Drowning in Despair? Here is a Splash of Serenity for You!

Need some serenity as you take the heat? Feel like you are drowning in the despair of the day? Going through deep waters and barely keeping afloat?

News Splash! God's Hand is holding yours and He won't let go!

This photo of my friend's baby and husband taken at Ithaca Falls brought to mind a favorite scripture for when I need a Splash of Serenity. I pray it encourages you.

"But now, this is what the Lord says--
'Fear not,
I have summoned you by name;
you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you....
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,....
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;...
No one can deliver out of my hand....'" Isaiah 43:1- (NIV)

Ahh! Refreshing! I feel better all ready. Don't you?

Fill your day with God's Splashes of Serenity. He never met us to be overwhelmed with problems. He holds us up. He is our life preserver--He is all we need to keep afloat.

So splash! Don't let today's troubles overtake you. You are HIS! So grab God's Hand, jump in and enjoy a swim with Jesus.

What gives you a splash of serenity on a difficult day? I'd love to know. Let us encourage each other.

Elaine

Stop, Learn, and Do!

When I saw this tree on my walk today, I chuckled and thought, that's the way I feel about my life sometimes. So many places to go, demands to be met, needs to fulfill. Life can be so busy we don't sense the serenity of this tree, but the entanglement of its branches.

That's why I like to ask God how to spend my days. His plan for me is peace. He would not desire that I flail my arms about in every direction. He knows before I wake up what issues I will face that day. He is aware of my days and He knows my years.

So, each January I ask God for a verse--one that will help me be more like Him and feel less entangled in the ways of this world.

Isaiah is one of my favorite Books of the Bible, so in seeking a 2011 scripture, I started there. Voila! There it was. The words jumped out at me as though printed in bold by God's Himself. "Stop bringing me your meaningless offerings!" Isaiah 1:13. It was the "Stop" and the "!" that got my attention. If God says "Stop" and ends with an exclamation point, He wants the reader to take note. Don't you think?

So, what is a meaningless offering? Oh my, the list could get long. Worry, grumbling, and resentment are just the beginning of my list.

For me, it's all about time. How I spend each hour is either a meaningless or a meaningful offering to God. Time is a gift God gives to each of us. How we use that time is our gift back to Him.

I'm not making New Year's resolutions this year, but I am thinking about what I do with the time God gives me. Later in Isaiah 1, I read another "Stop" and noticed another exclamation point. "...Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!" Isaiah 1:16-17. So simple. It isn't difficult to understand how to please God. Just "Stop, learn, and do!"

Isaiah 1:28-30 says that rebels and sinners will be "like a garden without water." That doesn't sound like a splash of serenity to me. May my life in 2011 and forever be filled with meaningful offerings to God as I learn to do right and resist rebellion against His plan for me for 2011.

I don't want to be like that tree lifting empty and cold branches up to God. May my limbs be lush with fruit as God teaches me to do right and I make the most of His offering of time to me. Won't you join me on this quest?

Happy New Year!

Elaine

Merry Christmas Letter

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas to you. At this sweet season, I love to remember that the Baby Jesus came to earth over 2,000 years ago and He is still with us. Emmanuel--God with us. Whatever life brings, God is with us. What a comforting thought. I thank God for His presence in my life and the lives of my family--His presence that will never go or pass away.

In 2010 Dan and I celebrated 40 years of marriage. Through good and not-so-good days, Jesus has been with us. We thank Him for a deep and ever-growing love in our hearts.

It is a joy for us to be partners in marriage as well as in ministry. In August Dan began a second term as District Superintendent of the Northeastern District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. We're on the road together most weekends visiting and, hopefully, encouraging the 80 churches in this District. What joy knowing God is in every church and filling every heart who believes in Him.

My writing and speaking continues to bring a Splash of Serenity to a world that needs to know that God is with us. I continue hearing, almost daily, from readers whose lives have been touched and changed by something God gave me to say or to write. Wanting to encourage others to write, I taught seminars at two writers conferences this past year. What fun to see the enthusiasm and the passion of younger writers eager to tell their stories to a world that doesn't know that God is with them.

God was with us when He took Dan's dad to Heaven February 5, 2010. What a glorious morning taking him for a ride around town, to church, out to his fav restaurant, and then home to sit in his chair, where he closed his eyes and entered his final rest. We are so thankful God allowed us to be with dad on his final day on earth.

God is with Joanna and Bob as they balance careers (Bob as News Director for the Family Life Network and Joanna as a reading specialist) and parent two amazing children--Gracie and Ryan--a future swim star and a tractor driver, respectively.

God is with Elizabeth and Joe as He blessed them with baby number 5. Charlotte Grace joins Connor, Garrett, Ava, and Brenna as the cutest and liveliest kids on the planet. Joe continues with Fish Window cleaning, building goat barns, and remodeling their house. Elizabeth's time away happens at Arnot Ogden Hospital where she is a labor and delivery nurse.

I am so thankful God is with Sam and Katie. Sam spent much of last year in Iraq. They are now nicely settled in Newport News, VA where Sam serves as a JAG lawyer. Katie and I prayed through Sam's and Dan's dream fly-fishing trip to Montana last summer. Blessed to know God gave them a grand time.

All of our 7 grandchildren and 3 married children and their spouses will gather around our Christmas tree this year. God will be there too. Emmanuel--God with us. And He shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah! May you know the serenity that comes from the truth in your heart that Jesus is--Emmanuel--God with us.

Serenity Christmas!

Elaine