Christian Living Magazine January February 2022

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January / February 2022

MARYANNA

Young Athlete and entrepreneur

LINNIE

Doyle

Songs from the heart

SOJOURNER

Truth

From slave to preacher

DO ‘GOOD

Works’ Even in retirement

Maryanna Young, owner of Aloha Publishing

Contents January / February 2022 FEATURES

The Great Mystery: ‘Confided to the initiated’ Bread of Life: The best resolution

Cover Story

12

16

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.

And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:20

COLUMNS 6

Choosing to Love: When to rejoice

Get To!”®: 10 A“Iloving legacy

Culture & Faith: 14 History, Sojourner Truth Road Less Traveled: 18 The The impossible summit Man’s Toolbox: 24 Real God’s timing

Maryanna Young: Athlete, author & entrepreneur God’s power: It has no limits Perspective on suffering: An excerpt Book of Job: Justice vs. Wisdom 101

20 30

God Dots: Still helping out

For Victory: 36 Destined Joyful in all circumstances

22 DEPARTMENTS Responsible 25 7 Biblically Investing: 26

Linnie Doyle: Singing from the heart

32

‘Anticipointment’: One who won’t disappoint

38

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8

Good works in retirement Understanding Relationships: Spouse or child?

Health: 28 Maximum Spiritual health Daily Bread: 34 Your Earn, save, give

Child: 39 Wednesday’s Meet Lilyanna & Ronaldo

IN EACH EDITION 4

Volume 11, Number 1 Publisher Sandy Jones christianlivingmag@gmail.com 208-703-7860 Editor Gaye Bunderson editorgaye@gmail.com Submit story ideas, article submissions & press releases General Info christianlivingmag@gmail.com 208-703-7860 Advertising & Sales Kimberly McMullen kim.bcliving@gmail.com 208-703-7509 • Katy Nelson katy.bcliving@gmail.com 503-816-3042 • Scott McMurtrey scott.bcliving@gmail.com 208-841-4583 Cover Photo Steve Jones Graphic Design Denice King www.greentreedkdesign.com 208-918-5190 Contributors Steve Bertel, Griffin Beth, Daniel Bobinski, Rick Chromey, Jim Day, Roxanne Drury, Joan Endicott, Terry Frisk, Doug Hanson, Leo Hellyer, Jason Herring, Rosie Main, Gary Moore, Steve Nelson, Bethany Riehl, Scott Riggan, Ed Rybarczyk and Paul Sheppard Website Design SEO Idaho Distribution D&S Distribution • 208-985-6904 Christian Living is committed to encouraging and instructing individuals in their daily lives by presenting stories of people in the Treasure Valley who are living on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and who serve as uplifting examples to others. Views expressed in Christian Living do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Every effort has been made by Christian Living to insure accuracy of the publication contents. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all information nor the absence of errors and omissions; hence, no responsibility can be or is assumed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2022 by Christian Living Ministries Inc. Christian Living is published every other month and is available in over 600 locations throughout southern Idaho, including grocery stores, convenience stores, medical waiting areas, and churches. If your church would like additional copies please email us today at christianlivingmag@gmail.com Annual subscriptions available for $12/year. To start your subscription or give one as a gift send your check or money order, along with complete address information, including which issue to begin with and a phone number to call in case there’s questions about your subscription to Christian Living Magazine, PO Box 867, Meridian, ID 83680.

Publisher’s Corner: Is that a log?

Christian Living | January / February 2022 3

PUBLISHER’S Corner

Is that a log I see in my eye?

Reading on to Proverbs 18:2. A fool takes no

By Sandy Jones pleasure in understanding, but only in exGreetings as we ring in another New Year. pressing his opinion.

The last two years have taught us that we must And there it was, the answer to my fervent be resilient and we absolutely have to rely on prayer, to be lead to just the right verse so I God in all things. could prove my point, except my finger was I never felt this more than I did one pre-dawn pointing back at me. I was the one sitting there morning in late November. My husband had with a log in my own eye. hung our Christmas lights, and as I took our Yes, God had answered my prayer. He addog out I looked at the subdivision downhill dressed my own pride, and showed me that from our home, and literally said out loud, even a fool looks wise when they keep their ‘Come on you guys, get your Christmas lights mouth shut. up – we need the joy and encouragement those I was still chuckling when my appointment arlittle lights bring.’ rived, and had to share how God had taken my I’m sure some reading this are thinking I’ve intent to show someone else, and had shown put my hope in the wrong things, but please me. know – those “little lights” remind me that God Sandy Jones As we head into this New Year, I pray to take IS light, and drives out the darkness. I think we this lesson with me. can all agree that we need more “Light” in the world today.

The past couple of years have been fraught with emotions That said, do you ever just laugh at how God works? I know and growing discord everywhere; I pray to be able to look long I do. and hard at my own thoughts, words and actions to be sure Recently I was extremely frustrated with someone who just it’s He and me that I’m showing my full intentions, and not didn’t seem to understand my perspective, my point of view. be such a people pleaser and allow myself to get so worked up Arriving a half hour early for a meeting at a local coffee shop, I decided I would sit down and look up scripture to prove over people who don’t agree with me.

One of my near-daily prayers is for “an abundance of wismy point. My plan was to then wordsmith an appropriate dom” and in this time of trying to prove myself worthy, and response, based on God’s Word. smart, God answered my prayer with wisdom.

I would show how knowledgeable I am, and how sound my I know I’m not perfect, far from it. I know I will never have thinking. Not a pretty confession, but true nonetheless.

I was directed to Proverbs 17:15. This was really good stuff. I “arrived,” I will always have much to learn and discern. Those who meet me quickly find that I am one authentically flawed was loading up great ammunition. human being. I am just how God intended for me to be.

Liking what I saw, I continued reading and had my ah-ha I have been quite open in this column about my secular past moment when I reached Proverbs 17:27-28. Whoever re– my testimony, if you will, and this is simply another chapter strains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool in my ever-growing, ever-changing walk with my Lord and spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps Savior, and I’m extremely grateful for the grace and mercy He silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is continues to show me each day. deemed intelligent.

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In my quest to draw nearer to Him, I read and study the Bible.

I lead and attend multiple Bible studies, listen to podcasts and watch powerful pastors on video, and then suddenly, there it is, just like I’m a new believer He reminds me how far I have yet to go, and how I need to not be too spiritually mature to have ears to hear His voice when He speaks to me as His child. Like the Father He is, He gently corrects me, and sets me back on the course He’s called me to.

Will I make this same mistake again? Probably. Oh it will look like something totally different, but I’m passionate about what and how I believe, so I’m fairly sure something will work me up, and I will toddle down this path again. I just pray that I don’t get too far down the road before I recognize the scenery, remember this lesson, and get back to the important stuff – things of eternal importance, not things that will soon quickly pass.

I am humbly blessed to have been called to this ministry, and I pray that my willingness to share my own journey will somehow encourage someone to embrace the things that God is showing them. Thank you, dear reader, for coming along with me – I’m so glad you’re here.

Until next time…

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 5

CHOOSING to Love

Love knows when to rejoice with others

By Daniel Bobinski Note: In March of 2020 I decided to use this space to focus on God’s greatest command. If you’re connecting with this series for the first time and would like to read the earlier columns on this topic, I encourage you to visit Christian Living’s website to read the whole series. Go to https://www.christianlivingmag.com/ columns/

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 starts by telling us what to do. Be patient. Be kind (useful). But then, as you’ve noticed over the past year in this space, the passage provides a long string of phrases telling us what love is not. Because we can’t not be something, we needed to figure out the opposite of what was written. For example, if agape is not self-seeking, then it’s safe to say it involves helping others get their needs met.

With the verse we’re examining today, we By way of refresher, the Bible lists 613 laws, transition out of Paul telling us what love and after I became a believer 35 years ago, I doesn’t do and he resumes telling us what love went to God in prayer and asked which were Daniel Bobinski does. the most important. It didn’t take long for Let’s look at the first half of verse 6: Love the Spirit to lead me to Matthew 22. In that does not delight in evil. Remember, God is our example, chapter, an expert in the law asks Jesus, “Which is the greatand it holds true, because you never see Jesus rejoicing over est commandment in the law?” Jesus gave a straightforward an injustice or some form of unrighteousness. Any act that answer. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all runs counter to God’s desire for mankind would be unpleasyour soul, and with all your mind.” Jesus boldly said that this ing to Jesus, and such acts should be unpleasing to us, as well. was the first and greatest commandment.

When it comes to the “neighbor” part of the second greatThen, without being asked, Jesus added, “And the second is est commandment, we need to acknowledge that sometimes like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” humans rejoice when a bad person gets his comeuppance or After that, Jesus said something amazing. He said, “All the when something bad happens to someone we don’t like. This Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” isn’t true for everyone, but if it’s something you notice within Think about that. All the Law and all the Prophets. Esyourself, let me suggest it’s a tendency that needs to get sentially, the main message of the entirety of Scripture was turned off. Love doesn’t do that. In its place, we can ask God summed up in those two commands. to give us the mind of Christ, so that we can see our enemies And so I embarked on a study of agape – the word Jesus through God’s eyes. Regardless of whether you believe it, used for love in those verses. Thankfully, the Apostle Paul God loves the people you don’t like, and He died for them, gave us a clear definition of agape when writing to the Cortoo. He does not delight when bad things happen to them. inthians.

Then comes the cool part of verse 6: Rejoice with the truth. I need to point out that the word “delight” or “reGod is Love joice” in the first half of verse 6 is a different word than the Scripture is clear that God is love (agape), and Jesus is the “rejoice” in the second half. embodiment of God in the flesh. Therefore, the actions of The Greek word in the first part of the verse means to Jesus provide the perfect example of what it means to live a delight or rejoice OVER or BECAUSE of something. It’s the life of Godly love. Just put our Savior’s name in 1 Corinthisame Greek word that’s used when the Magi rejoiced because ans 13:4-7 and it works beautifully: they saw the star over Bethlehem or when the shepherd Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, he rejoiced after finding his lost sheep. does not boast, he is not proud. Jesus does not dishonor The second “rejoice” is a completely different word, and it others, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he means to rejoice with someone in the truth. It means to take keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil part in another person’s joy, or to congratulate them. Ironibut he rejoices in the truth. Jesus always protects, always cally, this word is also used in the parable of the lost sheep, trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. where the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors and says, As I said, Jesus is the perfect example of agape love. And if “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.” we are to follow the greatest command and “Love the Lord,” The first part of verse 6 says don’t delight (rejoice) because then we need to take 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to heart and desomething bad happened to someone. The second part of termine how to live it out. verse 6 says rejoice with others when good things happen.

First, remember we can’t do it alone. We need the Holy There’s lots of bad happening around us. Let’s make it a Spirit working in us or it’s pretty much impossible. That said, point in 2022 to love by rejoicing with others when things go well. n loving God starts by being patient with God. And also kind (useful), too. Plus all the rest I’ve written about over the past two years. And we can’t forget the second greatest command. Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is an award-winning and best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats.

We are to agape others in the same way that we agape ourselves (love your neighbor as yourself).

Reach him at daniel@eqfactor.net or (208) 375-7606.

6 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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BIBLICALLY Responsible Investing

Perform ‘good works’ even in retirement

• “Always seek to do good to one another and to

By Doug Hanson The orange was ripe and ready to pick. The everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15) day was hot, and I needed a juicy refresh• “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do ment – especially one that was hanging on a good to everyone, and especially to those who are tree branch within my reach as I walked down of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) the sidewalk. So, I picked it. Soon I heard the • “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct opvoice of a woman in a nearby house, scolding pression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the me for picking an orange off her tree. widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1:17) I was in high school on vacation with my • “Trust in the Lord and do good.” (Psalm family in Europe. We were visiting Monaco, 37:3) a sovereign city-state on the Mediterranean • “And let our people learn to devote themselves to Sea, and we were finishing up a day of walking good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and seeing the sites. Since the branches of the and not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14) orange tree were hanging over the public side• “And let us consider how to stir up one walk, I didn’t see any harm in picking an oranother to love and good works.” (Hebrews ange. Unfortunately, it was not a well-thought- Doug Hanson 10:24) out decision – especially when I hurried down • “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be the sidewalk after the scolding (with the orange in my hand). generous and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18) My spontaneous act was a poor decision (I still feel guilty).

On a larger scale, we can sometimes approach retirement like • “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good that. We can retire without thinking through what lies ahead works.” (Titus 2:7) of us. We can retire without coming up with a game plan When I look at these verses, I’m struck by the emphasis on for the rest of our lives. But, more alarmingly, we can retire being generous. Our generosity should be a model for others without a sense of what Scripture teaches about retirement. to follow as we offer help, while we trust in the Lord and seek Our approach to retirement should mirror a biblically responto please Him. We often think of retirement as a time entirely sible approach to investing. The goal of biblically responsible devoted to leisure, but is that truly how God wants us to spend investing is to bless others with our investments. Scripture com- our later years? Leisure is part of God’s plan – He rested on mands us to love our neighbor. Therefore, we should invest in the seventh day – but not the objective of His plan because we companies whose products and practices not only serve, but are to be “redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16). also value, the life of our neighbor.

Retirement to a life of leisure or retirement from blessing In the first few verses of Genesis chapter 12, we read that others is not God’s plan. Instead, this is God’s plan for us: “For Abraham was blessed to be a blessing. We should do likewise. we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good What does the Bible teach about blessing others? One way works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would Scripture captures the concept is through the phrases “do walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). We were created for good good” or “good works.” works – even in retirement!

• “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 3:16) Continued on page 9

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 7

UNDERSTANDING Relationships

Spouse or child: who’s first in your heart?

would predict which group the couple would

By Gary Moore be in post-baby? What he found was that When you think about having children, the men who were more respectful to their words like sacrifice and love come to mind. wives, and more accepting of their wife’s When you welcome a child into your relainfluence or opinions, were more likely not tionship, you experience selflessness and a to have a drop in marital satisfaction after love that is profound. There aren’t adequate children are born. words to describe falling in love with your These same men were also dramatically child. Falling in love with your partner is different while their wives were pregnant. one thing, but the kind of falling in love They were involved. They talked to the baby that happens the first time you hold your and they also complimented their partner, newborn baby is like being hit with a metelling her she’s beautiful and wise about teor. There’s no doubt that children need, how she’s caring for their baby in utero. demand, and deserve your love, time, and In the “MUM’s the Word” weekend semiattention, but this shouldn’t be at the exGary Moore nars I do, one of the handouts is two-sided pense of your primary relationship with and titled Circles of Life.

The circle on one each other. side represents your Relationship and the circle on the So let me ask you. Do you put your marriage first? other side represents your Emotional Energy.

The circles In 2005 Ayelet Waldman wrote an essay that appeared in each represent a 24-hour day.

I instruct the attendees to the New York Times. The title was “Truly, Madly, Guilttake the Relationship circle and draw figures representing ily.” In it she confessed that she loved her husband more the husband and wife. When first married, this is your rethan her children. It caused an uproar that continues lationship. You establish a way of interacting and reacting today. She still stands by it and says, “If you focus all your to each other. Anytime anything new comes into or goes emotional passion on your children and you neglect the relationship that brought that family into existence…even- out of the Relationship circle, all the relationships within the circle change whether you recognize it or not. They tually, things can go really, really wrong. I have not been a have to because the circle is a constant (24 hours). perfect mother, but giving my children a sense of security I then instruct the attendees to draw a child in the circle. in their parents’ relationship is something that I feel really This one event probably causes the most change in the proud of.” husband-wife relationship. You can’t expect the husbandEventually, if everything goes according to plan, your children will leave the house. And when it’s just the two of wife relationship to stay the same. It won’t. The problem comes when we expect it to and don’t recognize that it you once again, your relationship is going to be lacking if you haven’t maintained your intimacy or your connection. has changed. Also, in the beginning, there are only some things a mom can do – e.g., nurse the child. And, it’s Sociologist Ernest Burgess was one of the first people to study married couples. In the 1930s he wanted to develop during this time that many men feel the added pressure of adequately providing for the family. He thus begins to a scientific measure to predict the success rate of marriages. His studies showed that beginning with newlyweds, spend more time and emotional energy on his job and career. If you aren’t aware of this dynamic, you will begin and as you went further along the married life spectrum, marital satisfaction was a U-shaped curve. Marital satisfac- silently drifting apart and you will end up in Dr. Gottman’s 67 percent group. tion began plummeting after the wedding and then took Carve out special time to focus on each other. Continue a big downward dive when the first child arrived – takto have a satisfying sex life and continue to build rituals for ing bigger nosedives with every subsequent child. If the connection and intimacy. couple didn’t divorce while at the bottom, then marital One of the greatest gifts for a child is a loving relationsatisfaction began increasing when the youngest child left ship between parents. This is the foundation that he or she home. This wasn’t just true for the early part of the 20th will build on for a lifetime. n century. According to Dr. John Gottman, this is currently the norm.

Gary Moore served as associate pastor at Cloverdale Dr. Gottman’s own newlywed study found that for those Church of God for 15 years. He does couples’ coachcouples who have a child within an average of four years ing and leads couples’ workshops and retreats called after getting married, 67 percent have a precipitous drop MUM’s the Word. He does a weekly radio program in marital happiness in the first three years of the baby’s called Life Point Plus on KBXL 94.1FM at 8:45 life. But a third of all couples who became parents didn’t a.m. on Fridays. Monday mornings at 10 a.m. he have a drop in relationship happiness. So, Dr. Gottman does live relationship teaching called MUM Live on chose to look closely at both sets of couples three months after the wedding to see if there were some differences his Facebook page Mutual Understanding Method. He he could see. Were there pre-baby birth differences that may be contacted at glmoore113@gmail.com.

8 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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Good Works Continued from page 7

Blessing others in retirement can take many forms. Perhaps it involves continuing to work part-time to provide necessary finances for our family. Perhaps it involves giving of our time to speak into the lives of others. Perhaps it involves using our skills to help someone in need. Perhaps it involves using our financial resources to serve others. The ideas are endless – if we are serious about being a blessing in retirement.

What we don’t want to do is replicate my unplanned orangepicking decision many years ago! It was not a decision I thought through, evidenced by me still contemplating it today.

Rather, as we move through the latter stages of life, let’s have a plan to imitate Christ: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). n Doug Hanson is an investment advisor with Christian Wealth Management in Boise, providing biblically responsible investment advice to Christians. For more information, visit investforthegloryofgod.com or contact him at doug@christianwm.com or (208) 697-3699.

Investment advisory services provided by Creative Financial Designs, Inc. Securities are offered through CFD Investments, Inc., Member FINRA & SIPC, 2704 South Goyer Road, Kokomo, IN 46902, 795-453-9600.

Christian Wealth Management, LLC is not affiliated with CFD Investments, Inc. or Creative Financial Designs, Inc.

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“I GET TO!”®

Live – and leave – a loving legacy

Statue of Liberty. Even as a 14-year-old, I was in such awe I wept.

By Joan Endicott About halfway through the trip, Kelley broke her tailbone and You know those mixed feelings that accompany the anticipaI got to be her “nurse” and made sure she was taken care of for tion of attending class reunions? So many memories—some good the rest of the trip. We grew extra close and, of course, had lots of and other not-so-good memories—flood back to you as if some laughs while helping her take care of that broken bum of hers! of them were just last week rather than years ago. You feel a bit The last time I had talked to Kelley was over a year prior to the nervous to see some and can hardly stand how excited you are to reunion so I was very excited to see her, hug her and catch up! see others!

Finally it was the night of the reunion! Trying to get caught up Well, I couldn’t wait to see these classmates. I had enjoyed the with people or even talk to all of those I wanted to was really im10th and 20th and now was looking forward to the 30th class possible in the time allowed. But it was so fun trying. We hugged, reunion. I like to say I was quite young when I graduated, though laughed, and shared past memories and current family stories. that’s actually not true—I was one of the older ones. More maAs dinnertime approached, I was the last one to go through the ture? No. Older, yes! The older I get, the more I understand the buffet line. (Not surprised, are you? Well, I was too busy visiting— scripture that says, “Life is but a vapor”…realizing how quickly no time to eat!) time passes. We’re all guilty of making the mistake of taking At the end of the buffet line sat the memory board of the people for granted. Milestones such as reunions emphasize the fact that the only two things in life we can’t replace are people and classmates we had lost. And then I saw her face…the sweet face of one who had been one of my best friends from second grade relationships. That’s it! Everything else is replaceable. on…Wait…what…this can’t be! I looked around. In seconds I Certainly there are always people we especially look forward to had such a plethora of thoughts overwhelm me. I literally went reconnecting and catching up with. I was always excited to see those best girlfriends that I had from grade school, junior high and into shock. My first thought was, “Is this some kind of sick, sick joke and she is actually here? I mean, if this is true, surely I would into high school. WOW! The memories began flooding my heart have heard…” Dear God, this just can’t be real. Why was Kelley when I thought of those I couldn’t wait to see. It became even Carlton’s beautiful face on this memory more real when seeing all the names of board? NO! This is NOT right! Tears those registered. Some of these friends “I couldn’t wait to see [my] came instantly, my knees went weak… I had been part of my life since second felt like collapsing. grade, like Robin, Jani, Darcee, Liz and classmates. I had enjoyed the I quickly looked around to find Kelley, to name a few. I will forever be 10th and 20th and now was someone to ask. I went over to the table grateful for these irreplaceable relationwhere Lori, Rhonda and Ramone were ships, as well as the fact that their homes looking forward to the sitting. I could barely get it out. “Kelwere safe places for me to go.

30th class reunion.” ley…Carlton…?” With the looks on Each name had wonderful memories their faces, I lost it. I buried my head in that flooded me with feelings of love for Ramone’s chest and sobbed while she them—like Robin and me singing, “I’m the Happiest Girl in the Whole USA” and doing dance routines to perform for her parents. hugged me and said, “Oh I’m so sorry—you didn’t know?”

For those moments, everything else stopped—except my tears.

(Yes, I can still sing every word!) Jani and I had such fun playing The tidal wave of shock and disbelief felt suffocating. My friends with her Little Kiddle dolls. One time we were goofing around and laughing so hard I accidentally fell and broke one. At first I at the table began sharing what had happened. She had been panicked, then we both laughed even harder. diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer and three months With Darcee, along with lots of laughter, we also had heart-tolater she was gone. Lori and Rhonda had been with her in her heart talks on our walks around the school grounds about tough last days. Lori told me how she missed Kelley and that she had sat family issues and future hopes and dreams. Liz and I were clearly with her every day, having deep conversations. I learned that Kelsuper cool as we sang John Denver songs at the tops of our lungs ley’s funeral was standing room only and a beautiful tribute to her in her basement with the black light on—pretty sure we could life and faith. have been sporting hip-hugging bell bottoms. Kelley and I also After awhile, I realized I needed to put my grief and mourning had countless memories of singing together. on hold so I could be present with the other dear friends I was Another great memory with her was going on an American there to see. It was so important for me to take full advantage of Heritage Tour with a whole group of other 13- and 14-year-old the opportunity I had that night to enjoy the loving reconnection students from our area. We visited a variety of major historical with all the friends who were there. sites on the East Coast. One of the highlights on that trip for me Late that night, as I drove back to where I was staying, tears was the unexpected emotional response I had when I saw the began again as my soul reflected, What if I had only 90 days ‘til

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eternity? What would I do? Would I do anyBeing able to love and positively impact my precious grandchildren is just as important as thing differently? If so, I want to start doing that when I am speaking on-stage or coaching. Don’t NOW—living and loving purposefully and inget sucked into what society labels as success. You tentionally with this heightened awareness of the can’t own your worth nor define your success by significance and sacredness of life! Dear God, help looking at anyone other than The One who is our me to live my life the way you call me to, with the greatest example, Jesus Christ. divine purpose you designed me for—whether I’ll In God’s economy He says the two most imlive 99 years or have a mere 90 days ‘til eternity.

Having a mortality mindset shouldn’t be morbid. portant things are to, “Love the Lord your God I’ve found it to actually help motivate me to live with all your heart and with all your soul and and love in a way that I can look back on my life with all your mind and with all your strength. with gratitude. I can tell you for sure that I have The second is this: Love your neighbor as Joan Endicott waaay, waaay overcomplicated so much of my life yourself. There is no commandment greater than with worrying about what others thought, trying these.” – Mark 12:30-31 to impress, and a fear of missing out (FOMO)—of meeting the Kelley and I shared our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. right people, being in the right place, and worried that my last I’m so grateful that I will see her again in heaven someday—and training or keynote wasn’t quite good enough because it wasn’t while I’m here I will use my precious memories of her to spur me perfect. I thought I needed to do some grandiose things for my life on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). to matter.

What would you do if you had 90 days ‘til eternity? No matPlease don’t be like me and overthink or overcomplicate it! We ter what else you do, I encourage you to reflect on how you can often think our lives aren’t significant because we haven’t done become even more intentional and purposeful to live the legacy of something great, such as curing a horrible disease or winning a love you want to leave. n Nobel Prize. Friend, please remember that God put you where you are to do what only you can do. He doesn’t want you to try Grab your FREE copy of Joan Endicott’s “I Get To!”® book and be anything else. It’s not about doing something great. It’s at www.JoanEndicott.com. Joan is an Award-Winning Keyabout doing what you do with great love. As Mother Teresa said, note Speaker, Author and Coach who’s coaching has reached “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things over 30 countries. Meet her and enjoy her encouraging messages with great love.” on Facebook and Instagram!

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THE GREAT Mystery

Something ‘confided to the initiated ones’ MYSTERY...”; and 2:8, “Which none of the

By Steve Nelson princes of this world knew: for had they known People believe many different things it, they would not have crucified the Lord of in the Bible. For example, some Christians glory.” believe that upon death, they immediately go When was the mystery revealed and to heaven to be with Jesus. Others believe that how? It was revealed AFTER Jesus saved us, a saved person is asleep, unconscious, awaiting once it was too late for Satan to stop it from the return of Jesus, and along with others will happening. Although the mystery was in aponly be made alive at that time in the future. plication starting on the day of Pentecost in 28 And another example, some Christians AD, it was not fully known until Paul received believe that a word not used in the Bible, the the detailed content of the seven church “Trinity,” defines our God as a three in one being. Others believe that Jesus is exclusively the epistles from God, from 52 AD – 63 AD. It Son of God, a man seated at God’s right hand, was revealed to us via these writings, inspired a human who is subordinate to the Creator, of God, verbatim.

God the Father.

Romans 16:25-26, “...according to the The only way to sort through these doctrines Steve Nelson revelation of the MYSTERY, which was kept is to see what the scripture says, not merely secret since the world began, but now is made what we think it says or have been told it says. Wouldn’t you manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets...” This is the like to know these things with confidence for yourself, instead final thought of the entire book of Romans, the foundation of relying on tradition and what the “majority” assumes is epistle addressed to our Age of Grace. It must be important! true?

Ephesians 1:9, “Having made known unto us the MYSFor our topic in this article, we will be looking at an imTERY of his will...” God made known the mystery to “us,” portant subject in the New Testament, “mystery” (Greek = those people to whom the letter of Ephesians is addressed to, musterion) and specifically the greatest of all mysteries, the “the faithful in Christ Jesus.” one called “great” in 1 Timothy 3:16. This mystery does not Exactly what is the mystery and how does it aprefer to the Trinity, nor does it refer to entering heaven. Our ply to us? Colossians 1:26-27, “...the glory of this MYSonly way to know is to look at what the Bible says!

TERY among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope As used in the Bible, what does the word “mysof glory.” What’s more powerful than one Jesus Christ on tery” really mean? Modern English defines this word earth, walking with the power of God? How about millions as “something that is not fully understood, something that of people on earth with the same power of God! Jesus had to baffles us.” This is NOT the meaning of the word in the leave for this to become available for us. Getting “Christ in Bible. One definition of the Greek word musterion: “someyou” is a figure of speech referencing the power of Christ, the thing hidden from the ungodly and wicked and ordinary mor- anointed one, which literally comes to each of us as a gift of tals, but plain to the godly, something confided to the initiated spirit from God. ones, and no longer hidden once it is unveiled.”

Ephesians 3:3, “...by revelation he made known unto me A person without spirit, not saved, who only has a body the MYSTERY...” and 3:4, ”...when ye read ye may underand soul, is referred to as a “natural man” in the Bible. They stand my knowledge in the MYSTERY...” and 3:6, “That the cannot understand this topic, as it says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body...” and that such things as the mystery are “foolishness” unto such a 3:9, “And to make all see... the MYSTERY, which from the person. beginning of the world had been hid in God...” That is the Who specifically was this mystery hidden from mystery, that each person, no matter who they are, if Judean and why? At first it was hidden from everyone. Even though or Gentile, can get this wonderful thing, “Christ in you,” also prophets searched diligently in the Old Testament Scripture, known as the gift of the Holy Spirit. That’s why it was hidthey could not see it, because God alone knew of it. 1 Peter den. That’s why Satan is freaking out about it. That’s why it’s 1:10 reveals that believers certainly knew of the sufferings of so awesome. It is the pinnacle of information revealed to the Christ (already happened) and the glory of Christ to follow born again believer. We can all be part of the one body of (we are still waiting for this), but they didn’t know what hapChrist. pens in the middle of these two key events.

What now? Ephesians 6:19, “... that I may open my God did not want the Devil or any evil spirits, figuratively mouth boldly, to make known the MYSTERY.” referred to as “the princes of this world,” to know about the Like Paul, we want to speak the truth and let others know mystery, otherwise they wouldn’t have killed Jesus. Lovingly, about the mystery. We want to live it, by making full use of God had provided a way for us to receive salvation, to be rethis wonderful gift. God bless you! . . . n deemed, and He gave that responsibility to Jesus Christ, who accepted it and accomplished it in full by laying down His Steve Nelson has been a Bible teacher for over 25 years. sinless life for us.

This article comes from “The Great Mystery” Segments 1 Corinthians 2:1, “...declaring unto you the MYSTERY” 21-25 of “CORE,” a course for families on how to read [should be Greek word musterion, some versions transand understand the Bible. See T4FAMILYCENTER. late it “testimony” or “God’s secret plan” or “the secret of God”] and 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a COM or reach Steve at T4FamilyCenter@gmail.com.

12 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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HISTORY, Culture & Faith

How one black woman inspired America

By Dr. Rick Chromey The Smithsonian Magazine named her among America’s “Most Significant” individuals.”1 She’s been commemorated on towers, highways, stamps, ships, monuments, and currency.

A space rover and asteroid were named for her. Gloria Steinem initially considered branding Ms. Magazine in her honor. She was inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame (1981).

She might be America’s greatest Black American.

Her influence inspired everyone from Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver to Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. She was the first black woman to receive a statue in the U.S. Capitol.

And yet her name and legacy are largely unknown.

Her real name was Isabella Baumfree or “Belle.” She was born a slave sometime in 1797. At age nine, she was sold to another master for $100 and some sheep. Her new master proved cruel.

Belle was beaten daily with rods. Two years later she was Sojourner Truth,1870 (wikipedia) sold again. And then again.

Her third master raped her repeatedly and fathered a child.

Belle spent her adolescent years in shame, guilt, anxiety and fear.

In 1815, Belle fell in love with another slave, but the relationship was doomed. His master forbade the love affair. One day he caught them together and savagely beat her boyfriend nearly to death (thankfully, Belle’s master intervened). Nevertheless, she never saw him again and he died shortly thereafter.

It was a tragedy that haunted Belle her entire life.

Eventually she married another slave and bore him four children, but Belle remained unfulfilled and increasingly angry.

Even though New York State initially abolished slavery in 1799, it took decades for the practice to end on July 4, 1827.

But Belle had had enough.

In 1826 she escaped with her daughter Sophia. “I did not run off,” Belle recounted, “for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.” In her escape, she met a devout Christian couple named Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen who boarded Belle and Sophia. In their care, Belle had a transformative religious experience. It’s also when she learned her son was illegally sold into Southern slavery.

14 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

With the Van Wagenens’ assistance, she won the court case to get him back. It was the first time a black woman won a legal battle against a white man.

Belle’s transformative faith experience anointed her to preach. So she hit the road, speaking to anyone who’d listen. Her skill as an orator soon caught the attention of evangelists Elijah Pierson and Robert Matthews. Belle worked for both preachers, improving her communication skills. Then Pierson suddenly died. And Matthews and Belle were accused of poisoning him. It wasn’t true. Belle was eventually acquitted of murder, but she was now in her thirties. And all she knew was the road and poverty. Eventually she migrated to New York City and spent most of her forties exhausting options.

By 1843, Belle was broke.

She owned nothing. And then, on Pentecost Sunday no less, everything suddenly again changed for her.

That’s when, in another fiery spiritual moment, Belle rediscovered her Calling to preach the Word no matter what. This Calling drove her to wander with her belongings in a pillowcase, living off the kindness of New England strangers. And then she met abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. Garrison published the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator and he liked Belle’s story. In 1850, Garrison released her autobiography, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave.2 The book was an instant success.

Belle was 53 years old. And suddenly she was “rock star” famous.

But her name was no longer Isabella. As her book announced, her new name was “Sojourner Truth.” It was the moniker a Divine Voice told her to use seven years earlier on that Pentecost Sunday. That’s the day Sojourner forever left her bondage and shed her past...to wander and preach the Truth of Jesus.

Sojourner was “born again” into a new mission that included audacious new messages.

She particularly spoke against slavery and for women’s suffrage. Her speeches sparked a flame that exploded into a five alarm blaze. In 1851 Sojourner Truth was invited to speak for a convention in Ohio. That’s when she delivered her famous

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women’s rights speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” As race, she has been for the last forty years an she drew on her story as a woman slave, the object of respect and admiration to social audience reportedly “[beamed] with joyous reformers everywhere.” 3 gladness.” It’s still considered one of America’s Sojourner Truth accomplished much but most famous speeches. what’s often missed by contemporary historians In her elder years, Sojourner Truth tireis how she never lost the fire for Jesus. Her delessly gave thousands of messages on abolivout Christian faith guided her life and mission. tion, women’s suffrage, prison reform, alcohol And she always preached the gospel to anyone temperance, and property rights. She was as who’d listen. popular as Frederick Douglass on the speaking circuit, with both black and white audiences.

No matter the topic or audience, Sojourner During the Civil War, Sojourner recruited black Dr. Rick Chromey began every message with ten words: “ChilUnion soldiers, consulted for President Lincoln dren, I talk to God and God talks to me.” and assisted newly freed slaves. She fought for former slaves Indeed, Sojourner Truth still talks today...for those with ears to be awarded land in the West. She wrote war songs. As a to hear. n Republican she campaigned for Ulysses S. Grant.

Sojourner Truth died on November 26, 1883.

Dr. Rick Chromey is an author, historian and theologian She had done more for her people, and for her country, in her final three decades than most people do in a lifetime. Fred- who speaks and writes on matters of religion, culture, history, technology and leadership. He’s the founder and president erick Douglass eulogized: “Venerable for age, distinguished of MANNA! Educational Services International. Rick and for insight into human nature, remarkable for independence his wife Linda live in Star, ID. www.mannasolutions.org. and courageous self-assertion, devoted to the welfare of her Sources:

(1)“Meet the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time” by T.A. Frail; Smithsonian Magazine (November 17, 2014) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/meet-100-most-significant-americans-all-time-180953341/ (2)The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave (Boston: 1850). Available for download: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Narrative_of_Sojourner_Truth/UW_hAAAA MAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=The+Narrative+of+Sojourner+Truth:+A+Northern+Slave&printsec=frontcover (3)Dunn, John F. (January 19, 1986). “Stamps; Human Rights Activist Honored.” The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 15

BREAD of Life

A ‘22 resolution with some teeth in it

By Bethany Riehl Okay, friends. It’s January first and I’m going to get a little controversial.

Let’s talk about bread.

I apologize to all of you who want to punch me in the face right now because you’ve just started a diet and bread is off the table for a while. But if you can, hang with me. Maybe start that diet tomorrow if this is going to be too much.

I’m talking a whole different loaf of Bread. One that gives life and should be consumed and enjoyed to the fullest measure.

Last November I was able to attend a women’s conference at my church where we focused on the treasure of God’s Word.

We met at an event center downtown and on our way in, we passed a long line of people waiting for a different conference down the hall. This event was centered around a popular version of the keto diet.

I made some quip to my sister on the way to our event about how they were waiting to be told they couldn’t eat bread while we were going to spend the day feasting on the Bread of Life.

I can’t stop thinking about that.

I’m not the thin young woman I used to be, so believe me when I say that I have applied a great many New Year’s resolutions to diets, exercise, and losing weight. The quip I made was poking fun at myself a little for being happy I wasn’t in the “no bread” line.

Don’t misunderstand me; being physically healthy is a good thing. I would even say that my lack of discipline in this area is

sinful at times. Mostly when I’m sitting down with my beloved chips and queso and I get all snarly if anyone expects me to share. Blush.

I have a responsibility to care for the body that has been given me to the best of my ability.

However, it is far more important that I focus on my spiritual diet – and when it comes to that I will never have enough.

More important than any resolution about diets, exercise, organization or even a “word” to focus on for the year, the Word of God, sunk down deep into my heart, is my aim.

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourselves for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

It’s vital that believers have a daily habit of being in God’s Word. I’ve said that often and I will continue to say it. We need God’s Word – all of it, not just a verse here and there – and we need it over and over again.

I used to struggle to make this a part of my daily life. I spent many January firsts reading Genesis 1-3…and then quickly falling out of the habit. What worked for me was finding a set plan, so I knew what to read each day and I stuck to it. (Revivalfromthebible.com is a great plan with daily podcasts to go along with it if you’re looking for a place to start. Ben Blakey is my pastor, and he is faithful to the Word. You’ll love it.)

I have learned in the last few years that we can’t stop at a daily reading of the Word; we need to be sure we’re applying the Word to our lives by consuming it and feasting on it throughout the day and doing what it says. I couldn’t get through my day with just one little meal in the morning, so I shouldn’t expect to do the same with a morning devotion for my soul. This is one diet where more is better. All day I can mediate on the Word, listening to it, memorizing it, singing songs and hymns – a spiritual charcuterie board to visit over and over, if you will.

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut.

11:18-19).

It should be consumed all day, every day. Discussed. Absorbed.

Repeated. Day after day until we’re with the Lord.

I love to make bread. The kneading, the proofing and shaping, and baking and slicing and watching my family enjoy it – especially with a big smear

Image by Momentmal from Pixabay

16 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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of melty butter – is downright therapeutic. But what if I just made the bread, maybe took a picture for Instagram, then let it sit on the counter without consuming it?

I can hold it, smell it, look at how beautiful it is, but if I’m not eating it, what good is it?

Psalm 19 tells us that God’s Word is better than gold and Bethany Riehl sweeter than honey. Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, said that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

If we don’t seek to know the Word well, how will we know how to apply it? How will it go down deep in our soul to nourish us?

I was in a rut until I realized that I need to actually do what the Word says, not just underline verses that stand out and take pictures of my morning routine for Instagram.

A consistent diet of this Bread showed me that I am the fool in Proverbs and need to heed the warnings there and turn to wisdom.

It also showed me that God means it when He says to not forsake gathering with other believers in these last days in the form of a church body. It’s a command that should be obeyed for my good, His glory, and the health of my local church.

How else can we practice the “one anothers” listed throughout the New Testament without being a consistent part of a local body?

Every question that has come from the disorder in our world the past two years has been consistently answered by applying the Word of God to my life.

That is what He always intended for His people – for us to feast on the Bread of Life. To consume it, be sustained by it, to break bread with others and share its richness together.

Do your diet and exercise if you must; I know I have plans to be more self-controlled in this area. Less queso, more kale.

Less TV and more walking.

More importantly, I hope to spend the year digging deeper into the treasure of God’s Word and letting its precepts change me. I hope you’ll join me. Let’s feast together, dear friends.

For His glory and our good, until we are face to face with the Bread of Life forevermore. n Bethany Riehl lives in the Treasure Valley with her husband, three kids, and one super chill dog. She and her husband homeschool their kids and were only slightly embarrassed when their lives didn’t change all that much when the world shut down in 2020. Hashtag, homebodies. She writes articles and fictional novels when she can, and her one desire is to point others to the love and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Her books can be found on Amazon or at your local library…after you request them to be in stock, of course.

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 17

THE ROAD Less Traveled

Conquering the impossible summit

By Jason Herring When I was asked to write the outdoors column for Christian Living, I was given liberty to make it into whatever I imagined. As a kid my aunt bought me a subscription to Outdoor Life magazine, and I was engrossed with the stories of close encounters with grizzly bears and mountain lions. I loved reading about wilderness adventure as much as history. Today my favorite documentaries on Amazon Prime and Netflix are those about mountain climbing. I rushed to the theater to see The Alpinist when it debuted a few months ago, and an entire shelf in my library is filled with the exploits of high-altitude mountaineers. So when I think of an outdoor column, I imagine predators and perilous expeditions.

Last month I wrote on the subject of mercy, pointing out that nowhere do we more closely resemble our Heavenly Father than when we show mercy and kindness to our adversaries.

That doesn’t really fall under the category of daring adventure and danger. But this column is more than just a bi-monthly installment about the great outdoors. It’s an essay of the road less traveled. And I’ve come to discover that empathy and mercy are as remote as any peak in the Karakoram.

As if simply loving my neighbor wasn’t hard enough, Christ had to up the ante and command me to love my enemies. And knowing our inclination to find loopholes like the rich young lawyer, He dispensed with any ambiguity in our obligation to our opposition: Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. It’s as clear and as daunting as a view of Everest from Base Camp.

I can hear someone asking Jesus why He would want to forgive people who cursed Him and despised Him and persecuted Him without cause. Why would He suffer so much and still forgive so much? “Because it is there,” He might very well respond, if I may borrow that famous line from George Mallory. Yes, because it is there.

Because it was a mountain that was impossible to conquer. Others had made forays on its forbidding slopes. We see glimpses throughout the

old testimonies of brave but feeble efforts to reach the summit. As a man after God’s own heart, David holds the most promise. His treatment of Saul and Mephibosheth are powerful examples of mercy. But it’s one thing to love a vanquished or crippled enemy. It’s quite another to love an enemy who has an arsenal pointed at your jugular. David’s imprecatory prayers are wonderful examples of our ultimate dependence on God and our freedom to be completely raw in our prayer life. But they also show us the dangers of the Death Zone and that David never made it to High Camp much less the summit. He dared greatly and we can give him credit for that. All the while the world still dreamed of the day when the soul felt its worth.

A thousand years later the Son of Man prays to the God who has forsaken Him, asking forgiveness for those who have despised and rejected Him in the dying moments of His public execution. He is not a martyr dying for a cause. He is Messiah sacrificing Himself to give life to those who oppose His cause.

And in that moment the mountain is conquered and the rough and treacherous route is marked. With fixed ropes and porters we can now attempt what was once considered impossible.

With the scriptures to ground us and the Spirit to guide us, we can lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has laid hold of for us.

In 2018, of the 5,656 attempted ascents of Mount Everest, there was a 4% mortality rate, according to the Seattle Times.

That means that ninety-six percent of those who attempt the world’s tallest peak are successful. And that success is owed to Sir Edmund Hillary and Jim Whittaker and the rest of the early pioneers who paved the way and climbed without the GPS and weather satellites and modern equipment that we enjoy today.

But it is still the road less traveled. And every season brings tragic tales of those who perish on the slopes of the world’s tallest cathedrals.

There were a great many leaders and strong personalities during the Civil Rights movement, but there is a reason why we celebrate the contribution of Martin Luther King Jr. He fought

Image by Alexander Antropov from Pixabay

18 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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the most glaciated peak in the lower 48. The hatred with love and overcame violence with peace. He took the road less traveled. There’s freeway also doesn’t have the vistas and euphoa reason why his impact is being marginalized ria that Washington’s high point has to offer. today by those who prefer the wide and wellThere’s nothing remarkable about the freeway, worn path of vengeance and retribution. It’s but the mountain gives us an experience to no coincidence that Mahatma Gandhi’s biggest share with others. influence was Jesus even though he was not a Let me conclude with this quote from FrederChristian. It’s no coincidence that he revoluick Buechner in The Magnificent Defeat: tionized a nation by putting into practice the same principles that altered the ancient world.

“The love for equals is a human thing—of He took the road less traveled. And these men friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to Jason Herring paid the ultimate price so that others could love what is loving and lovely. The world reap the benefit. smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a The path of mercy can be costly. At the very least it will beautiful thing—the love for those who suffer, for those who cost you your pride and that wonderful sense of satisfaction are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compasthat comes from vindication. Forgiveness by itself is tough, sion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the but blessing and doing good and praying for those who have wronged you is an arduous climb. Loving your enemies is full more fortunate is a rare thing—to love those who succeed of risks. Reconciliation is fraught with peril. But when we take where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the road less traveled we mark the way for others and embark the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the on a grand adventure of grace. white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints.

Do you realize that the chances of dying in a car crash on the freeway are actually the same as dying on Mount Rainier? And then there is the love for the enemy—love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts But the freeway doesn’t require a registration fee with the pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love.

National Park. The freeway doesn’t require months of trainIt conquers the world.” n ing. The freeway doesn’t feel anywhere near as dangerous as

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 19

Maryanna Young An athlete, author and entrepreneur

By Gaye Bunderson Many Treasure Valley residents know Maryanna Young from her years as CEO of Aloha Publishing, where she guided the publication of 408 books since founding the business in 2010.

But just as many people may be unaware of how varied her skills are, or of the other careers she’s held – all in their own way leading to the launch of Aloha.

Maryanna grew up in a Christian home in Boise, graduated from Boise High School in 1982, and went off to Tulsa, Okla. to attend Oral Roberts University on an athletic scholarship.

She excelled in both track and basketball and graduated in 1986 with degrees in exercise physiology and physical education. While there, she was named the Outstanding Female Athlete of her graduating class and, later, coached at ORU. Her athletic ability took her around the world, for both playing sports and coaching them. Some of her globetrotting adventures were spurred by skills in a sport called korfball, a co-ed game that requires a ball and a netless basket on a high pole. Her korfball prowess took her to Holland, Belgium, Australia, and other countries. She made countless friends during her travels, many of whom were athletes. In 1995 she took the opportunity to start Fitness Management Group, a sports agency that worked with under-represented Olympic and Paralympic athletes, partnering with brands and organizations.

During her years as a sports agent, she represented athletes through three Olympic Games: Atlanta, 1996; Sydney, 2000; and Salt Lake City, 2002. Among her many clients were medalists who needed advice on how to turn their Olympic opportunities into business success, while at the same time living within the values of perseverance, overcoming and achievement. They also needed help obtaining, understanding, and negotiating contracts for sponsorships, speaking, and media advertising placements.

Maryanna soon began specializing in Paralympic athletes.

The Paralympics began in near-obscurity in 1960; but today, while still not receiving the same degree of TV coverage as the Olympics, competition between people with assorted physical disabilities has earned a spot on the world stage. Maryanna played a part in making sure Paralympic athletes had the same opportunities and exposure as Olympic athletes.

In October of 1995, Maryanna met Jean Driscoll at a speaking event. Jean was a wheelchair racer who became a five-time

20 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

Maryanna Young, in the blue and pink scarf, holds a discussion in her office with her team members. They include, from her right, around the table: Nation Goetter, Heather Goetter, Megan Terry, and Jennifer Regner. (Photo by Steve Jones)

Paralympic gold medalist, marathon world record holder, and eight-time winner of the Boston Marathon in the wheelchair division.The pair got together to talk about representation and sponsorships; at the end of their meeting, Maryanna asked Jean, “May I pray with you?”

It was the right question for the right person in the right place.

Jean later told Maryanna that her personal thoughts at the time had been, “The first [potential] agent who says, ‘Can we pray about it?’ will be my agent.” Maryanna secured a client and Jean found her first sports representative.

Maryanna set about working to line Jean up with endorsements but was turned down by her first choice: a popular shoe and apparel brand. “That fired me up,” Maryanna said. She pitched ideas to other companies and, eventually, Ocean Spray said yes. The tagline Crave the Wave became a well-known 1990s Ocean Spray product slogan, and Jean figured prominently in its multi-year campaigns. Soon she was featured on the front page of USA Today and in the year she retired was named the Godmother of the Royal Caribbean mega ship Mariner of the Seas, a first ever for a Paralympic athlete.

Another prominent athlete she represented was Sarah Will, Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame member, Class of 2009.

The most decorated athlete in U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team history, Sarah won 13 Paralympic medals in 10 years of competitive skiing (from www.teamusa.org). General Motors was her main sponsor. She also represented Craig Blanchette, a double amputee who competed in the 1,500-meter wheel-

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COVER STORY chair demonstration event at the 1988 Seoul Olympics; he later won multiple world championships in wheelchair racing (from olympedia.org). Gateway Computers was a main sponsor.

Maryanna loved sports agent work and did it from 1995 to 2004. “It was such a great ride, and it was such a wonderful time in my life. … I took it on with a passion.”

During that time, she also helped athletes and others find book deals and later became a publishing consultant and executive business coach. Working to help others find avenues to publish their books and share their expertise became a hobby for her. Then, in 2010, she was asked to help organize and participate in the Idaho Book Extravaganza, an event for people not just interested in reading books but also in writing them. The event was a hit. “People were waiting two to three hours in line to pitch ideas,” she said. “Thousands of people showed up.”

Seeing the overwhelming interest in publishing spurred Maryanna to open Aloha Publishing. The name was chosen because of what the Hawaiian word aloha represents: hospitality, acceptance and grace. The business is a hybrid publisher that works primarily with CEOs, business owners, and executives publishing their business and leadership development books.

Maryanna has dyslexia, a learning disorder that can cause reading difficulties. She wasn’t diagnosed with it until her final year in college, but she uses it to her advantage – especially in the sphere of publishing. “As a dyslexic, I came up with a

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[writing] system for non-writers. Over 30% of our clients have some form of dyslexia,” she said.

She is a prolific reader and writer – she wrote her first book at age 40 – as well as a voracious learner. She stated that, more than stumbling through the challenges of dyslexia, the disorder instills a higher sense of vision and clarity in her when it comes to sizable goals and ways to achieve them.

“It’s a vision thing,” she said. “I have vision and clarity about the big picture for every project.”

Heather Goetter, who works with Maryanna at Aloha, said: “She uses her dyslexia as a gift. She catches others’ visions and imparts her vision as well to her clients. She’s a promoter of people, and she wants to take them to the next level – not just in their books and writing, but in life. Nothing holds her back.

She’s not afraid of failure, and she’s very innovative.”

About herself, Maryanna said, “I have an energy, and it’s 24/7.”

She publishes books by authors from as far away as Germany and by authors close to home, such as Skip Hall and Jim Zamzow; and the books have covered topics from business to faith.

Her background imparted to her both a lifelong belief in God and an enterprising spirit. “I come from an incredible family,” she said.

Her grandfather was Carl Oppel, who started and ran Oppel Harvester in the Gem State.

Continued on page 23

Christian Living | January / February 2022 21

HE’S infinitely able

Don’t assign any limits to God’s power

By Roxanne Drury “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” – Ephesians 3:20 We serve a God who has no limits. Think about that for a moment: no limits!

I read a little story once about a boy who was out fishing. He was standing right on the very edge of the river, casting out his fishing line. An older gentleman was a short distance away...watching. All of a sudden, the little boy felt a tug on his line. He pulled and released, Roxanne pulled and released, and out of the water came a 12-inch-long bass.

The older gentleman quickly ran over to the little boy to share in his excitement, only to find the little boy unhooking the fish and throwing it back into the river. The older man, wide-eyed, said, “What are you doing? You just caught a whopper. Why on earth did you throw it back in the river?”

The little boy looked up at the older man and said, “My frying pan is only 9 inches wide.”

Sometimes, I think we are like that little boy. God is trying to bless us, He is trying to provide us with God-sized opportunities, but our minds only see a 9-inch frying pan. This is where faith and obedience come in. God wants us to use the power we have in Him to rise above that kind of limited thinking.

I firmly believe if God has placed something on your heart to do, He will make a way for you to do it. Whatever it is may seem unlikely, or it may seem outlandish, and we can easily come up with dozens of reasons not to pursue it. But if God placed that desire, idea, dream or opportunity on your heart, who are we to say, “Oh no, that can’t happen”?

You know who put those words in your head – the one who wants to thwart God’s work. WARNING! Don’t believe it!

God has placed great potential inside of you. He has big plans for you. If you don’t believe it, read Jeremiah 29:11.

God’s plans come with all you need to accomplish them.

I love this quote from Erma Bombeck: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and that I could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.” When we use what God has blessed us with for His glory, to further His kingdom, somehow it just exponentially increases. I have seen it happen.

For example, at our church we have a staff team of just five very committed, very gifted ladies on our Children’s Ministry Team. They love the Lord and serve with a full heart for God and kids. Sunday after Sunday, week after week, their whole focus is on making sure all 600 kids have a good time and learn about Jesus – and they do! Many, many children have come to know Jesus as Savior through the women’s efforts and the use of their God-given talents. And

22 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

each week we see more and more children coming to the church. That is our increase.

You see, God does not want us to sit on the sidelines. He wants us in the game.

One time, Jesus invited His disciples into the game. Jesus appeared to his disciples near the Sea of Tiberias. Seven of the disciples had gone out to fish. That night they caught nothing. When they came back in the morning, Jesus was on the shore and called out to them, but they didn’t know it was Him. Jesus asked, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” And of course the answer was, “No.” So Jesus gave them another opportunity to Drury fish. He told them to go back out in the water and throw their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did (out of obedience and trust), they were unable to haul the net in because there were so many fish in it. They weren’t just little fish either. The Bible describes them as large fish – 153 of them in all. The story goes on to relate how they ate a nice, hot breakfast of – what else? – cooked fish (John 21:1-14).

The disciples got in the game. They obeyed and tried again even though they had just come back from a night of fishing without catching anything. And what happened?

They got more fish than they could have ever imagined.

Was that because they were expert fishermen? After all, it was their job. No. It was because they saw an opportunity.

They held fast to what could be – the possibilities.

When they went back out on the boat the second time, they weren’t even sure it was Jesus that gave the instruction.

There is a lesson there as well. Sometimes, we are not sure if the direction is from the Lord. What we might find is that we are not really sure until we see that the net is full.

Remember those powerful words found in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

God’s power in you will allow you to do those things that He asks you to do, those things He planned for you. Not some of the things. ALL things. Why? Because He has no limits. The one thing those disciples knew how to do was fish. But even they couldn’t fish that day without God’s help.

I am of the belief that God wants to open the floodgates of blessing in our lives, in our churches, in our homes, in our schools, at our workplaces. He wants to accomplish through each of us way more than we could ever ask, dream, hope or imagine. He calls us to trust Him. He calls us to get in the game. And we can – because He can! He has no limits except the ones we place on Him. n Roxanne Drury is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Christian preschool teacher with a teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education. She has served the Lord in children’s ministry for over 40 years and is currently on staff at Rockharbor Church.

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Maryanna Young

Continued from page 21

Her grandmother was Mary Oppel, a woman who walked for her health every day, long before it was popular to do so. In 1993, Mary took first place in an 80-and-over division of the Women’s Fitness Celebration – even after completing heart bypass surgery. (Maryanna launched the Women’s Fitness Celebration in 1993 and was the co-director until 1999.)

“My parents were great about living their faith, and my grandparents as well,” she said, further stating they all ran their businesses the way they lived their lives: with solid Christian values.

Her favorite Scripture, Ephesians 3:20, reads: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...”

Her guiding principle is: “No matter what’s in front of you, just keep running with it and find a way to get it done.”

Tenacity is part of her makeup, but she doesn’t take credit for it. “God has given me the special ability to persevere. It’s easier to give up in our own strength.”

Maryanna may seem to live the proverbial charmed life – and in many ways she does – but she’s also known problems common to all humanity. She cared for her father for many years in her own home as he battled dementia; he passed away in June of 2021. She currently cares for her mother, who struggles with mobility issues due to a back condition.

When she hit a rough road in keeping Aloha Publishing flourishing, she faced daunting financial challenges. “Keeping the business rolling from 2010 to 2019 was a long process. We hung by a thread; I was paying people out of my grocery money. I call this business ‘one long decade to overnight success’. It doesn’t just come from me. I love the authors we work with and our team here at Aloha,” she said. “Once I applied the creative innovation which was the core of my coaching and sports work to the publishing industry, it’s been much more fun and meaningful.”

Her sports background made her a team player, and she is aware of the value of working with others to complete a project. She can see gifting and potential in her team and works to find the role that fits each person best. She also believes that nothing she has accomplished in life was born from her own solitary efforts. She gives God His due credit, saying, “My story is way more than I could have done on my own.” n Groceries from Over 15+ Countries: Germany, Italy, Poland, Israel, Turkey, Romania, France, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus & more

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 23

REAL Man’s Toolbox

It’s all about timing – God’s timing

Regardless of what seems to be delaying our

By Leo Hellyer plans, God is actually the one who is in charge.

Most of us will periodically reflect upon our He is the one who is in control. He is the one lives and examine where we are compared to who is guiding you on the journey that He has where we would like to be. These reflections you on. He is the timekeeper. could be related to career, family, finances, reMany times our timing and God’s timing are lationships, health, or our Christian walk. Our not the same because we are distracted by othlives are continually changing. In fact, many er things in our lives, and God is waiting on us people are quick to point out that the only thing to pay attention to what He wants us to focus constant about our lives is change. on. While we are focused on the distractions in How we handle many events depends greatly our lives, we are missing out on the blessings on the timing of those events. If the timing is that God has for us in his perfectly designed not convenient to us, we have a tendency to plan. Giving too much attention to worldly look at these occurrences as negatives, a storm things instead of godly things can simply make in our lives. As we face the “storms” of life, us tired. We need to get to the point spiritually even when they happen at the worst possible where we refuse to be controlled by the agendas time, we need to remember that God Leo Hellyer of others and become obedient to the leading is in control. God is always with us of the Holy Spirit in our lives. and for us and always has a plan for There are many things that can distract us from our lives and our future. Our lives the agenda that God has for us. Most of should not be controlled by what these things are under disguise from direction the wind blows or by Satan himself. When we go through what distractions may be happenstorms and detours in our lives, God ing at any particular time. is diligent to lead us back to the right Unfortunately, we miss out course. on great opportunities for life Through whatever detours we face, change – or for changing lives whatever distractions we experience, – because we are waiting for God’s timing is perfect, and He is in coneverything to fall into place trol.

He has the plan. He has the power. and be perfect. So often we Waiting on anything is difficult for most have our eyes and our hearts of us, but waiting on the Lord is a true sign on the wrong thing. God sets of wisdom and obedience. Isaiah reminds up divine appointments for us to exerus of our need to wait upon the Lord in Isacise the gifts that He has given to us. Most often, iah 40:31 – “But they who wait upon the at least in my life, these divine appointments have occurred at Lord shall renew their strength; they shall times that have not been the best for me. It is not about us. It is about being obedient to God, and it is about those He wants mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” us to minister to.

David also knew about the importance of waiting on the We need to be men of integrity, men who are not swayed Lord. Psalm 27:14 reads, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and when events change, men who follow God’s direction, even let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” when it is not convenient. In other words, men who follow Unfortunately many times we have the attitude of, “I know God’s direction by faith, even when it might be an inconvewhat I want, and I want it now!” God definitely has a differnience to us. We need to trust God in His timing. We need to not get impatient with God when He doesn’t do something ex- ent plan for us.

God selects the correct path, direction, and timing of any actly when we want Him to. We also should be willing to step course of action that He has for us. We still have the choice out in faith as God leads, instead of dragging our feet until we to be obedient and follow Christ – or we can do our own feel that everything is perfect before we take action. thing and see how that works out. Let’s do our very best to be We really need to be able to wrap our heads and our hearts responsive and obedient to the Lord and His direction in our around the fact that God’s timing is always perfect, and ours lives. God will reward us for our obedience. n isn’t.

Jeremiah speaks to us in Jeremiah 29:11-12 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to pros- Leo Hellyer is a non-staff pastor with a local church and has been married to his wife Norma for more than 45 years. per you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a The couple volunteered with the Boise FamilyLife Ministry future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, Team for 20 years. Leo has also been serving with Boise and I will listen to you.”

Rescue Mission Ministries for 20 years and is currently Some of the greatest blessings that have happened in my life serving at the River of Life Rescue Mission. He is president have not been on my schedule, but they were on God’s schedand chief firearms instructor with Helping Hands Firearms ule for me. Quite often God doesn’t give us all of the details Training LLC. If you have questions about Real Man’s about what is coming in our lives because He wants us to deToolbox, or need other assistance, Leo may be reached at pend on Him. We don’t know what God really has scheduled silverplate426@msn.com or 208-340-5544. for us.

24 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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THE BUCKET Ministry

A perspective on suffering

By Griffin Beth

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from a longer story that is featured at thebucketministry.org. Use the QR code to locate the story online.

Wednesday morning, 4:00 AM. I wake up freezing. A cold film of sweat covers my body. It feels like I slept on a bed of ice chips. I’m shivering violently. I sit up and my clothes hang heavy over my shoulders and around my waist as if I had just stepped out of a pool. Pellets of sweat pour down my face. My mouth smacks of salt. I throw the sheets off and they land with a wet thud on the tile floor. I try to get out of bed, but my legs and arms don’t respond. I collapse back onto the mattress.

What is happening?

I desperately try to summon all the strength from whatever hidden reserve I might have in my body, but I now fail to even lift my head from the pillow. A barbed feeling of panic shoots through my stomach. I try to take a breath to calm myself but find I can barely force enough air into my body to remain conscious.

It feels like a lead block is sitting on my chest.

My throat is so choked from swelling that whatever air I can draw in whistles into and out of my body. My lungs feel deflated. I try to call out to my wife, Sheri, in desperation but nothing—except that sharp whistle— comes out.

Somehow, I manage to muster the last vague whispers of strength in my arms to push myself off the bed and onto the floor. I land in a kneeling position with one hand clutching a wet ball of the fitted sheet. Sweat seeps from between my fingers. With no hope otherwise, I turn to God. I pray for breath. I pray for calm. I pray for Sheri to wake up. And, failing those things, I pray for deliverance—that I might soon hear that beautiful

Kibera Houses, Kenya. Courtesy photo phrase: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Having squared myself with God and made peace with the reality of my fate, I let out one last brittle, broken cry to Sheri. It sounds hoarse, like gas exploding out of a crushed exhaust pipe. With all my energy and strength spent, I fall backwards onto the tile. It feels warm and strangely comforting.

Just then, as my vision is fading in and out, and the last weak vapors of air leave my lungs, I see a blurred figure throw open the door. It’s Sheri! She rushes over to me and props me back up against the bed and then, in a frenzy, digs through my pack to find the nebulizer medicine. My eyelids slowly sag and all I see is the dim silhouette of her strapping the nebulizer mask to my face and brushing the cold sweat from my brow… n

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 25

IT ISN’T karma

Justice vs. Wisdom 101 in the book of Job

Image by Tabitha Guarnieri from Pixabay

By Ed Rybarczyk Does life ever seem particularly unfair? Ever silently complain about how much you’ve suffered? Ever seem like the pressures of life just won’t let up? Me, too – yes, to all those hard questions.

Still more? Did you ever wonder if you somehow brought all of that frustration and hardship down upon yourself ? Maybe you’re some kind of fridge-magnet for pain? Or maybe the laws of karma – sowing and reaping – are invisibly at work and now the universe is paying you back? It can make us wonder: isn’t justice woven through the universe? I mean, that’s the assumption: that the universe itself finally evens things out. Yin and Yang, things eventually working out, and all that.

Or through a Christian framework, why isn’t God balancing things out? Just where is the justice of God? Why do the wicked prosper?

Job takes those precise questions to task across 42 chapters, through 10 or so long poetic speeches. You may know the story: Job was a respected, successful, family-oriented Middle Eastern businessman. He had it all: 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 donkeys, six Ferraris (well, actually no, but I want to see if you’re paying attention!), and enough pairs of oxen to plow big chunks of Treasure Valley farmland. On top of all that, he feared God with a reverence that was blameless and upright.

He had it all. And then? Life punched him between the eyes.

Hard.

He lost all his animals to foreign raiders and fire from heaven. His children were all killed by a tornado. His esteem was leveled when oozing boils covered his body. Poor Job, even his wife piled on with her miserable counseling advice: “Job, give

up on God. He’s given up on you. You’ll be better off by cursing God and dying.” And all that’s just in the first two chapters!

Old Testament scholars tell us that the crux of Job’s book establishes – but then wrecks, with crushing effect – the retribution principle. Ancient Wisdom 101 taught that God blesses the righteous and curses the wicked – divine retribution. Every good Hebrew knew that God loves His own but judges filthy foreigners. Good deeds produce blessing. Evil deeds produce hardship and pain. Job’s lousy friend Eliphaz summed it up by saying, “The rain falls on the earth that God loves” (5:10).

All this was basic Hebrew spirituality and Job’s author, across 10 long speeches, displays it fully: do good and enjoy God’s favor, do evil and suffer God’s wrath. Why, it was much like the theology I encountered at my boyhood church. You caught a cold? “There must be sin in yer life!” Hit a red light on the way to a job interview? “Must be sin in yer life!” As if God were passive-aggressively re-paying your sins with random inconveniences!

But that’s the law of karma: sowing and reaping. It all comes full circle. Bad attitudes wreak bad fruit. Good thoughts produce measurable bounty. Kindness always results in fiscal profit. And all the people in Job’s life repeat established ancient Wisdom 101: “Repent of your sins, Job! Stop being so prideful!

You brought this misery to your own doorstep!” Retribution is the book’s constant refrain. Except. Except for the one character who does not emphasize karma: God. Curiously to us, and shocking for the ancient Hebrew mind, God doesn’t even broach the retribution principle. Instead, in the book’s odd crescendo, God talks about the wild weather and some wild animals: mountain goats, eagles, hawks, and

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horses. He tells Job, “My friend, you cannot ity we didn’t directly earn. Jesus affirmed Job’s even understand my non-human creations. theology when He said, “The sun rises on Their ways surpass your knowledge. How do both the evil and the good, the rain falls on the you possibly think you can understand me righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). or my ways?” And we should be clear: God’s Life is complicated. Life’s full of contingencies: point isn’t about zoology. God’s not rehearsing powerful weather storms and animals that dart a biological litany. Something rather opaque, onto the roadway. But God – again, in Job it is something mysterious is being unpacked via God who says this! – is not causing everything.

God’s final response (chs. 38-41). But that Things happen. The universe contains some something can make all the difference in our built-in free-play. life, our attitude.

There are multiple angles by which Job’s To top it off ? God tells Job to consider two theology could be applied. The most important Ed Rybarczyk un-tamable monsters: Behemoth, who lives on one for those suffering? Be slow to blame God. land, and Leviathan, a ferocious sea creature. Many contemDon’t be too quick to squeeze the “God is directly hurting me” porary believers get bogged down in what or whether these trigger. No, that’s not all a Christian would say about suffermonsters may have been. One more time: God’s not rehearsing, but it is what the book of Job says. And me? I say, “Praise ing zoology. So what is He doing? He is introducing monsters, you, God, for not blaming me for my pain! Praise you, God, figures familiar to the ancient mentality: creatures of nonthat you are greater than karma! Praise you, living Lord, that order and even disorder. God is, in keeping with the poetic you transcend all our knowing!” Because in the end? Whereas nature of the entire book, using chaos-monsters, imaginatively God’s justice is not clearly readily at hand, His wisdom is vivid monsters to say to Job, “The universe contains disorder. always at work. May we all trust the wisdom of He whose ways There are things you cannot understand because they are not are greater than ours. n understandable, not tamable by your thinking.”

What’s the kernel Job’s author wants us to grasp? That God Ed Rybarczyk, PhD, is both an ordained minister is not causing everything, that His wisdom transcends any and a retired History of Theology professor. He now one-for-one causation, and that life is not a simple matter of produces and hosts the Uncensored Unprofessor podcast karma. Just like we cannot tame the unseen monsters in life, @ uncensoredunprofessor.com. He can be reached at we may suffer pain we didn’t sow, or we may enjoy a prosperuncensoredunprofessor@gmail.com.

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 27

MAXIMUM Health

Fasting: good for spiritual health, too Dr. Rosie Main, D.C. A biblical key to a breakthrough in our prayer lives is to join fasting with prayer. Jesus told His disciples on one occasion that the reason they could not cast out a particular spirit of infirmity from a demonized man was because of their unbelief (Matthew 17:20-21). A few verses later, He added these words: “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

The point is that prayer and fasting combined can debunk our unbelief and re-empower our prayer lives. When prayer alone doesn’t work, prayer and fasting will bring the breakthrough.

We need to seek humility through fasting. When we feel that our hearts are growing cold toward God and that we lack sincerity in our humility, repentance, and acceptance of pardon, then fasting and prayer are instrumental in restoring passion in our relationship with God by bringing renewed depth and sincerity to our responses to Him. Moses was fasting in the presence of God for 40 days and nights at the time that God entrusted him with the Ten Commandments. Furthermore, God dictated them to him, and Moses himself wrote the commandments onto tablets of stone (Exodus 34:28). This was a supernatural fast in which Moses was sustained with neither food nor water, and the presence of God was so great upon him that his face was radiant with God’s glory when he descended the mountain to return to the camp of Israel (Exodus 34:29).

Daniel was concluding a 21-day fast (Daniel 9:3, 10:10-13) when the angel Gabriel came to him in “swift flight” and gave him an extensive revelation of what would happen to the people of Israel from that time all the way through to the end of human history (Daniel 9-12). It is significant that when the angelic visit and extensive revelation occurred, Daniel was deeply troubled by the sins of his people and combined his prolong fast with a heartfelt prayer of repentance on behalf of the Jewish exiles with him in Babylon. The point is that Daniel’s heart was so one with God’s that God could trust him with a revelation of such great impact.

No doubt every one of us would say that they desire to be so one with God’s heart that God can trust them with revelations of things to come, just as He did with Daniel. And this is the promise of Jesus to those who would follow Him. He said to His disciples of the Holy Spirit, “he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13). But if we, like Daniel, are to

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experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit that the right support, it can potentially help their shows us things to come, we must have a reason bodies release stem cells, and help repair their to know. For Daniel, the reason was informed bodies. intercession. For us, perhaps it is for both For an intermittent fast you can start at noon, informed intercession and guided evangelism. miss dinner, sleep, miss breakfast and start eatThe point is, though, our heart must be coming again at noon. This is one of the simpler mitted to God’s program if He is to share the ways, and if you stay really hydrated, it should program with us. Fasting and prayer is a key to not be difficult for you. If you can’t do 24 deepening our commitment to God and His hours, skipping a small meal also helps. I would direction and receiving revelation of the same. suggest another way is to drink lots of juices Fasting can also be an amazing time for healand do a two-day juice fast. For an ultimate Rosie Main ing. I have done many types of fasts, but one I cleanse, four extended 10-day water fasts per truly recommend is doing a 5-day water fast. year is recommended to rebuild, reset horYes, you just drink water. I recently did this, and may I say this mones, and have clear consciousness, energy, and clarity. was truly a time when the healing began.

People who should not fast – Although most people can Let me tell you first a little about the theory of sickness. fast, there are a few who, because of special conditions, should Every day we do a variety of things: breathe air that is not so not. They include: pure, drink liquids that are not so good, etc., which eventually • People who are extremely emaciated or in a state of starvaclogs our body filters such as the lungs, nose, liver, and kidneys. tion Over time, our bodies heat up and then the immune system • Those who are anorexic or bulimic gets knocked down. Fevers actually make the body sweat out • Pregnant, diabetic women toxins and triggers the urge to not eat – a natural fast. Three to • Nursing mothers four days of water fasting is good in such times. This will help • Those who have severe anemia clean out your system.

• Those with an extreme fear of fasting So should you allow your body to just go through this natural • Those with porphyria, a rare hereditary disease process of getting really sick and going through pain in order It is vital that you seek help from a health professional. No to thoroughly cleanse the system? Well, if you are cleaning the matter which way you go about your fast, expect a healing filters on a regular basis by doing a water fast, there is no need crisis, which simply means a period of increased symptoms like to get sick.

Another, more simpler way than doing a full water fast is you pain, headaches, or even the flu. Your body is doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason – expressing sympcan also try out intermittent fasting. Essentially what that is, is toms while it is detoxing. This is why maintaining a positive atwithin a week you do not eat anything for one whole day, and titude, getting rest and keeping hydrated is vital. Doing Epsom this will allow for the liver and kidneys to detoxify completely salt baths and light walks is key to keep the lymphatic system and get rid of all the toxins. It is, however, important to really moving – and remember to anchor to God’s Word. n hydrate yourself within that 24-hour span with lots of water.

To help flush out the toxins, you can also do a salt flush, an enema, breathing exercises and natural skin cleansing. Diabetic If you have questions or need more information, text me at and hypoglycemic people are often advised not to fast, but with (208) 859-6170 or email me at rjmaindc@yahoo.com.

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 29

GOD Dots

Idaho church still helping African church

By Jim Day Hey there, God Dot fans! I hope that you remember the articles I wrote about the little church in Africa. Wycliffe Ouma is the pastor and he and his small congregation were renting a building in Rongo City, Kenya.

Their landlord decided to sell the property but wanted too much for it. Actually, Wycliffe and his church couldn’t afford it if it would have been offered for one quarter of the price.

They had no money and very few options.

There are around 24 adults and 38 children in the church. They are mostly poorer folk who don’t have the means to buy property for themselves, let alone a church. God spoke to Wycliffe Jim Day and told him to find an evangelical church in the U.S. to help.

The name of our church in Hazelton is Evangelical Valley Presbyterian Church. When Wycliffe searched online for an evangelical church in the U.S., he found us. At the time, we were a church with 28 adults and no kids, and the average age of our congregation was probably around 70.

Now for the cool part...

We prayed and really felt that God was calling us to help this little church in Africa, so we committed to come up with enough money to pay for a piece of property that we could give them. We did it! Or, I should say, God did it. Now, I’m not bragging or boasting about us. The fact is that we were just being obedient to what we thought God was asking us to do. I am boasting in the Lord for what He did. God bought them a piece of property!

After we had stepped out in faith and sent the funds to buy the property, we had a contribution-only dinner, with an auction after. In other words, folks could eat for free if they wanted (and that would have been okay), and the auction was

no-reserve, so if they bid a dollar for something that was worth $10 or more, they would get it for the dollar.

It was a huge success. People from as far away as Rupert and Twin Falls showed up, and God raised almost enough to replace what we sent to Africa.

And, that got me to thinking...

God is going to complete this blessing. He is going to build a church for these folks in Africa.

Here is an update on Wycliffe and his little church. Their landlord had told them that they had to vacate by the end of October, but he has allowed them to continue using his property.

Please join us in praying for this landlord to continue to allow them to meet there until they can get a shelter built that they can meet in.

And pray for God to provide the funds needed to build a church on their property.

We have been asking God if He wants us to continue to raise and send more money (and we will). We definitely want to be a part in getting this church built, and our own church has grown. I believe that is because we’ve been faithful to what the Lord called us to and that we teach truth from the Bible.

We now have 40 members and eight kids and will be having another “new members class” in the near future. God even sent a young couple to us to lead the youth programs. That’s what God can do!

Whatever money we raise will be sent to Wycliffe every month until his congregation’s church is built. It’s amazing to help build a church for an underprivileged community in Africa!

I will keep you updated on the progress. Be blessed! n

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SURVIVOR & overcomer

Linnie Doyle: singing from her heart

Linnie Doyle has walked paths of both hardship and blessing during her life.

Through it all, she’s kept her faith and spent her life singing gospel songs like the ones she first heard in church. (Courtesy photo)

By Steve Bertel Some people serve the Lord by speaking to audiences and congregations.

Others, by helping non-profit groups.

And still others serve the Lord by using their creative talents.

Linnie Doyle does all of the above.

Raised in both DeKalb, Ill. and Tacoma, Wash., Linnie – no, that’s not a nickname – is the third oldest of six brothers and four sisters. With a family that large, it was a hardscrabble life for her parents; luckily, the Salvation Army often helped out with food and gifts, especially during Christmas holidays.

Her mother was the family’s “backbone” as Linnie puts it – always taking care of everyone and, as a faithful Christian, always taking her children to church every Sunday.

“Mom didn’t drive. She walked everywhere. When she’d walk to the store to go shopping in DeKalb, she’d be gone for several hours, and we’d be home with our dad.”

Unfortunately, “he drank a lot. And when he’d get drunk, he’d abuse us. In fact, he sexually molested at least three of us kids – that we know of.” Linnie was just a toddler when the abuse began, but says she can still vividly remember the horror. “What’s more, he’d many times threaten to kill us by purposely leaving a butcher knife on the kitchen counter for us kids to see, knowing we knew what it meant.”

For years, her mother wasn’t aware of the abuse. “She had no idea what my dad was doing to us, until my sister finally reached the end of her rope; I really believe God gave her the courage to come forward and tell Mom the horrific things that had been going on in our house all those years.”

Linnie’s mother reported the abuse to authorities, which resulted in her father being arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison.

32 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

Soon after her parents divorced, Linnie’s mother came to know another man – who attended the same church. The two eventually married and moved their family to Washington. “I don’t know if they were actually in love, but I know my mom certainly needed somebody solid in her life at that time. And as far as us kids, we were all excited for this new life with this new ‘dad,’” Linnie remembers.

The family soon found a nearby neighborhood church to attend and, every Sunday, mom and dad and the kids would all head off to the morning service. “It was a little, old-fashioned Pentecostal church in downtown Tacoma,” Linnie fondly recalls. “What everybody today calls a ‘holy roller church,’ where everyone’s rollin’ in the aisles and praisin’ God!” As a result, Linnie’s faith developed at an early age. “Our pastor’s on-fire messages made you want to have a close, personal relationship with the Lord! So at age 9, I asked Him into my heart; I knew I needed the Lord in my life to get me through each and every day.”

With that early-age faith also came an early-age interest in gospel music … and singing. “Our church brought in a lot of (traveling) gospel singers over the years: duets, groups, even families with children. And wow, they really sang from their hearts! I told Jesus, ‘Lord, I would love to do that someday!’”

Linnie’s mother had already taught her to sing – “I always sat next to her in the pew so that, when we stood up and sang, I could learn from the best!” Linnie says – but she knew if she wanted to sing professionally, it’d be an uphill climb, since she didn’t have any formal music training. “So I’d pour my heart out at altar calls, asking the Lord to somehow, someway – in His time – help me use my voice to be a blessing to others.”

But while Linnie was making a joyful noise in church, things were far from joyful at home. What the family didn’t know was that this new man – this new ‘dad’ – in their lives wasn’t as “solid” as they had first thought. He had been a child abuse victim as well. “So he was still pretty emotionally and physically damaged when he married my mom. And being a prideful man, he had never shared his past experiences with anybody.”

As a result, “He was very abusive to us kids. Not sexually, like my biological father had been. But emotionally abusive: frequently calling us names, and beating us with his leather belt or big sticks from the firewood box.”

Essentially, an iron-fisted man who took his staunch belief in God to the extreme. “He always preached the fear of God into us. And he’d make us ask for forgiveness every day, even if we hadn’t done anything bad,” Linnie recalls.

As such, she found herself often struggling with the Fifth Commandment. “I could honor Mom with no problem. That was easy. But to honor my stepdad, especially for the terrible way he was treating us, well, that was another story. So I had to pray through it each time, relying on the promise in Jeremiah 29:11 where the Lord says, ‘For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’.”

In her late-teen years, Linnie met a “big, handsome man” named Jack Doyle. And they soon became close. So close, they fell in love.

But there was a speed bump.

“It was always my intent to marry a fellow believer. I knew Jack was a good man – he was kind, gentle, had strong moral

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values – but I also knew he was not a Christian. He admittedly didn’t know anything about God at the time, but told me he was open to learning about Him,” she recalls. “And that was good enough for me! Because, even though he wasn’t a Christian yet, I truly believed in my heart he was the man God wanted me to marry. So I took a chance.”

Linnie moved out of her family’s house and, on June 28, 1977, became Mrs. Jack Doyle.

And that “chance” she took on the man she loved? It paid off. Four years after they married, Jack committed his heart to the Lord.

He had been employed with the U.S. Geological Survey, the federal agency best known for measuring annual snowpack levels, a job which eventually brought the Doyles to Boise, where they have lived ever since.

They don’t have biological children due to a genetic hemophilia disorder on Linnie’s side of the family, a disorder in which blood does not properly clot, leading to excessive bleeding, especially following any injuries or surgeries. “I’m so blessed to have found a husband who was okay with not having children of his own,” she says. “Because, at age 16, I had made the hard decision – a decision I’ve never regretted – to stop the disease from being passed down.” (The couple chose instead to adopt; their son, Jonathan, is now grown, married, and has children of his own.)

The Doyles soon settled into a church in Boise and Linnie, given her vocal talents, was invited to sing with the worship team. There, she became close friends with two fellow singers, twin sisters Mary Shada and Martha Stubblefield. And it wasn’t long before the three formed their own gospel music trio. Billing themselves as “Melodies of Joy,” the three – with Linnie as lead singer and Jack as sound engineer – took their show on the road to Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana.

The good news: “For us, those weekend trips were like going on vacations; we’d always stop and visit friends and family along the way.”

The better news: “When we’d be performing on stage and looking out at the audience, we could see by people’s expres-

sions they were being touched and inspired by our songs. After the shows, we’d meet-and-greet the people who came, shaking their hands, hugging them; and they’d tell us how they had been really blessed by our music. So we got to minister to total strangers we would have never met if we had not followed God’s calling.”

The group especially loved performing local annual holiday benefit concerts for the Boise Rescue Mission. “I’ll always remember when the Salvation Army helped my family during those rough times. Those acts, those memories led to our decision to give back to our own community through our Rescue Mission benefit concerts. That way, we gave to others in need just like God had provided for us,” Linnie explains.

But in 2003, after five years, three record albums, and five Rescue Mission benefit concerts later, health issues forced Mary and Martha to leave the group.

“When that happened, Jack and I had to really pray about it. We asked God, ‘Are we done at this point? Or do You have more for us to do?’”

As it turns out, it was the latter.

“I never thought of myself as a soloist, but I knew that’s where the Lord was leading me. After all, you never know how a song may touch someone who might be on the verge of taking their own life or thinking about having an abortion. And I wanted to be a blessing to them.”

So Linnie Doyle became a solo act … with her husband again on the sound board … often ad-libbing her testimony between songs, letting God speak to her “in the moment” as she says, “so that they’re His words, not mine.”

And they travelled throughout the country, often being on the road for months at a time, performing in big city churches, little country churches, auditoriums and banquet halls. “We even performed in a little Amish church way out in the middle of cornfields!” Linnie chuckles.

Not to mention producing seven more gospel albums along the way.

But then came May 22, 2019 … what Linnie calls “the worst day of my life.”

Continued on page 35

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wecare@cloverdalefuneralhome.com Christian Living | January / February 2022 33

YOUR Daily Bread

Earn, save and give all you can has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it

By Terry Frisk stores its provisions in summer and its food Happy new year! Greeting the new year is at harvest.” a good time to examine our priorities and set Saving money allows us to be prepared for goals on how we can better serve the Lord. In the future. Without a reserve fund, unanticihis sermon titled “The Use of Money,” the pated expenses may require going into debt to 18th century theologian John Wesley suggested, cover the cost. Being prepared demonstrates “Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all good stewardship of the resources God has you can.” This advice is as true today as it was given us. then. Let’s examine how each of these three Give all you can – Giving back to God simple actions works together to serve God with should be the highest priority. Proverbs 3:9 tells our finances. us to honor the Lord with the first fruits of all Earn all you can – Throughout the Bible, our produce. While it may seem odd that this we are warned about the dangers of pursuing was the last item in John Wesley’s sermon, I wealth. However, we serve God through our believe he was conveying that we can better labor. God gives each of us unique talents. We, honor God with our giving if we maximize our in turn, must utilize these talents to serve Him. Terry Frisk earnings and provide a reserve fund for unexIn the Parable of the Three Servants, Jesus said: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will pected needs. This is summed up in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparbe given, and they will have an abundance. But from those ingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountiwho do nothing, even what little they have will be taken fully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not away.” – Matthew 25:29 reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful What Jesus was imparting is to utilize your blessings to giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so achieve even greater blessings. Apply the skills and talents you that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may have been blessed with in your work to achieve greater levels abound in every good work.” of success. Share your blessings with others and you will be Entering the new year is a good time to reevaluate our priorirewarded as they share their blessings with you. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully ties and set goals for the upcoming year. Prayerfully consider how you can honor God by earning all you can, saving all you will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). can and giving all you can. Take care and may God bless you Save all you can – Again, we are warned against building in the upcoming year. n up treasures on earth, but build up treasures for yourself in Heaven (Matthew 9:19-20). In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Terry Frisk is a partner in the firm B2B CFO, providing Jesus states whoever stores up things for themselves is not rich financial advisory services to small businesses. He also countoward God. There is a distinction between amassing wealth for our own purposes and having a reserve fund to smooth out sels individuals on personal financial matters through the Cathedral of the Rockies Budget Counseling ministry. He our financial ups and downs. Consider Proverbs 6:6-8: “Go may be contacted through e-mail at terry_frisk@msn.com. to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It

34 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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Linnie Doyle

Continued from page 33

“We were home and Jack had been very sick that day; he felt exhausted and had been dry-heaving, so I told him to go into our bedroom and rest.”

Awhile later, Linnie was in the den when she heard what sounded like her husband gasping for air. Racing into their bedroom, she found him lying in bed. Eyes closed, motionless.

She tried to wake him, but he was unresponsive. He wasn’t breathing.

She felt his heart. No pulse.

“So I hit him directly on the chest with my fist, trying to get his heart going again.” But it didn’t help. “I then tried mouthto-mouth resuscitation.” That didn’t help either.

Desperate, she snatched up the phone and called 9-1-1.

“Even though, at that point, I knew he was gone … I didn’t give up.”

Paramedics arrived and couldn’t find a pulse either. So they pressed the paddles of their portable defibrillator to Jack’s chest. And shocked him.

His body lurched up. But no heartbeat.

As Linnie stood nearby, watching, “I prayed to God to help me stay together.”

They shocked him again. Still nothing.

Then a third time.

And finally, a faint blip on the EKG screen! Then another.

And another.

And soon, a rhythmic “beep … beep … beep.”

“Praise God! Jack was alive! It was a miracle!” Linnie exclaims.

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After being rushed to a hospital and treated, doctors concluded her husband had suffered a major heart attack, exacerbated by previously unknown health issues.

He underwent bypass surgery to open clogged arteries. “And today, Jack is eating right, exercising – in fact, he’s healthier now than he was before. The doctors say he’ll likely live a long life!” Linnie beams. “We’re just so grateful to God I was right there at the time and the paramedics got there so quickly.”

So what’s her future hold? “Lord willing, I want to continue being a vessel for Him; singing songs that uplift people, songs that give them courage, hope, strength, confidence, and help them through whatever struggles they’re facing,” Linnie says. “And I want to continue sharing my life story, sharing how God can help us overcome anything. After all, I’m living proof of that! I’m a survivor – an overcomer – through Christ Jesus.”

Recent COVID concerns have put a temporary kibosh on her benefit concerts and live performances, but she hopes that will soon change. She looks forward to the day when, with the Lord’s help, Linnie Doyle Ministries will once again travel our nation’s highways … and, like those gospel groups who visited the church where she grew up, she can once again continue singing from her heart. n

Steve Bertel is a multi-award-winning professional radio, television, print media, and social media journalist, who recently retired after a 30-year broadcasting career. Now a busy free-lance writer, he recently released his debut suspense novel “Dolphins of an Unjust Sea”, available on both Amazon and Kindle. Steve and his wife of 39 years live in Meridian, Idaho. He CAN be reached at stevebertel65@gmail.com.

Christian Living | January / February 2022 35

DESTINED for Victory

Be joyful in all circumstances, like Paul

By Pastor Paul Sheppard The apostle Paul begins Philippians 1:12-18 by saying, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel.” Why is this important? Because Paul wants his spiritual children in Philippi to be aware that everything is okay even though he has been imprisoned, is in chains, and has palace guards constantly making sure he can’t get away.

Paul wants his spiritual kids to know that his captivity is serving God’s purposes to advance the gospel.

Theologians call Philippians the “Joy Book.” Paul’s heart is filled to capacity with joy when he writes it. This is amazing, considering the trying circumstances of his life. Paul is so upbeat, he sounds like he’s vacationing at the Rome Hilton. But no! He’s locked in a dark room, guarded by Caesar’s bullies.

And yet he writes a completely joy-filled letter.

This is the first important principle of keeping the main thing the main thing.

To live a fruitful life in God’s kingdom, be joyful in all circumstances.

Understand that joy isn't based on happiness. The two are independent. Happiness is cool. If you can get some happiness without going outside of God’s will, get some! You might find happiness for a short season by getting into sin, but in the end it always leads to death. Thankfully, good, clean happiness is a gift from God. Happiness depends on what happens. Happiness is a good thing, but you can’t base your whole life on it. You get happy when you marry the right person, when your kids are behaving, when the bills are all paid. That’s happy.

But what happens when nobody’s behaving? What happens when you’re hoping to make ends meet, but the ends are so far apart they can’t even see each other? You can't count on happiness at times like that. But if you’re walking with God, He will give you joy.

36 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

Joy is deeper than happiness. When you stay close to the Lord, He'll give you a joy that doesn't depend on your environment. You can experience a transcendent joy in circumstances that on the surface don’t make you very happy. That’s what Paul was expressing in the book of Philippians. He was joyful in difficult circumstances.

Just look at Paul. He’s incarcerated, with very little hope of ever seeing freedom again. And yet he is full of joy, because he's nurturing his relationship with God. He's trusting in the goodness of God. He is able to say, “What has happened to me has served to advance the gospel. I still have joy.”

This attitude of joy is based on a fundamental principle Paul wrote about in his letter to the church at Rome:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. — Romans 8:28 (KJV) Notice how this promise is not available to everybody, but to “them that love God.” Are you a them that love God? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus who died to save you from your sins? Are you trusting Him day by day to give you everything you need for life and for godliness?

If you love God, this promise is certain. God will work everything that happens to you for good in the end. The beauty of this promise is that what happens to us does not have to be good, for God to work it together for good.

This is a sober reminder for you to make sure that God is the love of your life. Wake up every morning saying, “I love You, Lord, because You first loved me. You have given me grace and mercy that is new every morning. I live in joy, knowing You work all things together for good in the end, to advance the gospel and further Your kingdom.”

Be encouraged by Paul. He was writing to his spiritual children in Philippi because he knew they were concerned

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about their spiritual dad. In Philippians 4:16, After Paul got arrested, he pulled out his we learn that the Philippians had already sent trump card and said, “I am, in fact, not just a gifts to Paul, to sustain him through these difJew. I am a Roman citizen, and as such, I apficult times. This is an important lesson for us peal to Caesar.” That got Paul taken to Rome. today. When somebody is hurting, give them There he sat for years, awaiting a tedious apmore than talk. The church at Philippi did that peals process, along with every other prisoner for Paul. They loved on him with encouraging who was trying to get a hearing with Caesar. words, heartfelt prayers and material gifts.

But it hasn’t brought Paul down. He says, When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Even though I'm going through all this mess he had already been in jail for about two years, that was caused by wicked people who made up and he hadn’t even committed a crime. He’s lies about me, I am still seeing God’s purposes Pastor Paul Sheppard fulfilled. I'm seeing people hear the gospel and in this mess because some of his people, the Jews, didn’t like him preaching this new gospel. get saved. Even the Roman guard is hearing the They hated that he’s telling people to follow Jesus whom they gospel of Jesus Christ, and for that I am joyful.” crucified. So when he was in Israel, they set out to ambush and Know this: Paul had every reason to be depressed, disilkill Paul, but they failed. Next, they told the Romans that Paul lusioned, discouraged and dejected. But instead, he tells his was a traitor, an enemy of Rome, and that he was inciting riots spiritual kids, “This is serving to advance the gospel.”

Be encouraged. and rebellion. None of that was true of course, but it got Paul If you let Him, God will take your negative circumstances arrested. and He will turn them all into positives. n Unfortunately, too many of us have had similar experiences today. We have enemies who spread lies that are intended to This is an excerpt from a series called “Keeping THE ostracize us and put us in bondage. Don’t stoop to their level, Main Thing the Main Thing” by Pastor Paul Sheppard. because if you trust in God, He will take charge. He will work You can hear Pastor Paul's radio show, “Destined For all things together for good. Your destiny is not in the hands of these people, but in the mighty hands of the Lord. They do Victory,” weekday mornings at 9 a.m. MST on 94.1 FM or online at www.941thevoice.com. For more information not control you. Draw near to God, and He will watch out for please consult www.PastorPaul.net. you. Your destiny is in God’s hands.

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 37

‘ANTICIPOINTMENT’

Choose the One who won’t disappoint

Image by jplenio from Pixabay

I am convinced that Jesus is the only One

By Scott Riggan who will never disappoint. The only One who I love words. always keeps His promises.

I guess that partly explains why I’m a song“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we writer; there’s something both mysterious and profess, for He who promised is faithful.” – incredibly satisfying about taking a handful of Hebrews 10:23 NIV nouns and verbs and adjectives and shaping I think we have a very weak understanding of them into something new and beautiful. I like the word “hope.” It’s not wishful thinking, it’s cleverness, wordplay, rhyme, alliteration – the not Pollyanna optimism. It’s not rooted in emowhole deal. Language is fun. tion or circumstance. Hope is a disciplined and And part of the fun of language – at least, the determined focus on the faithfulness of God. English language – is that it can be surprisingly To “hold unswervingly” to hope is to choose silly. I’m a big fan of goofy slang (“jinkies” is a trust over fear. favorite expression of which I have yet to tire).

In light of this, I need to learn to trust Him Even better? Mash-up words. These are more fully. To believe that His love for me is as officially called “portmanteau words” – i.e., deep as He says it is. stuffing two words into one “suitcase” (or Scott Riggan To hope without fear of “anticipointment.” n portmanteau). Common examples include smog (“smoke” blended with “fog”), brunch (“breakfast” and Scott Riggan is best known for his recording of “I Love You “lunch”) and one that you might expect has its origins in curLord.” He serves as Worship Arts Pastor for Eagle Chrisrent entertainment culture but actually debuted in the 1930s: tian Church and lives with his family on a small ranch in celebutante (“celebrity” plus “debutante”).

Emmett. He recorded a new album in 2021 titled “BeautiMy current favorite portmanteau word? ful and Terrible.”

“Anticipointment”: the state of mind resulting from excitedly anticipating something and then being disappointed when it fails to meet expectations.

Scan this QR code to get a When you get your hopes up about something – say, a movie free CD, downloads, and or concert or sporting event, Christmas or a birthday or an anniversary, or a new relationship that shows promise – and then, other fun stuff by joining as often happens, expectations are not met, hopes are dashed, Scott’s mailing list. promises are broken …

“Anticipointment.”

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Call me for the help you need regarding anything Medicare.

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We offer free confidential pregnancy testing, verification and limited ultrasounds.

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38 January / February 2022 | Christian Living

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WEDNESDAY’S Child

Siblings Lilyanna and Ronaldo spread smiles The following information is provided by Wednesday’s Child, an organization that helps Idaho foster children find permanent homes.

You can’t help but smile when spending time with dynamic siblings Lilyanna, 14, and her brother Ronaldo, 12. Being so close in age has given these two an advantage Lilyanna and Ronaldo in their friendship. Older sister Lilyanna, who often goes

by Lily, says she is very patient with Ronaldo and likes to keep a close eye on him. They have a close bond and share many similar interests.

Lily is resilient, joyful and bubbly, and her smile and laugh can light up the whole room. She loves musical arts, swimming with Ronaldo, and jumping on the trampoline. Lily has a great sense of humor and knows how to make an amazing batch of homemade salsa. She would thrive in an encouraging home where she can feel safe to be her joyous self.

Much like his sister, Ronaldo is extremely bright and creative and has a witty sense of humor. Ronaldo wants his adoptive family to know how much he wants to go to Legoland. He has a true talent when it comes to building things.

He likes spending time with Lily, watching his favorite show, SpongeBob, and dreaming of one day becoming a scientist. Ronaldo would thrive in an adoptive home that gives him the safety to explore his creative side.

It’s important that these tight-knit siblings stay together. Lily and Ronaldo’s permanency team is looking for a two-parent home, preferably in Idaho, though the team is open to inquiries from out of state. A couple that has a strong understanding of childhood trauma and a lot of patience to give would be a great fit for them.

Lily and Ronaldo wear a lot of smiles even after all they’ve been through, and we are confident that their smiles will be contagious once you’ve had the chance to meet and get to know them. If you think you could be their Forever Family, inquire today at www.idahowednesdayschild.org. n For more information on the Idaho Wednesday’s Child Program, visit www. idahowednesdayschild.org, or contact Recruitment Coordinator Shawn White at swhite52@ewu.edu or cell 208-488-8989 if you have specific questions.

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Christian Living | January / February 2022 39

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