Faith On Every Corner - October 2020

Harvest October 2020

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

- Luke 10:2 NKJV

Visit Our Website at www.FaithOnEveryCorner.com for previous issues of our magazine.

COVER PHOTO

BY KAREN RUHL Going on a mission to find a cover photo!!

Karen has been a photographer since she was very young, often taking photos of the family. She got her first SLR in December of 1974 and has never looked back.

Karen has had many mentors in her lifetime and has been a mentor to many.

For this issue, many drives were taken from North Carolina into Virginia in search of the perfect cover.

On a drive through the country, a stop at a small farmers stand proved to be very successful. Not only did we take home some of the bounty of their harvest with apples and tomatoes, but the perfect cover photo for this month was on display in the window of their produce stand. Enjoy!

INSIDE COVER

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Fall is here, the cooler temperatures are being welcomed across the country. I would like to ask you all to pray for all of the firefighters and first responders working on the wildfires in the west.

Pray for those people who have been evacuated and do not have a home to go back to and for those who have lost loved ones.

We have several new writers in this month’s magazine. We welcome each of you and thank you for your contribution. To our Contriubuting Writers, we love you for your faithfulness in submitting articles monthly and for your prayerful support.

We pray each month that Faith On Every Corner’s Magazine reaches more and more people around the world. We have been so blessed to meet people from other countries that we would never have been introduced to. God Is On The Move! Our magazine is dedicated to Him and we pray it gets into the hands of those who need it most. We are now read in over 70 countries and growing.

Karen

and C

raig R

uhl

Faith On Every Corner’s free monthly digital magazine is now read in over 70 countries. We love hearing from you!

Please take the time to share our link.

You can also download the magazine and read it at your leisure or email to a friend. Help us reach the world and share the good news of Christ Jesus.

Sharing the good news around the world.

If you would like to talk to a Team Member with Faith On Every Corner, please drop an email to team@faithoneverycorner.com. We are praying for you and love each of our readers.

Blessings. ~ Karen

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Stripes...

by Karen Ruhl

I love the stripes on zebras. Craig and I recently visted a zoo that let you drive through to view the animals - kind of like a safari (but much safer)! I loved all of the animals but was amazed by the zebras. I think I knew that each zebra has a different general pattern of stripes that are unique, just like two human fingerprints. Yet, the stripes let you know they are in the zebra family.

It made me think about the differences in humans.

Some of us are taller than others, some heavier than others, our skin colors are all different and yet, inside, we are all the very same. We are all knit together by God and He knows each of us by name.

We are different, God gave each of us a different set of gifts. Psalm 139:14 NKJV says: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

If you were among a group of people would you stand out? Would someone be able to look at you and say, she is human, but she seems to be different, in a deep way. She seems to know something I don’t?

Our world is in need of each of us to be different, to be in the word and to pray. The fruit of the spirit is in each of us, and Paul tells us in Galations 5 that we 4PAGE | M3 AG A Z I N E N A M E

must walk in the spirit and never be enslaved again.

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV says But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.

Craig and I have read through the bible together six times and we have lead bible studies, attended classes, and we read the bible and pray continually. It is up to all of us to walk in the truth. To show our stripes, to stand out and be unique, and to love everyone - we are all the same as brother and sisters in Christ. Let’s all show our stripes.

Isaiah 53:5 says: But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior and would like to know more. Seek out a local church, a Christian friend, or please email us.

I am praying for you. ~Blessings, Karen Team@faithoneverycorner.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FACEBOOK

Cover photo by Karen Ruhl, more on the inside cover.

ROAD TRIPPIN’ ELKIN, NC & VIRGINIA PAGE 33

By Karen Ruhl

IN THIS ISSUE

F O L LO W U S

Stripes by Karen Ruhl ... page 3 Is Self-Discovery Actually Self-Worship by Amy Davidson ... page 5 Daydreaming Believer by Andrea Marino ... page 9 Learning To Wait On God’s Harvest by Trudy Saunders ... page 11 Be Well Franken-Mama by Gittel Fruma ... page 13 Glory Revealed by Nicole Byrum ... page 15 A Seed, A Cocoon, And A Door by Pam McCormick ... page 19 What Will You Do When It All Comes True? ... page 20 Pause And Pray by Tynea Lewis ... page 21 Barefoot At The Country Store by Melissa Henderson ... page 22 The Harvest Is Abundent by Scott Dunn ... page 23 Bittersweet Harvest by Lynn Downham ... page 25 Dear Carl by Anna Friend ... page 27 The Ultimate Fact Checker by Craig Ruhl ... page 29 Truth About Unitiy We Should Not Ignore by Joseph Akinrinola ... page 31 Enduring The Process by Jessie Garcia ... page 35 Godlessness And Knowledgeable Freedom by Jerry Davidson ... page 39 Harvest Home Devotional by Dianne Buie ... page 41 Seasons by Karen Ruhl ... page 42 A Little Goes A Long Way by Chris Eidse ... page 43 GaKaiya’s Trip Home by GaKaiya Anderson ... page 45 Are You Making Sleep An Idol by Chrissie Kenaston ... page 47 So You Want To Know The Future? by Pam Walck ... page 49 I Want To Introduce Him by Krystle Nicole Martin ... page 53 When The Harvest Seems Far Away by Juliana Gordon ... page 55 Weeping Willow by Lorrie D. Grant ... page 57 Book Reviews I Am Beautiful Too Page 7 Speaking Tongues Page 17 In Love With Marriage Page 37 Out Of The Depths I Cry Page 51 Reviewed by CraigRuhl, Sandra L.. Snyder, Karen Ruhl,

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Is Self-Discovery Actually Self-Worship?

By Amy Davidson

Amy Davidson is a blogger and writer at graceandrecovery.com. Her mission is to communicate the reality of life and grace in Christ to those trapped in their habits, addictions, and mental illnesses.

I thought self-discovery was the best thing I could do for myself. I remember back in junior high finding little quizzes online that told me what color I was, what my aurora was, what kind of animal I was, etc. At the grocery store, I would sneakily flip to the horoscope section of a magazine in the checkout line just to see if this was the week I would find my “one true love.” As I grew older, I was introduced to different personality tests in high school, such as the Myers- Briggs. I had finally found my niche. Finally, I had stumbled across a tool that told me all about myself and put things into words I had never known how to express. I began to identify myself based on what the tests said about me, instead of what I knew to be true through experience, relationships, and the truth of Scripture. Here is what the test revealed: • I was an introvert, so I never wanted to be viewed as “too outgoing.”

• I was creative, so I felt an added pressure to live up to an invisible line.

• I was sensitive, which confirmed that I was justified in being overly emotional and erratic because that’s “just the way I was.”

“That’s just the way I am” was a phrase that wove its way into my vocabulary. If I acted out in rebellion, if I spoke harshly, if I was impatient or selfish, I always chalked it up to being “just who I am” and “how I am wired.”

I believe that personality tests can be useful. The Enneagram Personality Test continues to spike 6PAGE | M5 AG A Z I N E N A M E 3

in popularity. I have a dear friend who swears by this magical tool. “They are being SUCH a 7 right now!” she would giggle and say. She would look at someone and guess what number she believed they were. It made me want to study the Enneagram even more. It really can be quite unifying to take a test and in a matter of moments be told who and what I am. After I took the Enneagram test for the first time, I began studying the number it had given me. For the first time, I didn’t feel entirely crazy about some of the emotions and thoughts I experience because–OH! other people feel that way too! I wanted to know more about who I was and why I was the way I was.

As a woman who is in recovery from multiple addictions, I have bathed in self-discovery for years, especially when I first began my sobriety journey.

Therapists had me dissect my childhood. I had to create timelines and collages and different art projects depicting my different addictions and work to uncover the underlying beliefs and concepts I held on to when I was at my darkest. All of this was good and needed. I believe that understanding our roots can help us heal, grow, and move forward. My husband recently challenged me, though. As we were discussing sin struggles in our lives, he suggested that my pursuit of self-discovery could come across as self-worship.

“What!? But I’m just trying to know myself better so I can BE better! The more I study myself, and the more I understand why I do what I do, the faster I’ll grow!”

But then I stopped. Wait.

• I study myself more than I study Christ.

• I seek to understand my thoughts and feelings more than I seek to know the truth of scripture.

• I place more value on figuring out my emotions than on figuring out the savory riches of my Abba’s words.

Where I direct my attention, my worship will soon follow. Even though self-discovery may lead me to uncover the unpleasant nooks and crannies of my heart, I’m still more focused on myself. I’m making myself an idol in my own life. I’m actively and passively declaring that I am more interested in myself than in Christ and what He has to say.

Brilliant minds created the Enneagram and the Myers-Briggs tests and all those other personality tests out there, and I’m thankful for them.

But as with anything in this world, good things can become abused things. Good things can become the enemy of the best things. I think of Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV) where it says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” I will best understand who I am when I seek to understand who Christ is. A thousand manmade tests can’t explain to me who I am as a child of God, but there is an entire book written about the One who I have been put to death and then raised with. It’s often easier for me to trust and rely on man-made materials to uncover who I am, opposed to looking to Scripture and depending on that as the key source of truth in my life. But I must stop and ask myself, “why am I trusting the created more than the Creator?” I certainly believe there is a time and a place for self-discovery, even a necessity. We must examine ourselves and determine what in our lives we must demolish so we can cling tighter to Christ and better glorify Him. Without self-discovery, we may easily (and intentionally)

overlook sin in our lives. I can’t, however, justify my sinful choices by chalking it up to the “way I am wired.”

• It is a choice to be selfish.

• It is a choice to be impatient.

• It is a choice to allow the words people say to have such an effect on me.

We have been handed a life full of choices and a great amount of responsibility. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV), we are told, “We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

If we are commanded to take every thought captive, then I promise you God will equip us with the tools we need to do that. The number on the Enneagram test does not excuse us from “walking in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.”

Is self-discovery actually self-worship? It certainly became that for me, and I know it’s an easy pit to fall into. The question that needs to be asked is this: Whose words do I value the most?

Our actions will answer that question for us.

The Enneagram test tells me I’m a 4. The description of this number hits the nail on the head of so many pieces of my personality. “Yes, yes, yes! Me!” I thought to myself as I just went back and read my personality description. I want us to get more excited about what Christ says about us than about what a man-made test says. Christ says we are chosen and dearly loved. He says that we will struggle with many trials and temptations, but they aren’t unique to us and that there is a way out from those temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV). Christ says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He says that we are weak, but in Him we are strong.

The accuracy of Scripture, the life-giving, Godbreathed words, were in existence long before any test was. I pray that I begin to intentionally worship Christ and His truth, directing my attention to Him, first and foremost.

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Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf ​

I am Beautiful Too

By Lorrie D. Grant Reviewed by Karen Ruhl I confess, I love children’s books! I am over the top with Lorrie’s book; it is so much more than a book for children. Adults will learn from this book as they read to their children.

I am Beautiful Too has us walking with Albie the white peacock as he learns from the inside out how beautiful he is. Albie greets his animal friends and is always so nice and complimentary to them. He takes away something from each animal he visits. But in the end, he learns something very important about himself.

This book is beautifully illustrated by Katie Skinner.

This book is part of Core 13 Value Series: The Core 13 Value Series is a series of fictional children’s books, written by Lorrie D. Grant, each giving a simple story illustrating the value of positive core values.

We have now opened up our newest addition, the Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf. If you have a book you would like us to review and feature, please call or email Craig at 828-305-8571 for information. Email: Team@faithoneverycorner.com

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I am Beautiful Too by Lorrie D. Grant is available at Amazon.com Click the book cover to go directly to this book.

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Daydreaming Believer

By Andrea Marino

Cloud watching is something I enjoy doing. My second-grade teacher once announced before the entire class that I was a ‘bump on a log’ because my gaze was out the window, my mind ‘caught up’ in fascination with the expanse of cottony fluff way up in the sky. To my embarrassment and distress, it shook me back to reality in that I should have been paying attention to the teacher instead of the whimsical shapes, delighting me so. But it isn’t dumb to be in wonder of what lay beyond what we see. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1) After Jesus’ resurrection, He presented Himself alive to the apostles for 40 days and instructed them to wait for The Spirit of power to come upon them so they could be His witnesses. A cloud then took Him out of their sight. As the apostles gazed into the heavens, two men in white clothes suddenly appeared and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) Clouds are significant in Scripture. God led the Is-

raelites through the desert wilderness in a pillar of cloud. (Exodus 13:21) This shekinah glory cloud was a miraculous sign that God was with them. In fact, God told Moses, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Do we fully grasp God with us? When I flit about with all the concerns of my day - to the neglect of time spent at the feet of Jesus - I miss the significance of that truth. I also miss out on a time of rest I desperately need from my despair of a world in chaos, my very nation literally going up in smoke and heading for disaster. Such a reality should cause us all to pause; to be still and ponder God. “The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet.” (Nahum 1:3) Significant obstacles faced the Israelites in their exodus from the bondage of living in Egypt under Pharaoh. So, will we struggle on the path of truth and freedom in Christ. Our living, moving, and being can easily become based on what is happening before our eyes, causing a ‘default’ into despair. In God’s presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) The joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

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I remember lying on the grass as a child, feeling sad and lonely. Before long, a gray mist began rolling in and soon blanketed the sky. The world is a mysterious place. “Clouds and thick darkness surround God.” (Psalm 97:2) There is so much more to life than we know. All of the creation has much to speak to us about Him. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. (James 4:8)

Click on the photo of the book to purchase from Amazon.

I watched a Christmas movie this past August.

While I won’t give the plot away of ‘The Perfect Gift’, I want to say I found such comfort in the reminder that Jesus really is near, amid everything— even when times are filled with fear and angst.

Christmas is a season of living hope. EmmanuelGod with us! (Mathew 1:22,23) We can celebrate Christmas all year long!

Every now and then, after a rainstorm, I am blessed to catch a break in the clouds overhead, a prism of light shining through. It is an awesome sight to behold, conveying a very real confirmation. “Then I saw heaven opened; and there was a white horse.

Its rider called Faithful and True. Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.” (Revelation 1:7, 19:11) Please email me at rapture927@aol.com and visit my Facebook page, In The Way Everlasting.

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L E A R N I N G H O W TO WA I T F O R GOD’S HARVEST

BY T R U D Y S A U N D E R S Since I struggle with patience, I tend to want everything done yesterday, sometimes forgetting that God’s timing is not our timing. I have found that Romans 8:28 (NIV) helps me to manage my expectations. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Like most Southern girls, I find that when the everyday stresses of life get to be too much, I often turn to my mama. Especially when I was younger, I would find myself in tears over some random event, convinced that I had screwed up beyond repair. I tend to be an overachiever; I want to do things right the first time and move on. Since I follow the rules, I expect things to go how I plan. Unfortunately, things don’t always work that way. When they don’t, especially when we feel that we have done our part, it is easy to be discouraged.

During these times, my mama often reminded me that nothing is ever wasted. As an impatient teenager, I was not particularly impressed.

It sounds so simple, too simple. “Nothing” can be lots of things - working jobs that are less than satisfying, taking unnecessary college courses, kissing lots of “frogs” before finding a prince.

When we are going through difficult times, it’s so easy to think we have made some kind of mistake, something that should not have happened. While everyone makes mistakes, often what we perceive as a mistake is really part of the process. God knows what we are going to do all along, so those divergences from the shortest course to our goals are all part of the plan.

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As I get a little older, I can look back on many occasions that I am grateful that situations have not worked out how I had planned. One example in particular involved a job that I had applied for. I had worked for the organization for several years, obtained an additional certification to be ready for the opportunity, and even got the recommendation from my supervisor to receive the promotion. I had done everything that I could possibly do, yet I still didn’t get the job I had prepared for, the job I felt that I deserved. When I first found out they gave it to someone else, with less experience and qualifications, I was stunned. I cried for a couple of hours. I asked God why this was happening to me. Then I got myself together. I knew there must be some reason that God didn’t want me to take that job, so He must have something better in mind for me. I immediately started looking online for other positions, things that I wouldn’t have considered before. It wasn’t long before I found a job that I hadn’t thought I would be interested in, but I picked up the phone and made a few calls. Within days, I had interviewed, accepted the job, and was on my way to a different path that God had prepared for me. As a bonus, this job was much closer to home and less demanding than the job I had wanted. It may not have been what I wanted, but it was what I needed. Even though I didn’t know it, God did.

I also have thought back about all the time and work that I did to prepare for the position that I didn’t get. Then, I remember all the people I met during those experiences.

Several of those people have provided connections for me in other areas, connections that I wouldn’t have made if I hadn’t been faithful to God’s path for me. Likewise, I feel that I have impacted them in ways that I may not have even known. I am reminded of Galatians 6:9 (NIV), “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” We are unknowingly planting seeds that will produce a harvest when we least expect it.

As I grow in my Christian faith, I am learning to rely less on my mama and more on God for strength when I face life’s troubles. Yet, I am still reminded of my mama’s words of encouragement. Nothing ever really is wasted.

Even though we often don’t see the benefits of those divergences from the course we had mapped out, God rewards faithfulness. If we keep on His path, listening to what He would have us do, we will be rewarded.

Genesis 1:25 NKJV And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Trudy Haywood Saunders is a teacher and freelance writer from North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and daughter.

She writes about a variety of topics that inspire her, but her writing remains true to her Christian values. She has written articles and stories for numerous publications. Trudy is the author of two middle-grade novels, Bigfoot & Basketball: a Lannie Reese Mystery, and Terror at Town Creek: a Lannie Reese Mystery. You can learn more about Trudy on her website, http://www.trudyhaywoodsaunders.com

Photos by Karen Ruhl

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BE WELL, FRANKEN-MAMA

by Gittel Fruma God is speaking to me through the shredded fabric nose of my son’s stuffed bear. The little bear, whom he affectionately dubbed “mama,” became my son’s companion after he abruptly decided he would no longer use his binkie, his pacifier. It fell on the floor at the store and I gave him a new one when we got home. But by then he had already resolved to reject binkies forever. He never took a binkie again. It was shocking because he was the kid who ALWAYS had his binkie in his mouth. I had wondered how I would ever get it away from him.

A couple of days after he was all done with the binkie, he got sick for the first time. He was inconsolable, with no means of coping. Then, I got the idea to give him the little bear. It was love at first bite. He started chewing the bear exclusively and refused all teethers. After about a month, I told my mom how attached he had become to the “mama.” Her response struck fear into my heart. “How many of these ‘mamas’ do you have?” Like a madwoman, I hunted down and bought three of the now discontinued bears.

I tried to save the mamas and cycle through them evenly, but once teeth started coming in, their little organic cotton noses didn’t stand a chance. About three months ago, I started having to mend them every time they got washed. We cycle through a mama at least every day. You can imagine what the mamas started to look like. In case you can’t, here’s an idea…

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Behold the transformation to Franken-mama.

I mended the one on the left with fabric from a sheet. The one on right lost cotton through the hole in its nose and became a very sad bear-pug. When my son found a stray thread on them, he brought them to me repeating “fix mama,” which resulted in some stitching or scissoring to temporarily mend the mama.

I decided to try re-stuffing their noses with a sheet. The process of slicing the mama’s actual nose open unsettled me, but it was necessary. As I sat there, using the point of my fabric scissors to stuff pieces of the sheet inside the mama’s nose, I started thinking about the daily lengths I go to for my son.

Here I was, performing this procedure on the first of four mamas, thinking about how best to get the job done in an aesthetically pleasing way so my son would be happy with a nose well-sewed. I have spent countless hours chasing after lost mamas, darning their noses, cutting pieces off them as they unravel, and searching for new ones on the internet. Why the obsession with the mamas?

Because I want my son to feel comforted, happy, and secure.

Even through my best efforts, I will never give my son what God can give him. I look at the badly stitched, blue-threaded nose of the mama and I think to myself, “this is so clearly my work.” There are times in life when we just need to commit our works to God, however imperfect they may be, and say, “Amen.”

I will continue to give my best to my son. He is a blessing from the Lord. I love him more with each passing day. And yet, I can never love him as much as God loves him. As I waited to meet him for nine months, God carefully crafted him inside my womb, down to the last hair that would someday be on his head. He loves him more than I’ll ever know or understand. He loves all of us that way.

The Holy Spirit wishes to have a relationship with each of us. He leaves nothing incomplete. He restores everything. He shapes us into the people He meant for us to be. As much as we let Him, He will transform our lives. There is nothing that He cannot do. He wills for all things to be used for our good. If God had mended the mama, she would have glowed upon leaving His gentle touch.

While I am here, laboring for the cause of my Messiah, I pray I would be found faithful in those things entrusted into my hand. Surely, my children will be the most precious things given to me to care for. My husband, my children, my sisters, my parents, my family in Christ, and all of those with whom God

knits me together should be the constant recipients of my wisdom and kindness. I will invest all I have into the Kingdom of God and I hope to be a light in the darkness all my days.

But my efforts alone will never be enough because they were never meant to be. I thank God that He sent His Son to be the sacrifice for my sins and that He sent the Holy Spirit to be my constant comforter on earth. I can’t do it by myself. I can’t live up to my own standards, let alone those of the One, Holy and Sovereign God. Someday, all things will be made new again, and all things broken will be made beautiful. In the meantime, I thank God for the work He does in our lives as we commit our paths to Him. This is the most important lesson I can teach my little son. When all else fails, including the nose of your mama, God will always be there for you. Be well, Franken-mama. May your nose be ever intact.

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually! (I Chronicles 16:11 KJV) Gittel Fruma came to believe in Jesus after growing up as an Orthodox Jew. Gittel lives with her husband and son in Clearwater, Florida. She is currently working on a book about her testimony and recording her first album. You can find her at her website GittelFruma.com or on Facebook at @GittelFrumaMusic.

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G LO R Y R E V E A L E D

by Nicole Byrum I am a therapist and writer who is passionate about family, faith, and recovery. I am the author of Remade: Living Free, a book that explores topics related to substance abuse, recovery, and unhealthy relationships from a biblical perspective.

Although I will forever be a “summer girl,” I have to admit- fall is pretty great! My runner’s heart was thrilled when the morning temperature dipped below 50 degrees a few days ago. I was almost giddy to run in shorts, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and gloves. This is the attire that signifies perfect running weather!

Autumn is also a time of beauty in the Midwest. Although the trees haven’t turned on their brilliant colored leaves just yet, this Ohio born girl finds the yet-to-be harvested fields of wheat, beans, and corn a pretty spectacular sight. The sunrises and sunsets are also magnificent this time of year. And there is just something about that crisp fall feeling that fills my heart with joy.

As I prepared to leave the office Monday evening, I gathered my things and prayed a quick prayer, asking God to show me His glory on my forty-minute westward drive home. Exiting the building, I breathed in the cool, fresh air. A beautiful fall night. It was just after 7:00 pm and although still light outside, the sun would soon set.

About 30 seconds into the drive, my eyes were immediately drawn to the perfectly round reddish-orange glowing ball of light in the sky. It was so gorgeous and so simple. This wasn’t a night where the horizon was a blaze of colors. On the contrary, the cloudy sky made the sun’s brilliance even more stunning. I smiled and thanked God for putting His glory on display. As the drive continued I began thinking about how amazing the sun is and how God created this world so perfectly! I can’t even wrap my mind around the sun. And that’s only one small aspect of His creation! Truly, the glory of God caused my heart to worship Him. And isn’t worship to be our response to His glory?

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To be sure, I felt loved upon seeing that beautiful sun so quickly after my prayer, and I thanked God for His kindness. And while the beauty displayed in the sky that night was a gift, it was a gift that was there so that my worship would glorify Him. John Piper, a renowned author and pastor, defined glory as “the radiance of the worth and beauty and greatness of God Himself.” God’s glory is what our hearts should hunger and thirst after, what we should crave more than anything else. If anyone can vouch for this, it would be Moses. In Exodus 24, God confirmed His covenant with Israel by revealing Himself and His glory to Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel on Mount Sinai. In verse 10, we are given this description: “There was under His feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.” Later in verse 16 Moses alone ascends to the top of the mountain where “the glory of the Lord dwelt.” The next verse describes what the Israelites beheld of this glory: “Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain.”

After such an indescribable experience, one might think this would forever satisfy Moses. But it doesn’t! A glimpse of God’s glory always leaves us with a desire for more. A few chapters later Moses said to God, “Please show me your glory.” Why? Because he wanted more! Moses had experienced a taste of it, and now he yearned for a full revelation. God graciously agreed and placed Moses in the cleft of a rock. While in that designated place, God passed by, allowing Moses to see His back (Exodus 33:22-23)

The Bible does not tell us, but I wonder how Moses responded to this unprecedented event! I can only imagine that he fell to his knees in awe and wonder as he worshipped his amazing God. After being with God for 40 days and nights, Moses descended the mountain with a full heart and a shining face. In fact, the people of Israel could not be in his presence without Moses veiling his face.

Such was the reflection of the glory of God in the face of Moses!

I love that Moses asked God to reveal His glory.

It’s not something I have typically prayed for, and the prayer I prayed the other night was seemingly random. But trust me, I will now pray for God to show me His glory regularly so that my heart may be inclined to worship Him even more. As the great theologian, Jonathan Edwards, said, “God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it.”

May it be so with us. May the posture of our hearts be ever bent in reverent worship as we see more and more of God’s glory revealed. And may we take delight in His glory above all else, remembering that the chief end of our lives is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Photos by Karen Ruhl

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Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf ​

Speaking in Tongues

By Kathleen and Matthew Schwab, with Chris McKinney Reviewed by Craig Ruhl For me, the spiritual gifts of tongues and interpretation have been an area of mystery and some confusion. The authors of this book have presented simple explanations of the gifts by relating personal experiences and Biblical references. I enjoyed the authors’ writing styles and found Speaking in Tongues to be easy to read and understand. Previously, my reading on the subject has left me confused and skeptical about these gifts. After reading this book, I feel I have a much better understanding and appreciation of Spirit-lead gifts.​ We recommend ordering the Speaking in Tongues book!

Amazon link

We have now opened up our newest addition, the Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf. If you have a book you would like us to review and feature, please call or email Craig at 828-305-8571 for information. Email: Team@faithoneverycorner.com

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Speaking In Tongues by Matthew & Kathleen Schwab, with Chris McKinney is available at Amazon.com Click the book cover to go directly to this book.

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A Seed, a Cocoon, and a Door

by Pam McCormick

A tiny seed, given plenty of water, sunshine, and the right amount of time can turn into a tiny green sprout rising through the cold, dark dirt, that envelopes it. The tiny sprout can become a crop to feed one person. The crop, if allowed to blow in the wind, will make even more seeds, more sprouts, and even more crops, all given time. Many will be fed and live, and it all started with the smallest seed.

A cocoon holds a tiny worm inside, its boundaries tightly woven, but the worm not satisfied with being just a worm bites a small hole in the cocoon to escape to the outside where the sun and the rain and the wind will beat down. The worm squeezes through the tiniest of openings, never choosing to make the hole bigger by taking a few more bites here and there, but willingly choosing to allow the hurt to happen, as instinctually it knows a greater plan awaits it, and in so doing, becomes the most beautiful butterfly soaring towards the heavens. It is said that if anyone tried to make the hole larger on the side of the cocoon; the butterfly was that to be, would die, and never break through to the life it was intended to have.

A door is open, or a door is closed. If a door is closed, nothing can get in, but if that same door is opened, possibilities are endless. Eyes hidden in the deep recesses of one’s soul speak passion that no one sees. Like the worm in the cocoon and the seed in the ground, the passion lies buried, fearing that the pain would be too great, the way would be too difficult, and yet having a peace born inside that, despite all the unknowns, I have Someone who loves me more than I can imagine and has plans for my life, that I cannot fathom.

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If I stay dormant like a seed buried and cold in the ground, I will never see the potential for feeding many that each seed can have. If I stay tightly wrapped in my cocoon and never venture out to see how beautiful life really can be, I will die inside never realizing what was available to me, because I lacked the faith to believe. And, just as a door can be closed to hold all pain within, an open door can provide healing from someone who desperately desires to help me, so I can move forward and find peace within myself and in the comfort of friends that understand, sometimes without ever uttering a single word.

Something beautiful, something good, is waiting on the other side of the seed, the cocoon, and the door. Am I willing to find out what it is, even if it’s not according to my timetable or my agenda, but is in God’s Hands to do?

It is my heart’s desire to be who I was created to be, and although others have defined me and tried to tell me who I am, I grasp wholeheartedly to who Christ says I am. I am me.

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”-- the things God has prepared for those who love him -- these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV)

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalms 139:14 NIV) “For I am The Lord your God, Who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV) “But those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

What Will You Do When It All Comes True?

By Mike Buchanan

When friends are taken by Jesus to their new home, Mike Buchanan is a Christian writer and the author of the book Mountains of Hope Surrounding the Valley of Cancer.

He uses his writing talents to further Jesus’ Gospel.

Click on the cover to purchase Mike’s book from Amazon.

And in earth’s greatest darkness you must roam.

What will you do when it all comes true?

When to buy or sell you must take Satan’s brand A loyalty mark on your forehead or right hand.

What will you do when it all comes true?

When finally the world feels all of God’s wrath, You will too if you’re still on the wrong path.

What will you do when it all comes true?

When you stand before the great white throne.

And for your sins, you alone must atone.

What will you do when it all comes true?

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Pause and Pray

by Tynea Lewis

Tynea Lewis is a teacher turned work-from-home mom. She and her husband live in Pennsylvania with their two children, and they love spending time together at their family cabin. Tynea remembers loving to write as early as first grade. She has a heart for encouraging others in the midst of their messes. You can connect with her at her personal blog (www.tynea-lewis.com),

Sometimes my schedule overwhelms me. It feels as though I’m juggling too many things. My plate is overflowing, and I’m simply trying to survive.

When I become overwhelmed, I’m quick to respond in ways that hurt the people around me.

I snap at my kids and husband. I also allow the stress to pull my mood down while the anxiety in my mind rises.

When I’m snapping at my kids…

When I’m irritated with my husband…

When I just want to run away from my problems…

I need to pause.

I need to pray.

When our world feels like it’s spinning out of control, we try to grab onto anything around us to pull us out of the chaos, but how often do we just stop for a moment?

Sitting at the feet of Jesus puts everything into perspective. Quieting my busy mind allows me to hear the whispers that give clarity and direction.

It’s so hard for me to do that. It’s so hard for me to press pause when it feels like I’ve gotten caught up in everything around me.

Psalm 62:5-6 (NIV) says, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

I need to do better about silencing all the noise.

I need to pause and pray. Instead of trying to control everything on my own, I need to give it over to God. When I’m anxious…

When I’m fearful…

When I’m too busy…

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Lord, thank you for being a constant in my life.

You are the only one who can breathe life into my weary soul. My focus needs to be on you, and too often it’s not. I ask that you forgive me for looking to the world instead of to you. Keep my eyes and heart focused on you, and remove the things from my schedule that don’t belong there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Melissa Henderson is a writer of inspirational messages. Her first book for children, “Licky the Lizard”, was released in 2018. She also has a story in the compilations “Heaven Sightings” and “Remembering Christmas.” Her passions are helping in community and church. Melissa is an Elder, Deacon, and Stephen Minister. She and her husband, Alan, moved from Virginia to South Carolina to be near her son, daughter-in-law and first grandchild. The family motto is “It’s Always A Story With The Hendersons”.

Follow Melissa on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and at http://www.melissaghenderson.com

Barefoot at the Country Store

By Melissa Henderson

My parents taught me many valuable lessons when I was a young child. Their guidance and wisdom helped me along the path of life. When I stumbled, Mama and Daddy were there to discipline and encourage.

One of my favorite times as a young girl was the beginning of Spring. Behind the garage and beside the chain-link fence dividing our property from the neighbor, Daddy would till the soil to prepare for planting.

Daddy enjoyed growing vegetables. Mama enjoyed growing flowers. With the rich soil tilled and ready for planting, Daddy and I rode in the Oldsmobile and headed to the local country store. We would purchase items needed to prepare for a healthy and fruitful garden.

I often went shoeless in the spring and summer. No flipflops, no sandals, no tennis shoes. Just bare feet that required a hard scrubbing during the nighttime bath to get the dirt off.

As Daddy drove to the country store I looked out of the car window for certain landmarks on our trip. The gas station, a local department store, a chain grocery store, the bowling alley, and a neighborhood full of houses and people. We usually found a parking place in front of the old-time country store. Daddy parked, and I patiently waited to hop out of the car and begin the search for seeds.

As I stepped inside the market, my toes squished the dirt. A good feeling for a young girl who loved the outdoors. I knew I would need a long bath that night.

Squish once, squish twice, and squish a third time for fun.

The aroma of a dirt floor, fresh peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and much more gave me a feeling of comfort as we entered the outdoor country store.

Scales swaying in the breeze hung from the ceiling so

people could weigh produce before heading for the checkout line. Small white signs outlined in black listed prices over each item. Pickle relish, raspberry jam, pepper vinegar, and more were displayed in mason jars atop wooden crates.

Daddy showed me which items were the best for planting and having a bountiful harvest. He gathered seeds and other supplies. Placing fresh red and green tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, and peaches in the basket to purchase, we found our spot in the checkout line.

Returning home, we showed Mama all the items we had purchased. I would go to the flower store with her later.

I would have to wear shoes at that store.

Behind the garage and beside the fence, I knelt with my Daddy as he showed me how to poke a hole in the dirt with my pointer finger and gently place a seed in the hole and then cover with soil. A slow process that taught patience.

A week later, after watering our garden and waiting for any sign of growth, a few sprouts popped out of the soil. Hooray! We were growing vegetables. Soon we would have carrots, radishes, butter beans, potatoes, and more.

Many weeks later, our family could take a basket to the garden and enjoy the harvest of the planting. Homegrown vegetables taste delicious!

While we enjoyed the harvest of vegetables, I also couldn’t wait to go back and enjoy being “barefoot at the country store.”

Even today, the feel of the earth between my toes brings special harvest memories.

Have a blessed Autumn! - Melissa Henderson

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The Harvest Is Abundant, But The Workers Are Few

by Scott Dunn

Those words were spoken by Jesus Christ over two millennia ago, and they still ring true today.

Typically, we look at harvesting as a seasonal thing. It is how we recognize that summer and fall are exchanging places on our planet. Farmers work to pull the fruits of their labor from the ground and sell or store it for future use.

The Bible has many stories around the harvest and its necessity for human survival. When you see a subject crop up in the Bible, so many times, there must be some significance there. From the Old Testament to the New, we have examples of the harvest and the separation of the fruit of the harvest from the waste. In Daniel 2:35, we have King Nebuchadnezzar with a dream where the ungodly nations of the world represent elements of an idol that disintegrate before the victory of God’s Kingdom.

John the Baptist portrayed Jesus as the winnower or harvester of grain, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12 ESV) 24 | M AG A Z I N E N A M E PAGE 3 23

John the Baptist was communicating more than just the coming of Christ. He was telling people what Jesus was going to do, in full, albeit in only a few words. First, he said to us that Jesus was coming to save the world by his proclamation of baptism through the Holy Spirit. This is the gift we receive when we accept Christ and commit to living our lives for Him. Secondly, he tells us that Christ will save His harvest and burn the chaff in unquenchable fire.

There is but one place where the fire is unquenchable, and that is eternal separation from God. The chaff of a plant is its unusable portion.

It has no nourishment and provides nothing good. The picture of harvesting is an allegory of God’s work within humanity. We are his harvest; the chaff is our sins and those who are not believers. Still, at that time, people did not understand everything that was being spoken to them.

Therefore, the Bible is an eternal message from God.

We are still discovering the messages that God gives us in His Word. What we know today is that Christ came, he healed, ministered on how to live, taught his apostles, and then died for our sins. The work Jesus accomplished was the start of the harvest that humanity so desperately needed. He pointed this out in Matthew 9:36-38 (CSB), “When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

His dialogue here is not just that the harvest is abundant, but that more workers are needed for Kingdom work. This is the call for Christians to fulfill the Great Commission. This Kingdom work is not just about loving our neighbor or caring for the poor. Those are things anyone can do; they require compassion or some financial endeavor.

Truly leaning into harvesting and doing Kingdom work is spreading the Gospel and helping make disciples. Those are the worker’s Christ calls for. The men and women who commit to living like Christ and submit themselves to God’s sovereignty, just as he did by bleeding out for you and me. Are we going to do that perfectly? Absolutely not, but a true transformation from sinner to saved arms you with the tools, stronger will, and fellowship to resist those old ways.

Jesus taught the world in parables because many opposed his direct teachings. He quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 concerning this, and so he used these stories to teach people about faith in God. The Parable of the Soils (Mark 4:1-20) is, in my humble opinion, the most crucial parable that Christ gave the world. To summarize, a sower is spreading seed for harvesting later, and the seeds fall upon four different types of ground.

• Along the path—The seeds get devoured by birds • On the rocky ground—The seeds germinate quickly but dies from lack of soil to root itself • Among thorns—The seeds had no chance; the thorns choked them and yielded no grain • Among good soil—The seeds produced grain in abundance beyond the sower’s comprehension That leaves us with some interesting dialogue to digest. The saved are the workers of God’s harvest.

They are charged with sowing the fields and reaping them when the time is right. What kind of sower are you? One full of pithy Christian clichés with zero substance that evaporates as soon as it leaves your lips. A sower that has promise but cultivates in a shallow rocky field where the start is impressive, but the long-term care is nonexistent. Maybe a sower that lures in the potential of life and then proceeds to strangle it into submission, providing no nourishment whatsoever but using it for your work, and not God’s?

Or are you a sower who is striving to work with people as whole beings? Working to cultivate them in mind, body, and spirit so that they too can join the harvest. I strive to be the latter so that God can say to me, Well done, my good and faithful servant!

Don’t you long to hear that too?

Scott Dunn is a Christian husband and father who has spent over 15 years in the telecommunications industry. He is the founder of Talking with God (https://twgpodcast.com), a podcast that seeks to educate and encourage a closer relationship with God. Scott is a northerner who migrated south and has fully acclimated to the wonderful area known as the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He serves at his local church by helping with the production and online streaming of services. He has a genuine passion for the Christian man and his responsibilities, often writing about them on his blog https://justholdfast.com. Here he shares open and real-life experiences so that other men can relate to the human condition and how that relates to a stronger love relationship with God.

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Lynn Story Downham is a fourth generation artist who returned to North Carolina in 2014 after twenty-six years on the Florida panhandle. Her seventh family tree commission was for a “family tree for Jesus.” Twenty years later she is a born-again believer with a best-selling print, a beautiful family and a passion for sharing Christ through her art. Find out more on Facebook by looking up “Lynn Story Downham’s Art” or “Lynn Downham Jesus Tree.”

BITTERSWEET HARVEST

By Lynn Downham I come from a family of artists. Myself, my mother, my grandmother, and my great-grandparents all drew and painted growing up. We drew and painted during careers and taking care of family, and have had more time as we got older to continue to draw and paint. Praise God. We have just moved my mother, Shirley, to an assisted living facility so that her care needs could continue to be met. Before the move, she lived in a beautiful house in our backyard that my husband and other contractors built for her. We hoped that she could remain there until the Lord called her home. As is so often the case, that was not the Lord’s plan. She is now in a community of seniors and has much more social interaction and yes; she has her drawing and painting supplies with her and is set up near a window with a beautiful view.

Mom’s favorite subject to paint is God’s creation.

She watched the passing of the seasons like a wonderful montage sent from our loving Father in heaven. Her favorite song and the one she has asked to be played at her memorial service is “In the Seed There is a Flower.” She passed on this love of nature to me and my brothers, and, indeed, nature is one of my favorite subjects to paint. Would I have looked at the wonderful trees that the Lord calls me to paint with the same love and wonder without her guidance? I think not.

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As we move into the stunningly picturesque fall season with its rainbow of colors, I will harvest the memories of ironing fall leaves into wax paper for stained glass windows, using pumpkins in still life paintings for their color, and making the last memories with Mom so sweet so we may hold on to them until we see her again. Several friends have lost loved ones this month and the Lord’s harvest of souls marches on. I know where Mom will be going. My job is to live, speak, teach, and paint other souls into the great harvest that is ongoing and will continue until our Lord returns.

This month’s art is for you, Mom.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” -James 5:7-8

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Carl’s mom writes him letters occasionally. Carl is her only child. Carl’s father died when he was in college. Living in the Arizona, Carl calls his Mom in the Carolinas as often as he can on Sundays. Carl’s mom is in her 80s. She lives in a contemporary world with old fashioned values.

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DEAR CARL

Anna Friend

Dear Carl, Son, I am sitting here laughing at my dining table filled with the oddest vegetables. I have a cabbage big as a human head, bigger than your uncle Bart’s, a butternut squash - the shape of a pregnant woman, and a pumpkin, small, perfectly round, and speckled. I am having a good day. Arthritis and hip pains went easy on me this morning. I went on a field trip with the senior center. They socially distanced us by putting us 6 to a bus with 2 aisles of seats between us. We all had to wear those dreadful masks. The bus smelled of Lysol but not a pleasant scent, more like a hospital smell. My dear friend did not go with us. She has taken a turn back to weakness. I hate cancer. The fall weather has made life a bit more comfortable, but with it comes certain sadness. Carl, life has its seasons of pruning, shedding of old, and yet new harvests, like the crazy produce I bought. It distorts us, but we remain useful and good in many ways. I know I sound philosophical. Hey, a big word for your mama! I guess I see myself slowing down. I am tired. The slower pace of fall will be welcomed.

Don Juan, the gardener, is at his all too friendly antics again. He pulled up all the old plantings in my garden and planted fresh, colorful mums. He told me, “I plant beautifoo flores para usted.” I wish I could remember his actual name. He is a gentle, 60 something man. He is just messing with this old woman. He is truly like a son taking care of his mom… like you. I hope you get to come next month with the family for Thanksgiving as planned. Your boys each sent pictures of my great-grands this week. I have heard from them more recently. Do they think I am dying? I am, but not just yet. The only thing I am dying for is hugs. I miss you all so much. They asked me on the trip this morning why I did not move to Arizona. I guess I should but, I could not leave our house. Also, I do not want to leave this South that I love. Son, it is not the same old South, but it is still filled with good people, manners, and familiarity that gives me security and hope.

Well, my coffee pot just beeped. I am getting ready to read my Bible. It still looks too new. I have had it for three years now. Even though I read it daily, it still does not look like Preacher Larry’s. How about I look up a special verse for you now? Let me put this pen down a minute.

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.

But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10) Preacher Larry says we are to love others and do good things, even when people are unkind. He says we will be blessed. Mostly we will be happy knowing that we are following Jesus, and someday we will see Him in heaven. He simply explains things to me. I hope this word helps you, son. Plan on doing good for others. Start with Donna. She needs lots of attention. Take her to that fancy hotel where you all’s neighbor friends went. She told me all about it. I love you, son. Go get some healthy food. Call me.

Love, Mom

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T H E O R I G I N A L FA C T C H E C K E R

by Craig Ruhl

One Sunday, many years ago, my wife, Karen, and I attended a church near our new home for the first time. While getting seated for the morning worship service, I noticed that many of the congregation had brought their Bibles into church with them. The rack in the back of the pew in front of us had enough Bibles and hymnals for the number of people seated in our row, and I presumed that was true for all the pews in the church. I wondered why people brought their own instead of using the ones provided. It occurred to me that maybe people liked to use different versions, and they wanted to highlight or make notes in their personal Bible.

The choral worship portion of the service ended. As we sat back down, the pastor took his place behind the podium he would preach from. Opening his Bible, he told us he would read the day’s scripture verse to prepare for the sermon he would deliver.

Looking up, he told us that before starting he wanted us all to take our Bibles out, locate the chapter and verse and prepare to follow along as he read. I heard the rustling sounds of books being opened and pages being leafed through. After a few moments, the pastor read the verses, pausing for emphasis, and then ending in prayer.

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What happened next took me by surprise. The pastor held his closed Bible aloft in his outstretched hand.

He explained why we should bring our personal Bible to church with us. To my surprise, the first reason he gave was that we, as Christians, need to be careful about the information we receive. The example he gave was the Bible passages he had just read. Most of us assume that the pastor or minister leading the service knows what he or she is talking about and they are using correct biblical text in their teaching.

We were told that it is our responsibility to confirm that what we are hearing is true and the only way to do that is to look it up for ourselves. He explained the need for us to make notes on what he shared and taught in his sermons. The purpose of doing this was not just to have a record we could go back to; it provided reference points that we could look up later and verify for ourselves. This was feeling more like a college class than the church services I knew while growing up. What an eye-opener for me. A pastor is telling me I should be fact-checking his sermons and then teaching us how to go about it.

Fast forward to today. The church is different for us this year with a pandemic virus curtailing our gathering inside a physical church building. We gather instead in front of our computer screens, tablets, or cell phones to watch and listen to church services. Karen and I have our Bibles open on our desks while we worship digitally with our church.

Our pastor sends out sermon notes in advance with key scripture verses highlighted and areas to make notes. This makes it simple to follow along in our Bible as he preaches and teaches. We take this open Bible practice further by using our Bibles daily when we pray, read devotionals, and follow a daily scripture reading plan. Karen uses a study Bible which adds the benefit of explanation and provides context.

Since both of us write, edit, and publish Christian content, we constantly refer to our Bible to make sure we are not going astray.

Various translations of the Bible offer the same message but often use wording that makes it easier to understand and relate. Be careful, there are some “versions” that distort truths and may camouflage a non-Christian agenda. When in doubt about a certain Bible version, check with your pastor or a trusted church leader. The original King James Bible is always a good place to start and is the one my family always had at home and my early church ministers taught from. Karen and I now use the New King James Version or New International Version because the wording is easier for us to understand and relate to.

As an alternative to a paper Bible, there are many good Bible software programs and applications available for the computer and mobile devices. We have seen many worshipers in the church who use a tablet or cell phone app instead of a Bible. The important thing is to look it up for yourself, so you know what you are learning is the truth.

There is a lot of misinformation being shared in our society, and much of it concerns our Christian faith. If you use any of the social media platforms so popular today, you will see instances of abuse of scripture quotations and biblical teachings. From verses taken out of context to outright misrepresentation, what we read can not only be misleading but damaging too if we believe it without verifying the facts. It is our responsibility to discern right from wrong and what is the truth from falsehoods. We are also not to further the misrepresentation and untruths by sharing or passing that information to others.

On social media, I frequently see a post that someone questions as not being correct. There are several “fact checking” sources often cited when refuting the original post. Ironically, even those sources are suspect at times. We are all familiar with the “Fake News” frenzy that has pervaded our society. With so much information that just isn’t correct or true, it’s a wonder we can tell up from down or in from out.

Biblical truth. We need to be diligent in studying scripture and applying what we learn to what the world is telling us.

The Whole Armor of God is the scripture found in Ephesians 6:10-20. We are told in verse 11, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may stand against the wiles of the devil.” (NKJV) One of the 6 items of armor mentioned in this passage is, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17b (NJKV) This is the basis for us to use when confronted by the devil’s lies. Jesus used this armor whenever he was being tempted by the devil. As our pastor taught us, keep your Bible at hand and learn to check for truthfulness using God’s word.

“And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’”

But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Ephesians 4:3-4 (NKJV) This verse says it best, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31 NKJV) God gave his instructions to his people long before any dictionary, encyclopedia, or online fact-checker.

It is all contained in your Bible and always will be the last word.

How are we to be discerning and wise about what to believe? Pray. Prayerfully ask for the wisdom and discernment to know and understand what God wants us to know and what He would have us do.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. We can use our Bible to verify that what we are reading or being told is

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Truth About Unity You Should Not Ignore

By Joseph Akinrinola Every successful family, church, community, organization, and nation thrive on unity. Even nature gives us the best because all the elements work in unity. You understand what it means when we experience the eclipse of the sun. This is when nature obstructs its unity. Without mincing words, the Holy Trinity also operates by the law of unity.

This was demonstrated in the baptism of Jesus, and the process of our salvation. (Matthew 3:1317, 28:19) To say the least, we are healthy only when our body parts work in unity.

So, what is unity?

Conflict arises when we can’t properly define what unity is. At times, our wrong understanding of this concept will lead to violating each other’s rights. It could also mean we will lose our right or privilege for the sake of unity. To Christians, there are times we compromise our faith, and by implication our eternity because we want to be at peace with others.

Unity is the coming together of people from different backgrounds and opinions to achieve a common goal. (Amos 3:3) Let me run through some facts about unity, so you can enjoy your relationship anywhere you find yourself.

• Unity is everybody’s responsibility. (Matthew 18:19) No one achieves anything meaningful in isolation. Unity will be elusive if we expect only the leader or leaders to do it. Right, leaders must lead by example, yet no leader makes headway without the support of the followers, no matter how laudable his idea or dream may be. Jesus, God in man when he was on earth, could not be in more than one place at a time. This was why he recruited the disciples. The appointment of the disciples increased his outreach. In other words, unity divides the work but multiplies the output.

So, name-calling or blame-shifting will never promote unity. To enjoy the dividend of unity, everyone must play his or her role.

• Unity does not eliminate conflict. It is wrong to assume that because we preach or live in unity, conflict will not arise. In fact, the more diverse we are, the more likely we are to have conflict. If we understand human beings, we know we can’t avoid conflict. In a genuine sense, conflict is healthy if we handle our misunderstanding rightly. To the best of my knowledge, conflict reveals both the strong and the weak areas of our relationship. The more we come to terms with one another’s differences, the more we are likely to relate better. It is clear from Matthew 18:18 and Luke 17:1 that conflict is inevitable. So, get prepared for it as you seek for unity.

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• Sometimes you should oppose unity. Sometimes conflict or disunity is healthy. Some prices are too heavy to pay for peace and unity. I believe it is wrong to unite or cooperate with people of questionable character. It is morally and spiritually correct to back out from any alliance that will dent your image. For instance, if Adam had stood his ground when Eve offered him the forbidden fruit; the narratives of humanity may be different today. (Genesis 3) The unity of Noah’s generation led to the language barrier we have today. (Genesis 11:1-9) The case of Ananias and his wife is another example of when unity is not good. Both conspired to lie to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5:1-11) Look at the lives of Jesus and the disciples; they were at odds with the religious leaders because they knew where and when the leaders erred on the scriptures.

Therefore, never compromise with anyone or anything that will truncate your visa to eternity because you seek unity.

Togetherness is a matter of understanding.

Accepting the uniqueness of the other person will build our unity. To also see the good side of other people’s opinions and personality is germane to building a unified and robust relationship. Moreover, a relationship that is without any form of conflict is surely built on pretense and deceit. Equally, playing the sitting back role will make unity elusive. Remember, anybody’s job is nobody’s job.

I am Joseph, an author, blogger, and content writer from Nigeria. In the field of writing, I deliver unique, grammatically correct, and plagiarism-free content. Currently, I work with three online firms specializing in motivation, human capacity development, lifestyle, relationship, and spiritual writings.

• Unity does not erode your personality. The best form of togetherness is unity in diversity.

God created us differently, and that makes life beautiful and interesting. (Psalms 139:14) At best, cultivate a certain habit to suit your community. While it is okay to compromise in some areas to promote unity, it is dangerous to be a puppet and be unhappy with yourself. But another problem arises when you insist everybody should be like you. Check the operation of the trinity, and you will see unity in diversity.

For instance, the Son was being baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him for support, and the father spoke to confirm the messiahship of the Son. (Matthew 3:13-17) The problem comes when the nose takes up the work of the mouth.

Close your mouth or nose for about ten minutes, breathing using just one or the other. You will discover a big difference compared to when both are functioning together.

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Pilot and Elkin, North Carolina

by Karen Ruhl Craig and I had a great road trip driving up US 77 from North Carolina into Virginia - VA is for Lovers you know!

Our original desitination was Pilot Mountain in North Carolina. We wanted to see and photograph the metamorphic quartzite monadnock that rises to a peak 2,421 feet above sea level.

According to Wikipedia, it is supposed to be one of the most distinctive natural features in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As we got to the park entrance, Covid19 struck again! Too many people in the park; we were turned away.

As we drove out of the park we could see this massive monadnock out of the window of our car.

It looks pretty impressive and will be a site for a future trip.

We saw a roadsign for the city of Pilot. Any of you Andy Griffith fans will know Pilot - it was the big city up from Mayberry (modeled after Mt. Airy).

We saw a sign and were ready to go to Aunt Bee’s Restaurant but it turned out to be a franchised business so we went to Uncle Gary’s instead. We then visited Elkin, NC where most of these photos were taken. Such a nice historic town, with murals on the walls of the downtown buildings and it looked like all of the stores were open and active.

As always, I recommend you and your family get in the car and take a long drive. We watch for the brown We continued our trip up into Virginia, where we signs which always take us to great parks or historic drove through Fancy Gap and got some of the downtowns. Pick a destination, or take turns deciding best tomatoes and corn on the cob to take home! which direction you will turn in. Get lost in the beauty Yum. We also revisited the Mabry Mill and then surrounding you and enjoy your day out. Blessings. headed home after an 11 hour car drive.

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Enduring the Process Obeying the Voice of God

by Jessie Garcia With over 20 years of ministerial service, I am a dedicated servant of God. My passion is to live and work for God and bring others into an intimate relationship with God. I understand that this life comes with many challenges and many have stumbled along the way. I am committed to helping those get back up and continue their journey towards a successful walk with God. God’s Kingdom will advance with strong men and women building strong families.

Like a sound that has echoed through time, the words from the Prophet Samuel, “It is better to obey than to sacrifice ”(1 Samuel 15:22 KJV), have been a constant reminder to let us know where our focus should be. We all want to get to the right place, have the right things, and be in a place where we can sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labors, but it is easy to find ourselves taking shortcuts to get there sooner.

Throughout our life, we have been consistently taught to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. As adults, we spend a lot of time with our children trying to develop a strong character in them so they too can understand the difference between right and wrong.

Even as adults, knowing what is right may not always be the best choice at that moment. We make sacrifices to survive. In our desperation, the sacrifices we make may be good at that precise moment but might eventually yield consequences that are unbearable to deal with.

To give my wife some peace and quiet at home, I often will take my son out for dinner. A guy’s night out (he’s only six years old). The kid’s meal at the place where he enjoys eating comes with a dessert. I am trying to teach him to be inde-

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pendent so when the waitress asks him, “would you like your dessert after the meal or would you like for me to bring it out now?” I let him make that decision. He knows that I do not allow him to eat his dessert first, but he always asks to have it brought out with his meal. When the meal comes, he quickly goes for dessert first. I give him the look and he says to me, “What’s the difference if I eat it now, it’s all going to end up in the same place.”

When we read the story of King Saul, it is easy to overlook some interesting points of this story that go beyond Saul’s disobedience. His disobedience resulted from a bad decision which was a result of his desperation. His desperation came from the emotion and the emotion was driven by thought. If we play it forward, it will look like this, “If I do not do something, I am going to lose. If I lose, I will probably die, I don’t want to die so I am going to do what seems right at this moment!” Saul disobeyed, but what drove him to that point to make a bad decision? His orders were simple, “Wait.” What is the fear of failure?

What is the weight on his shoulders that the kingdom of Israel depended on him? What is his drive for success?

As my son was trying to make it known to me, “Does it matter what order I eat in? It is all going to the same place.” I question myself, “Was God going to eventually give Saul the victory?” Yes! We will end up in the same place, but God knows the road that lies ahead of us and His timing is perfect. Doing things out of order or sooner than the indicated time may cause an unbalance.

If my son would eat the ice-cream first, it may cause his stomach to hurt because it is trying to digest the hard food first, but the ice-cream is in the way. Saul’s job was to wait for Samuel before they went into battle. It was a simple task. Elisha told the servant of Naaman to go to the Jordan river and wash seven times.” It was a simple task yet, it was difficult. The servant said to Naaman, “If the prophet would have required you something more difficult, would you do it?”

What are we sacrificing today? Are we sacrificing our ability to do simple things to get ahead? Are we sacrificing the Lord’s voice over our desperate situation? Are we so eager to achieve something great and become known that we are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get there? Do we sacrifice our convictions, morals, ethics, and values?

We all want a nice home and a nice car, but are we willing to sacrifice our family working two jobs to achieve the perfect home and car? We want church growth and ministries, but are we sacrificing prayer meetings and Bible studies?

There are many sacrifices that we can choose to make, but sometimes all that God is asking from us is just to do the simple things, “Seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness first, and all else will be added,” (Mat. 6:33 KJV). It’s a simple commandment, just seek God. It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It’s the simple things that make a difference.

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Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf I​ n Love With Marriage

By Jessie Garcia Reviewed by Karen Ruhl When I first started reading this book, I wondered about the title. It starts by introducing Jessie’s very interesting upbringing and tells about what his perception of marriage was based on television programs he watched. But Jessie’s life is anything but a television script of a perfect family.

As you learn about Jessie’s progress into ministry, you will become more engrossed with his life and how the influencers helped him to make bad choices.

I love how Jessie talks about the television marriages and relates to the discovery of the reasons why we marry. Many of us are in love with marriage and have made bad choices. This book will make you take a good hard look at yourself and those you may influence. It is a good read and I highly recommend it.

We have now opened up our newest addition, the Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf. If you have a book you would like us to review and feature, please call or email Craig at 828-305-8571 for information. Email: Team@faithoneverycorner.com

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In Love With Marriage by Jessie Garcia is available at Amazon.com Click the book cover to go directly to this book.

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Godlessness & Knowledgeable Freedom

By Jerry A. Davidson Jerry A. Davidson lives in Alexander, AR with his wife, Amy. He is a hymn writer and singer, as well as an author. He desires to write stories and songs that bring glory to God through a deep understanding of His Word and design for the world.

“With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.” Proverbs 11:9 (ESV) We live in a world seeking ever more to be godless. It is taken as a badge of honor for a lot of folks to say they are “spiritual, but not religious” or to say they don’t believe at all in any sort of higher power. Prayer has been taken out of schools, God and His standards are being increasingly taken out of all public teaching, and as a consequence, moral evolution (also known as sinful human nature) is decaying American culture and the world as a whole. This “progressive” repressiveness doesn’t stop at a line being drawn and both sides “live and let live.” The wicked, godless people of this world are building up in their hearts the desire to destroy their God-fearing neighbors. Notice here, I do not say that we should fear them. If you fear man more than God, that is a whole other issue you must deal with first. I am talking about escaping the Biblically prophesied ambition of godless people to destroy the godly.

So how do we as Christians escape this prophecy? The answer is right there in Proverbs 11:9b, “by knowledge…” But there is a prerequisite. You must be righteous, which is achieved through faith in Christ, but righteousness alone doesn’t physically save you from those who are seeking to destroy you.

There are two things to be saved from in this world, the first being MUCH more important.

First, we must be saved from the judgment of

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God because of our sin and guilt, which is now achieved through faith in Jesus Christ, who then retroactively takes on all of our sins to maintain the justness and righteousness of God while simultaneously delivering a chosen people from God’s creation as adopted sons and daughters.

Second, those who are not predestined to be saved due to their God-foreseen choice to remain enslaved to sin are so caught up in the twisted lies of sin that they see righteousness as evil and sin as righteousness and therefore seek to destroy those who live by righteousness.

But doesn’t righteousness deliver us from evil?

Proverbs 11:6 (ESV) says, “The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.” Likewise, Proverbs 11:8 (ESV) says, “The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead.”

These two verses show that righteousness delivers from pitfalls, sins, and slavery to the flesh, but it does not always save you from the external influence and deceptively destructive intentions of the godless and wicked. These verses talk about personal, internal sin, and deliverance. So how are we to be saved from the intentions of godless men to wreck our thinking, our marriages, our habits, or our children? “… but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.” To live righteously is a good, even great thing. To live righteously and knowledgeably is an excellent thing! So what is knowledge?

The word knowledge in Hebrew is Daath (dah’ath)—from the root word Yada which means “to know”—just as it is used in Genesis in the

name of the tree of Knowledge (daath) of good and evil, and it is similarly used in Genesis in the phrase “and they knew (yada) that they were naked.”

So quite literally, by information or informed understanding of the nature and methods of good and evil will we be delivered. The knowledge of the ways sin and death operate reveals how godless men may attack our ambitions to live righteously, and knowledge of righteous living under God’s law reveals and delivers us from the world’s destructive influence. The knowledge we need is the knowledge of God’s Word and His freely given wisdom about what sin is and how it works and how to live righteously.

What do we know from the first half of Proverbs 11:9 about these godless people? Quite a lot! First, it says, “With his mouth…” Proverbs and other Scripture make a clear distinction between the mouth of a man and his normal speech. For example, in Proverbs 10:31(ESV) it talks about “The mouth of the righteous…”, and in the very next verse it says “The lips of the righteous…” There is a difference in Hebrew between one’s mouth and one’s speech/lips.

The Hebrew word Peh means “mouth” and has to do with the root of the output of our speech or the portal through which we receive things which then come to define our output. The Hebrew word Saphah means “lips/speech/edge” and has to do with literal speech. Just as the edge of the knife is what cuts, it is the actionable speech of a person that defines the external influence of that person.

Therefore, this verse is saying that the root of a godless person seeks to destroy his neighbor. Now the reference of “neighbor” would also refer to a relationship. There is a reason that the word for “lips/speech” is not used, because the actual words of a godless person may not be the destructive thing.

Often, especially nowadays, the root, words, and actions of a godless people seek to destroy Christians and their neighbors all over the world. We see this in day-to-day violence across the world, but also in the people who seek to shut down churches by declaring them “non-essential.” But in this verse, we are going to a deeper, more subtle level of violence. The Bible is saying that the root of a godless person is seeking to destroy us. Sin is so knowledgeable and deceptive as to know that if you can make your enemy hate itself, it will destroy itself or at the very least become ineffective. Proverbs 10:11b (ESV) says, “the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” This means that the root of the wicked is violent, yet conceals it in their actions (or in their speech). Subtly dismantling the faith of a

Christian is a violent act by a godless person. THIS is what we must watch for. What godlessly based ideologies do you follow or tolerate? What wicked sins do you not fight back against wisely and firmly in the power of the Holy Spirit?

The fall in the garden revealed unknown evil and lies to us, but those evils and lies mixed with the God-given free will to build and create things of our own (as God did, and we are made in His image) begot in us a willful enslavement to methods of arrogant self-worship achieved through the prideful building up of ourselves by sinful means.

But informative understanding/knowledge alone does not deliver you. The difference between freedom and enslavement comes by whom you serve: do you serve God in righteousness, or do you claim no god and therefore worship yourself?

Self-worship looks less like a religious bowing down to yourself and more like what you investigate and attempt to draw your center from. Do you practice meditation, attempting to draw some sort of spiritual calm or energy from within yourself?

Do you study yourself intensely, as in constantly taking personality tests and studying every facet of what your “number” means or whatever your result is? Are you ruled by the fastest reacting emotion, quick to speak in defense of yourself, or edify yourself with “empowering,” self-expressive slogans?

Is it any wonder why God didn’t put Earth as the center of our galaxy? God designed all life in this world to rely on a power source that is 1.3 million times larger than the Earth and placed that power source at the center. The sun is constantly at the center, but we spin and circle around it, and then we get extreme heat or extreme cold. God doesn’t move; we do. He is always there, and we forget or ignore Him. Therefore, we must ask ourselves, what are we knowledgeable about? We know a lot about movies, shows, stories, books, random facts, statistics, politics, baking, cooking, health, fitness, writing, etc. But what knowledge do you actually seek out?

A good way to tell is to look at what sort of things you follow and consume: channels on YouTube, podcasts, shows, the memes and pictures you post, FB pages, twitter threads, hashtags, books on your shelves, the slogan shirts that you wear, or the things you decorate with. By the Biblical standard set by this verse, even if you are a saved-by-grace, righteous person, your deliverance from the destructive ambitions of the godless people of this world will be determined by the knowledge you pursue.

Seek righteousness. Pursue knowledge according to God and His Word, and you will be delivered.

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Harvest Home

By P. Diane Buie

Reflecting on the word Harvest, I recall some of my favorite things about the autumn season. My thoughts of pumpkin spice coffee creamers, pumpkin patches, and pumpkin pies. I think of the colorful mums that will be ready to plant or to keep in pots. I think of childhood memories of being loved and warm as I sat next to our fireplace. The colder temperatures where we lived in Virginia made our fireplace a wonderful place to relax. To this day, I still associate feelings of love, family, and friendships when I enjoy a fireplace in the fall or winter season.

I feel like the fireplace bestows upon me a blanket of love that keeps my spirit warm. It is the simple things in life that give me the best of pleasures.

Autumn brings a plethora of things to celebrate.

The weather itself is a thing to be thankful for as we have cooler winds and temperatures. The change of colors on leaves and trees can often lead one to experience a personal renewal just by looking or driving by these lovely, natural jewels and treasures. If you happen to garden or work a farm, then harvest and fall are important times as the produce anticipated will bring resources for an entire community to enjoy. I can’t help but feel the joy this season called autumn gives. In the natural world, autumn produces a harvest of blessings for our lives.

I think of an old hymn called, “Come Ye Thankful People Come”, and my mind begins to hum. In my memory, I can sing aloud, “Come ye thankful people come. Raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin; God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temple come, Raise the song of harvest home.” * 42 | M AG A Z I N E N A M E PAGE 3 41

As believers, we have blessings daily that we can thank God for. Enjoying the beauty of the earth He created for us is one major gift. We can be grateful for the harvests in our lives every day we live.

Spiritually, blessings are abundant as well. In the hymn I mentioned above, God’s hope for His harvest includes a homecoming into heaven one day.

God promised to return for His people. The last stanza of the hymn reads,

“Even so Lord, quickly come, Bring thy harvest home; Gather Thou thy people in, Free from sorrow, free from sin, There forever purified, In Thy garner to abide; Come, with all thine angels come, Raise the glorious harvest home.” * As followers of Jesus, this is our hope of glory; Christ’s return for us! The greatest harvest is yet to come. I cannot imagine what those days or times will be like. My mind cannot dream with a magnitude that will be required when we are with God. I pray this harvest season finds you experiencing joy in God and in His Word like you have never known before. I pray you make time to celebrate this years’ harvest of friends, family, faith, freedoms, and much, much more. Sing with me, like the psalmist, to praise our God who made such a beautiful season of harvest.

“Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.” (Psalm 95:2) Happy Harvest to you and yours! * Lyrics copied with permission from Timeless Truths Free Online Library. The hymn was written by Henry Alford, published in 1844.

“J” is for Journey Diane has always had a desire for teaching the lives of young children (and their families) in the hopes of leading their faith to one that embraces God and His son, Jesus. Whether that “calling” in life took the form of teaching preschoolers, being a church staff minister for children, or being a “lunch lady” or Bus Aide with Special Needs Children for Greenville County Schools, the education, nurture, and care for preschoolers and children has been at the heart of Diane’s work.

So, it is with joy, she begins a further, deeper walk along the path of Christian education to one that includes writing occasionally with Union Gospel Press (preschool and children’s take home pages/devotionals as well as devotions for singles) and currently, self-publishing a couple of children’s books for preschoolers. She also has a novel for YA, a non-fiction, autobiographical story about dealing with chronic illnesses. You can find her books on Lulu.com Diane has a Master’s degree in Divinity and a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education & Child/ Family Studies.

She resides in Greer, SC near her parents and adult siblings. When she is not writing or reading, you can find her being crafty, gardening, and hanging out with friends and family.

Seasons

By Karen Ruhl I love all four seasons of the year. Although, Spring and Fall seem to be in constant competition to see which can display the brightest colors, I still love the beauty in each season.

This is the season of harvest, farmers work from sun-up to sun-down to get their crops in on time. They never really rest, immediately after the harvest, they have to sell their crops, and get the fields ready for next year. We should be like the hard working farmers and always cultivating and planting seeds that God can harvest continually.

While thinking about what to write, I read these beautiful words in Ecclesiastes 3, NKJV. Need I really say more?

A Time for Everything For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

You can find more info about her from the following social media sites:

-a time to be born, and a time to die; -a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; -a time to kill, and a time to heal; buierocks2002@wordpress.com -a time to break down, and a time to build up; PDBuie@pd_bee (Twitter) -a time to weep, and a time to laugh; DianeBuie@WritingWordsThatMatter (FB/ author -a time to mourn, and a time to dance; page) -a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; -time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; -a time to seek, and a time to lose; -a time to keep, and a time to cast away; -a time to tear, and a time to sew; -a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; -a time to love, and a time to hate; -a time for war, and a time for peace.

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Special Feature A little Goes A Long Way

by Chris Eidse Chris Eidse is Connections Pastor at Waterlife Church in Lenoir, NC. Chris is married to Rebecca and has 2 daughters, Hailey and Cassidy. He spent 10 years ministering in the inner city of Winnipeg, Canada, and 10 years pastoring African-American churches in NC before joining the Waterlife team in 2014. Chris loves to spend time with his family and being outdoors, preferably doing something adventurous.

In a big world with overwhelming problems, it’s good to be reminded that a little can go a long way and small things can make a big difference. This biblical concept came to life as I helped lead a small team from our church in North Carolina to serve near Kampala, Uganda, in the summer of 2019.

facility for years and was in the process of constructing our first building. The village church had been meeting under a tree for almost the same amount of time. Their church took “portable” to another level! We were honored to be at the first church service in their new building.

Serving in Uganda was a rich experience! The culture and atmosphere were pure Africa. It was everything I had hoped for. We drove down dusty and bumpy country roads and navigated through dense and noisy urban streets. All around us were kids playing soccer, bustling markets, small jungle villages, and smiling and welcoming people.

Half of our team spent most of the week finishing the stucco and then painting the interior of the church.

This was hard and slow work. Everything was mixed by hand and applied with trowels. The construction techniques needed were hard to learn, but our expert African tradesmen patiently taught us what we needed to know and put up with our imperfect results. The stucco and paint were completed just in time.

Our team partnered with PUR International and 2 of our church members who had spent 3 years in Uganda through this mission agency. Our task was typical of the many short-term mission trips that I had led in the past.

We connected with children, we helped run medical clinics, and we helped with building projects. The aspect of this trip that had the biggest impact on me was based around our Sunday morning church service.

The church was in a small village in the middle of the jungle. Our daily drive involved bumping down rough roads and navigating through sugarcane fields as we drove an hour east of Kampala. Our church team from Lenoir, NC, shared some unique connections with this village church. We had both been “portable churches” for many years. Our church (Waterlife) met in a rented

The Sunday morning service did not disappoint! It was everything that I had anticipated. It was vibrant, festive, and filled with energy and life. Women wore their traditional African attire, tons of kids actively took part, and there were plenty of bongo drums, dancing, and shouting. While we didn’t stay for the entire service, after 4 hours we had to take a break.

The most significant part of the service for me happened when our team, along with the church elders, cut the ribbon for their new church and lead the parade in and down the aisle. We were honored to be able to lead because our church funded the majority of the project. Our previous Christmas generosity offering covered almost everything. It blew me away that for just a few thousand dollars we could fund an entire church building project.

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Every year Waterlife takes up a Christmas offering to help 8 different causes. The village church in Uganda was just one of those causes. With 1/8th of one offering, we could fund, help finish, and then open a new church building to a deserving congregation that had been meeting for years under a tree. I was reminded of Jesus’ stories about how faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. Our small team with a relatively small amount of money could make a big difference in God’s Kingdom. I was honored to share the Good News of Jesus at that first service, and villagers stood and walked up the aisle at the end of the message to accept Jesus. Our small contribution not only built a building, but it made an eternal impact. What an incredible celebration.

Many times, I just closed my eyes and breathed in the experience with thanksgiving.

As I look back at that trip, I am not only grateful that our small contribution made a big difference, but I am thankful for the many of the small acts of kindness that I received.

The Ugandan people treated us with love and kindness.

They were patient with our differences and went out of their way to include us. Their small investments into my life have changed me.

This revelation that small acts make a big difference is even more true to me now, a year after that trip. Amid a pandemic, an election, and continued racial tension, it is more real to me than ever before. My small acts of kindness make a bigger impact than I realize. The more I focus on sharing the Good News of Jesus through my actions and attitude, the more alive and vibrant I become. The more I utilize my small resources to build into others, the more my community starts to resemble God’s Kingdom. Our small contributions make a big difference. A little still goes a long way, just like Jesus proclaimed.

This special feature is continued on the next page.

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Ga’Kaiya Anderson’s Trip Home

My trip to Uganda was an eye-opening experience. I connected with myself, the people, and God in ways I never could have imagined.

When we first landed in Uganda, I was excited yet nervous. The journey ahead of me seemed scary. Was I ready to be so far away from my comfort zone? Could I make a positive impact on the people here? With all these questions racing through my mind on the ride to the village, I looked around and calmed down. I threw all my doubts out the window when I saw the people, my people. They were eating, laughing, shopping, and dancing. This was when I knew I was truly at home. I was surrounded by people who looked like me. I was the majority. I was back to my roots.

My favorite part of my mission trip was Sunday when we attended church. It felt good to see the church which we worked hard on completed. The service was more than learning about the word of God; it was celebrating His goodness and mercy. I had never seen so many people engaged in worship. Everyone was dancing and singing anywhere from the age of 3-90.

My mission trip to Uganda was a dream. I was at my roots. The people, food, music, and church gave me an experience that I will never forget. God has shown them that materialistic items mean nothing when they are surrounded by those they love and God. Ever since my journey to Uganda, I have applied this philosophy.

I can’t wait until I go back to my home in Uganda.

When I was in the village helping with constructing the church I was met with open arms. I had only known the people in the village for a few minutes, and I had already felt surrounded by family. There was a boy about my age whom I connected with more than anyone else. When I first arrived at the village, I sneezed. Every time I saw him after that; he imitated my sneeze. I nicknamed him “Achoo.” Even though he couldn’t speak any English, his “achoos” brought me joy. I also connected with a boy named James. He was the only person I saw in Uganda with glasses, and he was precious. His skin was like melted chocolate, soft and brown.

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Are You Making Sleep an Idol?

How an Exhausted Mother Found Her Way to Early Morning Prayer

By By Chrissie Kenaston

If you’re a mother of little ones or a working mom, or really, any kind of mom — the thought of waking up even one second earlier than you need to in the morning sounds completely ridiculous.

Mom Life already means you don’t get enough sleep. Either you’re nursing a baby, waking up with needy toddlers, comforting a kiddo with a bad dream, or waiting on a teenager to make curfew.

You might be up late because none of the laundry got folded that day. Or you have to finish a project for a client. Or you just need some quiet time alone!

That level of exhaustion can actually turn into a problem in our walk with the Lord. When we value sleep above all else, we turn sleep into an idol.

If you’ve ever felt like you should wake up early in the morning to spend time in your Bible but then decided you needed your sleep more, you may have turned sleep into an idol. You’re putting sleep above time with God! Trust me, I get it. I had three kids in five years. That kind of exhaustion is hard to put into words. But that’s exactly when God revealed this concept to me. I spent years resisting waking up before my children so I could have some quiet moments with the Lord. I constantly told myself, “You’re a better mom when you get your sleep! Imagine what kind of mom you’d be on less sleep!” I tried to fit my time in God’s Word into nap times or the occasional evening, but I couldn’t keep that consistent. It’s hard to get three kids to nap at the same time, so I was rarely alone for long. And I was so tired by the evenings, I couldn’t focus on anything.

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Plus, God had put this concept of Morning Bible Study on my heart. If I kept choosing sleep over that, there’s no question that I was making sleep an idol. So, I made a decision. I would start waking up at the ridiculous hour of 5:30 am to spend time with God and study His word.

I can’t even pinpoint what changed in my life after that. Everything just got a little easier. I spent thirty minutes at the start of each day reading the Bible, journaling about what I’d read, and then praying.

And I didn’t feel exhausted throughout the day like I assumed I would if I got up that early! The Lord sustained me because I was being obedient.

I started to really learn from the Bible, instead of just having an overview of the big stories. Key verses implanted themselves in my brain, and I was able to call on them in times of need. Feeding my mind and soul with His word first thing in the morning really changed my mindset for the entire day. I truly felt like something had shifted and I was better prepared to handle each day’s challenges. I noticed the most difference on the days where it didn’t happen.

If I woke up late and didn’t get in my early morning time with God, the entire day felt off. (That doesn’t mean I beat myself up for missing a day here and there. No one is perfect, and God’s grace is for all of us!)

So I ask you -- are you making an idol out of sleep?

It’s a hard pill to swallow! It might make you feel uncomfortable or even angry to think about that. It’s human nature to get defensive, especially as a worn out mama. But I encourage my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to think hard about this. Is God asking you to wake up early and spend the first part of your day with him?

From my experience, if He’s asking you to take this step of obedience, He will be there to lift you up and sustain you when you say “Yes, Father”.

In the morning, O LORD, hear my voice. In the morning I lay my needs in front of you, and I wait. (Psalm 5:3)

Judges 5:10 “You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road—sing!”

Chrissie Kenaston is an author and copywriter who believes in the amazing power of God’s saving grace to get us through the ups and downs of marriage, motherhood, and, well, life.

Her first book on the subject -- What If I Name Her Grace? -- is being published later this year.

You can read more about her journey as a Christian mama at chrissiekenaston.com.

Photos by Karen Ruhl

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So You Want to Know the Future?

By Pamela Walck

I believe that the Bible is God’s Word, which has been proved over and over as valid and correct. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) states, “All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Midnight, about two weeks before my October 31st birthday, and I felt tired! “Whew,” out of my basement I had dragged to the curb years of accumulated Halloween articles—devils, witches, anything that looked of the occult.

Driving home from the mall several hours earlier, I tuned into a local Christian radio station. The announcer discussed Halloween and the occult and how, as Christians, we should not get involved in any aspect of it. I pulled my car over on Millersport Highway and turned into a church parking lot to listen more intently.

Wow, I thought, does the Bible really address topics such as fortune-telling? I had no idea.

The radio preacher discussed the witch of Endor and Saul. Many verses cited in the Old and New Testament told about turning away from consulting mediums, sorcerers, astrology, or anything related to these.

“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God,” (Leviticus 19:31 NIV) Other verses such as Isaiah 47:13-15, Acts 16:16-19, and Acts 19:18-20 also command us to stay away from the occult.

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I needed to choose to follow God or my own desires—that of keeping and displaying decorations that didn’t reflect Him. I felt convicted about my past behavior. In high school, I had written a monthly horoscope column, just made up of course. Later, I got involved in tarot card readings, the Ouija board, and regular trips to Lily Dale (a town in New York known for mediums).

When I finally got home from my drive that night, I started ripping the basement apart. Since my birthday is on Halloween, I dressed up every year for parties and at work visiting the patient’s rooms.

Not a year had gone by when I didn’t come up with some outlandish costume. Outfits such as Little Boo Beep and the energizer bunny, which were innocent enough costumes. But I also had vampires and she-devils.

While in the basement, I came across other occult materials, collected over the years. All the time I was involved with these things, I wanted to know the future or what to do with some aspect of my life.

I realized that night while listening to the radio program, that I had not trusted God with my future and had shown a lack of faith. He has the answers for everything and gives me wisdom if I only listen to Him. Not through mediums and other crazy ways, but His Word, the Bible, godly counsel, and prayer.

As I meditate on Scripture today, I find answers to many of my problems or questions in life.

For instance, I started reading the Bible initially because I wanted to know whom to marry. God showed me the description of the character of the man I would want as my husband—kind, patient, not proud—admitting his weaknesses, loving, not rude (as my personality had poorly shown for so many years). These are the qualities you hear about at weddings when pastors read the 1 Corinthians 13 chapter as most do.

He truly knows the path we are to take. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV) Knowing this made me choose to want to obey because I know He loves me and knows what’s best for His sheep.

What else? Someone that follows the Lord and wants His will for their life. And most of all, I wanted someone I would enjoy spending time with. Did the Bible say that? I don’t think so, but it talks about contentment and our desire for marriage to one person such that you never want to leave each other. Such a commitment is similar to what God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) My history of relationships with men focused almost exclusively on the outside. After spending time with someone, you see how the insides of a person matter even more. You don’t want them to leave you or you them. That kind of love is hard to find and is described in Proverbs 31. It is rare and combined with character, virtually impossible without His hand on our lives to control circumstances and events such that we’d ever meet someone remotely like that and who’s interested in me. All the while, He’s working on us and our insides, so we recognize the person and change into the likeness of Him—Jesus.

That night resulted in a desire to want to please Him even more than I ever had. I wanted to obey God and tell others about His greatness and what He had done in my life. After throwing out the items from the basement, I turned the television on and sat down. Kirk Cameron was speaking. I didn’t know at the time that Kirk, the previous star of the sitcom Growing Pains, had turned Christian evangelist. I listened closely as Kirk talked about winning souls for Christ and how to go about doing that. Swinging conversations from the natural to the spiritual and finding out what people believe. I wanted to be like Kirk Cameron, I thought, doing more for God and not for me. That night I realized the call God had on my life—to help transform hearts and souls through the Word of God, one at a time.

Pam loves to write and inspire others to walk in faith and share the Gospel. She has been a follower of Jesus for over twenty years. She works as a physical therapist, takes care of her sweet ninety-twoyear-old mom, and loves going to the gym.

A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Pam has taught many Bible studies, been on mission trips, volunteered in pastoral care, and helps with a ministry to children in Zambia.

Pam’s blog is found at https://joyluke157.wordpress.com/

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Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf ​

Out of the Depths I Cry

By P. Diane Buie Reviewed by Sandra L. Snyder and Craig Ruhl In her book, Out of the Depths I Cry, Diane Buie writes about an illness that no one wants to have, but many people suffer from all over the world. She describes her life-long journey with disabling depression. Her poetry, written throughout her lifetime, is woven with Bible passages that have strengthened and encouraged her through her tough times. Out of the Depths I Cry is more than a biography or testimony; it is an important resource for anyone who is struggling with mental illness. In the chapters of the book, the author asks probing questions and provides space for the reader to journal or record their thoughts. Diane teaches her readers who have a mental illness, as she does, to be creative, using music, art, nature, pets, and many other things to bring pleasure while striving to overcome a debilitating chronic illness.

Diane has a master’s degree in Divinity and a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education & Child/Family Studies. She resides in Greer, SC near her parents and adult siblings. When she is not writing or reading, you can find her being crafty, gardening, and hanging out with friends and family.

Her blog is at https://buierocks2002.com/

We have now opened up our newest addition, the Faith On Every Corner Bookshelf. If you have a book you would like us to review and feature, please call or email Craig at 828-305-8571 for information. Email: Team@faithoneverycorner.com

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I Want to Introduce Him

By Krystle Nicole Martin

I want to introduce Him to you I want to tell you all about Him I want to tell you everything He has done I want to introduce you to Him Hope has a name Peace has a name Life has a name Kindness has a name Grace and mercy have a name Victory has a name I want to introduce Him to you I want to tell you everything He has done I want to show you the goodness I want to speak of His faithfulness I want to show you His kindness I want to tell you about His grace and mercy I want to introduce Him to you I am alive because of Him I am here because of Him I am breathing air all because of Him I want to show you just how good He is to me!

He has given me a new hope He has given me a new life He has given me a new love to hold on to I want to introduce Him to you!

He is goodness He is faithfulness He is peace He is kindness He is loving He is gentle He is gracious He is more than I could have ever dreamed of!

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Can I introduce you to someone who can and will change your mind, your life, and your heart?

Can I introduce you to someone who is faithful through the ages?

Can I introduce you to someone who is a true gentleman?

Can I introduce you to someone who loves you far more than any person in this world?

Can I introduce you to someone who can and will change you from the inside out?

I will spend the rest of my days telling others all about Him I will spend the rest of my days introducing you to Him! I love Him I cannot breathe without Him I find my whole being in Him So, can I introduce you to my Life, my Love, and my God? Krystle Nicole Martin

I live in Oklahoma. I am a poet. I love being an encouragement to other people. I don’t want to write just to write. I want to write with purpose. I want my words to help someone else in need. I want to be intentional with what I am given. I want to be a blessing to others.

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When the Harvest Seems Far Away

By Juliana Gordan Juliana Gordon is a pastor’s wife in Southern California. She served as an office manager in a warm and loving church for over 20 years. Her passions include writing, praying for her family, and advocating for persecuted Christians. You can find her at julianagordon.com or on Instagram at @julianagordonwriter.

My grandparents were farmers. We would visit them in the summer and would enjoy the tasty peaches and fresh corn. They were well known in the area and would sell their fruits and vegetables at the local farmer’s market and a small roadside stand. The unsold food would be canned to enjoy in the winter.

They didn’t have a lot, but they made the most of what they had.

They didn’t plant seeds on Monday and expect the fruit to grow by Tuesday. That would have taken a miracle! Instead, they put the time and care into tending their crops and saw the results, usually several months later. There were years when the harvest wasn’t what they expected, but the Lord provided and they got through those years.

As Christians, we often face difficult seasons where it seems like the harvest should be ready. “But Lord,” you might say, “I have prayed for this person for years. I have tried to reach them subtly. I have been super blunt about the Gospel. I have fasted, and I have had others pray with me. Why isn’t this person saved?” Our human nature wants to see patterns in life. We want a logical and satisfactory outcome when we put sincere and beneficial input into a problem. When our hard work does not equal the desired result, we wonder why life isn’t working out the way we want it to. We may question why God doesn’t just do what we want Him to, especially when it seems like something He would want, too.

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In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul steps in to talk to the Corinthians, who are bickering amongst themselves.

They worship God but are claiming which pastor they follow as the best, and how that makes them better. Paul tells them to knock it off. “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:7-9 NASB).

As Christians, we all work together to encourage and foster spiritual growth in other’s lives, but it is God who is the source of the growth in someone’s life. We would like to play God in other people’s lives, planning out our version of their best lives, but it is wrong. All of us can think of examples of where someone tried to do that, and it didn’t work. Why do we think we would be any better? Instead, we have to trust in God, and His timing, His methods, and His will for this person to come to know Him personally. We serve God as He calls us, and we wait on Him to change their lives.

So if you are waiting on that harvest, continue to serve. In faith, wait on God for the results. He is never wrong in His timing.

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Our tree had the perfect branch where each Halloween we perched our not so typical jack-o’-lantern. Our house was known as the house with the talking pumpkin. We would carve a large pumpkin, put a speaker in it, and wire up a microphone. As the neighborhood kids came up our front walkway to collect their goodies, we would take turns being the voice of the pumpkin. We could see and hear them from just inside our front door, but they couldn’t see us at all. If we knew them, we might address them by name. If not, we might comment on their costumes or tell a silly joke to get their attention. We would ask questions to see if we could get people to engage, and to our delight, most did. Very few were afraid, and most of our guests loved the experience, children and adults alike.

At the end of our sixth summer in the house, we noticed the tree had a branch or two that didn’t look very healthy. Sadly, we learned that many of the willow trees in the Mojave

BY LO R R I E D. G R A N T Desert were being infested by wood-boring beetles. The larvae bore into the wood, tunneling as they fed, causing fatal girdling on the willow trunk and lower branches. We Trees in the desert are a rare sight. However, there are a few. When we purchased our home, the large willow tree called Mike, the bug-man, to come out and look at the tree. He told us he could destroy in the front yard was one of the most beautiful features of the home. The shade it provided was a welcome relief the bugs on the outside of the tree to slow to the brutally hot desert summers. It cast enough shad- them down, which he did, but the beetles were burrowing through the bark of the tree ow to keep the front of our house a little cooler and the and were destroying it from the inside out. grass below the tree a bit greener. It wasn’t a huge tree, He could do nothing about the beetles on but it had been there for a few years. I couldn’t quite the inside of the tree. This was a bug-battle wrap my arms around the trunk when I gave it a hug. that even our friend Mike, hard as he tried, was going to lose. He told us it was just a Under the tree was the perfect spot to set up our little matter of time before we would lose the tree. plastic kiddie pool for the girls in the summertime. And as they got older, it was the best spot in the yard for their He recommended we remove it.

Slip-n-Slide. It was also there that I placed my lawn chair as I sat and watched the neighborhood children, and my As we discussed the removal of my favorite own, make circles around the cul-de-sac on their tricycles, tree, my vote was we wait one more year before removing it. I didn’t think one more bicycles, and Barbie Jeeps. year would make much of a difference. I simply couldn’t part with my magnificent tree.

Seriously, the tree didn’t look that bad, and we all know I can be a bit on the picky side.

However, a year later, when summer arrived, the tree was so sick it oozed “smelly stuff”

W E E P I N G W I L LO W

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from its trunk and limbs, and the goop running down the sides of the tree attracted all sorts of other insects. If all the creeping, crawling, and flying bugs didn’t keep us out of our front yard that summer, the smell most certainly did. There were no pools set up to dip in, and there were no slides set up to slip on. No one wanted to be anywhere near our front yard that year.

When Summer turned to Fall, we had the tree removed and reclaimed our front yard.

As you know, looks can be deceiving. Although the outside of the tree still looked fairly good, the beetles had caused havoc below the surface. As the tree was being taken down and loaded on a truck for disposal, we could see there were entire limbs that had been completely hollowed out by the beetles, leaving the branches with nothing but the outer shell. It was a miracle a large piece of the tree hadn’t fallen to the ground with just the slightest gust of wind. Someone could have been seriously injured.

I can see how my willow tree directly relates to many situations we come across on our life’s journey. Sometimes we hang on to things longer than we should, be it a bad job or a bad relationship. Perhaps it’s a dream that doesn’t work out the way we had hoped it would. But there’s good news. We can replant. And when we replant, we can choose a different type of tree, one that is stronger, grows faster, and is less attractive to bugs that can harm or possibly destroy it.

I’m still learning to cut down and let go of some of the trees in my life. I’m learning as I let go of one tree, I can wrap my arms around another. This time I’ll look for a tree that flowers or one that attracts hummingbirds… two of my favorite things.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”

(Revelation 22:14 NIV) Wishing you joy and peace, Lorrie

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SUBMISSION POLICY

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