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Click here for my daily devotional blog. Click here to download article EASTER CAME
CFL Light Bulbs: Hype and Hazard?
Click here to check out Carolyn's articles at Associated Content.
Click here to download SPRING PUZZLE
Click here to download THE GIFT Click here to download article: MANNERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Thanksgiving Time A Good Time to Remember Blessings Too often we dwell on what's wrong in our lives and our world. Thanksgiving time
gives us the opportunity to look for the positive instead of the negative. A habit of counting our blessings is more than
some religious tradition, it is a basic tenant of good health that uplifts us not only spiritually, but mentally, emotionally
and physically as well. As some of today's authors begin the season with blessings, we all learn something
surprising about giving thanks. Award-winning author of inspirational essays and historical fiction, Laurie Alice
Eakes wrote, “In discussing about what one is thankful for, focusing on the tangible is easy. Tangible blessings overflow
in our household beginning with my first sale to a CBA publisher, sale of two essays and an article, and winning the
National Readers Choice Award for my Avalon Regency, and climaxing with my husband's multiple job offers with law firms. “These are fantastic, and not the true focus of my thankful heart. Looking
back over the past year, I can say that I am a different person, a Christ follower, not simply a Christian. At last, I understand
the Psalmist's meaning of 'Delight yourself in the Lord…'" http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com Stephanie Grace Whitson, author of JACOB'S LIST and many other beloved works, wrote,
“I am thankful because nothing touches me that hasn't first passed through the hand of the Lord of the ages. I am thankful
because even when the diagnosis is "cancer" my Lord is not slapping his forehead in surprise wondering what to do about it.
“I am thankful because when my first husband stepped through the veil from
"here" to "there" I know where he went. I am thankful because when my second husband steps through the veil from "here" to
"there" he will be reunited with my first husband, and they will share more than a few laughs over the crazy woman they loved
down on earth. I am thankful because my children all belong to Jesus, and I know I cannot take any credit for that amazing
fact, but rather, I owe the praise--all of it--to God. “I am thankful because I do not have to worry about what I will eat tomorrow.
I am thankful that when I lay down tonight I will not have to wonder if a militia is going to kidnap one of my boys and make
him kill people. I am thankful because when I go out for coffee tomorrow with a friend I will not have to wonder if a roadside
bomb is going to end my life--or hers. I am thankful because when I am sitting in church on Sunday morning I will not have
to wonder if this is the day the army comes for me because I worship God in this place and I do not call him Allah. “I am thankful for the amazing reality of how blessed I am and how unworthy
I am for those blessings and for the miraculous truth that in spite of my unworthiness God reached into time and picked me
up and wrapped me in His everlasting arms and said, 'this one is Mine.' I am thankful for the Book which teaches me all these
things for which I am thankful. . . and to Who it is I owe thanks. And I am thankful for everyday things like eyes to see
rainbows and ears to hear Luciano sing and Botti play. I am thankful for feet to walk autumn trails and skin to feel loving
hands and a nose to smell new mown hay and roses, pot roast and lavender, cinnamon and the sea. www.stephaniewhitson.com Cynthia Hickey, author of FUDGE-LACED FELONIES, May 2008 release, says about thankfulness
and a dream fulfilled, I am very thankful for God's faithfulness. His word tell us that he grants us the desires of our heart
in accordance to His will. After five years of actively pursuing a writing career, diligently working on improving my craft,
God presented me with a contract through Barbour publishing with the option for two more books. This is the beginning of a
dream come true and I am extremely thankful for God's grace. http://www.cynthiahickey.com Tricia Goyer, author of 14 books, including MY LIFE, UNSCRIPTED and 300+ articles,
said, “I'm thankful for a husband who has encouraged me to follow my dreams to become a writer and speaker. He was my
first fan and now he's my greatest promoter. (Sometimes I feel sorry for the people who end up next to him on an airplane!) “In turn, I've encouraged his passion for children's ministry. For the past
ten years I've volunteered with John in presenting drama to children at our church. You know it's true love when I dress up
in costumes and act silly in front of 100 kids every week!” http://www.triciagoyer.com Thanksgiving isn't dependent on circumstances. It is an attitude of the heart as
Steve Bonenberger explains. “I am the author of the THROUGH GATES OF FIRE Christian trilogy. I am grateful for divine
strength in the midst of real-time suffering. In the last few weeks, my business has encountered a series of blows that have
almost toppled us. My writing has shrunken down to minus zero. The level of intensity and difficulty has increased by
factors that I have never encountered before. “I am grateful for the morning time. I get up early and meet with the Lord
via my journal and sacred readings. The time is more than refreshing and renewing...it has become (once again) my very sustenance.
During these divine intersections, I receive the Daily Coordinates for 'how to navigate' “I am also grateful for the evening time. I get to come home to my wife and
home and simply spend moments of conversation and pleasant companionship. Simplicity of mind and order in the midst of unwelcomed
chaos. I am grateful for these things. http://www.stevebonenberger.com Gratitude, then, isn't based on time of year, how much we have, or circumstances
in our lives good and bad. Being thankful, is an attitude of spirit and of heart. Being thankful is a habit that is healthy
for ourselves, our family, our culture and the world. Thanksgiving time is the perfect time to take time to count our blessings.
All about gratitude © 2006 Carolyn R Scheidies The first Thanksgiving feast was about
gratitude to God for His protection and provision, as well as gratitude to the Indians for helping them survive. Thanksgiving
has always been about gratitude along with family and food. Thanksgiving Day is not, has never been and will never be “Turkey
Day.” This expression does away with the very foundations of the celebration. In fact, the whole move to sever God from
public life and institutions is a slap in the face to those who came to America looking for a place to practice their faith
not only in the privacy of their homes, but also in every day life, including public service and in education. Somehow, we’ve gotten the idea we
can separate faith from the rest of our lives as though body and soul can be surgically cut asunder. Maybe it is this dichotomy
which has caused so many to say one thing, but behave in a completely different manner. Public educators often advance this
concept, partly due to fear of reprisal from such as the ACLU. Unfortunately, this policy creates an environment of fear instead
of the confidence we wish to instill in our young people. Students may hesitate to express deeply held religious, especially
Christian, beliefs out of fear that a teacher may publicly humiliate them, and adults fear facing a lawsuit if they express
their faith in public. But aside from tearing us in half as people
and instilling fear, there is something only Thanksgiving brings out and that is an attitude of gratitude. Our forefathers
fell on their knees when they landed on shore after weeks of being tossed about on the ocean and packed into stinking ship
holds like sardines with little air, food or privacy. They held an attitude of gratitude in the midst of horrendous circumstances,
because they looked forward to living and worshiping freely. When we take God out of the equation, we
trash the fundamental reason for the celebration. It becomes another attempt to separate body and soul, leaving the holiday
but an empty ritual of self-indulgence. Thanksgiving Day isn’t about us. It isn’t about gorging our bodies. Thanksgiving
Day was instituted to turn our attention away from ourselves as we consider the blessings we have in our country, our families,
and in so many other ways. Once more we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving
Day, but how many really gave thanks? How many counted their blessings instead of their complaints? As we head into the Christmas
season, let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s not strip away the very reason for the season. Let’s instead
go into the holidays with grateful, giving hearts.
Giving a blessing © 2006 Carolyn R. Scheidies Recently an elderly friend called to ask
if I’d received an invitation to a joint replacement seminar on the college campus. I said I hadn’t with some
amusement since the only reason I still walk, other than by God’s grace, is because of multiple joint replacements and
replacement of replacements from the waist down. The sweet woman explained the question
by saying she’d had a replacement herself in January, that she no longer drove and was looking for a ride to the seminar.
The call came on a Sunday not long after returning home from a church picnic to celebrate the acquisition of a new church
location, and I was tired. Though I don’t drive, she knew that if I went, my husband Keith would drive me. However,
I told her, maybe Keith would take her. At that point I handed over the phone.
Yes, Keith assured her, he’d be glad to take her. No, he wouldn’t think of taking payment for doing so. Why? Because
of all she’d done for him in the past and for “just because.” Years earlier, this dear woman and her husband
opened their home to college students always looking for food and a place to “hang out.” Now that she was alone,
Keith wanted to help her out. After a conversation, Keith hung up. “Well,”
I asked, “Are you going?” He shook his head. The woman decided that
if I wasn’t going, if she couldn’t pay Keith for his time and if he was doing it just for her, she wouldn’t
go. The decision saddened me, because I understood
the attitude. How many times have I exhibited the same independence because I didn’t want to burden someone? In that
moment I realized something else, I realized that both the friend and Keith lost out. The friend didn’t get to attend a
seminar that might have given her pertinent information and encouragement, and Keith didn’t receive the satisfaction,
the blessing, of helping someone in need. When we refuse to allow others to help
us, we short circuit the human need to be needed and keep others from the satisfaction that comes from reaching out. Remember
all the news reports after a major disaster. Recall not only the gratitude on the faces of those who received assistance,
but also the joy on the faces of those who knew they made a difference in someone else’s life just by lending a helping
hand. I’m sorry our friend turned
Keith’s help down. I also want to be more aware of what I may cost someone when I refuse to let them “help,”
whether that offer comes from a toddler who needs to feel needed or from someone older whose assistance I could really use.
Maybe next time someone asks if I could use some help, I’ll remember to extend a blessing to us both by being honest
and saying, “Yes, thank you” instead of “No, I can do it myself.” IS JESUS TRUE? Jesus answered him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the
Father except through me. John 14:6 GW This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate
on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make
your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely. Joshua 1:8 MKJV Jesus doesn't speak truth, He is the embodiment of truth His Word is also truth.
Scripture doesn't contain truth, it is truth. “Sanctify them through Your truth . Your Word is truth.” John
17:17 MKJV But to receive that truth we need to be in tune with Jesus, not trying to prove
our beliefs through the Bible, but allowing God to speak to us through His Word. 2 Timothy 2:15 MKJV “Study earnestly
to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
That makes all the difference. The only way we can know God's Word is through intensive,
systematic and continual study. Millennium of persons have testified to the redemptive power of Jesus and His Word
to change lives. However we try to subvert His Word, God is God, who makes sure His Word is truth. If He can't, He isn't all powerful. If He won't, He is deceptive, neither good
or righteous, which makes Him a liar and not worth our time or worship. Jesus can't simply be a good man, because He claimed to be God. Jesus is either a con artist and liar, or exactly whom He said He was. If He is
God we need to get to know Him. The way is through prayer (communicating with God) and through His revealed Word. Reading
the Bible through cover to cover is a start. THANKFUL HEART: ROAD TRIP TO HEALING © 2004, 06 Carolyn R. Scheidies It was in the mid-sixties. Our family was
in turmoil. I was in pain and desperate for answers—and relief. My pastor father said God was there, that God cared,
but where was He when I contracted an extremely severe case of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis just before my thirteenth birthday?
I’d always been the healthiest member
of the family. My younger brother and older sister contracted all the usual childhood illnesses. I got nothing. I was seldom
sick, even when I crawled into bed with my sister who had measles. Scared Mom, but didn’t faze me. I wasn’t just
healthy, I was strong, athletic, loved the outdoors and wanted to become a jockey--before women were allowed in that position.
Things changed as I reached adolescence.
My body betrayed me. In mere months, I went from walking and running to sitting in a wheelchair I could not even wheel myself.
My legs contracted and refused to straighten, despite therapy. My fingers curled. Pain confiscated my days and danced in my
nightmares. My parents argued constantly about treatment.
The elders of the church prayed. My parents wept as they bombarded Heaven for my release from the agonizing pain that gripped
my weakened body. Food turned my stomach. Weight dropped
off until I avoided the skeleton in the mirror. Family, friends, strangers prayed. Thoughts of suicide poked their way into
my mind. A way out, perhaps. Except my parents had laid too good of a foundation. I knew God was real. I knew He’d died
for me, rose for me. Knew, despite the horror of my present situation, He had a plan and a purpose for my life. Still, fear twisted my insides. Would things
ever change? Would I be forever locked in this struggle where even the simplest of movements brought excruciating agony? Medication
helped only a bit. “Where are you, God?” I’d cry. “Help me.” I sensed the deep pain in my father when
he announced he planned to drive me to Bundling me up, he laid me gently into
the back seat and made sure I was as comfortable as possible. From the car window I watch the sun rise in the sky and the
air grow warm as we traveled south. At times we talked, at times I slept, at times I prayed. I sensed prayer was never far
from my father’s heart. Traveling was a strain on me, and made
me stiff and even more sore if I didn’t get relief at regular intervals. Every couple of hours we stopped. Dad hauled
out the heavy wheelchair and lifted me into it. We’d enter some restaurant for a quick snack or meal and move on. About The next day we entered the city and found
a motel that Dad booked for the week of the revival conference. Day after day we sat in the auditorium listening to preachers
preach the word, and watching others go forward and many get healed. At night I went to bed exhausted and still
hurting. As the week drew to a close, I sensed Dad’s frustration and impatience. I saw him waylay one of the ministers
who had no answers for him. The final night, Dad took me down front
for healing. Fear and hope and embarrassment swirled inside as I waited my turn with the rather flamboyant man who ministered
that night. I’d seen him around all week, but had no idea he’d taken note of me, not until Dad pushed my wheelchair
in front of him. He searched my face. “I’ve
been praying for you all week,” he said. A chill zipped up my spine. Would this be my moment, the moment I showed everyone
I didn’t need doctors or medicine? I bowed my head when he placed a cool hand
on my forehead and began to pray. I have no idea what he said. The auditorium, the preacher, everything faded away as something
began to happen. I felt, almost saw, a huge key entering a lock and suddenly a thousand doors, one after the other sprang
open. The prisoner was set free. I felt it, felt something change inside. For the first time in years my pain was gone! I told the preacher, “It’s
gone. The pain is gone.” He tried to have me stand, but my limbs hadn’t changed. My fingers remained knurled,
my knees permanently bent, but inside I was free. I left smiling. I sensed Dad was bitterly disappointed.
He wanted his little girl to be whole. Back at the motel, I got ready and slipped into bed. My father, never a big proponent
of pills, tried to get me to take my pain medication. I shook my head. “Dad, I really don’t need them.”
I saw the struggle on his face, but he
let it go. The next morning we headed home. Much to Dad’s amazement, not only did I sit up most of the way home, but
also did so well we did the whole trip in one long drive. We didn’t need to stop every couple of hours or overnight.
I didn’t need to be hopped up on painkillers just to ride in the car. We left home praying for healing. My family
never realized I needed healing inside much more than outside. Not only had the pain disappeared, but my attitude had undergone
an adjustment. I realized I’d wanted healing to show people, especially my doctors. I hated being poked and prodded.
I was scared and hated not being in control. What I was coming to understand was that
God’s ways are not our ways and that out of fear and chaos, He brings hope and healing—in His way, in His time.
For the first time I felt a sense of peace about my situation. For the first time I was finally ready to release my fears
to God. With the pain gone, I was able to begin
living again. Though it was a struggle, I found ways to gain more independence. Many years later, after I graduated from college,
I entered the hospital for six weeks of joint replacements and reconstructive surgery. It took a year, but I relearned how
to walk. In that year, I found my soul mate Keith. A year after my surgery, I walked down
the aisle without my wheelchair, without braces or crutches to stand before my misty-eyed father as he pronounced Keith and
I man and wife. When we turned to walk back down that aisle, I saw my orthopedic surgeon sitting on the bench at the back
with a big smile and I understood. … all things work together for good to
them that love God,.. Romans 8:28a God was there. He did care and He was in
control all the time. I learned that He is worthy of all my gratitude. I thank Him with all my heart that He never gave up
on me, never let me go, and is still working on helping me be all I can be in Him.
Hear Instruction © 2006 Carolyn R Scheidies When I was elementary age, my dad
decided to replace a frayed electrical plug. Though his primary work was as a pastor, he was also a jack-of-all trades and
often brought extra cash into the house by doing house remodeling and/or repairs. He had a fair knowledge of how to both build
and fix things. This time he'd purchased a new type
of plug set that was supposed to be easy to install. Dad worked and worked and struggled to replace that plug, becoming more
and more frustrated as he stripped the wires and tried to fit them in the new-fangled plug. The cord got shorter. Dad gritted
his teeth. His shoulders tensed, and he growled at anyone, like me, who questioned him. I was naturally curious, and dad
usually enjoyed explaining things to me. This time though, his temper began to fray as badly as that cord. Finally, after working for quite
a while, he sighed, stretched and reached for the instruction sheet. His mouth dropped open as he read. "Well!" The new method
meant no stripping at all, just laying the wires in the groove and sliding home the "door," effectively locking the wire and
plug together. It couldn't have been simpler. All that frustration, misplaced anger and wasted time simply because dad thought
he didn't need to read the instructions. How many times do we refuse to listen
or read instructions that could smooth the way before us? How often do we refuse to really listen to our spouse, our parents
or boss or others who might, in certain circumstances, know more than we do, who have “been there and done that?”
Ecclesiastes 1:9c says "...there is nothing new under the sun." We don’t have to be too proud and arrogant to listen
and learn from others or too lazy to read and study what others have done. If we listen to those who've paved the way, we
can build on what they've done, soaring to new and dizzying heights, rather than breaking ground that has already been broken,
maybe many times. Instead of thinking we know it all,
how much better to take the time to listen to instruction. Saves so much time and frustration. It's the same way with faith. God
has given us an instruction manual. How much better our lives would be, how much wiser our choices, and how much less frustration
we'd experience if we'd read, study and follow God's manual, the Bible, for a successful life.
Liar, Lunatic or Lord © 2006 Carolyn R. Scheidies Many believe Jesus is a good man,
but not God. Yet, we have three options. Either he was a liar, a lunatic or, exactly what he claimed, Lord. A good man would
not try to deceive people by saying, “"I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV That would make him a liar. He could have been a lunatic, except his message was simple and clear. He said he had the answer to people’s
need for acceptance, forgiveness and hope. He died for his belief. If he deceived himself as well as others, he was tragic,
but certainly not worthy of our admiration. If he was neither a lunatic nor a liar, we have one choice. Jesus was who he said he was, God. We’ve all done
those things for which we’re ashamed and for which we deserve punishment. Because he had done no wrong, Jesus was able
to do what no one else could do, take on himself the punishment we deserve for the wrongs we’ve done. He died for our
wrongs, but more, he rose again, conquering death and hell and sin. Because he lives Jesus can offer us hope. All we need
do is to recognize we can’t make it on our own and accept his offer of forgiveness, a new start, a new life with Christ
as our friend, our savior, our guide. Jesus said it best. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew
11:28-29
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