(Wish you could get in on the fun–and the helpful newsletter resources CTA publishes twice each month? Go to CTA’s website, scroll down to find the E-mail subscription link in the left-hand column, and sign up. It’s free! )

A new minister had agreed to lead a graveside burial service for a poverty-stricken man who had no family or friends. On his way to the unfamiliar cemetery, he made several wrong turns and arrived an hour late. The hearse was nowhere in sight, the backhoe stood next to the open hole, and the workmen were sitting under a tree eating lunch.

Diligent and feeling guilty for his tardiness, the parson launched into an impassioned and lengthy service over the vault which had already been lowered into the grave.

As he returned to his car, one of the workmen said to the other, “I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years and I ain’t never seen anything like that.”

 +++

A Sunday School teacher said to her first graders, “We have been learning how powerful the kings and queens were in biblical times. But there is a higher power. Who can tell me what it is?”

Little Sarah raised her hand and blurted out, “I know! I know! Aces!”

You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use in your organization as long as you will receive no monetary benefit from it. Please include this copyright line and submit an actual copy of use to CTA, attention Editorial Manager.

Used with permission grant #071410 © 2010 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026. www.CTAinc.com.

(Wish you could get in on the fun–and the helpful newsletter resources CTA publishes twice each month? Go to CTA’s website, scroll down to find the E-mail subscription link in the left-hand column, and sign up. It’s free! )

Good News:    The women’s guild voted to send you a get-well card.

Bad News:       The resolution passed by a vote of 31-30.

Good News:    The elder board accepted your job description the way you wrote it.

Bad News:       They were so inspired by it, they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.

 Good News:    Your women’s softball team finally won a game.

Bad News:       They beat your men’s softball team.

Good News:    After months of wrangling, he trustees finally voted to add more church parking.

Bad News:       They are going to blacktop the lawn in front of your parsonage.

Good News:    The youth in your church have decided to come to your house for a visit.

Bad News:       They’re coming in the middle of the night, armed with toilet paper and shaving cream to decorate.

You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use in your organization as long as you will receive no monetary benefit from it. Please include the copyright line below and submit an actual copy of use to CTA, attention Editorial Manager.

Used with permission grant #070710 © 2010 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026. www.CTAinc.com.

A church deacon sat visiting with one of the shut-in members when the woman seemed to go into cardiac arrest. The deacon rushed to the phone and called 9-1-1, asking that they send an ambulance to the house immediately.

 The operator asked, “What’s the address, sir?”

 The deacon wasn’t sure of the exact address, but he knew she lived in the last house on Eucalyptus Lane.

 The operator asked, “Can you spell that for me, sir?”

 After a long pause, the deacon asked, “Um, how about if I carry her over to Oak Street and you can pick her up there?”

Behind all this, in part, is the thought that relaxation means doing nothing, and doing nothing implies laziness. But relaxation is a gift from God, not an accusation! Relaxation doesn’t just imply putting your feet up on the coffee table. (Or is it now called a latte-espresso-mocha table?) There are well over 5,478,972 ways you can relax!

Though miles and centuries separate us from the tranquility David experienced as he tended his sheep, the words of Psalm 23 still apply:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. Psalm 23:1–3

I’ve always gotten a kick out of the thought that Jesus “makes” me lie down. If a sheep or person refuses to rest, nobody can make them. I realize that’s not the meaning of these words, but it gives us a picture of our lives at times, doesn’t it?

At times, we refuse to relax, even in the arms of our Shepherd-Savior. “You can’t make us!” we fuss. We forget that our Lord has met our needs. No matter what worries swirl around us, we can trust him. He wants us to feel secure and relaxed in his presence.

Jesus unpacked the truth of this psalm to settle the hearts of his disciples as he prepared them for his arrest and crucifixion. Breathe in our Lord’s words as you relax:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Relax . . . and feel free to put your feet up on your latte-espresso-mocha table!

 Prayer starter: Prince of Peace, you are what I need, now and always. Teach me to relax peacefully . . .

This devotion is drawn from Man of God: Soaring to New Heights, CTA’s new devotion book for this Father’s Day season. It’s written by Tim Wesemann and is available in both NIV and KJV editions.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use in your organization as long as you will receive no monetary benefit from it. Please include this copyright line and submit an actual copy of use to CTA, attention Editorial Manager.

Used with permission grant #060710 © 2010 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026. www.CTAinc.com.

Four words. So simple. So obvious.

In response, words of agreement flow easily from our mouths: “Of course we hate evil and love what is good!” We want to believe it. But Amos packed more into his command than we might grasp at first.

 Love. Hate. Those verbs come packed with passion. Love embraces and holds tight. Hate commits us to fight with our whole being. Do we “hate evil” and “love good” with that kind of zeal? 

Our culture teaches us to tiptoe around the truth so as not to offend. But God’s Word speaks much more plainly than our politically correct society. For example, the Scripture clearly teaches God’s love for all people (John 3:16), but it also warns us against making light of sin (Proverbs 15:9, 26). 

When I examine myself critically, I realize how seldom I truly hate much of what God hates and how seldom I am willing to take a stand for what God loves. 

This realization drives me to Calvary’s cross. Here, Jesus took a stand. Here, he went to battle for each one of us on a Friday we call “Good.” In true love, Jesus died. In true love, he rescued us from the power of sin, the lies of an evil world system, and the accusations of Satan. In true love, Jesus earned for us a life of victory, a grace-filled, forgiven life. 

Christ lives victoriously with and in his people, creating a wellspring of strength and courage to flow within us. That living water creates a hatred for evil and a delight in what is good and godly (Romans 12:9). It musters up the fighting Spirit within us, reminding us of what is at stake.

Authentic love and righteous hatred both make sense at the cross. And the cross of Christ makes both possible.

I’ll meet you there! You’re going to love the new strength Jesus gives. You have his Word on it.

Prayer starter: Lord, I’m not sure there’s much of a fight left in me, but then again, I’m not always fighting for things you love. Thank you for fighting victoriously for me and for my salvation. Empower me to take a stand . . .

This devotion is drawn from Man of God: Soaring to New Heights, CTA’s new devotion book for this Father’s Day season. It’s written by Tim Wesemann and is available in both NIV and KJV editions.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

You are welcome to copy this article for one-time use in your organization as long as you will receive no monetary benefit from it. Please include this copyright line and submit an actual copy of use to CTA, attention Editorial Manager.

Used with permission grant #060710 © 2010 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026. www.CTAinc.com.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so I thought I’d write you a letter. When I think of you, I often think about your letters. I never knew a more prolific letter writer. Somehow you always found time to write. When I was away from home, I could count on at least one letter a week, oftentimes more. When I was home, I can still picture you sitting on the sofa with your writing tablet . . . writing letter after letter after letter.

I don’t know if I ever thanked you for all your letters. They were appreciated. It was always good to hear from home. Even if sometimes there wasn’t all that much news, you’d find some!

“. . . The Cardinals and Cubs are tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth. They’re
taking the pitcher out! It doesn’t make sense! They always take them out too early! . . .
Mrs. Wallgardner from church is in the hospital. You probably don’t know her.
Now the Cardinals are losing–I knew they took him out too early! . . . The grass
needs mowing and it’s supposed to rain. I probably won’t get it cut . . .The Cardinals
lost–I knew it! Not much news, so I guess I’ll go to bed. Love, Mom.”

Thanks for all the letters you shared with me, Mom. I mean ALL the letters. That includes the ones you didn’t write with your hands in your familiar handwriting and style. It’s the other ones that I am most appreciative of–the ones I’ll never forget. Paul must have been describing someone like you when he wrote, You yourself are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ . . . written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on the tablets of human hearts.(2 Corinthians 3:3)

Mom, the details of your handwritten letters may be forgotten, but the letters you allowed God to write through you, not on paper but through Christ living in you, will not be lost. I’ve got them stored in my heart. Christ’s handwriting, compassionate style, and personal touch were in everything you did. Today I also thank God for the letters He has written to me through you. I see God’s letters, through you, in my life, home, parenting and in my children–even though they never had the opportunity to know you. Your letters of love (via God’s love) show up everywhere!

The Cardinals are losing, Mom. Maybe they took the pitcher out too soon. I want you to know that I’m winning, even though I selfishly think you were taken out too early. Yet sometimes it’s hard to realize you’re gone because your heaven-sent letters are written on my heart. God’s letters through you taught me and so many others what love, hope, and true happiness are all about. Your Spirit-written letters speak for themselves.

With Love from your son, through the love of the Son of God!

New Beginnings for Graduates is not your average graduate devotional. It’s real and applicable! I felt inspired during the first two pages and enjoyed each witty remark and analogy that followed. It’s a great combination of spiritual insight and practical ways to put it to use! What a great gift this will be, and as a Youth Minister, I appreciate how inexpensive it is!- Tessa Schuermann, River Falls, WI

In New Beginnings for Graduates, Tim Wesemann does an amazing job of reminding grads that God worked some of His greatest miracles (and best work) in the Bible when He walked beside His people through their life transitions. And that the God of Mary, Paul, and all the disciples will continue to do miraculous things throughout the lives and transitions of new graduates today!- Chad Schuermann, River Falls, WI

Catch the vision! When I wrote New Beginnings for Graduates I envisioned a meaningful, down-to-earth small devotional for high school graduates, inexpensive enough for leaders to purchase one for each of their graduates. I’d love to see youth leaders, Mother’s Club/parent groups, school boards, teachers, pastors, or other school /church leaders giving each of their graduates a copy of this affordable, Christ-centered devotional book — New Beginnings for Graduates: Plans for Hope and a Future. How are you going to use this devotional or other CTA graduation products? Your comments help other school and church leaders as they look for Christian gift ideas for their graduates.

For 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. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

At the movie screening Basket of Hope displayed a sample basket which, I was excited to see, contained the CTA book Facing Illness with Hope.

As the author of Facing Illness with Hope (and also Grieving with Hope) I’ve received many emails and notes from people sharing how God has used these books to help them find and share hope through Jesus Christ. I wanted to share about how Basket of Hope uses Facing Illness with Hope to encourage hurting families who have children living with cancer. Maybe it will trigger for you other creative ideas for sharing these books of hope within your community. For instance, one lady sets the books on tables at a hospice center in her town. Another shared the grieving book with the local funeral home. Some have given the books to Christian counselors.

I’d love to hear how you have used these books of hope through Christ. Do you have ideas how ministries, organizations, and businesses might use these hope-filled books? How can you introduce Facing Illness or Grieving with Hope to others in your community?