Roadblocks

/ Amy Jo McCranie / 2 Comments

“The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps”. Proverbs 16:9

Just a few days ago we had some unexpected weather. The forecast called for a clearing of skies following a day that a rather heavy snowfall had been forecast, (one which, by the way we did not receive). The wee morning hours brought a frozen mist, the kind that can’t be seen, but only felt. Around daybreak the snow began to fall. While it was beautiful to look at it, it proved to make for an extremely long and frustrating commute for those trying to get to work; my husband was one of those frustrated commuters. 

Paul had a similar experience… “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16:6-7). Paul travelled from place to place sharing the Good News and, scripture tells us, “Many people believed”. Acts 16:5 tells us that the churches were strengthened in faith, and they increased in numbers daily. I can only imagine the momentum Paul had, but there was a roadblock ahead.

Can you relate to Paul? Think about it, life is going along just fine, your expectations are being met. There are no bumps in the road and then, BAM! Roadblock. What are you going to do? I met a Christian woman years back who experienced this in her own life and I learned some valuable lessons from her that I’d like to share with you.

First. Grieve the loss. Take time to let go of your perception of how you thought your life would
be. Isaiah 43:18-19 says “Forget the former things: do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” 

Second. Trade any thoughts of hopelessness for thoughts of hopefulness. God always has a will and way, and His plans are always for our good and His glory.

Finally. Surround yourself with good, godly friends. I don’t mean a lot of them, just a special few who will “surround” you with love, truth and wisdom. You know, the type of friends who feel like a warm sweater on a cold day. These are the friends who will be waiting for you at your next roadblock, directing you in a new direction, pointing you to your Heavenly Father.

Do you wonder why God placed the roadblock in Paul’s path? After all, Paul was on mission for God. Further reading of the scripture tells us what happened as a result of Paul’s roadblock… 

  • He was called to preach in Macedonia 
  • Lydia and her household were converted 
  • Paul and Silas received a miracle when their prison chains were loosed
  • The Philippian jailer and his household were saved 

Do you wonder why God puts roadblocks in your life? Look around. See what God is doing and join Him. Thank God for going before you, making a way with a promise to never leave us at a dead end! Need some directions? Here you go! “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways”. (Proverbs 4:25-26) 

About my husband? He finally made it to work. The 18-mile trek from Iron Station to Cornelius took two hours and forty-five minutes, two hours longer than his normal travel time. With each direction he tried he found the road was closed and he had to turn around and try another way. 

So, when you hit those roadblocks, which you will, keep your chin up and you, like Paul, will eventually get to where God intends you to be. Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Words to travel by.

Who God Is

/ Sandra Bivens Smith / 1 Comment
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Lately I have been troubled concerning how our world, even our Christian world, seems to have either forgotten, or chosen to ignore who God is.

In Revelation 2:4 Jesus reprimands the church at Ephesus for having forgotten their first love. As the scripture reads, they were doing all the “right things” but, apparently, not from the right motive. In his commentary, Adam Clarke writes – “They did not retain that strong and ardent affection for God and sacred things which they had when first brought to the knowledge of the truth, and justified by faith in Christ.

I believe we are experiencing this same problem both in our churches and in our personal lives.

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. (Psalm 95:3-7)

We learn so much about God from these few verses.

We learn that the LORD is Jehovah God – The Self Existent, Eternal One. God is not a created being. He is our Alpha and Omega, He was always and will be always. In this we can be certain, God is not going anywhere.

We learn that He is EL God – a God of strength, power and might. Because He is EL, we can have great confidence for the trials of this life. Romans 8:31 reminds us, “What then shall we say, if God is for us, who can be against us?”  We have His word that whatever forces may come against us, no matter how strong, He is stronger.

We learn that He is Maker God – Creator of all things. The apostle John clearly affirms it when he writes “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  (John 1:3). There are two Hebrew words for Maker,  Asah and Bara. Both words mean to create, to choose, keep, maintain, commit. God is the absolute Master of universal nature. He is our absolute Master. Having created us, He has committed to keep us and has chosen to have a covenant relationship with us through His son Jesus.

We learn that He is El-Ohiym God – Supreme God who alone is worthy of our praise and worship.

There is something more to be learned from Psalm 95, we learn who we are to Christ. The Psalmist leaves us with a sweet reminder that this God, this Great and Mighty God, is also our gentle Shepherd. He will pasture us, lead us, feed us, shear us, protect us, and even die for us.

As we have learned, God’s names are His attributes. His essence, His strength, His creativity and His loving care should propel our hearts to worship Him. What we have learned about God should lead us, as the Psalmist says, to come and bow down, to kneel before the LORD for He alone if worthy.

Grace and Peace,

Sandra

Christmas Memories

/ Sandra Bivens Smith / 2 Comments

Christmas Day. That day of the year when all the excitement, anticipation, and expectation of the recent weeks comes to fruition.

Families and friends will gather.  Songs will be sung.  Stories will be told.  Gifts will be exchanged.  Meals will be shared.  Common family traditions, held each Christmas season to honor the memories of Christmases past and to hold on to the hope of those that are to come.

Friends and family have left to go back to their homes and their own celebrations. With the last good-bye the voices and laughter are gone, replaced by an unwelcomed quiet.

The beautiful bows and wrappings lie crumpled on the floor.  The sink is piled with dishes.  Only a couple glasses and some used napkins remain on the table as a reminder of the meal that was lovingly prepared and excitedly enjoyed.  

The Lady makes her way back to the kitchen, to the pots and pans waiting there for her.  She will stand at her sink and wash each one; almost with the same love as when she filled them with the makings of the meal she prepared just hours earlier.  And, as she does so, she reflects and remembers other years, other Christmas meals.  There are some tears but mostly smiles. More likely than not, a chuckle or two as she recalls a funny word or the antics of a child.

With the last pot scrubbed and put away and the dish towels hung to dry, she will look around, hoping to spot something more to do; not yet ready for her hands or her mind to be idle.  She is not ready for the total silence she knows is waiting for her – not yet.  Just as with the shopping, decorating, gift-wrapping and all the planning, this is part of her own Christmas Tradition.  It is a tradition handed down from her mother and her mother before her.  More than any of the traditions, this is the one most difficult to let go of, because it is the one that bonds her to her cherished memories of Christmases past.

But, as with all days, this one too must finally be allowed to end.  The Lady takes the stairs toward the world of sleep.  With her head resting on the pillow, she realizes, with some surprise, just how tired she is.  A few more moments of reflection lead her to offer up a prayer of praise and gratitude for her many blessings and a petition for her loved ones; especially those far away or for some other reason were missing from the celebration.

At last, though somewhat reluctantly, she gives in to the quiet and allows the sleep to come.  As her mind drifts into it’s slumber, one final thought remains – “will there be another”?

Wishing you and yours all the blessings of Christmas.

Sandra

Rejoicing in Hope

/ amyjomccranie

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12


On September 24, 2024 Hurricane Helene made landfall. Helene cut a 500-mile path across six states and left 250 dead. In the mountains of North Carolina, she dumped 1 ½ feet of rain on a land still trying to recover from the effects of the previous two days of flooding. Nearly one hundred deaths were reported in North Carolina alone; as of this writing fifty are still reported missing.


Lives were lost, homes were washed away from their foundations, towns were wiped off the map. Entire families clung to trees, waiting and hoping someone would save them.

Like you, I have been greatly moved by the devastation we have witnessed. Helene is the worst storm to hit our nation since the Great Flood of 1916. Despite the pain of so many, we’ve heard the many reports of hope from those who have the least reason to hope. They tell about the goodness of God that they have witnessed amid the sadness.


Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope Romans 5:3-4


Jewel Warrick has lived in a town, Relief, NC for fifty-five years. Helene tore through her small community and buried her home in mud. She and her son James evacuated just days before the storm. Six residents of Relief died, including two young boys. Jewel is quoted as saying “we’ll survive, we’re not giving up. We can’t. There’s hope and when you have hope, you move on”!


Jewel’s hope, and that of so many others, is not human hope or worldly hope, that kind of hope is merely a wish for what one desires to happen. No, the hope we’re talking about is a hope founded on that which is greater than what man can do. It is not an elusive hope, it is a living and sure hope. It is not based on the temporal or what is seen but what is eternal and unseen.


What is the source of this sure, eternal hope? It is the hope we can find only in God; He alone is the reason we can even dare to hope. It is a hope that binds His oneness to you.


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13


My pawpaw was known for many things. He was a man of great wisdom and many of his words still ring in my ears today. “Just remember, no matter how bad off you think you are, you can always find somebody that’s worse off”. Now, he in no way was assigning a degree of suffering but rather pointing out the importance of perspective. Even when it feels like you have no where to go there is hope.


In a few days we will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. As we gather around the table with family and friends let’s determine to set our minds on the goodness of God and His great bounty. There is a sadness for certain. So many will have empty chairs at the table. But there is also a reason to rejoice. Our God is a God who loves. He is a God of mercy. He is a God of hope.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 1 Peter 1:3