Where the River Begins -- Cindy Sproles

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1

I climbed the steep bluff, my boots slipped on piles of wet leaves. I never used to fall when I hiked. These days I find myself on the ground looking up more than I care to admit. But today, I was going to the top, even if I had to crawl. I wanted to find the source.

There is great solitude in the forest and I love exploring the mysteries that hide beneath the fallen foliage. The beauty in a mushroom jutting from a stand of moss, or the tender shoots of tiny green plants popping through the moist dirt, force me to ask, how can you NOT believe in God?

I pushed my fingers through the roots that raised above the ground to steady myself. The top of the mountain was in sight. I’d dreamed about the river and wondered could I find where the water begins?

It must begin from the highest point of Mount LeConte. And as I followed the rocks that trailed up and over the ridge, question after question filled my mind. How does God do it? How does He decide, “Here is where the river begins.” Still the closer I came to the summit the more the river eluded me, twisting and turning to places that were impossible for me to reach.

At the crest of the mountain I rested against a boulder. There, as I gazed across the valley below, I realized where the river begins. Uncanny that I had to continue to climb upward—upward toward my Father in heaven; and that it took me this long to understand the real river, the river of life, lies within the heart of God. He is the beginning. He is where the water flows from. And it’s His water that washes away my sin—His water that offers eternal life.

Living water.

I never found where the river started, at least not the one I could dip my feet into. But I did climb the summit and find that God is my source. Without Him I cannot survive. When I thirst, He quenches.

Do you wonder where the river begins? Search for the Father and there you will find where the water bubbles. He is the source.

Christian Devotions

Cindy Sproles co-writes with
Eddie Jones, the popular
He Said, She Said devotions.
They are friends and co-founders
of ChristianDevotions.us.

The Morning After -- Ariel Allison

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving, be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Red states. Blue states. Exit polls. Electoral votes. My mind spins as election results scroll across my television screen. And fear rises in my heart.

What if my preferred candidate doesn’t win? What if my values are not shared by the next president? What if…

One thing I know for sure: half of this country will wake tomorrow overwhelmed with disappointment, possibly even anger. Uncertainty will reign. Fear will be rampant. This nation will be divided, and Christians will find themselves right in the middle. How then do we live in the tension that surrounds us? Where do we find common ground when our worldviews are so divergent? And how can we be at peace with the results – especially when we passionately disagree?

As I pondered this election I was encouraged by these reminders from an online friend named Rona:

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE!

I take comfort in the knowledge that “all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God” (Romans 13:1). And I find reassurance in the mandate to pray for those that He has placed in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Too often we consider prayer a last resort when it should be our first course of action. Will you join me in committing to pray for our new President and the others who will lead us over the next four years?

Ariel Allison writes, reads, and lives in a small Texas town with her husband and three young sons. She is the co-author of Daddy Do You Love Me: a Daughter’s Journey of Faith and Restoration (New Leaf Press, 2006). Her days are filled with toothless grins, muddy hands, and a never ending stream of words that try to find their way to her laptop. She ponders life as a mother of all boys at www.themoabclub.blogspot.com and her thoughts as a redeemed dreamer at www.arielallison.blogspot.com. She and her husband are expecting their fourth son in December.

To Him Whom I Trust -- Loree Lough

"He is my loving God and my fortress,my stronghold and my deliverer,my shield, in whom I take refuge....." Psalm 144:2

Just about everybody knows.....I’m crazy about wolves. My favorite sanctuary spans acres of tree-lined hills where nearly fifty wolves, rescued from abuse and neglect, were brought to live with as much dignity as can be achieved.

You’d think my first stop, during visits, would be the cubs. While they’re cute and more photogenic than The Gerber Baby, the creatures that lure me closest are the lone wolves.

Each wolf pack is led by strong, capable Alpha males and females. At any time, at least two lone wolves pace the outskirts—wishing for welcome that will never come. They crave inclusion among four-legged counterparts, but it’s simply not tolerated. Meals consist of what’s left after the others are full. Affectionate pats from caretakers are allowed.....if the actions go unnoticed. Mostly, they skulk away, starving for food and friendship.

Loners can’t join ‘wolfie’ games. Can’t nestle for comfort when thunder clashes, for warmth when cold winds blow. Living this way—always watching, never participating—teaches them a powerful lesson:

No one can be trusted. Not your father or your sibling, not your mother. You’re on your own, and trying to change pack hierarchy might would be costly.

How like us—who’ve suffered the death of loved ones, divorce, job loss—the lone wolves are. And how unlike us.....Each visit, I watch helplessly as loners dash in to steal biscuit crumbs and meat scraps. Though they rarely succeed.....

.....they keep trying!

They don’t trust their own kind, and that lack of trust drives them deep into the forest. It drives us into hiding, too, though we call our forests ‘work’, ‘alcohol’, ‘drugs’, the Internet. We hide from spouses, neglect our kids. Stop doing good deeds, give up walking the dog.

We’re afraid to ask for help, even from God!

If only we’d remember that, in times of greatest need, we’re cradled in His loving hands. “He is there, to protect and shelter us, no matter how dark the nights or how stormy the seas of our lives. “Again I will put my trust in Him.”

Yes, my heart aches for the sanctuary’s lone wolves, unable to trust their own kind. But those I pity most are the lone wolves of the wilderness, for they’ll never know the kindness of human caretakers.

The Lord is our caretaker, and His promises is that we never have to live that way. Isn’t that a miracle? Isn’t it a blessing! He will provide perfect peace.....if we trust Him.

I wish all lone wolves had access to The Father’s word. Maybe then, their hearts would calm and their spirits could rest, knowing “.....he is my goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield.....and he is whom I trust......” Perhaps then, they’d never feel that death is preferable to a trust-less life of isolation.

The Irish have a saying, quoted when visitors depart: “I pray you’ll never miss a sunset or a rainbow because you’re looking down.”

I pray your days will be filled with the joy that’s sure to come…

.....when you put your trust in God.


Loree Lough is a successful Christian
Romance writer and teacher, having authored over
60 books, her newest release, Love Finds
You in Paradise, Pennsylviana hits
bookstores in the spring of 2009.
Visit Loree at www.loreelough.com

ChristianDevotions.us on BlogtalkRadio.com

On next week's show we welcome Christian author Loree Lough as we discuss how God works through Christian authors to get His message out to the world. Loree will explain how God provides storylines, characters, and helps her devise realistic situations, problems, and solutions that bring Him glory.

"Christian books are just as deserving as those in secular market," says Loree. "And I think it's crucial for authors of these books to 'be true to the reader, because without readers, none of this would be possible. Inspirational romance, in particular, has changed a LOT over the years. No longer are readers forced to be content with the chronic whinings of prairie-bound preachers' wives whose lives are little more than a string of prayers to help 'em keep the grit of the dust bowl from blowin' in under the door! Today's readers are far more savvy and sophisticated, and they demand way more than that for their hard-earned dollar. They want believable who are facing true-to-life situations, who either find their way BACK to God or turn to him yet again in time of need…and find solace and solution through the story's tests and trials. "

As you can tell Loree has an opinion or two.

We'll also explore Loree's upcoming book, Love Finds You in Paradise, PA (Summerside Press, April '09) plus, Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover's Soul (HCI, spring '08) and The Ultimate Gardener (HCI, spring 2010)

So join us Tuesday, November 4th at 6:30 for this half hour interview with best selling author Loree Lough.

Mayday Messiah!

"The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me." Psalm 116:6



The Mayday call came into the Coast Guard command center. A sailboat was in distress and taking on water. Our crew boarded the helicopter and flew toward the edge of a low pressure system slamming the New England coast. On board we tracked the pulse of the sailboat’s EPIRB until at last I spied the deck of the small sailboat awash beneath breaking waves. As the rest of our crew prepared to extract the survivors I jumped.

When I reached the father, I found him clinging to his son, refusing to let go. The boy, Alton, was pinned beneath the heavy aluminum mast that had fallen across the boat. I pried the dad loose and placed him into the rescue basket, signaled to my crew and then turned my attention to the boy.

With each wave more of the boat sank, pulling him down until at last, all that remained above water was his head.

I told him not to worry, that I’d get him loose, but he looked into my eyes and said, “I ain't afraid, mister. Jesus saved me last Sunday. I'm already saved.”

I was stunned. He was stuck and about to die but his voice had a measure of calm confidence.

I signaled to the crew and moments later they lowered a chainsaw.

Bracing against the bow I pulled the starter cord and began cutting into the deck, sawing around the mast plate. Flakes of fiberglass mixed with sea foam and rain stung my face. Every few seconds another wave crashed over us, stalling out the saw. I forget how many times I restarted the saw, maybe a dozen. On the final pull the boat rolled and as it did my foot slipped, causing me to reach toward the bow rail. The blade of the saw sliced across my forearm, turning the sea mist pink.

I fell to the deck screaming, unable to save the boy or myself. As I lay there trying to stop the bleeding I heard him ask, “Mister, do you love Jesus?” I think I said yes but honestly I don’t remember. I just recall the pain and fear.

“If you do,” he said, “then ask Him to save you and he will.”



Another wave broke over us and the boat tipped on its side. The boy slipped under.

Moments later I felt the strong arms of another crew member pulling me away, carrying me toward the safety of the rescue basket.

I lost an arm that day and a father lost his son, but I gained a new calling that day. Each time I hear a Mayday call I wonder if the victims know Jesus, love Jesus and have the courage to call on Him.

If I don’t reach them in time will Christ?






(Based on a story provided by a Coast Guard Emergency Responder - a special thanks for sharing this story.)

Waiting for the Lord -- Cindy Sproles

- Listen to Wait on the Lord - by Cindy Sproles


"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”- Psalm 27:14

The blow dryer hummed as the warm air whipped my hair into my eyes. I brushed the strands to one side stopping long enough to glance in the mirror. My fingers pushed their way through my hair and I noticed the layer of gray beneath the red. A smile. I realized red-heads don’t gray very well. This was not something I’d waited for.

Through the years I’ve done a lot of waiting. You’d think with all the practice, I’d have gotten better at it, but I’ve not. After all, I waited nine months for both my sons and I waited 30 years to graduate college. Just when, I was sure I’d become a pro, He makes me wait again.

I’ve never quite figured out waiting on the Lord. How do you wait on someone whose minute is like a thousand years? What does He expect from us? We need some sort of viable time frame—one we can wrap our heads around
.
In recent months I’ve done a lot of praying….praying for a friend. I’ve waited for an answer and waited, and waited. Even changed up the prayer thinking if I prayed differently God’s time would change . But He’s been pretty quiet.

So, oddly enough, I find myself waiting yet again, my sons saying, “Mom, wait for it. Just wait for it.” I just never anticipated fine lines and gray hair would be part of the process. But God is teaching me. We never grow too old to learn. God grooms us through the indifference of waiting. And through the waiting He teaches us discernment. Who’d have thought it would be so hard?
When I’m patient He provides for me in amazing ways. I have to leave things alone completely, not jump the gun, and God always provides—but in His time.

Do you feel like you spend your time waiting? Asking but never getting?

Then take time to pray that God will bless the waiting. Let Him take your fears, requests and joys. Let him teach you to wait and then provide you with amazing rewards.

“I’m still waiting Lord –just like you asked. Waiting.”


Cindy Sproles and Eddie Jones
write the He Said, She Said
Devotions and are co-
founders of ChristianDevotions.us

He Said, She Said -- Dissing Parents

God's Voice in the Mountains -- Derek Maul

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace, the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12
(Photo - Cindy Sproles)

My wife and I just rolled back into our driveway after spending a week together in the mountains of North Carolina.

The occasion was Soulfeast 2008, a conference sponsored by the folk at Upper Room Ministries. I had been invited to teach and Rebekah came along to enjoy a week of study leave and reflection.

We used the Lake Junaluska retreat center in Maggie Valley, west of Ashville, where the week's events played out against a spectacular backdrop of mountains and lake. Over five hundred participants
traveled from all over the United States, representing a dozen Christian denominations; but we all had one thing in common – an intention to grow closer to God and to learn more about The Way.

Nobody used the term "The Way," at Soulfeast, but – in a day and age where so many Christians take such pains to point out what makes their particular doctrine "right" and that of others so wrong – I am
increasingly drawn to events where our common desire to follow Jesus brings us together.

Back when the stories recorded in the book of Acts played out and the early church was born, Christians were widely known as "Followers of The Way." I've always liked that designation, and have returned from the mountains more convinced than ever that I want people to see me, hear me, read me, watch me live… and say, "There goes a follower of The Way."

Language scholars tell me that the syllables that make up my name, "der-ek", can be combined to form the Hebrew phrase, "The Way." The truth resident in that overlap of language and meaning gives me (as my wife might say) "chilly bumps".

For my part I taught a three day workshop on spiritual journey, using my book "Get Real". Then I had a lot of fun with a one-hour lecture on "How to survive December and arrive at Christmas with your faith
intact." My new book (In My Heart I Carry A Star: Stories for Advent)had just been released, so I shared a series of those stories, alternately making the audience laugh and myself cry.

By the end of the week, the conference had served up spiritual refreshment and the opportunity to worship and relax with Rebekah. Andunity, too; unity in faith with other followers of The Way.

It was a God thing; I'm convinced of it - because unity is why he came.


The Upperroom Bookstore

DEREK MAUL is the author of Get Real, A Spiritual Journey for Men and a columnist for the Tampa Tribune.



His second book, My Heart I Carry A Star: Stories for Advent" is available now.

What Do You Know? -- Pat Patterson

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...." Genesis 1:1

“You know, you should look at the Milky Way sometime, Bill. Some night when the sky is pitch black. As your eyes begin to adjust and that soft, almost indistinguishable blanket of stars and interstellar gases begins to form, you’ll suddenly realize you’re looking at something far greater than us. Our galaxy! It’s over a hundred and fifty thousand light years across. And it contains over a hundred billion stars. They say it’s just one of a hundred billion similar galaxies that move around the universe together. Now how can that be? How did it all get here? It didn’t just happen. You say you wonder if there’s a God; I don’t. I know there’s a God. There has to be!”

My friend, Bill, gazed at me and scratched his chin, his computer mind processing the picture and considering it from every angle. He gave a slight nod and then an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

“You may be right,” he responded. “I don’t know…I just don’t know.”

*

The child had curly red hair, a pale freckled complexion, and blue eyes that might have sparkled one day, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was his time. Fourteen months old and already his time.

Why? I don’t know.

When my partner and I arrived the firefighters were already performing CPR. The little boy lay on the ground with his tiny chest exposed. One firefighter’s hands pushed against his small fragile sternum, another’s worked an Ambu-bag pumping oxygen into his lungs at a steady, controlled rate. The mother stood to one side with her hands to her mouth and a stunned expression on her face.

“Oh, Jesus,” I prayed as I climbed down from the ambulance. “Lord, please help us. Help us do this right.”

My partner and I rushed over to help. I performed a quick assessment and attached the cardiac monitor to confirm a rhythm. There wasn’t one. A flat green line traced across the screen. I felt my heart sink. I knew the child was already dead. But I also knew we had to try.

“Good job, everyone,” I said trying to keep my cool. “Keep doing exactly what you’re doing.”

I could tell by their faces that everyone else felt exactly as I did. Confused and scared. A tiny life was slipping away right before our eyes and we all knew that our attempts were likely futile. But we held ourselves together. We did it right. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, in perfect textbook style. CPR, intubation, IV, drugs—we did it all right. Our Medical Director would have been proud. But despite our valiant efforts the little boy died, and I went home that night wondering why.....

“Why?” I prayed. “God, why would you allow this to happen?”

My answer never came.

*

I used to think I knew it all. Not anymore. I’m not even half as smart as I once thought. All I can honestly tell you with certainty is this: There is a God and He’s not me, Jesus Christ died for my sins and I’m going to heaven, and my family loves me. And that includes my dog. Other than that, I just don’t know. But the good news is God does. He made the earth and the moon, the sun and the stars. He even made that fabulous Milky Way Galaxy. He created everything there is. That’s what I know, and that’s all that matters to me.

Now, what do you know?




Pat Patterson is a novelist, a paramedic, and an instructor of Emergency Medical Science. His stories are true, based on real experiences from the streets of Durham, North Carolina where he has served as a paramedic since 1992.

A New Season of Life

As I grow older, I've developed an appreciation for the simpler things of life. When I was younger, in my twenties and thirties, my children were my focus. The responsibility to raise decent and God-fearing sons weighed heavy on my heart.

I put little time into personal friends--they were acquaintances and as time passed we lost touch. I knew I could always call on any one of them in a time of need and they'd not hesitate to be by my side. But we spent little time together.

My own passions and desires were shoved beneath the surface in lieu of the needs and interests of my family and I do not begrudge them that time at all. It was a wonderful time of my life. Times were hard, finances so tight that we wondered where the next dollar would come from. Creditors called, school wanted money for pictures, money for trips, money to simply go to school. My husband and I would close the bedroom door and hash out who would get the last dollar in the account. Still, to this day, I would not trade the moments of hardships because they drew us close-- solidified our relationship and our family.

My forties passed like a quiet breeze in the trees. I felt the wind whip my hair around a bit but I had no idea that what really flew past was time. Our children are adults. They don't need me anymore and there is a deep sense of lose, while at the same time a sense of joy for their graduation into life. We stand back and smile at the men the boys have become. Kind, sweet, responsible--and they love the Lord.

Today I walked to the top of the mountain. Asthma sucks my breath away these days, but I made the hike. It took a while. A long while and there were times the mountain was so steep I crawled on my hands and knees. I thought about turning back. It would have been easy to have done so--blame it on the asthma. But my heart, though it pounded hard deep in my chest, cried to me to move ahead. I did. Step by step.

I've never been a quiter Sometimes I'm slow, but I've never quit. Wanted to lots of times, but never did. Did a lot of crying. Did a lot of pleading to the Father trying to understand why things are the way they are.... but I never quit. Made some serious wrong turns in my time, too. But I moved on. And I'm not sure why.

My backpack hung on trees and sticks, yanking me backward, causing my footing to slip but I crawled to the rock because it called to me. My fingers grasped the edge of the boulder and I pulled myself upward slinging my leg up to roll onto the rock. It took awhile for me to get my breath. I lay there staring into the arch of trees over me. But when I stood. Oh my word.

I turned to the east and as far as I as could see, the majesty of the mountains. I thought to myself, this is worth taking my breath away.

The edge of the mountain held no boundaries--it simply reached to the heavens and I lifted my hands and touched the sky. Tears filled my eyes and freely fell and I went to my knees and pleaded for God to forgive me for the failures I was responsible for. Help me forgive, help me to be humble, help me to be the mirror of Christ, help me, help me.....help me.

And when I lifted my head and looked to the west, I saw the sun set. I had to run through the trees to find a spot to watch through the thickness of the forest. As darkness covered me I had no worries that I'd find my way back down the mountain. Odd as it was, I wasn't sure of the way but I followed the path until I found the road. A chill over took me but the warmth of God's breath brought me peace.

In this new season of my life, my priorities have changed. I've always loved the mountains, found my peace here....but now, I long for the mountaintop. I long to touch the sky and soak in the peace that blows in the breeze. I pray for inspiration and I plead to find the Father in His majestic mountainside.

Rest covers me. And I am content--I am being renewed.