read and re-read the old ones. We often don’t know how to start a new chapter or we believe we can’t because of poor health or lack of money. A new chapter is continuing forward on our journey, finding our gifts and using them. My mom believed she had no gifts; nothing to contribute. She couldn’t drive so she stayed at home and had little contact outside of her home. However, with her bible and guidepost in hand, she became open to God using her. My mom sent cards and wrote little notes and sent them. She eventually discovered that it was her ministry, her gift, her chapter. We underestimate--big time--God’s ability to use us in smilingly small ways with great impact. People cherish getting a card with a personal note, having someone tell us they appreciate us or they are praying for us. The wonderful thing is God does know exactly where you are at this very moment and He wants to use you. As long as we live and long after we die God can use us. We must be open and willing to starting a new chapter however painful the first words and lines will be; because to re-read past chapters and not continue on our journey, not allow God to lead us in writing new chapters is not continuing our legacy. Our loved ones would not want us to put down our pens, and stop our journeys. They are with us and they want us to be all that God would have us to be, so that God’s story can be told through our lives long after we are physically gone from the earth.

Pick up your pen, put on your shoes
With tears in your eyes and pain in your heart
Continue writing words of your story
Continue making steps on your journey
Constantly praying for God’s leadership
And He will make something beautiful
Out of your story out of your journey
Out of your life.

Great Video

A friend sent this video to me and I thought it exemplified just what Susan's article is talking about. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Make sure your sound is on so you can enjoy the music. Theresa

The Internet-God's Hand All Over It by Susan Shull

Do you ever have one of those moments when you think your heart will burst with love for the Lord and the wonder of his ways? I am having one of those today. I just read about a group of women who became acquainted online as they each grieved the loss of a child from Trisomy 18. This post described their first face-to-face meeting at a Deeper Still conference in Atlanta, and was filled with praise for the Lord who is walking through this path with each of them. They are not alone in their grief; they are a group of Christian women from all across the country who are supporting one another through their connection on the web. Even in horrific times our God is good and I am thankful.

I have become addicted to reading quite a few blogs this summer. (This is a much healthier obsession than my former Oprah problem!) I had a student teacher last spring, which freed me from grading armloads of papers every night, so I spent some of that time searching the internet for new and interesting topics. I found people writing about all my favorite things: books, knitting, quilting, decorating, yoga, fashion-even being a farmwife.

These all were of great interest to me, but I was even more thrilled to find a whole community of Christian people using the internet to share their love for Christ and what their Savior was doing in their lives. You know, if your only media involvement is listening to news on the radio and TV, you can get very discouraged that this world is sinking fast. However, reading all of these blogs makes me feel much more optimistic about our future. God is busy working behind the scenes through His people spreading the word all over the place through the internet. Talented up-to-date Christians are everywhere-and they don’t have big hair and too much mascara on either, like some of those televangelists!

Compare this to the way “the other side” is using the web as a tool for spreading hate, terrorism, child pornography, gambling, and every other evil known to man. Whew! As Christians, we might be tempted to bury our heads in the sand, declare the World Wide Web the tool of the devil, and call it a day. WE MUST NOT DO THAT!!!!!

The Internet can be a wonderful way to spread the gospel. I am certainly no techno-wizard, but I love to listen to Christian radio online, research Christian topics, search for churches to attend when we are traveling, and post articles to our own little Write Sisters blog. I think we should share the resources we are discovering with one another, and think of the computer as another instrument to share the truth with a truth-deprived world.

I learned a term this summer for people of my generation who are struggling to keep up with new technology. We are technology immigrants. Young people are called technology natives. They aren’t hesitant to try new things and are jumping into it with both feet. I am convinced that God is going to use this generation to call more and more people to salvation and a lot of it will probably be because of the internet.

If you are a “native,” you are probably snickering at me right now. Go right ahead! I don’t blame you a bit. But…if you are an “immigrant” please join me in this exciting new way to spread our faith and the love of Christ.

Life's Mountains by Donna (Ensign) Woods

Our life journey can be symbolized by the wondrous mountains. Sometimes we celebrate, dance and shout from the mountain top. Sometimes we are trying to carry the mountain, feeling its crushing weight pressing down upon us, making us feel as if we can't survive another moment.

With excitement and energy, we struggle to climb....to reach the goal, to succeed, to win...often times finding the trail is too steep, too difficult, too dangerous. What if I slip? How far will I fall?? Struggling to stand once again. Bruised. Battered. Exhausted to say the least. Should we search for an easier path? Have we decided the reward is not worth the climb?

Boulders block the path making it seem impossible to continue on. Sometimes the boulders seem like mountains themselves as we encounter them unexpectedly (illness, financial problems, death, divorce......boulders of the worst kind.) Do we have the strength to crush the boulders, roll them out of the way, or find a way around it?? Or do we simply need to rest against it for awhile?

Some days on the mountain are fun and carefree… and wonderful!!! There are winding paths filled with wildflowers and waterfalls.......and Peace. There is warm sunshine with a songbird symphony; secret caves of mystery, adventure... and hidden treasures.

Suddenly we realize darkness surrounds our mountain. Fear and uncertainty lurk behind each rock and bush and around every turn; predators close in, their warm, sticky breath upon our necks. We frantically struggle to focus on the mountain top. The mountain can be so overwhelming and yet so awesome. Pleasant surprises and unexpected dangers.

As each of us journey up our mountain, we find renewing strength and comfort in knowing that God is NOT waiting for us on the mountain top. He is climbing WITH us. He has planted the wildflowers for us to find and He smiles as we drink in the beauty of the mountain view. He taught the songbird to sing just for us. He is there to help us stand each time we slip and fall. He sits beside us to give us strength as we lean against those “big” boulders.

So climb and be blessed by the journey each day. Don't focus so intently on your feet and the placement of each step on the rocky trail. Stop from time to time and be inspired by the view. Look with anticipation at the trail before you, with all of its mystery and wonder and don’t forget to look back and remember… and be blessed all over again. Life is not about just reaching the mountain top...it's about enjoying the climb.

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; They will run and not grow weary, They will walk and not grow faint.”

Assertive by Joyce Schafer

We had found the perfect retirement home in the country. Our dream was about to come true – a cabin for me and a 2 car garage/workshop for my husband. Then the floods came and our place-to-be became a victim. God was being very assertive in telling us – this was not the place for us.

One of my favorite verses has always been Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.” I take comfort in this verse. I know that God will take care of us and has an even better dream for us. All we have to do is be patient and wait.

Dream BIG by Theresa Zuber

“Are your dreams for yourself as big as God’s purposes for you?” This question has stuck in my mind since Mark asked it in a recent sermon. What a loaded question that is!

I’ve heard it said that our plans should be so big that without God’s help they would fail. I dream, but I don’t think I dream THAT big. Instead of living in the open sunshine of the verse “all things are possible,” (Matt 19:26) I tend to take shelter under the umbrella of Murphy’s Law: “If something bad can happen, it will.”

There are times when I have big dreams – but then Satan showers me with a dose of reality. “That will never happen,” he whispers. “You’re not good enough, smart enough, talented enough…” “No one will want to read what you have to say!” “You could never pull that all together.”

But I return time and again to God’s promise to the Israelite people in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I claim it for myself since Phil 2:13 states “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” And Eph 2:10 “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Then, I begin to dream big once again. And if God’s hand is in it – my dreams will succeed.

Eph 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”