Stay Sane Archives - Oh Lord Help Us

dreams, foolishness, passion, wisdom, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Foolishness: Rejecting Worldly Wisdom to Follow Christ

Devotional, Stay SaneJanuary 9, 2019January 13, 2019

Sometimes we feel foolish when we veer away from the path that the world prescribes for our lives, but choosing to live out our calling is not foolishness.

Years ago when I was in college, my mom gave me some sage advice. But at the time, I considered it foolishness. It was Thanksgiving break, and I had driven out to her little, off-the-grid homestead for a few days. During our visit, I basically spewed out all of my stress and anxiety about all of the school work that I had to do.

That following week, I would be taking the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), a challenging standardized exam required for graduate school admission. In addition to my GRE prep, a mountain of papers, presentations, group projects, and final exams loomed large on the horizon. Gripped by stress and fear, I could barely function, much less actually enjoy the holiday…

College Nonsense

On my last evening at Mom’s, she offered me some warm mulled wine to calm my nerves and settle my stomach. Sipping the hot, sweet concoction, I sat on a sheep’s fleece in front of a crackling fire in the fireplace. As I futilely attempted to practice my GRE vocabulary flash cards, I felt the strong brew hit my belly.

Just as I was beginning to feel tipsy and a little sleepy, Mom stood directly in front of me, leaned over, and stared me right in the eyes. With her typical dramatic flair, she emphatically stated:

Hopey, you need to quit school and go be a singer. You’ve gotta stop all this college nonsense and do what the Lord put you on this earth to do. Hopey, you have to sing!

Mom’s stark statement shocked me out of my sleepy stupor. Her words struck a chord inside of me because somewhere deep down, I knew that they were true. But at the time, I could not receive what she was telling me.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14

Utter Foolishness

Rather than allowing myself to seriously consider her advice, as a means of self-protection, I took offense. I told Mom what an idiotic statement she had just made. Utter foolishness. Most likely I spouted off some comment like, “Yeah Mom, why don’t I just drop out of college, forget about graduate school, and go on the road and start busking for a living?! Sounds like a great idea. Really smart. I’ll be sure to get right on that.”

The next morning, as I drove the winding, hilly highway back to campus, I tried to shake the feeling that I was caving. Retreating back to the safety of the ivory tower. Back to the secure halls of higher education where Mom’s silly notion of pursuing my true passion was relegated to the annals of foolishness. I had organized my life in such a way that my education would be my ticket to success. Financial freedom and prestige were my goals. But all of the worldly ambitions I was clamoring for were drowning out the still, small voice of truth that simply said, “Sing”.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

1 Corinthians 1:27

Her Foolhardy Dream

I comforted myself with the thought that, in her younger years, Mom had been a first class fool herself. A few credits shy of earning her Master’s degree in Music Education from the prestigious Indiana University School of Music, she had run off to New York City to chase her foolhardy dream of singing on Broadway. Mom never actually made it to Broadway, but she did land a number of leading roles in Off-Broadway productions.

One time she told me that she had played the role of Eliza Doolittle in the Off-Broadway version of My Fair Lady. For those performances, she got to wear all of Julie Andrews’ costumes from the Broadway show. Another time she mentioned making $5000 in a single day for acting in a nationally syndicated Huggies commercial.

I had always been curious about Mom’s former life in the entertainment industry, but whenever I pried about her experience, she would sidestep the conversation. Mom had categorically written off those years as her foolish and sinful past. And she claimed that when she had been born again, she had died to all of that. Ultimately, she regarded her years in show business the same way that Paul describes his life before Christ:

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

Philippians 3:8

A Dead End

Fast forward a decade from that Thanksgiving visit, and I then had both a Bachelors and a Masters degree under my belt. I was establishing my career, climbing the supposedly sturdy ladder of professional success. That is, until the Lord–in His infinite grace, mercy, and wisdom–allowed me to hit a dead end. It came in the form of severe depression, crippling anxiety, and unshakable thoughts of suicide. Somewhere deep down inside, Mom’s foolish advice was still reverberating. I knew I was not living out my calling, but I had no idea how to change course. I wanted to end my life.

When I finally hit that wall, I was crying out to the Lord to show me my purpose on this earth or else… And to my utter shock, the Holy Spirit actually answered me very directly! In a profound encounter, He reminded me of who I’ve always been to Him: His songbird.

Today I believe that–despite how it might look to the outside world–the Lord is leading and guiding me in the way that He wants me to go. And I’m learning to follow His lead. I don’t have aspirations of singing on Broadway, but I am learning how to sing to the Lord. How to worship Him in spirit and in truth. And He has given me so many original songs that have carried me through difficult seasons that I would not have made it out of on my own. And He’s showing me opportunities to share those songs with others who are hurting in their own journeys.

Even If You Feel Foolish

Beloved, if the world were to inspect the trajectory of your life–your career, your relationships, all the choices you’ve made–are there some twists and turns that might look foolish? If so, you’re likely on the right path! When sheer worldly wisdom is applied to the life of a true believer, there should be a great deal of the picture that does not overlap. Because on the face of it, certain steps of faith appear like foolishness to the carnal, natural mind. And more often than not, worldly wisdom does not apply to the path of faith that the Lord calls us to walk.

It’s taken many years, but I’m finally coming to appreciate the simple wisdom in what Mom was trying to tell me: Follow your dream. Pursue your passion. Don’t get bogged down in all of the pressures and anxiety that the world tries to heap on you. Don’t do what you’re supposed to do. Do what makes you come alive. Do what you know you are called to do. Whether it’s singing, painting, cooking, teaching, running, writing, serving, inventing… Whatever you know deep down that you were put here to do, do that! And this kind of advice is not foolish; it is life-giving. Despite what worldly wisdom recommends, above all else, follow and trust God with your life. Even if at times it feels crazy. Even if you feel foolish. Do what He has called you to do.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:25

Have you ever taken some “foolish” advice that turned out to be wisdom?

Certain steps of faith appear like foolishness to the carnal, natural mind. And more often than not, worldly wisdom does not apply to the path of faith that the Lord calls us to walk. Click To Tweet

All scripture references from the King James Version of The Bible.

Ray Hennessy

faith, provision, trust, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Provide: Trusting God to Meet our Needs

Devotional, Stay SaneJanuary 8, 2019January 13, 2019

We all struggle with trusting that God will provide for our needs. What if we decided to live by faith and truly believe that He will sustain us?

I am a worrier. I always have been. Faith is not one of my spiritual giftings so trusting God to provide for me has been a constant battle. There have been many times where I did not believe God’s promises to meet my needs. While most of the time I associate provision with material needs, it is not always what is lacking.

Surrendering Trust

While I have struggled with not feeling taken care of financially, I have also seen the idea of not feeling provided for play out in other areas: loneliness, discontentment, and healing. I have felt that I didn’t have the relationships I needed, that I wasn’t in the stage of life I should be, and that I wasn’t and those around me weren’t healed in the ways I thought we should be.

Even as I sit here writing this I am worrying. There are three trees leaning on my house and I don’t know how I will afford to get them off. Have I prayed, asking for help? No. Have I trusted that God is going to provide for my needs in this situation? No.

While my heart knows that God will meet my needs and sustain me, most of the time my head forgets. He has shown me time and again that He takes care of me, but I still haven’t learned to completely surrender my trust to Him.

All Our Needs

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19, NLT

ALL of our needs. Not some, all. God will meet all of our needs. This is so easy for us to forget. Sometimes we get caught up with what He is not doing that we forget to see what He is. Maybe when He isn’t providing something it simply means it isn’t something we need.

A lot of the time we focus on what we think we need and not what God says we need. We don’t consider that His provision may look different than we expect it to. It doesn’t mean He doesn’t provide, it means we aren’t looking outside our own perception of provision.

We often focus on what we think we need and not what God says we need. His provision may look very different. We need to look outside our own perception of provision. Click To Tweet

Faith

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.

Matthew 21:22, NLT

Faith. There’s that word again. I struggle a lot with faith. I recently took a spiritual giftings test and among the lowest ratings was faith. It’s not that I don’t believe in Jesus or that I have no faith. It’s the fact that I don’t always believe I can ask for anything and receive.

Sometimes as Christians we don’t want to get into the habit of treating God like a genie. I think this stops us from even making requests. I have not thought to pray for help with the trees on my house. It seemed like too minor of an ask. I didn’t want to ‘waste’ a request on this when there are so many more things that are more important.

Scripture tells us that we can pray for anything. When we think something is not important enough we are acting like we are God. That we can decide what is important and what isn’t. This is not our right and not our job. We can ask for ANYTHING.

There is a second part to this…“if you have faith, you will receive it.” It is more than asking for something and boom it happens. It takes faith on our part. Faith that God will truly answer our prayer. Faith that He will provide for us. Without faith how can we expect God to answer us?

Do Not Worry

Let these words really sink in as you read this passage…

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Matthew 6:25-34, NLT

Jesus is very clear. Do not worry. He speaks to the way that God provides for the birds and the flowers and how we are so much more than they. God provides for the creatures around us. The ones we were created to have dominion over. So why do we fret? Why do I worry? God knows our needs and He will provide for them. We must seek and have faith in Him. He is our provider, sustainer, and healer.

Provide

Every day we wake up, we have to choose whether we are going to allow worry to creep in or if we will have faith in God to provide for us. We are constantly surrounded by proof that He will, but we still struggle. What if we changed our thinking? What if every day we woke up and the first thing we did was say “God I have faith that you will provide”? This could change the course of our days and ultimately our lives. Let’s speak our faith into existence, let’s truly believe that He WILL meet all of our needs.

Ernesta Vala

God's Will, resolution, testimony, love, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Resolution: Reflecting on God’s Lessons and Moving Forward

Devotional, Stay SaneJanuary 7, 2019January 13, 2019

Reflecting on the year gone by can help us move toward the future God has planned for us. Our resolution should be to testify of God’s goodness and great love.

A little over a year ago I wrote my first devotional “Love Letters: Expressing Our Desire and Commitment to God”. As I reflect on my year of writing devotionals for Oh Lord Help Us, I am reminded that love is what brought me here. My love of God, my love of writing, and my love for a friend.

Reflecting on God’s Lessons

As a teacher, I encourage my students to always consider what they have learned. In reflecting on my year, I am asking myself to do the same. I see the ebb and flow of my emotions, what is important, and a voice cracking through to be heard. Being vulnerable and allowing others to see inside has been scary, intimidating, and oh so rewarding.

God has shown me that fear is just the devil’s way of sidetracking His work through me. Fear is a human emotion that everyone feels, but trusting in God is the divine intervention that makes it possible to get to the other side of the fear.

Be strong and courageous! Do not fear of tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!

Deuteronomy 31:6, NET

Every time I wrote an article I waited for some pithy comment, some sharp retort about what I had written, or criticism about my words. I got some, well-deserved critiques from friends and family. All given in the spirit of love and understanding. It took me a beat or two.

My knee-jerk reaction was anger and frustration. Luckily, God has taught me to breathe through it, listen with a spirit of willingness, and adjust as needed. Sometimes I needed to choose different words, sometimes I needed to give further explanations and sometimes I needed to stick to my guns and say what I said.

Being vulnerable can be scary. Fear is just the devil's way of sidetracking God's work through us. Trusting in God is the divine intervention that makes it possible to get to the other side of the fear. Click To Tweet

Where God Leads

I have also learned to listen to God’s soft whisper. As Mark Batterson says in his book Whisper, “What we’ve learned from Scripture is that He often speaks in a whisper. Not to make it difficult to hear Him, but to draw us close.” Sometimes I would rather be punched in the face with His message so I don’t have to stop my life or wait. But this year I have learned to listen more intently, look for the patterns in God’s path for me, and slow down. Okay, so that last one I’m working on.

As I write down my prayers to God, I can see His hand at work in my life. I can testify to His power to move in small ways. When you see small miracles over and over, month after month, week after week, even day after day – you can’t deny the power and overwhelming love of our Father.

For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age,

Hebrews 6:4-5, NET

Some days my prayers are full of gratitude and joy. Other days they are cries for help. I have begged for healing for friends and family members. I have sobbed out, as evidence from tear stained pages, for help when my children were hurting. Sometimes God sent abundant blessings and other times He carried me to the next day. He answers “yes” and He answers “no”. And sometimes He answers, “wait”. That is by far the hardest to hear.

Resolution

Once my students analyze their work and decide what it is they learned, I ask them to make a new goal. Something that pushes them to grow. So now it’s my turn. My husband laughingly asked me to write him more love letters when I shared it was time to write my next devotion.

He was being cute, but it kind of hit me when I read my first post from last year, it has been years since I wrote him a really sweet, gooey, love letter. It’s also something I feel very uncomfortable with, sharing my feelings about others. Over and over I have told you I want to be a reflection of God’s light. I’ve been trying to share my love of God more, but now I need to share the love in my heart that God has put there. I can’t horde it or feel it but not mention it. The words “I love you!” said with sincerity are super important. So my New Year’s Resolution is to say them more often.

What I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances. Then you will live and become numerous and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are about to possess.

Deuteronomy 30:16, NET

Thank You

Dear reader, I love you! I love how supportive you have been of me on my writing journey. How you have cheered me on. I am so grateful for the stories you have shared of your own life and walk with God.

Oh Lord Help Us has been one of the greatest blessings to me. Katie and Rachael, as well as the rest of the writing staff, have been amazing. Their posts are rooted in God’s word. Our Father has been faithful through them in holding me through the bad days and celebrating with me through the joyful times.

May the New Year bring you freedom from fear, joy in abundance, and love that knows no bounds. God offers all that and so much more. I am so thankful and wait with an expectant heart for my Savior’s next plan in my life.

Dear God,

Thank You for all the wonder that You have shared with me this year. I see so clearly Your hand in my life. Sharing the testimony of this life you have blessed me with has not been easy, but so fulfilling. I cried out to you for peace and happiness. You have carried me through to the other side of my fear.

Help me to be more patient and wait for You. Be a constant reminder to me to reflect Your love. Not just in deeds but in true words. Help the words “I love you!” come easily and joyfully from my lips. Let those who hear them know that they come from You.

love,

Annie Spratt

mystery, unknown, safety, faithful, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Mystery: The Holiness and Fear Surrounding Not Knowing

Devotional, Stay SaneJanuary 6, 2019January 13, 2019

Walking with mystery can feel very much like stepping off the abyss. Yet, if we choose a life without mystery, we’ve chosen not to see beyond the surface of God, ourselves, or others.

The lack of mystery in our modern life is our downfall and our poverty. A human life is worth as much as the respect it holds for the mystery. We retain the child in us to the extent that we honor the mystery. Therefore, children have open, wide-awake eyes, because they know that they are surrounded by the mystery.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in The Manger, Reflections on Advent and Christmas

Literature

I love to read novels. All the major bookstores have long discovered that Dodie Smith is a sucker for books. They send me ads and coupons accordingly. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my mother taking my brother and me to the library.

She also loved to read. She loved it enough to walk long city blocks with two young children to and from the local library so that we, too, would have the opportunity to enter the adventurous, mysterious world of books.

In the past, I read mostly literature and women’s literature, but for some reason, I’m tired of those. Many became too politically correct for me, I think. For several years now, I can lose myself for hours in a murder mystery.

Like my dad before me, I usually wait to read until an hour or so before bed; otherwise, I would never accomplish anything else! The nuances of discovering ‘who done it’ usually captures my mind rather quickly. If the plot moves too slowly or the main character isn’t likable, I move on to another book. Life is too short to stick with a boring book!

Mystery

Mystery. I often wonder why we lose the awe and wonder of childhood. At what point in life do we begin to feel the need to explain – or have explained to us – every, single detail of our existence? When did we decide that we wanted to be lord of our own lives…and over everything and have it all at our disposal, (Bonhoeffer).

I mean, that’s what it means, doesn’t it? The incessant, gnawing, obsessive need to know and understand everything…isn’t that a desire to be lord? To deny the presence of any mystery in our lives?

Yet, our God is and has always been, a God of mystery.

But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

Daniel 2:28, ESV

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Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

Job 11:7 NIV

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Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:31-32, ESV

Misty Fog

In Bible days, it was unfathomable to live without certainty. The people of God were surrounded by this God who spoke from a cloud of glory or from the mouth of a donkey and raised people from the dead. But they never expected to understand it; the mystery was hidden from them. They were not given eyes to see…as we have been.

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit of God’s holy apostles and prophets.

Ephesians 3:4-5, NIV (emphasis added)

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Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began…

Romans 16:25, NKJV (emphasis added)

Yet, Jesus came on the scene and told His disciples:

…Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…

Matthew 13:11, NKJV

God, through His Son and His Holy Spirit, graciously…magnanimously opened our blinded eyes and allowed us to see through the mist, the fog, the cloud and behold His mystery!

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:25-27, NIV

Secret Unknown

Hallelujah!

On one hand, mystery has been revealed to us – the mystery of the gospel, the greatest mystery of all. On the other hand, each day God invites us to walk with Him in mystery, in faithful not-knowing, resting securely within the secret place of the Most High. However, He never forces our hand into His.

Walking with mystery can feel very much like stepping off the abyss…every day – during some seasons of life. Yet, if we choose a life without mystery, we’ve chosen not to see beyond the surface of God, ourselves, or others. In some situations, it can feel more comfortable or expedient. In reality, despite what we profess, we’re expressing that we prefer a calculated life, and perhaps a god we can tame or even control.

I’d never call Him a tame God, but the God of mystery is always, always safe.

Walking with mystery can feel very much like stepping off the abyss during some seasons of life. Yet, if we choose a life without mystery, we've chosen not to see beyond the surface of God, ourselves, or others. Click To Tweet

Omer Salom

loyal, friendship, faithful, love, pursue, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Loyal: Pursuing Steadfastness in Our Relationships

Devotional, Stay SaneJanuary 2, 2019January 13, 2019

In times of stress, we tend to isolate ourselves from everyone and everything. But we need to be loyal to our relationships, our word, and our lives, portraying the steadfastness of Jesus.

The little break between Christmas and New Years can be disorienting. What day is this? When did I shower last? I know I bought batteries…where are they? But tucked in the midst of confusion are nuggets of reflection. As I was mustering the strength to pack for another trip to Indiana, I found myself reflecting over this past year and the years before.

There were several major differences from previous years, but one stood out the most: friendship. I have never been the one to juggle many different relationships and friendships, but here I am. I owe a lot of this to Oh Lord Help Us and a bit to volunteering at church. No matter who I owe, one thing is for certain: I am rich in relationships.

Introvert

I know just as well as anyone that moving to a new place can be daunting. Making new friends is even harder. Especially for those of us who identify as introverts. There are different levels of introvert, but all the same, it’s difficult and paralyzing.

It’s been four years since we moved to North Carolina and I just now feel like I’ve found some of my people. It took me stepping out, being uncomfortable, fighting against my nature. It’s more than just fighting against myself, it’s following through. Showing I’m reliable, accountable, trustworthy. Showing how much I care…

Wholehearted

I never regret the moments I push past myself to be uncomfortable. Sadly, I used to be extremely fickle… cancel outings, not answer calls or texts. It took me a long time to realize how surface my life was without quality relationships. I can name a few dear souls that never quit.

Praise Jesus for those people who wait patiently for you to get your act together. The loyal, wholehearted ones who know there’s a special friend somewhere inside. They wait… and they wait. Those are the ones who you should hold on to. The ones you thank over and over for not giving up on you. For pursuing you through prayer, texts, invites, etc. I strive every day to live the gracious example of these special friends.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3, ESV

We need each other… through hardships, pain, seasons of grief. Because this life is ever changing with swells of inconsistency and unknown, we need to be found loving and faithful through it all.

We need each other... through hardships, pain, seasons of grief. This life is ever changing with swells of inconsistency, we need to be found loving and faithful through it all. Click To Tweet

Richness of Relationship

Financially, this has been one of the toughest years to date. But what I lack in monetary wealth, I make up for with rich, rich relationships. In previous years of financial strain, I would isolate myself; cut myself off from the support and love of a friend or even family members. I allowed the overwhelm and embarrassment to overthrow my faithfulness.

Not only was my dedication to those I loved strained, but my loyalty to the Lord suffered. My bank account was poor and so was my spirit. I became sporadic in going to church and was even more disloyal in my Bible reading. Hitting my knees? Yeah, non-existent.

Praise God He stays true…

This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

2 Timothy 2:11-13, NLT

His loyalty to my heart didn’t bail me out of financial hardship, but it did draw me closer to Himself. In doing so, it showed me the value of relationship over wealth. Of loyalty over inconsistency. In this season, I’m thankful for that lesson. It’s kept my head above a tsunami of stress and encouraged me to draw close to those who love me.

Loyal Example

The Bible’s layout of loyalty is strictly relational. This is no coincidence. We follow Jesus’ example of loyalty straight to the cross. The cross is a symbol of loyalty to God’s divine plan and a devotion to all of us sinners. Not only did Jesus’ faithfulness make it possible for us to have a relationship with God, but also allows a devotion to one another.

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31, NIV

We need to strive each day to portray our steadfast devotion to Jesus, and in turn to one another. Love God, love each other. Loyal servants, loyal friends.

Jan Romero

focus, mission, vision, plan, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Mission: Looking Behind, Seeing the Vision Ahead

Devotional, Stay SaneJanuary 1, 2019January 13, 2019

We can learn by looking back. We are taking time to reflect on the previous year of our mission and refocus our vision and purpose.

At the new year, my husband and I sit down and write out what happened the previous year and what we foresee in the year to come. Then the following year, we read over what we thought would happen and compare it to actuality. It’s a tradition that has brought awareness to how God moves in our lives.

So let us begin this tradition here at Oh Lord Help Us, shall we? Let’s reminisce over this past year and dream for the year we are now walking in.

Looking Behind

In the community…

Two thousand and eighteen began with a desire to begin connecting with women in our local community. The message I was feeling so passionate about provided the opportunity. Previously, I was sharing the but God message in the homes of friends. But in January, we decided to make it public here in North Carolina, and in April, the message went to Louisville, Kentucky. Looking back, it doesn’t seem like it should have been that big of a deal, but honestly, it stretched my faith and pushed me out of my comfort zone in so many ways.

I felt incredibly vulnerable. Whereas before I would never put myself in a situation where I could look like a fool, now I was putting myself out there with no guarantee that what I was doing would be received. Ok, honestly it was that I didn’t know if I would be received. See, the Lord revealed to me that I had my identity wrapped up in what I was doing, rather than in who He says I am. This is still a daily struggle – not gonna lie.

The Church in action…

February and March were consumed, personally, with training to become foster parents. For five Saturdays we were in class learning. And for five Saturdays we got to see the Church come together. The families in our small group all took turns watching our kiddos so that we did not have to pay for childcare. You guys. There are many ways to care for those in foster care. One way is to help, in practical ways, the families who are fostering.

The beginning of a vision…

In the fall of 2017, a vision began to form in my mind of our ministry becoming a nonprofit. The vision was incredibly blurry, which I know means it wasn’t time for it yet. God will give me glimpses to keep me motivated, but not so much that I run ahead of His timing. So as I was resting in the blurriness, we began to give to other non-profits who were being the hands and feet of Christ to women in need.

The revealing of a vision…

In the spring of 2018, the Lord began to reveal the vision. As I was feeling overwhelmed with making items for our shop, the Lord reminded me of the burden I felt through our foster care training for the older population of foster care youth. Specifically, those who are aging out. He spoke into my spirit, These are who you are to help. Help them through this transition. Mentor them, and employ them. Meet their physical need, and show them the love of Christ.

This brewed in my spirit for several weeks, until the opportunity came for me to put into words the vision that was given to me. And as is often the case for me, it all began to happen very quickly. The decision was made to make all of OLHU the nonprofit, and for this mentoring and employment of young ladies aging out of foster care to be a program called Hope + Vine. This gives us the opportunity for other mentoring programs in the future.

The struggles…

Even though so much has happened so quickly in the past 5 months, it often does not feel quick enough for my impatient, and fearful, spirit. I have been feeling overwhelmingly convicted of my lack of faith for God to provide. I know in my mind the truth, but I struggle daily to rest my soul in it. I know that if the dream came from the Lord, which I believe it did, then there is no failure. We are only to be obedient, moving when He says move, and remaining still when He says to wait. It will be what He wants it to be, and we will hold it with hands wide open. And for sure, He will bring it to our attention when we begin to close our grip.

There are lots of things to figure out, and it can seem overwhelming if I focus on these too much. It becomes about me striving to make it happen, rather than being obedient and watching God get the glory as He makes it happen. You all, I much prefer to sit back and watch God show off. But again, this is a daily struggle.

If the dream came from the Lord, then there is no failure. We are only to be obedient, moving when He says move, and remaining still when He says to wait. It will be what He wants it to be, and we will hold it with hands wide open. Click To Tweet

Seeing What is Ahead

Our year began with, but God, Where the Story Changes and ended with Hope + Vine. Throughout all of it, our heart has been for the woman who feels broken and messy; who feels she doesn’t belong; who feels unsure; and to help her find the freedom to be who she is created to be. And our heart will continue to remain with this woman. I am this woman. You are this woman.

So what is in store for this year?

The devotionals will continue. We have a desire to add a podcast and are praying and waiting for God’s timing on this.

We will be present in our community, meeting with women who desire to be honest with their struggles and to find freedom.

There will be more studies written and published, taking women deeper into knowing who they were created to be.

The shop will be expanding in a possibility of ways: Through affiliates, a mobile boutique, wholesale, or – who knows, maybe even retail.

By employing artisans through the Hope + Vine program, we will be able to provide custom made items for conferences.

We will be breaking the cycle of foster care by providing a stable environment for those in this transitional season.

My Prayer

I am so thankful to be walking this road with you. We are all messy. We mess up and cause messes. But I’m not afraid of your mess. We are all welcome here.

Oh Lord, help us know and be who you created us to be. I long for these precious women to know their value, to know they are chosen and beloved by you, Almighty God. Let us live with confidence, Lord, knowing we belong to you. And in that confidence, I pray we can act with boldness, with your love pouring out of us. I ask Lord, to be a ripple in the effect of your sacrifice. Amen.

You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9, NLT

Adam Birkett

Christmas, Mary, revolutionary, favor, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Revolutionary: Expanding Our View of Mary, the Favored One

Devotional, Stay SaneDecember 19, 2018January 13, 2019

Do we really know Mary? Yes, she is the mother of the Messiah, but she is also called favored, and righteous. She sets the example of being a revolutionary, living full of God’s power, and being a world changer!

“Mary, did you know…?” Picture me rolling my eyes.

CAUTION: It’s possible that I’m about to ruin for you one of the most popular and beloved modern-day Christmas songs of all time. The song is soothing, melodic (thanks to Buddy Greene), and asks a seemingly pertinent question. What I’m wondering, however, is how intimately acquainted the songwriter, Mark Lowry, was with Mary’s story.

Mary: Favored

Did HE know that God sent the mighty messenger-angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God (Luke 1:19), to a lowly peasant girl? Did Lowry realize that Gabriel, whose name means ‘God is great,’ was the same messenger who caused Daniel to fall on his face in terror (Daniel 8:17), and struck Zechariah dumb for questioning his message to him concerning John’s birth, (Luke 1:18-22)?

Yet, Mary, (while frightened when heralded by this magnificent angel,) was first confused that he called her favored. She was well-acquainted with her standing in Jewish society – she was poor, young, and an unmarried woman.

Favored? That word had never been used in reference to her before.

Mary: Righteous

Of course, there was the matter of becoming pregnant while remaining a virgin; Mary wondered how. Scot McKnight, author of The Real Mary, states that surely Mary was surprised at all of these happenings, but the “biggest surprise was that she consented to God’s plan.” Today, we have trouble grasping what she was agreeing to as an engaged Jewish girl. Her saying “Let it be to me according to your word,” would have ripped her world apart. Even today, imagine telling your fiancé that an angel told you God had impregnated you…and keeping a straight face!

Not only was she offering her reputation to be ruined and exposing herself to public humiliation, but her engagement to Joseph would most certainly have been reneged. Ultimately, she knew the Torah stated that she could face stoning (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Life as Mary knew it would never be the same.

Most Protestants have cast Mary as the silent, docile, blue-clad mother of Jesus at Christmas. For the other eleven months of the year, we don’t have much to do with her because she was just some sweet girl God allowed to be the holy incubator for Jesus, right? Definitely, wrong; God isn’t in the business of giving anyone grunt work, (pardon the pun). And do we truly believe the Lord God would have chosen a random, small-town teen to be the mother of His pure and only Son?

In the NKJV, Gabriel calls her “highly favored one” and “blessed among women.” There is absolutely nothing random about those words. Because Mary was righteous, God chose to use her. Her faith in God gave her the courage to consent to His plan despite the suffering she would endure.

Mary: Revolutionary

Through the years, many of us have read or sung Mary’s Magnificat in a choir setting. Her Magnificat is found in Luke 1:47-55. Immediately after her cousin, Elizabeth, saw her, she began praising God for what He had done in Mary! (And believe me, Mary hadn’t texted or emailed her beforehand). Afterward, Mary offered soaring praise to God her Savior. However, in occupied Israel, verses 52-54 could have been construed as sedition. Imagine, meek and mild Mary – a revolutionary!

Would it shock you to know that a level of concern remains in the modern world toward Mary’s song in places where dictators fear an uprising among their repressed people? In fact, in the 1980s, the Guatemalan government “banned any public reciting of Mary’s Magnificat because it was deemed politically subversive,” (McKnight). Isn’t that astonishing?

I believe we need a paradigm shift concerning our views of Mary.

Mary was gentle, but also brave… bold…

and apparently a revolutionary!

The Magnificat

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

Luke 1:47-55, ESV

How dare she utter such provocative words: He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. Herod had murdered for less under his bloody reign. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. Reckless utterances! The rich were the rulers, the powerful. With a word or nod, they could end her life.

Mary: Full of His Power

You know that sick feeling you have for a friend when she opens her mouth and spews out something at the absolute worst moment? Imagine she was stopped for speeding. You were with her. Instead of being contrite, she was belligerent. And you wish you could have slapped your hand over her mouth and said, “Woman! For the love of all that is holy, stop talking!”

That’s how someone listening to Mary might have felt… only more so. Her people were powerless, had been powerless, didn’t know the meaning of having power. While they obeyed the Torah, they quaked before the evil of which Herod was capable.

But she knew a greater Power. Mary knew the mighty One of Israel and believed He had come to set them free. She could not remain silent! Her faith in the Father emboldened her to follow Him onto a path that promised darkness and pain, but also mercy and deliverance. Mary stepped out into the inky unknown, resting in the palm of His hand.

Does this sound like the wallflower girl whom so many mistakenly picture Mary to be? I think not. Truthfully, I doubt if Joseph’s mother would have approved of Mary. She might not have been quiet or meek enough…but as Lynne Hybels titled her book in 2005, Nice Girls Don’t Change the World.

What about you… Are you a revolutionary Mary? Would you like to be?

Mary knew the mighty One of Israel and believed He had come to set them free. She could not remain silent! Mary stepped out into the inky unknown, resting in the palm of His hand. Click To Tweet

Ebi Zandi

busyness, Christmas, Jesus, pressure, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Pressure: Overcoming the Lies and Expectations of the Holidays

Devotional, Stay SaneDecember 18, 2018January 13, 2019

The pressure of the holidays can be suffocating. Remembering Jesus, our Savior, and resting in His presence allows us to overcome the lies and expectations.

I can already feel the lies of the season…

Do all the things. Be all the things. Give all the things.

»Pressure«

Why in the world does this happen during the Christmas season? I know it’s all been said before, it’s all been penned, it’s all been discussed…

Busyness vs. Peace • Mantle vs. Manger • Presents vs. Presence.

Expecting Gifts

Christmas isn’t about the things… We all say this, but we fall prey to the trap every year. We allow it. It creeps in with every Christmas song, movie, and commercial. With every dollar-spot stop at Target. Every ‘SALE! SALE! SALE!’

GIVE all the things…

I’m seriously contemplating -deep breath in- little to no gifts this year. GASP! As everyone screams, ‘Look away! Look away!’ The horror. The nerve.

The freedom…

Imagine, for just a moment, if the pressure of buying the perfect gift, or anything at all, was lifted from our shoulders. Imagine if Christmas was about the conversations, the number of hearts beating in the same room, about being around, not the presents.

What if the gift of the season was about experiencing each other, hearing each other, breaking bread together, grieving together, laughing together, living life together…

Giving what we have…giving ourselves. Our Creator provided us unique gifts to pour out on those we love. Baking, making, hospitably serving, singing, reading, smiling. Giving love, listening ears, open doors… Giving Jesus. Jesus – the most perfect gift.

God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.

1 Peter 4:10, TLB

Christmas Busy

Christmas is about spending time with loved ones…Yet we still fill our time with events, parties, and programs that take us away from intimate moments with the ones we love. ‘Tis the season to be busy. Christmas parades, Christmas programs, Christmas events…

Christmas is stamped at the beginning of these words, adding a new level of pressure to attend. We run ourselves ragged making sure to show our faces, our kids’ faces, our spouses’ faces at it all.

Please understand I’m not trying to close everyone off from societal traditions. I’m simply trying to spark inspiration in finding rest, seeking the warmth of hospitality, and taking pleasure in the calm.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6, NLT (ephasis added)

Yes, this verse refers to a time when governments practiced seasons of peace. However, through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus offers peace to us all, at any moment. He offers us calm in our spirits, though there’s strife all around. He provides quietness through the hustle and bustle. Falling into Jesus brings rest, comfort, and a stillness that is unmatched in this world.

Overcoming Pressure

Christmas is about Jesus… But we fill the season with so much that Jesus isn’t. From the moment of conception to the moment of ascension, every bit of Christ’s life is what we cherish at Christmas, and all the other 364 days. Well, it should be.

For what Jesus accomplished in our place, we should be filled with overwhelming joy. He came to earth as the Son of God, died on the cross for all our sins, rose from the dead three days later, and gave us hope for eternal life with our Father. From that joy should spring forth immense generosity… supernatural generosity.

Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others.

2 Corinthians 8:2, TLB

The load is lifted from my chest, and I take a huge sigh of relief. It’s beautiful. Warm. It’s Jesus. Only Jesus. Rejoicing in His gift, being in His presence, and resting in His hope is what the days ahead are all about… it’s what life is about.

From the moment of conception to the moment of ascension, every bit of Christ's life is what we cherish at Christmas. We should be filled with such joy for what Jesus accomplished in our place that immense generosity flows from us. Click To Tweet

Sister, I pray we can join together in overcoming these lies of the holidays. That we can shift the ‘normal’ expectations and rest in Jesus.

Mourad Saadi

draw near, presence, God's word, fed, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Draw Near: Experiencing God’s Presence for Ourselves

Devotional, Stay SaneDecember 17, 2018January 13, 2019

It can be easy to believe that hearing God’s word at church is enough. But God allows us to draw near to Him. We can experience His presence for ourselves.

Food

Food. Glorious food. It is something we cannot live without. When my babies were young, they depended on me to feed them. First through nursing and then with spoons and sippy cups. It was hard work. I relished the day that they were on full-time solids and could use a spoon to feed themselves or even eat with their own chubby fingers. It felt like I too had attained a small amount of freedom.

What food is to the physical body, God’s word is to the spiritual. We are made to be sustained by His presence and His word. When my husband and I were in seminary, I attended courses to prepare me for a life of serving alongside my husband in ministry. One class stayed with me long after those days were gone. It was a class on studying the Bible. I will never forget Virginia Walker’s words as she instructed us to remain self-feeders. I did not know that then, but I would come back to these words again and again.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25, NIV

Filled

What does it mean to be a self-feeder? It means that there will be times over and over when we must be responsible for drawing ourselves near to God. This has proven to be true for me in a variety of seasons. When we were at our first church serving, I was pouring into other women and feeling worn out. I had to be in the word not just to study, but to recharge.

When my children were little, I spent most of my days tending to their schooling needs, their physical needs, and the cleaning of my home. I could not depend on the once-weekly sermon to fill my empty well. I had to go and drink from living water, daily. Drink in its truths over and over.

We cannot depend on the once-weekly sermon to fill our empty wells. We have to drink from living water, daily. Drink in God's truth over and over. Click To Tweet

His Perspective

Now, I am in a different season. I am unable to attend church and hear my elders preach. I have thought about those bedridden through age and illness. There is never a time when we are not in need of His hope, His kindness, or His Spirit. His word is rich with all of these. As I study His word for myself, I am encouraged. I can see life from His perspective. A perspective that is vastly different from my own.

I have found a few things helpful as I consider being a self-feeder…

1. I need both… My time in the word is a complement to my time in the church.

2. Community… It can be helpful to study with another believer especially someone of a different age or season. But, I cannot let that be an excuse to not be in the word.

3. Memorizing… Memorizing chunks of scripture can be life changing and is always time well spent. His word never returns void.

4. Trusting… Just like everything else, I cannot trust my feelings as an indicator that my study matters. If I went for days without food, my body would be affected. So is my spirit. Studying God’s word is a discipline that may feel dry at times. Trust that time in His word will…

…teach, reprove, and train in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped for every good work,

2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV

Draw Near

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

James 4:8a, NIV

Some days, I am fed deeply by my pastors and other believers. They encourage me, but nothing can take the place of deep time in His word and in His presence. He calls us to Himself.

Let me encourage you to look at your own time in the word. Not as a source of condemnation or another rule to keep. But as an opportunity to relish in His presence and draw near to Him. God’s presence is no longer just for the priest or the pastor. He is for us. He is here for you. Draw near.

Jeremy Bishop

freedom, grace, past, resentment, Oh Lord Help Us, Christian, women, mentor, ministry

Past: Leaving Resentment and Pain Behind Us to Live Freely

Devotional, Stay SaneDecember 16, 2018January 13, 2019

The holiday season can quickly bring up old wounds and resentments within us that cause pain or anger. Leaving the past behind enables us to love freely.

Most of us have spent the first of America’s two major holidays of the year with members of our extended family. For various reasons, many of these family members are so out of our daily orbit that we only see them once or twice a year.

This could be a happy thing or an annoying thing. It depends on whether we’re talking about the favorite cousin with whom you had a blast when you were young, (yay!), or the rude uncle who always teased you until you cried and then laughed at you, (boo!). I imagine few of us have only Hallmark memories of the holiday season, but for those of you who do, I salute you. This piece may not be for you.

Expectations

Any therapist will tell you that depression and anxiety are higher around the holiday season. Sometimes it’s due to this being the first major holiday without a loved one (or the 10th), but very often it is due to family relationships and expectations, whether our own or what we perceive others have placed upon us.

Family systems therapists will tell us that unless we have differentiated from our family of origin, we can’t go home without being pulled back into the role we played within our family. I know; it stinks. But if you haven’t recognized it, you will.

The same, old resentments seem to resurface when the family gathers for any length of time – often for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. Siblings begin behaving in familiar, juvenile ways they would never exhibit with anyone outside of the family circle. Underlying tension can be felt by all. Anxiety hums beneath the piety. Maybe some false good cheer.

Triggers

The felt tension or anxiety may trigger excess drinking for some families. It could also cause mom to amp up the superficial happiness as she attempts to please everyone and keep the peace. These coping mechanisms numb the pain and eliminate the need to address any uncomfortable topics. Family members with less patience or tolerance, (or perhaps more emotional health,) start to exit, sometimes angrily, sometimes in tears, always with relief…

Another happy holiday is behind us!

Haven’t we all laughed – or cried – at the numerous holiday movies that portray these very scenarios?

Resentment

Psychologically, there is so much more that can be said concerning this topic. I spent 20 years living the above. Then, I thought if I studied it and understood it rationally, I could master the resentment and bitterness that had welled up within me. Despite my Bible knowledge, despite my growing academic knowledge, every year, every holiday I was gobsmacked yet again by the very same family dynamics that had entrapped me the year before!

Finally, after a professor recommended it, I sought therapy. Accompanied by prayer and spiritual retreats, and by God’s grace and mercy, God revealed to me how I had held on to all the pain – every. single. year. of pain. Doing so had not only deeply burdened me, but had laden me down with unforgiveness toward my family. I was so busy storing up the injustices, the barbs and ongoing criticisms, the substance abuse, that I was incapable of loving them with the love of Christ.

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19, NKJV

Free

The Spirit of God released me from my heavy load of pain and unforgiveness, instructing me to not dwell on the past. Believe me when I say that it wasn’t a once-for-all occurrence for me. It happens that way for some but was a slow sanctification process for me. However, the God who could make rivers in a desert, could and did deliver me from my sin and my past that had strangled me.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14, NKJV

Sisters lay it down. Aren’t you tired?

Whatever it is that you have been dragging around behind you, that deep sorrow in your soul for so many years; put it in Jesus’ hands. It’s wearisome to continue to carry it around. God’s Spirit may instruct you to take additional steps; I don’t know. But I do know that clinging tenaciously to past wrongs is death to us. By His grace and power, choose to leave it in the past and press on toward the prize, the upward call of God in Christ.

You are so worth it…because you are His.

Whatever it is that you have been dragging around behind you, that deep sorrow in your soul for so many years; put it in Jesus' hands. Click To Tweet