His Masterpiece

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Posted by Priscilla Carr, February 1, 2024

I heard about a girl who grew up feeling unloved. A familiar story? Yes. Too familiar. This particular girl was placed into a family that had issues like all. She became so responsible that it was rumored she didn’t need parenting. But, she did. She longed for the guidance that was assumed she already had. But, she hadn’t had it. Love was another thing it was assumed she had. She was responsible, capable, smart, and friendly. But, deep down, she still yearned for something more.

She sought love, protection, and acceptance from those who were older, mainly from school teachers, and her pastor. She was so misguided by what she would learn from them. She was laid bare and exposed, and she knew she was unsafe and uncared for. So, she began to protect herself, because she believed that no one cared enough to guard and guide her. She had heard about Jesus while a youngster and loved what she’d heard about Him. But, He didn’t seem too involved in her story; He didn’t keep her from the hurt, pain, and lovelessness.

So, she ventured out into the world to see if there was possibly, perhaps, maybe, love or security, maybe an inkling of either… she found neither and began to despair. Not aware of what, or rather Who, she sought was actually seeking her…

And, of course, He found her. That woman was me. And we have lived happily ever after. I wish! I really did think that life after encountering and believing in the God of creation would be sin-free and lived way above the fray of life. Ha! But, for a little while, He did allow me to experience the after-glow of being initially filled with the Spirit. And I thought life was going to be simple and full of victories. I didn’t realize that all the sin that I’d experienced and participated in had shaped my identity. I had to be reintroduced to what my Creator said about me, and I had to believe Him.

I’d learned I was unlovable, not worth fighting for, a member of an inferior race and culture, ugly, not worth protecting. But little by little, year after year, God chipped away at my old identity to reveal the truth. I am His masterpiece! Thank You, Jesus! He says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” So, not only have I been purposefully, craftily, impeccably made but, I also have a fore-ordained purpose. I am here for a specific purpose that God had in mind for me before the world began. And so are you.

There are no perfect beginnings because we’ve all been born into families of those who sin. 

Even the godliest families are not without sin because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And culture and experiences have told us constantly that we don’t measure up; we need to either reduce this, augment that, buy the latest gadget or gizmo or car or home, or trade in our spouse, etc., in order to be acceptable! And God says you are already His masterpiece if you’ve been recreated in Christ Jesus. You are accepted and have purpose in the plan that He’s ordained. And God will even use “all things”, the hurt and pain of this fallen world, our sins, and the sins of others, for our good. (Romans 8:28) 

God reminded me of one last thing. As He told Peter in a dream, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (Acts 10:15). God was foretelling an encounter Peter would have with a Gentile named Cornelius. God showed me that I was calling myself “unclean.” I was guilty of believing the lies I’d been taught about myself rather than believing the One who created me and told me who I was—His masterpiece! To put it mildly, I sensed God’s displeasure with that. Actually, it was more like I felt Him saying, “How dare you!”.   

Let’s encourage each other to believe God even if everything and everyone around us would tell us otherwise. And let’s learn to live in this new identity that we have “in Christ”, thanking God for loving us so dearly. 

“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.  Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.  Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His Love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.  Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Eph. 3:16-19 NLT)

Priscilla Carr was born in NYC, but has lived in metro Atlanta since 1979. She is a Navy veteran trained in electronics which God used for a 30-year career at the FAA. She uses her training to provide audio support to Touching Hearts Ministries, and is the Editor and Producer of “A Burst of Hope” podcast. She began her adult new life in Jesus in 1990 right before leaving the Navy, and today she exudes her love for Jesus. She is the proud mama to two rambunctious fur kids, Gracie (Lab) and Faith (Pit-mix). Priscilla was encouraged by elementary teachers to write. She took creative writing courses in High School and college, but in the mid-eighties, she stopped writing. The desire to write has been recently reawakened, and she is thriving in her new writing adventure.

The Slow And Steady Race

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Posted by Erin Roberson, February 7, 2024

I recently read about Cliff Young, an Australian farmer, who was born to a poor farming family in 1922.According to Wikipedia, Cliff was the third of seven children. His family raised sheep on 2,000 acres of land. Since they were poor, they could not afford horses.  When a storm was on the way, it was young Cliff’s job to round up the sheep…by running around the 2,000 acres. Sometimes he would have to run for days!

In 1983, Cliff decided to participate in an ultramarathon from Sydney to Melbourne. I have to be honest, I had never heard of an ultramarathon, and I certainly have no idea why someone would want to do it. It is a grueling 544 mile race that takes several days to complete!

Cliff showed up, at the age of 61, to run the race.  He arrived in his overalls and work boots. Before the race started, he took out his dentures because, according to Cliff, they rattled when he ran. I’m sure he was quite a sight compared to the much younger professional runners!

On the first day of the race, Cliff was in last place by a long shot! While the other runners took off at a typical pace, Cliff shuffled along at a speed of just 4 miles per hour.  After about ten hours, the other runners stopped to sleep.  Instead, Cliff continued on. Cliff ran through the night. In fact, he ran continuously for five days!  The amazing thing is that Cliff won the race by 10 hours!  He set a new record that was almost 2 days faster than the previous time.

The prize for winning the ultramarathon was $10,000.  Cliff felt the other five runners who finished the race had worked as hard as he did. He split the money equally between all of them, keeping none for himself.

Cliff Young’s unusual running style became known as the “Young Shuffle,” and it was adopted by other runners as a way to run long distances while expending less energy.

When asked how he ran for five days straight, Cliff said he pictured himself running after sheep on the farm as a storm was closing in. 

I love this real-life “tortoise and hare” story!  We can learn so many lessons from the story of Cliff Young.  Here are a few:

God uses unlikely people.

I’m sure when the onlookers sized up the runners at the starting line, no one picked Cliff Young as the favorite to win the race (or even to finish)!  This makes me think of some of the people who were used by God in the Bible. Moses was a murderer with a stammer, David was an impulsive teen, and Peter was an uneducated fisherman.

God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He doesn’t need our ability; He needs our “yes.”  What does God want you to do for Him today?

Life’s difficulties prepare us for our future.

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” Romans 5:3-5.

If we remember that difficulties have a purpose, it helps us to keep our focus on God and look for the lessons in the challenges.  I’m sure Cliff did not always enjoy running after the sheep, but it prepared him for a great victory.  God uses the hard times in our lives for our good and His glory!

Don’t stop!

I don’t know about you, but I probably would have quit the ultramarathon on the first day.  I would have looked at the distance between myself and the other runners, and I would have thought, “There’s no way I can catch up. This is embarrassing!  I should just stop now.”

When we feel like giving up, we need to remember that God loves us and wants us to live a full life that is focused on Him.  God will provide the strength to continue on, even when we can’t see a good end to our situation.  He may be teaching us important lessons that we can only recognize when we look back on the experience. God will let us know when it’s time to quit. Until then, keep going!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” Galatians 6:9.

During difficult times, win the battle in your mind.

When negative thoughts threaten to overtake us, we can fixate on the joy and peace that is found in Jesus.

Let these promises of God help you battle your negative thoughts:

• We are more than conquerors through Jesus, and nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:37-39).

• Jesus promises peace during times of trouble, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

• The Holy Spirit gives us power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

Recognition for accomplishments is not our greatest achievement

You might be someone who has been blessed with achievements in this life (a promotion at work, recognition for a talent, winning an athletic event), or you might be someone who says, “I’ve never won anything!”  We all have an opportunity to receive the greatest achievement, to have our names written in heaven (Luke 10:20).  Paul wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”  The ultimate “prize” is eternity with God! How do we get it? Jesus tells us to confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and to believe that He is the Son of God who was raised by God from the dead.

Being the fastest is not as important as being consistent.

As Believers, we are to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into the character of Christ.  The traits of honesty, kindness, patience, humility, and self-control should be exhibited in our lives consistently. We develop this “fruit” of the Spirit through frequent, consistent time with God through His Word and prayer.  

Cliff Young impacted the world of long-distance running with his unique running style. What impact can we have on those around us by running our “race” in a way that glorifies God?

Erin Roberson is a wife and mother of two wonderful grown boys. She is a lifelong educator who loves learning and teaching others. She believes our primary focus should be on our relationship with God, learning who God is, who God says we are, and how God wants us to live.

The Wonder Of Winter

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Posted by Kim Stanley, January 31, 2024

“The Earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3

Wait.

Does that mean even in the “bleak mid-winter” the earth is full of God’s glory?

In the dark, hard, barren earth, where is His glory?

On foggy, cold, and dreary days with no sunlight to warm our bones, where is God’s glory?

Some of us would probably like January to just get on with itself, because that means we’re one step closer to Spring.  (I see that hand.)

But, wouldn’t we miss the gift of God in the Present?

Growing up in Ohio, the winters were cold and snowy and some years dragged on through April.

I do miss the snow, but just one good one would do. As much as I love this Georgia climate, I can start to feel the bleakness, the “meh” of even the mild winters here. 

It is understood that life is happening in the cold, hard ground.

I read an article on the term 'vernalization' about why plants need winter. Those apple trees that we like to pick in North Georgia in the Fall, need time to “rest” in the winter, with a certain amount of low-temperature days, so that they will flower and produce that luscious fruit properly. 

There is something unseen that God is always doing, even in the winter of our souls. 

And while the promise of Spring is a well-placed Hope, I do not want to miss the Presence of his Glory in the gray winter.

He is at work here. 

His Glory is seen here.

The cold temps make us want to stay wrapped up in a blanket in our favorite chair. 

The coffee pot or tea kettle is on and ready to pour at all hours for friends who stop by.

That book that has long been on our shelves, calls to be opened.

And if you go to work in another place, you can find His Glory there too. 

Look out your office window, or at the school courtyard and catch a glimpse of the Glory of God in the bare trees and cloud-covered skyline.

Notice the people beside you in your cubicle or in the classroom. 

Seasons are His idea.

It’s all over Scripture.

And He is Lord over every one of them.

Our study at Touching Hearts has been on decluttering the heart. It has been very timely.

The table is set before us, let’s enjoy this winter feast!

Here are a few things that are helping me right now:

• Reading the Word daily; the Author has written the greatest love story ever.

• Practicing stillness; asking God to search my heart and uncover any dark places. Then listening.

• Getting more sleep

• Eating my veggies

• Trying a new recipe (with veggies)

• Cleaning out a drawer, cabinet or closet (not the whole house, just one at a time)

• Thanking God for every little thing I can think of. 

• Praying Psalm 4 before I go to sleep at night. 

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

References: 

“In The Bleak Midwinter”  by Christina Rosetti

Link to the article mentioned:

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2015-01-09-vernalization-why-plants-need-winter

Touching Hearts Teachings

Kim Stanley is a worship leader, speaker, writer, and is the worship leader for Touching Hearts Ministries. She and her husband Joe have been in itinerant worship ministry for over 30 years. She is the founder and director of One Thing Worship, a retreat ministry for women that provides sacred time and space to be still and hear the voice of God. She also co-hosts a podcast called “A Burst Of Hope” with Martha Wilson. She and Joe have been married for 40 years; they have 4 grown children, one in heaven, and 6 grandchildren. They live in the south metro Atlanta area. You can connect with Kim on her website, www.joeandkimstanley.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @onethingworship.