June Foster's Blog, page 4

A God Who Loves You

The Bible says God is the Great I Am. “God said to Moses, I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14. The God Who created all things—the stars, the moon, the earth—and mankind. I googled “the smartest person on earth” and got several answers, among them was Isaac Newton. God is more knowledgeable and capable than Einstein or William James Sidis. He is smarter than any human who’s ever lived.

I have a fraction of God’s wisdom, His power, His sense of humor, His creativity, and all else that He is. Yet He says “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3. He wants to communicate with us. How could that be?

Because He’s a God of love, He invites us to seek Him, talk to Him, lay out our cares before Him. “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1John4 11 I can’t imagine that such a mighty Being would have time to talk to me. Or for that matter, even care about me, but He does. He invites us to pour out our hearts to Him, and we can be assured He listens. He cares about the smallest detail of our lives.

God is not some mystifying Presence up in the sky but a loving, caring Father who wants to spend time with us. Pull up a chair and have an awesome conversation with Him.

Lord, I pray for any who want to draw nearer to You. Show them that You are the way, the truth, and the life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What Happened?

My husband and I have arrived at an age when one begins to think seriously about death. After all, since I’m nearly 80, the end of life as I know it on this earth is approaching. To add to that, cancer has reared its ugly head in our family.

We attend a seniors’ class at my church. I look around at my precious brothers and sisters in the Lord, many with gray heads and some, their frames bent. But all bubbling over with the joy of the Lord.

I can remember like it was yesterday when I was a teen, filled with energy and blessed with good health. Then I think of today. Suffering from arthritis and high blood pressure.

WHAT HAPPENED?

It all started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve defied God and sin came into the world which brought about death. Everyone dies a physical death. One hundred percent of us.

Tell me some good news, my heart pleads.

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for our sin, sin we are all born with. And if sin is abolished, then so is death. I’m referring to spiritual death. So, when my body dies, my spirit goes to dwell with the Lord forever.

And by-the-way, I will get a new body one day.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Choose His free gift today and live with the Savior for all eternity.

Standing for Truth

A pastor watches the news. Gay Pride month. Homosexual marriage. Teaching about homosexuality in schools. Romans 1:26-27 blares in his mind. Something about God giving over people to their dishonorable passions because they exchanged natural relations for those contrary to nature.

He paces the floor in his study and realizes he can no longer remain silent. So, the next Sunday he speaks on this portion of the Bible. As well as Leviticus 18:22 about not lying with a male as a man would with a woman. And 1 Corinthians 6:9 where the Bible calls out men who practice homosexuality.

The next week, a group of protestors pound on his office door and accuse him of hatred. He’s spread hate speech about others. How could a preacher who’s supposed to speak the love of God spew hatred from the pulpit? They demand an apology and that he retracks his words.

The preacher is shocked. Did he actually show hate to homosexuals? He sits in a corner of his church and prays. Lord, you are a God of love. Help me.

Then the Lord tells him something amazing. First of all, the words he spoke weren’t his own but God’s. He was merely a messenger of the Almighty. He preached the truth from the Bible. God doesn’t speak words of hate but of love. “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” 1John4:16

Secondly, the group of disgruntled people were asking him to disobey God and take back his words. The angry folks communicated two wrongs in their message. What they asked of the preacher was based on a lie.

The preacher had a choice. Disobey God and please the people or stand for what God’s word says. What will you do with the truth next time?

Garden of Eden Restored

Genesis chapter two tells the story of how God planted a garden in the “east” for the first people to ever live on earth, Adam and Eve. God named it the Garden of Eden. I would imagine it was a lush paradise that supplied the inhabitants’ every need. The Bible tells us God placed all kinds of trees in the garden, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.

One tree in particular He called The Tree of Life. Another was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned Adam and Eve they could eat of any except that one. Unfortunately, Eve disobeyed God and tasted a piece of fruit, giving some to her husband, Adam. Because Adam and Eve defied God, the first two people were cast out of their perfect world. Now, every human born is plagued with the sinful nature they inherited. We no longer live in a paradise, but a sin ridden world where murder, lies, and selfishness reign. That sounds pretty dismal.

But wait. I have good news. Though we die externally, those who trust Jesus as Savior can dwell with Him eternally in the next life.

And there’s more good news. In Revelation 21, the Bible tells us God will create a new Heaven and earth, one where there is no more death, mourning, crying or pain. Revelation 22:1-5 gives us a glimpse of the glorious days in store for Christians. The passages promise that there will come a time when man will no longer live under the curse we inherited from our ancestors, Adam and Eve. We will have the distinct privilege of serving the Lord forever and will proudly display His name on our foreheads. Basking in the perpetual light of God’s face, we won’t suffer from pain or disease or shed any more tears.

But the last part of verse 2 stood out. “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.” Could that be the same tree of life God originally created in the Garden of Eden? Whether it’s the exact same tree or one patterned after the original, the mention of the tree leads me to believe that God is restoring all that we lost in Eden.

When Adam and Eve first sinned, Satan appeared to have won the battle. But not so. God will make everything new someday. The devil didn’t win!

“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!'” Revelations 21:5

Dear Lord, my heart’s desire is to spend all eternity with You. Thank you for redeeming sinful man. You will gather us to Your throne someday where we will have fellowship with You forever. Amen.

Fear of Death

I fully believe in the truth of the Bible. Jesus died on a cross so that I may have eternal life—a life with Him for ever and ever. I don’t know exactly what that life will look like, but I’m convinced that existence in the afterlife will be glorious, perfect because I will be in God’s presence. “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 11Cor. 5:8. NKJV I confess, though, that the process of dying sounds a little scary to me.

For the last two and a half years, the covid pandemic has raged. Thankfully, I have avoided it. Now that the cases have begun to decline, I figured I was in the clear. But after a quick trip to Tennessee with family, I came back coughing and feeling yucky. I thought there was no way I had the dreaded disease but took one of our home tests. My mouth dropped open when I saw the little red line next to the blue. The next day, we went to the neighborhood quick-care clinics. I received confirmation. I had Covid.

Lying on my outdoor patio couch, I closed my eyes and began to pray asking the Lord if He planned to take me home given my age, etc. Somehow, I knew this year wasn’t my time to go to be with Him. But in that moment, I realized that when the time comes, there will be no fear of dying. That day will be wonderful. I will pass on into a beautiful existence and be with the Lord forever. “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2 ESV

Are You Thirsty?

I grew up decades ago when in high school, the worst thing that teenagers did was go behind the school grounds and smoke cigarettes. Once before I graduated, I heard about how a very popular cheerleader had to leave school and go live with her “Aunt Sally.” Not too many mentioned how she left for another state to have a baby and came back home after six or seven months.

No rioting in the streets every summer, no trashing the police with hate talk and violence. Not too many disrespected their parents. Yes, I’m sure some defied authority but not to the extent we see today. In today’s world, we hear on TV and read on the internet reports of vandalism in the city streets. Pride parades honor that which we wouldn’t have spoken of in my day. Men and women flaunting bizarre costumes was unknown back then.

Fast forward fifty years. Our culture has made a one-eighty. Societal changes I’d never dreamed of are prevalent today. Changes that hurt my heart. Not because I’m a goody two shoes. A prude. No doubt, I’d think nothing of these changes if the Lord hadn’t come into my life. Without Jesus, I’d be right in the middle of the action.

But now I have a new nature and a new way of thinking—placed in my heart by God. When I look at the news and see the degradation, I grieve. I hunger and thirst for righteousness. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6

The Lord has shown us the way He chooses for His children to live and think. And there is hope. The scriptures tell us about the One who will quench that thirst and feed that hunger. “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35.

If you’re hungry for a change, ask Jesus to come into your life so that you will never be hungry and thirsty again.

Curve Balls of Life

By Donna Schlachter

Have you ever watched a baseball game where the pitcher throws a curve ball? The batter changes his stance as the ball goes one way, hefts the bat as it changes direction, then either watches the ball sail past him as a perfect strike, or they swing wildly to hit the too high or too low ball. That’s the thing about curve balls—you never quite know where they’re going to end up.

Life often throws us curve balls we weren’t expecting. Unexpected illness. A bad diagnosis. An unplanned pregnancy. Marital strife. Family tensions and disagreements. Job loss. Change of location. Church division.

How we deal with these disruptions to our carefully laid plans tells a lot about our relationship with God. If we are grounded in the Word, confident of our salvation, and growing in our relationship with Him, we are in a much better position to not only overcome the situation, but to glorify God and see the benefit to us as we persevere.

One thing is certain, we cannot wait and hope that bad things won’t happen to us. We live in a world where sin abounds. People of all types make poor decisions every day. Politicians lie. The mechanic who fixes our car installs used parts and charges us for new. Our accountant fiddles with the numbers, and the IRS sees through it. Our best friend has an affair with our spouse. Our children make bad friends and end up addicted.

Facing any of these circumstances can leave us confused and lost. If God knew, why didn’t He stop it? And if He didn’t know, is He worth serving? Can we trust Him? And if we can’t, what now?

These questions—and more—cycled through the mind of the heroine, Edith Cooper, in my most recent release, Hollow Hearts. She headed west in a wagon train with her husband, who died suddenly. On the way back from the cemetery, she receives two marriage proposals from men she doesn’t consider as potential husbands. But what should she do? She has few options. The stationmaster, Albert Whitt, has already had two women jilt him. He’s not on the lookout for another. Yet there’s something about Widow Cooper that reaches deep into his jaded heart. Will they choose to follow God’s leading, or will they remain alone?

The answer for you, for me, and for my characters, is to walk in obedience to God. When we step out in faith, He covers our failings and makes a way. What He requires, He resources. But don’t wait until those curve balls come at you from all directions. Dig deep into His Word, the Bible, now, so that you know your direction.

Check out Hollow Hearts, Book 2 of “Hearts of the Pony Express” here: https://www.amazon.com/Hollow-Hearts-Book-Pony-Express-ebook/dp/B0B5B7H4XG About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter.

www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

The Parable of the Ducks

My husband and I were parked at Ft. Lewis in the most beautiful RV Park in Washington state right on American Lake. Our spot was ten feet from the lake, so I decided to take my camera and investigate some of the wildlife. I saw an amazing sight and figured it had a perfect Biblical analogy. 

Baby ducks followed Mama in an almost straight line about fifteen feet from shore. For some unknown reason, one of the ducklings decided he wanted to explore the bank and swam off toward it. Though Mama duck had numerous “children” behind her, she patiently swam over to her stray baby, leaving the others to fend for themselves. Finally, the rest of the family decided they’d better check on Mama and their wayward brother. 

Maybe it was just me, but this seemed like a good illustration for one of Jesus’ parables in the Bible. Luke 15: 4-6. “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.”

It’s easy to see God’s message to us in His creation around us. Keep your eyes open!

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Romans 1: 20

Dear Lord, thank You that even in nature we see a reflection of You. You surround us daily and give us strength for the journey. Amen.

Praying For Those Who Are at Death’s Door

God has blessed us with a wonderful church since we moved to Alabama. The cohesive manner in which people work together and serve God is impressive. The minute we set foot into the church, we were right at home.

We signed up to be on the prayer chain. I have to admit, I’ve struggled with this. There are a lot of godly saints at this church who are nearing the end of their lives. Since the church is large and we receive the prayer list Monday through Friday, I see many, many prayer requests concerning serious medical problems.

Let’s be honest. All of us are living in dying bodies. Whether we’re sixteen or sixty. God will call us from this life one day. We have no choice in the matter. Another reason to make sure we’re ready for eternity.

But how do I pray for these precious saints who are nearer death than they were before? Lately, I came across some scriptures that helped. Allow the hope they provide to soak into your heart.

1John 5:4 “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

John 16: 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1Corinthians 15: 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Hebrews 2: 14 “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.”

When we don’t know how to pray, these scriptures will help.

1Timothy 1:10 “But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Dear Lord, I stumble and stammer many times when I pray. Thank You that Your word is a model for our prayers.

Rejection

I believe the hardest thing for any writer is when his/her manuscript is rejected or when everyone doesn’t think it’s just wonderful.

I don’t know about you, but my story is like my baby. Anyone who has birthed a child knows what I’m talking about. One’s baby is the most beautiful in the entire world. So, when an editor says your baby isn’t just perfect, it hurts.

I’m not a seasoned writer like so many well-known authors. Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Tracie Peterson are some of the best. But if I were to guess, I bet that even these accomplished writers have times of doubt and feelings of failure. We all do. I’m at the top of the list.

I don’t like to admit it, but it’s so easy to slip into depression and feelings of worthlessness when I get that rejection letter. So, what’s a writer to do?

1. Dwell upon your Savior—who He is. Exodus 3:15 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Genesis 14:19 the Creator of heaven and earth. Revelations 1:8 The Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

2.  Ponder who you are in Christ. Romans 3:24 We are justified freely by his grace. Romans 8:1 There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2: 6 God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms.

3. Figure out ways to serve others. Galatians 5:13 Serve one another in love.

4. Pray, pray, pray. 1Thessalonians 5:17 Pray continually.

I pray for the Lord’s blessings on you as you pen the stories He’s placed in your heart.