Today my granddaughter, Raegan, and I hung the suet out on a shepherd’s hook on the deck. I explained to her that wild birds eat seeds they find on bushes and grasses. When the snow comes, the birds can’t find the seeds and might starve if we don’t feed them. I let her feel the greasy suet with the seeds embedded. Now we just have to wait until the snow comes and the birds can’t find food on the ground.

Winter means hardship for most wild creatures. That’s why insects burrow deep, some birds fly south, and mammals hibernate. If they can survive until the spring breaks, and it surely will, they’ve got it made for another year.

There is a winter for each of us, as well. Hard times visit each of us. Winter is that season when provision is very tight. Many people stick their heads in the sand, run away, or try to sleep through the hardship. But God has called us to keep our faith through it all. These are but seasons, and the next one will follow. Have you ever seen a winter that didn’t go away right on schedule? Hang in there; you can make it.

Tags: hardship, trouble, winter

Years ago when we were still in the old building, I was on the platform preaching. Our sound man was at the sound board in the back with his headphones on. About half way through my sermon loud music suddenly began to ring through the sanctuary. Everything came to a stand still. The sound man’s wife, sitting beside him, gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs and he suddenly awoke to the fact that he had hit a wrong button and his daydreaming music was being projected over the speakers.

Of course, it woke everybody up, and I lost my place in my notes, but we all had a good laugh at the soundman’s expense. He was so embarrassed. Have you ever been so caught up in what you were doing that you didn’t realize the main thing going on around you? Of course, we have.

Could it be that we are so focused upon what is happening in our material world that we have ignored the spiritual realm around us. Could God be trying to get our attention but we’re oblivious to His signs? Does someone need to punch us in the ribs to get us to see things from God’s perspective?

Stop right now and ask God if there is something He’s trying to show you that you are not hearing. Just stopping and asking can be the invitation He’s been waiting for.

Tags: daydream, focus, trouble

The story is told of  a young boy who made a toy boat and then went to sail it on a pond. While he was playing with it along the water’s edge, the boat floated out beyond his reach. In his distress he asked an older boy to help him. Without saying a word, the older child picked up some stones and started to throw them toward the boat.

The little boy became upset, for he thought that the one he had turned to for help was being mean. Soon, though, he noticed that instead of hitting the boat, each stone was directed beyond it, making a small ripple that moved the vessel a little nearer to the shore. Every throw of the stone was planned, and at last the treasured toy was brought back to his waiting hands.

Have you ever considered the possibility that the trials going on in your life are God throwing rocks your direction to redirect you in another way? Is it possible the ripples you are experiencing are carefully directed by Him to push you in the way He wants you to go for your own well-being? Consider that today. Paul wrote: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on earth” (Colossians 3:2).

Tags: direction, trials, trouble

Its pleasantly relaxing to sit around a campfire and listen to the crackle of burning wood. I enjoy the smell of wood smoke, as long as its not in my eyes. I think most men find that calming and enjoyable.

I’ve noticed a strange thing happen in wood fires, though. On occasion, an eerie whistle may come from the depths of an inflamed timber. It can sound like a chirping bird, although no birds chirp in the dark. Where does that pleasant sound come from? Is it the echo of songbirds from long ago when that tree was a sapling?

No, we understand that the sound comes from escaping gases from deep within the wood itself. Yet, there may be a great spiritual lesson for each of us in that whistling sound. Perhaps it should remind us that in troubled times in our lives there should always be a song in our hearts. As a matter of fact, there has been no sweeter sound to God than my hurting heart’s cry to Him. It may sound sadistic, but God loves to hear our outcry to Him in times of trouble. And that broken cry for help moves His heart to respond.

Tags: fire, prayer, trials, trouble

There is a computer printer company in Colorado that puts each printer through a rigorous test. First, they freeze them, then heat them to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and finally shake them violently for fifteen minutes. This testing is the final stage in a process called “ruggedization,” which prepares an ordinary printer for use by the military. With its circuit boards secured and all components enclosed in a metal case, the printer is thoroughly tested to make sure it will work on the battlefield where lives and success depend upon it.

Perhaps you’ve been experiencing a little ruggedization in your own life. God Himself arranges difficulties in our lives to develop character for the long haul. People who strive for comfort never develop this ruggedness.

James puts it like this: “Count it all joy…knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).

Tags: overcomer, trials, trouble

You might remember Dave Dravecky, who pitched with amazing success for the Dan Diego Pirates and the San Francisco Giants baseball teams. His pitching arm developed an unusual soreness. Medical tests identified the problem – cancer. Surgery and months of rehabilitation followed.

Then, after pitching for a time in the minor leagues, Dave made a widely applauded comeback to the majors. But in Montreal, as he was delivering a pitch, his arm snapped.

The cancer had not gone away. To save his life, doctors removed his arm and much of his shoulder. A committed Christian, Dave didn’t wallow in self-pity. Dave’s comments for all of us were: “There is no struggle about feeling sorry for myself. The question is not, ‘Why me, God?’ The question is, ‘What is Your plan for me?’…I see this as God giving me the opportunity to share the gospel with a lot of people.”

Don’t wallow in self-pity. Ask the right question.

Tags: baseball, question, trials, trouble