Every parent will recognize the morning I had. Even if you’re not a parent, you will relate to the feelings I experienced as I was planning for a regular school day. 

I was trying to get the children ready for school and out of the house, and it wasn’t working. I cleaned up the kitchen and was ready to leave, only to find that nobody had fed the bird and one child was still in the bathroom. While I was pouring out birdseed into the cage, I dropped the dish and had to sweep up the mess, delaying our departure by precious minutes.

Finally we were on our way. A block from home, one of my sons realized he’d forgotten to pack his pajamas for that evening’s sleepover. We turned back to get them.

A few minutes later we started off again, only to find that the road we usually take to school was closed. There had been a head-on car crash minutes before. The emergency vehicles had just arrived.

Had our morning gone smoothly, without all the delays . . . well, I don’t know what would have happened, but it’s possible we’d have been in that accident.

The incident, or rather the lack of incident, reminded me of two things. First, our lives are so fragile. They can be snuffed out so suddenly, just like a candle being extinguished in an instant. Second, our God is so wise and mighty and constant. He created each of us, and his direction for our lives is so much better than what we imagine, so much better than we can imagine! The one who planned our salvation and brought that plan into being will not leave us to drown in the drama and details of our everyday lives!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

I’d expected my morning that day to look and feel like any school morning. I expected my day to be the same as any other day. The victims of 9/11 no doubt expected that morning to be the same as any other workday morning, but it definitely was not! The victims of Katrina expected the same challenges every other Category 3 hurricane brought, except Katrina turned out to be a Category 4 storm, bordering on a Category 5. The list of unexpected disasters grows longer with every passing year.

No one plans for earth-shattering events to land with both feet in their lives. On the morning I describe above, nothing terrible happened to me or to my family. But the experience made me think.

It reminded me that there were people just like me who were delayed on their way to work in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Some residents of New Orleans were out of town when the hurricane hit. Who knows how many disastrous circumstances each of us has avoided in life, even though much of the time we don’t even realize it.

But mine isn’t an “I’m glad it was him and not me” story. Rather, it’s a recognition of God’s protection for me and my dear children, and an acknowledgment that our Lord sometimes does allow earth-shattering events in our lives; he can even use those events to call us home to himself at any time.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Truthfully, we can’t count on the predictability of things, not here on earth. At some point, even the sun will stop rising and setting. Nothing stays the same—except our Savior.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

This truth remains. This is our stability. And it is the hope we bring to those around us. Jesus, our Savior, our Friend—he’s the same. He’s the one we can count on—no matter what changes in the circumstances around us. This is our hope. And it’s the message we share, an urgently important message, a message for everyone.

Whom will you tell today?

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.

You are welcome to copy this devotion 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 #083010. © 2006 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this devotion is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026. www.CTAinc.com.

Read 1 Corinthians 3:1–11.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (v. 11).

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Lord our God, nations rise and fall, people are born and die, and time flits by as a swiftly passing shadow. Constant change rocks our ability to cope, and sometimes the storms of trouble and temptation even threaten to sweep us to destruction. We need a foundation on which to stand, a foundation that cannot be moved.

You are that foundation, that Rock, O changeless Christ! People often try to build their lives on other things, but you are the only foundation that will never crumble.

We want to build quality lives on you, Lord. So many waves and winds threaten to move us away from you. We see errors and infighting even in the church, and we struggle to hang on. Be the head of your church on earth as well as the foundation of our own personal lives.

Help us live for you and keep us safe, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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 #053110. © 2010 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026-1205. www.CTAinc.com.

Read Matthew 28:1–15 and focus on the angel’s words in verse 6: “He is risen, just as he said.”

Prayer:

Almighty Christ, death could not hold you! The Father accepted your holy sacrifice—your innocent suffering and death—for the forgiveness of all our sins. Once that occurred, the grave had to release you. Your body would not see decay.

Today we celebrate your rising from the dead. The angels rolled away the stone, not to release you from the tomb, but to reveal to your disciples—and to us—the miracle that had taken place. 

You did what you had promised to do—you defeated death itself! In your resurrection, we see our own. You have brought us unimaginable joy and peace. 

Make this a glad day for all hurting people as you encourage them in the truth that you are their Mighty God and Everlasting King! Give us courage to share our Easter joy with others.

 We ask it all in your glorious name. Amen.

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 #050310. © 2010 CTA, Inc. No duplication of this article is allowed without the express written consent of CTA, PO Box 1205, Fenton, MO 63026-1205. www.CTAinc.com.

We just got home from two separate ladies’ “tea” events up north and then led in a local women’s conference on Saturday. Running around to speaking engagements and leading conferences is what we love best about our ministry.  Our face-to-face encounters and training sessions with women and girls are “God appointments”; we wouldn’t want to miss them!

We have been teaching women how to use the Woman of God: Moments of Grace book as a tool for evangelism.  We are showing women how something as simple as exercising “hospitali – tea” by serving a cup of tea and reading a devotion can open the door to developing friendships and sharing the gospel.

A number of the hostesses for our conferences, luncheons, banquets, workshops, and special events have used the color scheme of the book for their decorations.  Many of them have ordered accessory items from the CTA catalog as favors, door prizes, or momentos.

Our hands are tired from autographing so many copies of the book as women are grabbing them up as gifts for friends, classmates, and co-workers.  At these prices, they are cheaper than a greeting card!  We pray that God will continue to allow this beautiful little book to be used as a tool for spreading the Good News of His amazing grace.

That was the question an 18-year-old student at the Hong Kong International School (HKIS) asked me seven years ago.

I had taken an opportunity to travel to China on a servant trip with 12 youth from my congregation. We were blessed to have five students from HKIS as interpreters while we navigated the Guangdong Providence.

The Lord allowed us to serve as his hands and feet as we helped at orphanages in small towns, worshiped at a government-authorized church, and visited a rehab center for children with physical disabilities. We spent two days cleaning and painting a remote village school. For part of my time in country, the 18-year-old with the deep question, was my roommate.

 One evening, just as I was leaving my room for prayer time, I asked Raishe, “How is the trip going for you? 

She responded, “I believe in god, but I came along on this trip to see who this Jesus Christ is.”(While HKIS is a Christian school, the students from HKIS are not necessarily Christian. As interpreters, none of them were required to attend any of our Bible study or prayer times.) Our conversation continued, focusing on Raishe’s amazement at our group’s eagerness to do anything we were asked to do and our commitment to care for people we’d never met. Her question opened a door, and I got to share what Jesus has done for me . . . and for her!

It’s a sobering thought. Many people in today’s world “believe in god,” but know nothing about Jesus and what he did for them on the cross and in his empty tomb. We want to keep their need in mind every day, of course. But especially this Easter, may the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see those around us who wonder what this day is all about, who question what it has to do with them. 

Who is this Jesus Christ!? How would you answer that question? And whose asking it—in your own family, school, or neighborhood?

As a CSR for CTA, I recently talked with pastor who had just read, Grieving with Hope . . . Leaning on Jesus. He passed it on—to a family grieving the loss of a child several years ago. The family came back a few days later to say, in essence, “We so wish we had read this at the time of our child’s death!”

Grief seldom evaporates the day after the funeral! Many people continue to grieve for months and even years. Experts in grief tell us that individuals each grieve in their own way, following their own timetable.

Do you have friends who struggle with grief? When you act in faith, our Savior will step in to care for those whose lives you touch. It’s never too late to bring the hope of Jesus to those who are grieving.

Editor’s Note: CTA’s Grieving with Hope . . . Leaning on Jesus has become a best-seller in only a few months! It costs much less than most sympathy cards and it comes with an envelop for easy mailing.  The Christ-centered message coupled with four-color, eye-striking photos, make it a truly valuable ministry tool! Churches, Stephen Ministers, chaplains, and others will want to buy a case to have on hand.

As much as we need courage, our Lord wants to give it to us. Courage is a virtue—one that comes to us as a gift from our Savior. He wants to pour courage into to us throughout life. That gift makes it possible for us to give ourselves to him and trust in him in body, mind, and spirit. 

As we face life’s difficulties, we can remember those who came before us. This past weekend in many liturgical churches God’s people observed “All Saints Day.” Among other thing, it reminds us that no generation was without its trials and sufferings, its ordeals and struggles. We thank God for our parents and for Christians in generations before them who relied on him, courageously raising their families, building our schools and churches, and inspiring us in our generation to take a stand for what is good, true, and beautiful. 

We “bend our knee before the Lord who made us” (Psalm 95:6). And we ask for his gift of courage.

Yet here we are, looking at the end of the summer. It is time for new shoes, new school supplies, and new beginnings. Once again CTA is here to help us help our children. God is lighting our way into the season of fall! 

Check out the great God Lights Our Way (G.L.O.W.) activity books with free pencils — great for getting ready back to school and encouraging children! 

It’s 16 pages include hints to help parents talk with their children about using Scripture in solving problems. As a parent, I will be using these books to talk about my child about problems he may face at school this year. Not only is this activity book Scripture based, but it is a great introduction to the rest of the fall products I will be using and writing about soon!

I slipped downstairs, knowing my family would sleep for another three hours before beginning the weekly, pre-church bathroom battle. (The only male in my household of four, I try to clear out of the way early on Sundays. Dads everywhere are nodding in agreement.)

The summer morning in North Carolina was unseasonably cool, so I grabbed my Bible and headed for the screened-in back porch to enjoy some quiet time with God. I didn’t know till I got there, but there wasn’t enough light to read by yet. Besides, as I soon learned, God had a different lesson planned–one that had nothing to do with reading a few verses.

I sat silently for some time, serenaded by birds who were signaling the first signs of daylight. I also prayed, seeking the Father’s wisdom in some personal struggles I had endured. That’s when the lesson started.

Without warning, thunder rumbled in the distance, causing the birds to cease their singing. Moments later, a quick downpour could be heard making its way across our small subdivision. Lightning cracked! Thunder boomed! Dark clouds swirled. And a sheet of rain visibly marched toward me from my neighbor’s yard.     

I stood and prepared to go inside, but something in my spirit stopped me. I’m not claiming to have heard an audible voice, but everything in me was saying, “Stand still. . . . Watch and listen.”

Suddenly, the overgrown maple tree in my backyard started swaying in a southerly direction. The shifting direction of the wind seemed to sweep away the rain as well. In a matter of seconds, calmness reigned and ushered in the dawn. Playful chirping soon filled the air again.

That’s when I realized it. I can’t prove it, but I don’t think the birds ever stopped their singing. I couldn’t hear them as the storm was nearing because my ears were tuned to the rain, thunder, and lightning.

Lord, help me not to focus on the problems in my life or the noise they create. Help me instead to be still and trust in you. I want to watch you work in my life. Teach me to listen to the reminders of your continual care.

How about you? Has God ever used nature – his creation – to get your attention?

Many churches use these words at the conclusion of their worship service. Thinking more deeply about the passage, phrase by phrase, can make that part of the worship service even more stirring. Be Blessed provides refreshment and renewal—the perfect gift for any woman on Mother’s Day.

As a free gift to you, we also provide a “Be Blessed” Ministry Message^SM, a one-page presentation devotion you’re welcome to use when you give these gifts to the women in your church. The devotion is also available in Spanish.