I attended one of those parties. You know, the ones where you can purchase interior décor, candles, jewelry or kitchenware in the comfort of a friend’s home. At this one, the guests were strangers to each other. To break the ice, the hostess had us play a game.

What’s in Your Wallet (or purse)? The owner of the most unusual item would be asked to explain its presence and would win a nifty grapefruit slicer.

It’s surprising what shows up in wallets and purses. Thirty-year-old ticket stubs, dead batteries, used string, a spoon, whistle, needle nosed pliers, shoelaces, an unfinished cross stitch project…

I pulled out a bullet shell-casing. Here’s the story I told as I accepted my prize:
My cousin Jay, a military man, died in his forties. Cousin Edie asked me to sing at his funeral. I carefully avoided giving in to grief so I wouldn’t be a mess when the time came. The graveside ceremony followed, with three rifle volleys, the playing of Taps, and a soldier presenting the folded casket flag to Edie. The family walked back to the church but I lingered a few moments, finally releasing some tears.

Outside the cemetery gates, one of the honor guard huffed to catch up with me. “Ma’am?” I turned around.

“Would you please take this, Ma’am?” He placed the bullet casing into my palm, turned, and trotted back to his outfit. I stood, turning the casing over and over. It was empty.

That’s when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. Your cousin is not here. In the casket is only the empty shell that housed him for awhile. Because of his faith in the Son of God, he lives. You will see him again.

I carried that casing around in my purse for years to remind me of Christ’s victory over death. I got to share the gospel of Jesus Christ whenever it rolled out. So now I ask you: What’s in your wallet? Is there something that gives you a reason to talk about what Jesus did for you? Don’t leave home without it.

PRAYER: Lord, what a great hope and future You have for us! Reveal to us if there’s something tangible we can carry with us that might open opportunities to share Your gospel.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15b).

Today’s devotional is by Robin J. Steinweg. Robin’s life might be described using the game Twister: the colored dots are all occupied, limbs intertwine (hopefully not to the point of tangling), and you never know which dot the arrow will point to next, but it sure is fun getting there!

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Okay, I admit it. I’m a Survivor junkie! There’s just something about the challenges presented, as well as the rewards—and the raw nature of humanity—that piques my interest. Of course the beautiful scenery of the island also allures me. I’ve learned a lot about what makes people tick by watching this show.

Sadly, the baser sorts of humanity are sometimes represented in this series. We can see how people, left to their own devices, can turn on each other. On this show, competition and strategy are more important to the winning outcome than living by the Golden Rule. And it’s amazing how blind folks can be to their own faults, when viewers at home can plainly see their virtue deficits. Who do they think they are fooling?

In life, do you consider yourself a survivor? A real survivor finds a way to become stronger going through the same trials that might make someone else weaker. On the show, only those who forced themselves to eat, unappetizing as the food choices might be, competed strongly during the challenges. As Christians, we must make sure our power food comes in the form of God’s Word. Sometimes it is sweet like honey, but other times it is bitter like medicine.

Only by allowing God to not just be a part of your life, but be your life can you survive the harshest consequences. God will make sure you are provided for when you completely trust in Him. Technically, trust isn’t trust if it isn’t completely placed. There is no such thing as partial trust!

AUTHOR QUOTE: When it comes time for your tribal counsel experience, it won’t matter who votes you off the island. It won’t matter what you’ve done in the sun, but what you have done with the Son!

“But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him” (1 John 2:5 TLT).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, Christ-servant, wife to Russ, editor, publicist, certified CLASSeminars speaker and faculty member. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions. Kathy’s tagline captures her essence—Light & Lively: His Reflection/Her Laughter. Schedule Kathy for a speaking event or contact her firm for promotional assistance. KCWC gets jazzed shining the light on God’s writers and speakers.

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Beauty shops would curl up and face permanent ruin if they depended on customers like me for profits. I cut my own hair. I wear no make-up. My fingernails are short and stubby. My most recent experience (fifteen years ago?) with having my hair done professionally resulted in a wild tornado of hair that rivaled anything a half-hour ride in my clothes drier could produce. I arrived home from the beauty parlor fifteen minutes before my children got off the school bus. Afraid that they might mistake me for a raving maniac, I jumped in the shower and had safely returned to my suburban cookie-baking-mom alter ego by the time they walked in the door.

You can thus imagine my surprise when my friend Charise approached me about leading a Bible study for a group of her beautician friends all of whom worked in local salons. Charise sells shampoos, dyes, and other supplies to beauty salons all over our area. She also shares her faith openly and had personally led several of these women to faith in Christ. “Would you be willing to disciple them?”

The first time I walked into the room with these women, I felt I stood out like a cowlick on bald head. Their tresses were styled and gelled. Each cuticle was neatly tucked away and every eyebrow plucked. Each lip was carefully outlined and glossed. The only element out of place was me.

The first lesson was on grace: They accepted me.

At the end of that initial class, I gave the women an assignment to complete at home.

“Homework?” Charise gasped. The women looked at each other in consternation.

My expectation that they would do the assignment shocked them as much as their manicures awed me, but over the next months we began to relax and enjoy our times together. We studied scripture. We laughed as they shared stories from their salons. And we prayed for each other.

One day we were meeting in the home of Debbie. The shrill ring of a phone interrupted our study, and Debbie excused herself to answer the call in the kitchen. A few minutes later she burst into the room. “Praise the Lord!” she shouted to everyone. “I’ve got five corpses!”

The other women exploded with excitement and crowded near to congratulate her.

I sat back in astonishment. What was going on? Were my friends part of some secret Aztec cult that sacrificed beating hearts on an altar? What kind of group rejoices over five corpses?

Charise looked over at me and observed my confusion. Smothering her laughter and recovering her breath, she explained that fixing the hair, nails and make-up of a person who had died brought in extra income. A corpse could be prepped at the stylist’s convenience, after normal business hours, even at midnight. And the best part? These clients never complained about how long the beautician took or if she pulled a hair or two too tight. Five corpses was a windfall for my friend.

Me? I still cut my own hair. I still don’t use lipstick or foundation. So when I die, don’t allow someone to paint me like Madonna. My new friends would die with laughter.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty disappears, but a woman who honors the Lord should be praised” (Proverbs 31:30 GNB).

(See Emily for yourself! Visit the author at www.emilychase.com.)

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So I’m hiking through the woods in Alaska and…

I’ve never written a line like that before. But there I was, following a guide over narrow trails that led up—and I mean UP—the cliffs around a glacial lake near Skagway.

When my husband and I signed on for this combination hike-and-float excursion, no one told us it would test our hearts’ ability to keep from exploding. Or our lungs’ desire to slip through our ribcage and run for cover.

No one told us, “It would probably be best if you were in good shape, underweight, and athletically inclined,” none of which matched our description.

I longed for the guide to list a few more points of interest while we stood clumped on a relatively flat part of the trail. My heart rate had only returned from nuclear meltdown to danger zone when he said, “Let’s keep moving. This next section of the trail is pretty steep. Watch your step.”

Too many minutes later, the guide motioned us to another clearing so he could show us what the bear had eaten recently.

“It’s pretty steep here yet for a while…”

Okay. Jesus, I’ll be seeing You soon. Looking forward to it.

“But the trail will eventually flatten out. The last third is fairly level land as we work our way along the shore to our put-in point for the raft.”

Level. I definitely heard the word level. The trail will eventually flatten out. Those words became my theme song as I hauled my sorry carcass over the rocks and roots and up the torturous path. I would have quit. Any number of times. But I didn’t want to look like a sissy, for one. And two, how would the others have gotten my body back to civilization? Just give me a shove and roll me down the cliff face? No thanks.

I took another step and another and another because of the promise that the trail would eventually flatten out.

And that’s how we keep going after grief crushes us or disappointment slices us open or the path turns so steep we can’t breathe.

God promised that the trail would eventually flatten out. We can make it that far. Then He will—as my husband did—put His arm around us and say, “What a trooper!”

Looking forward to it.

PRAYER: Lord, I’m clinging to Your promise that the trail will eventually flatten out. Could I ride on Your shoulders until it does?

“The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down” (Psalm 145:14 KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—released with Abingdon Press May 1, 2010–http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZb0by984g. Cynthia writes stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

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Hearty hoots of laughter drew me from my bedroom lair into the living room where my husband Wes watched television. As I peeped around the door facing, I heard Jon Lovitz’ smarmy claim, “I’m married to…Morgan Fairchild…yeah, that’s the ticket…Morgan Fairchild.” I had to plop down on the couch and enjoy his SNL liar character for the hundredth time.

Sad that we find humor in deceit. Maybe because we think our lies pale in comparison to the exaggerated comedian.

Several years ago, Wes and I blithely signed up for the His Needs, Her Needs marriage seminar, thinking we would bond with some other couples and enrich our already delightful union. Both results occurred, but the enrichment came by means of some painful soul-searching—most of it on my side, but we’ll save that for another article. Wes got smacked upside the head by the chapter on lying.

Please don’t get me wrong; he is the soul of integrity, but he had to fess up to a dubious foible. One week, the husbands were to examine themselves to see if they were born liars, avoid trouble liars, or protective liars. (Please see Willard Harley’s excellent book for a complete explanation.)

I was quite proud when Wes reported back that he was none of the above. I beamed with gratification. Then he clarified. He had determined he was a lazy liar. He would give in to the temptation to fib or avoid complete openness because he just didn’t want to mess with the ensuing barrage of questions from me. Ouch.

One of my students faced an ouch lesson of his own this week. After I had called out the vocabulary words for a test, I tracked the room like the proverbial menacing shark. My gaze fell upon the hunched shoulders of a teen as his arms created a protective circle around his paper, unusual test-taking posture, suspicious, in fact. Sure enough, he had his vocabulary list tucked under the test paper. His cheating earned an unchangeable zero and a firm lecture on honesty.

I remember the temptation clearly. My senior year in high school, I finished my government test and placed it face down on the corner of my desk. The need to check a few answers itched until I pulled out my folder and scanned my notes. Frustration surged when I realized I’d made the wrong choice on a simple question. Arms folded in self-disgust, I scrunched in my chair waiting for time to be called.

My angst-filled eyes took in the fact that my teacher had not seen me check my notes. Discreetly, I flipped my paper, changed my answer, and replaced the test, no one the wiser.

Except God.

Immediately His Spirit convicted me, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32b NIV). I must admit to pangs of regret as I changed my answer back to the wrong one. However, although I endured great mockery by friends who thought such honesty was extreme and foolish, I still consider that repentance a proud moment. Too bad it’s not the norm instead of the cause of pride. God is still working on me.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10 NIV).

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Letting go is hard for me, especially when it is something very precious to me or has brought significance to my life. Although I’ve heard the saying that from the moment a child is born we are preparing them to leave us, the process of letting go isn’t easy. It seems like only a few sleeps ago that I chose to let go of my firstborn, who was three hours old, so the neonatal nurse could take him to the nursery. Then there was his first day of preschool, feeling like my arms were heavy in their emptiness as I walked alone to the parking lot. The stakes were even higher on his first day of middle school. The realization that this was truly the beginning of the end of my hold on him brought moisture to my eyes and tightness to my gut.

Not too long ago, tears dripped down my cheeks as I commiserated with a mother’s emotions as she described her sense of loss as she pinned her son’s corsage on his wedding tuxedo. She had to let go in order for her son to grasp onto to what lay ahead of him. She realized that no man can be held by both his mother and his wife. It was her job to let go.

This truth permeates our lives. How many times have we tried to take hold of something new without letting go of the old? We must move our belongings and leave an old house in order to move in and fully live out of our new home and neighborhood. We must let go of the emotional ties to our old job and move with conviction and perseverance into our new opportunities. When we ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior, we leave the old life that is ruled by sin and take hold of the grace and love that God offers through His Son. One stage must be left behind in order to move into the next.

The apostle Paul gives his version of this life reality when he says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).

Has God put before you something new for 2011? Is there something that has brought you pleasure, significance or meaning this past year, last month or even yesterday but you sense that today God is saying He has a new thing. Don’t get stuck in a rut where you continue to do something simply because of tradition or comfort. Be open to change. Be alert to where God is at work and then set about to join Him. To do so you may need to let go of the old so you can take hold of the new. Change is propelled by the movement of the Holy Spirit. Be alert! Be Present!

PRAYER: God, may our hearts be open and receptive to listening and discerning the movement of Your Spirit and then may we have the courage to obediently follow You.

Verse:  “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out!  Don’t you see it” (Isaiah 43:18,19 MSG).

Today’s Devotional is by Rosemary Flaaten. Her successful book, A Woman and Her Relationships helps women process their outside-of-work relationships, so now she’s delving into these 9-5 relationships in A Woman and Her Workplace. Her Relationships book won The Word Guild Award, which is Canada’s top Christian literary honor. A dynamic speaker—Rosemary challenges women of all professions to view their work as a calling and their workplaces as opportunities to live out Christ’s love. Rosemary lives with her husband and three children in Calgary, Canada.

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And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

As I made a drive-through deposit at the bank, I noticed that the teller kept looking up at me. As she returned the deposit slip to the metal bin, she said, “You sure remind me of a girl I went to school with.”

I asked her what the girl’s name was and the teller looked down as she tried to recall a name from long ago. Suddenly she looked up, smiled and said, “Geraldine Atkins.”

Time seemed to stop as I comprehended her words. Then I shared with her that my mother, Geraldine Atkins Shelton, had recently passed away.

With a smile the teller said, “She was such a sweet girl.”

The conversation left me feeling so many emotions. Sadness that my mother is gone. Happiness that I had talked to someone who knew her as a girl. Thankfulness that my mother had such a sweet and gentle spirit. And just a little pride that this stranger could tell that I was related to her.

As we go through life, others are looking to see who we might be related to. I hope that those I encounter might think, you know, she sure reminds me of Someone. I hope that there’s enough of Him and so little of me that His light shines through. I hope they can see His sweet and gentle spirit living in me. And if anyone ever asks if I’m related to a carpenter from Galilee, I’m sure going to feel just a little pride as I answer, “Yes.”

The post Would Anyone Know You Are Related To Him? first appeared on The Christian Pulse.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23 KJV). This proverb of King Solomon’s is not referring to physical cardio training, but spiritual. We want to keep watch over what we are meditating on in our heart.

Is there unforgiveness or bitterness? Envy? Worry? If so, the answer is to exercise…. Exercise forgiveness, repentance and then cast your cares upon the Lord.

Being what I call a “Fit Witness” is wonderful not only for you—but the people around you! And they will want to know your secret. You can begin explaining your blessing with words like, “by the grace of God,” and then mention how you like to combine faith and fitness (such as doing PraiseMoves or prayer-walking).

As a child of God, you are a steward or caretaker of the body the Lord has given you. Did you know your body actually belongs to Him? “For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV). Both your spirit and your body are God’s property. Don’t let that scare you if you haven’t been taking as good care of His property as you could. Instead, realize He has a vested interest in helping you take care of your body! Ask Him to help you.

Physical Cardio Training
Cardiovascular training involves any activity that requires the use of the large muscle groups of the body in a regular and uninterrupted manner. It elevates the heart rate between 60 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Some examples of cardio training include brisk walking, running, aerobics, cycling, elliptical training and rowing.

How Much Cardio
Most experts agree that cardiovascular training should last for 20 to 60 minutes, with the normal range being 30 to 40 minutes per session. Cardio should be performed a minimum of three days per week, with four to five days being optimal.

The Benefits of Cardio Training

• Burns calories
• Lose excess body fat
• Strengthens heart and lungs
• Elevates your mood—a real blues buster!
• Adds variety to your workout routine

When to Do Cardio Training
Most people find exercising earlier in the day is best. It helps them not to put it off. Some find after work is best for them. But any time you purpose to exercise is fine—just do it! Here are some tips:

• Avoid doing cardio exercises before bedtime. If you do, you may have a difficult time sleeping as the energy level of the body will be elevated for a while.
• If you are doing weight training too, try doing some cardio exercises right after, not before.
• A protein shake 30 minutes before cardio ensures you’ll have energy and won’t burn muscle protein during your workout.
• Exercise 2 hours after a larger meal.

Combine Physical and Spiritual Cardio
Select a scripture for the day and meditate on it while you are working out. Consider the scripture piece-by-piece and ask the Holy Spirit (our Teacher and Guide) to reveal hidden truths to you.

Build your faith muscles by speaking the scripture out loud as you are working out so you can hear yourself saying it. Remember, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 KJV).

Combining these two forms of cardio exercise will thus ensure you will keep your physical and spiritual heart with all diligence.

Christian Fitness Expert Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry (http://PraiseMoves.com and on Facebook http://bit.ly/aAlS4u ). Take part in her free monthly teleseminars at http://ChristianFitnessTeleseminar.com .

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Imagine a soft ball of white, hyper fur who answers to the name Roxy. She was one of my favorite pets. She was a fluffy, spirited, extremely loving Eskimo Spitz. She was predictable. She had specific routines that she stuck to day after day. She loved to eat—a girl after my own heart.

Her morning routine at breakfast time was a sight to see. She looked liked a cotton ball on steroids running the 100 yard dash. The minute the garage door opened she would bounce off the front porch, fly at rocket speed around the corner of the house, bolt to the edge of the eight-foot-tall retaining wall, skid through the turn and cross the finish line with a catapulting jump off the low end of wall that landed her onto our driveway—very close to the food bowl.

One particular cold winter day, Roxy bolted out the door on her 100 yard food dash. Only this morning was different. A new twist to her dash soon caught poor Roxy’s undivided attention. A thin layer of black ice had carpeted the wall. As the song goes, “You can only imagine” the flying cotton ball on steroids in an instant had a new identity. She was now a spastic four-legged UFD (Unidentified Flying Dog). As she flew off the high side of the retaining wall her eyes were as wide as saucers! She was experiencing sheer panic as she tried to understand how to make four paws flap like wings of eagles.

Unsuccessful as a UFD, Roxy recovered from her brief identity crisis and by the next morning she was back to her typical self.

Roxy had her routines, things she did every day. I think we are the same way. We get comfortable in the fast paced secure routine of life. Sometimes, God has to send some “black ice” our way to get our attention. He changes our direction, gives us an unexpected circumstance and, yes, even sends us catapulting through the air in sheer panic. Why? So He can remind us of His identity and who we are in Him. He wants to shake us from our routines; our comfortable life, so we can experience His strength, His comfort, His presence.

So, whatever “black ice” you are experiencing today, just remember it is there for a purpose.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the unexpected things that You bring into my life. Help me to seek You during my trials so I may become the person You desire me to be.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4 NLT).

Today’s devotion is by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert. As Life Coaches, they equip women to discover their life purpose. Learn more about their study DIVAS of the Divine: How to live as a Designer Original in a Knock Off World at: www.walkofpurpose.com.

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“Can you tell me that my son has gone to heaven?” the mother asked the hospital chaplain.

Not knowing the family, and only knowing that the boy had committed suicide, the chaplain looked deeply into the soul of the seeking mother’s eyes. What do I tell her? What is the right thing to say, Lord? “Tell me about your son,” the chaplain tenderly said.

As the mother poured out her heart about the life of her only child, she heard within her own words the answer to her question, and the chaplain was once again reminded that true wisdom isn’t always the textbook answer. God’s answers sometimes carry wisdom that is beyond our understanding.

This Scripture is the first account of the use of Solomon’s gift of wisdom. Solomon asked for wisdom or discernment, not wealth. God was pleased with his request and gave him an abundance of wisdom. The dilemma Solomon found himself in with these two mothers would have been difficult for anyone, yet Solomon knew he possessed something outside of himself that would make all the difference. Often the solution to our own dilemmas is not logical, easily seen, or reasoned. But when the solution comes from God we will know, for His solutions are perfect.

PRAYER: Praise God for Your perfect wisdom. Help me seek Your wisdom when it would be easier to rely upon my own logic, reason, or understanding. Thank You for always providing wisdom that is beyond my understanding but not Yours.

“When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected the king, for they realized that he possessed supernatural wisdom to make judicial decisions” (1 Kings 3:28 NET).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional at www.CheriCowell.com

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