Tag Archives: God

Is Jesus really enough?

9 Apr

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet Eckles Perez

cooltext173078713213329I received a peck on the cheek as I hugged a small, frail woman. “Welcome beautiful visitor,” she said.

She brought small bowls of rice to feed the children who gathered outside her tiny nipa hut nestled in the rural areas of the island of Mindanao, Philippines.

In the midst of the humid, scorching heat, she fed them. They sang songs, and then she nourished their souls with Bible lessons.

Fighting mosquitoes and wiping sweat beads off my forehead, I listened and observed her joy, her passion, and patience with those little ones. As we were about to leave and head to our next stop in our missions trip, I hugged her. “I admire you,” I said. “You have so little and give so much.”

She gave a shy giggle. “When you have Jesus, you have enough,” she said.

Can that be so? Can Jesus really be enough?

Here are three questions to determine if He’s truly enough for us:

1. If we lose all we value, can we still declare we believe and trust in Him?

2. If our plans fail, our heart is broken, and our future looks bleak, will contentment still fill our hearts?

3. If His ways contradict ours, will we still embrace joy?

And if we had nothing, can we repeat what Habakkuk 3:17-18 declares? “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

No matter what you’re facing today, can you still rejoice in Him?

Source: Is Jesus really enough? | Janet Perez Eckles

I am thrilled to share this news about Janet

What a delightful shock to receive the news that I was chosen as the winner of the 2016 Alumni Merit Award by my alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University.

How ironic! When I arrived at that campus so many years ago, I was overcome by homesickness. I was the queen of insecurity, shy, and fearful I’d never make it to graduation. Could it be God had His own plan in spite of it all?

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The Wonders of Nature

8 Apr

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

I look through my kitchen window each day,
seeking, as I always do-
All the signs of God’s presence
in the soul-stirring scene that I view.

It never ceases to amaze me
that His presence is everywhere.
The Easter Lilies are radiant
Postural, as though in prayer.

They are programmed to bloom at Easter,
then close for another year.
Their role is to glorify the Savior-
then silently disappear.

Springtime is a season
of new life with a goal.
New leaves are forming, flowers are budding-
there is a stirring in my soul.

I read an interesting quote this week by Max Lucado that I
would love to share with you.
“Next time a sunrise steals your breath, or a meadow of flowers
leaves you speechless, remain that way and say nothing- and listen
as Heaven whispers, “Do you like it? I did it just for You.”

Man with dog in grass

Source: Reflections of the Heart: April 2007

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Cosmetic surgery? How to become the new you

2 Apr

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet Eckles Perez

03-25-16 cosmetic surgery

 

I just heard that Costa Rica is the place to go for a make-over of the body. You know those muffin tops? They can be gone now. Or if you want a little tuck here, a little fat removed from here, some added there. The whole body can be transformed.

“And the price is incredibly reasonable. You can come back a new woman,” my friend said. I’m having all kinds of extra stuff removed even getting these ugly age spots off my hands.”

“Not me,” I said, “I had all that done years ago.”

The transformation was complete. Los of changes and enhancements took place. And I got a great deal. It costs me nothing. Well, change that…it cost my pride.

I undressed my heart and left my pride at the door. Then I lay down on the table of humility. That’s where I underwent a soul transformation. When Jesus came into my life, He became Lord of my imperfections.

He removed pounds of insecurities. He carved out fear, the kind that made me think I wouldn’t make it through the trials. He pulled out unsightly lies, misconceptions, and negative thoughts from my mind.

I came out a renewed woman—new thoughts, new attitude, new approach to life. And He even removed those spots of gloom that formed when I faced adversity.

All was gone. And great news, His invitation is directed to all of us. He plans to perform soul surgery because He has a purpose. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

We can’t know His will unless we let Him renew us. We can’t relish in His glory if we do not endure the change. In addition, we cannot expect glory unless we’re willing to have Him perform the transformation on the operating table of His love.

What needs a little improvement in your life these days?

 

Visit Janet’s blog to learn more.  Cosmetic surgery? How to become the new you. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Bag Lady

28 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

1

Six regulars minus the pastor’s wife are waiting for Sunday School to start. The phone in the kitchen rings. We ignore it because we know the pastor hears it in his office. In a minute our door opens and the pastor’s wife sticks her head in. “There’s a lady on State Road 405 heading for church in her wheelchair and she says the chair won’t go anymore, so now she can’t get here. The Sunday school teacher and his nephew leave and the co-teacher takes over.

Apparently Mission was accomplished. Toward the end of class, the teacher comes back and asks if one of us ladies can help the woman who is now in the bathroom. I get the distinct impression this is not my bag. For one thing I don’t know how big she is or how much help she’ll need. For another, I haven’t been doing any resistance training lately, (or ever). Ruth gets up and goes, she’s the minister of music and takes care of handicapped seniors during the week. She’ll know just what to do.

It’s time for praise team practice. Ruth pushes the wheelchair lady into the church and we go to meet her. I’ll call her Queenie.

While we’re on the podium singing, Queenie takes food from one of several bags hanging from the handles of her chair and eats breakfast. When she finishes she takes out two small tablecloths and covers herself for warmth against the air conditioner.

I am fascinated by this person who would set out for church in her motorized wheel chair even though the church was ten miles from where she met the man who invited her and where she usually hangs out. Later, Ruth tells me Queenie can walk, but the wheelchair is her only means of transportation. I want to study this person, but that would require staring, so I just dart glances hoping she won’t catch me. She has a loud booming voice and I hear her tell her new retinue that she wants to sit in a chair. Four or five people help her get settled. The next thing I know she’s broadcasting over our singing into her cell phone.

We have a short break between Praise-team practice and church when I teach the children. I walk around a bit and then go into the Sunday School room to see if everything is ready. There’s Queenie snoozing on the floor with her wheelchair nearby. It’s a very small room and I’m eagerly expecting ten lively, curious beautiful children in a few seconds. I tell her I’m sorry, but we need the room. She somehow manages to leave.

Queenie must have gone back into the church because after Sunday School I pass the minister’s office and hear voices. Queenie is getting help and counseling and I’m glad. I like to see people loved and cared for and I do a fair share of it myself, but this time I minded my own business and I don’t regret it. There were plenty of people to help and my focus was to be on the praise team and the children.

That’s the sort of thing that happens when we’re really listening for God’s voice. He does say, “This is the way, walk ye in it,” (Isiah 30:21) but I don’t believe he meant for us to automatically jump into what we’ve been taught before we ask God what He thinks and what He wants us to think. The old way is to study the rules and follow them. The new way is to nurture the Spirit of God which lives in us and follow his leading all the time, in everything. (Hebrews 8:13).

Around the time when the, “What would Jesus do?” phase swept over our land I read, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) You know who said that, don’t you? You don’t have to figure out what you should do, you just have to ask the Father what He wants you to think and do. Number 1. Ask. Number 2. Think Number 3. Do or don’t do.

It may sound difficult, but it doesn’t take much time, and you can get into a habit with it. I’m just starting, but already I can see how much better it is to walk in that kind of contact with my Father in Heaven who loves me. You can live a well-ordered life if you learn to know and trust the One who gives the orders.

If you’d like to know more about this concept, study your Bible and also try Dr. Caroline Leaf online. She’s a cognitive (thinking) neuroscientist (brain and mind specialist) who is showing how science is finally catching up with the Bible.

 

 

 

 

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How to fight fear, three steps.

19 Mar

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet Eckles Perez

 

 

03-15-16 Boxing gloves

Sometimes the biggest obstacle is the fear we pack in our suitcase when we travel through life.

We stood at the doorway of the hotel room. “Is there anything I can do for you?” the lady who picked me up from the airport asked.

“Well…thanks,” I said, “only one thing…can you go in the bathroom and tell me which is the shampoo and which is the body lotion?”

Strange question, isn’t it? Well, when you are blind and the hotel room is a foreign place, a bit of navigating is needed to get familiar. But the tough part, the really tough part is determining which is which among those little containers lined up on the bathroom counter.

I learned the hard way. I’ve shampooed with body lotion. And yuck, I have spread shampoo on my body, assuming it was body lotion. I’m okay with that because all that’s part of the adventure when I travel to speaking engagements.

But, this true story made me think twice about staying in a hotel room alone:

Some years ago my husband was traveling in Europe, and he would leave me alone with only my maid in a large house, far from neighbors. One night, after my habitual reading of the Bible and prayers, I went to bed. As soon as I entered our room, I saw, in the mirror, the reflection of a man hiding behind the wardrobe. I was terrified and thought of screaming for help, but I knew it would be useless.

Determined to trust in God, I walked with trembling legs, and with as brave a heart as possible, took my Bible that was on top of a small table and sat in the chair nearby. I started to read in a loud voice chapter 53 of Isaiah, and then knelt down and started to pray asking God for His protection against thieves and every kind of evil.

Then I got up and sat in the chair again. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and a voice saying: “Don’t be afraid. You are safe. I came here to rob this house, but this chapter is the one my mother used to read to me, and your prayer reminded me of her prayers. I am going away now. You don’t need to be afraid of anything.

She saw the shadow, but being blind, I’d never see one. But know what? Fear never moves in with me in any hotel room or anywhere. And it won’t with you either if you believe in these three promises in Isaiah 41:10.

  1. God’s presence is with us: “Fear not; for I am with you…”
  2. No intruder is a match to His power because He says, “…be not dismayed; for I am your God…”
  3. He will come to our aid when fear tries to make us weak. He said, “I will strengthen you…”
  4. He will come to our aid when fear attacks our thoughts. He says, “I will help you…”
  5. His protection is stronger than any outside force. He promises, “Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”

No matter where you travel, I invite you to make a reservation in the hotel of His grace. That’s where fear dies and faith grows.

Visit Janet’s website and sign up for a free gift: How to fight fear, three steps. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Four things you must do when facing a plate full of issues.

5 Mar

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet Eckles Perez

4

Recently, someone asked me the same question many have before:

When you lose one sense, like in your case, your eyesight, is it true that other senses develop and sharpen?”

“Sure is,” I said, “in my case it’s my sense of humor.”

I looked toward the mirror; I never have a bad hair day. And when you can’t see, eating can be fun, too. With a plate full of food before me, every bit is a surprise and meals end up being an adventure.

But it’s quite different when life presents a plate full of difficult issues. We look closely at all of them, and before we know it, we get a bad case of emotional indigestion. Here is how to avoid it:

  1. Use each challenge as a channel to taste God’s grace.
  2. Use every disappointment, heartache and even tragedy as an opportunity to savor the sweetness of God’s comfort.
  3. Use each moment of joy, triumph and success is a chance to delight in His provision.
  4. Use each setback as an opportunity to sit back and wait in expectation.

If you’re in that place right now–facing tough, painful issues, I invite you to close your eyes. Let your soul savor God’s promises. His promises that say He is at work in that situation. He’s about to bring the solution. And until He does, he’s holding you ever, ever so close. “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119: 103)

Source: Four things you must do when facing a plate full of issues. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Peace Be Still

1 Feb

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Peace Be Still

Jesus always told stories when he spoke to his followers.

I’m into stories, have been since I was born. My mother told true stories and made up some. Grandmother told stories about her life, too. Before he went away to war and later when he grew old, Dad told stories about his. His stories stopped during my childhood because he suffered from what is now called PTSD.

I married a man who tells stories about his adventures every day, our grown children tell stories and so it goes. Stories and the need for them will never die. I thank God that I come from a story-telling family. I’m convinced there is no better way to learn the vital things of life.

It seems possible to imagine myself present as a child in a story about one of Jesus’ miracles. See if you can put yourself into it with me.

Father and Mother took me up on the mountain to listen to the master. He told us things about how to be happy. Wildflowers grew all over the mountain spreading their fragrance over the crowd like a blessing. I stood in the boat next to Jesus as he taught from there. I wanted to sing and dance with joy, but, alas, there was no room for that in the small boat.

When the teaching was over, the master asked the fishermen to take him across the lake. The sail filled with wind and we flew right along across the water next to a low-flying seagull. I looked around for the master and finally found him sleeping at the back of the boat. I was tired from all the excitement and the fresh air, so I lay down nearby. I thought about the wonderful day and looked at the white clouds in the blue sky. I too, fell asleep.

I awoke to rain in my face, black skies, and a bad feeling in my tummy. The fishermen were shouting and I saw that they were afraid. I’d never seen big rough men show fear before. Two wrestled to get the sail down while two others tried to bail out the water coming over the side in waves. One of the men came back and shook the master’s shoulder to wake him.

“Don’t you care that we’re all going to die!” he shouted.

By now I was hanging onto the anchor so I wouldn’t be washed out of the boat and into the sea.

The master rose and made his way to the bow. He held his hand up commanding, “Stop. Be quiet. Peace! Be still.” His voice carried through the storm. We all heard it. Suddenly the sea was calm. The sun came out. The bailers finished bailing. The sail went up again. Soon the work was done and we were on our way.

“Why were you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith?” said the master.

“Who is this man that wind and sea are at his command?” said one of the men.

I almost raised my hand to answer, but then thought the men might not like a child telling them something they didn’t already know. Someday, perhaps I will tell the story of this day so others may hear and know him too.

Mark 4

If you want to see the ancient fishing boats, Google Bible fishing boats. The pictures are beautiful.

 

 

You might enjoy this book: The Power of Personal Storytelling 

 

 

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God’s Helping Hands

12 Jan

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

It’s a frigid December day, a week before Christmas. People are lined up outside and we’re getting ready to open the crisis center. Every time I come there are more people to serve, and the board has had to introduce strict, new rules. I see 12 large colorful grocery bags in the back of the room, filled with age-appropriate toys. Our leader explains, “These are for needy families who have no toys. They were given to us by a woman and her family who recently lost her father, and around the same time, a new baby.”

A worker unlocks the door and people file in. We begin the process of finding their files and sending them down the line so we can help fill their basic needs. I work quickly, but then an elderly man stops to chat, and I pause to listen.

Homeless man“See how they fixed me up at the hospital.” He lifts his dirty, ragged shirt and shows me a long, clean bandage across his chest. “I have these other scars, too.” And he shows them to me. “Those doctors and nurses saved my life,” he says. He walks away with a smile on his face. He was already experiencing a great Christmas and his gratitude was deep and real. Yes!

Another man stops and says, “I was here not too long ago, but now I need socks.”

“You can only come in once a month.” I say, as I look at my partner to confirm.

“I’m getting him some socks,” she answers quickly and quietly, Even though we do not work in the clothing area, she stops her routine and goes to there. When she comes back, she surreptitiously hands him a small bag. Later, a woman comes in with a donation: a large trash bag filled with….socks. Yes!

A woman asks me for size 12 shoes for her husband. “They didn’t have any last time I was here,” she said. The clothing worker tells me to go look on the shoe rack. I look for what seems like a long time. Suddenly I spot a large pair of good black shoes on the top rack. I stand on tiptoe to bring them down and sure enough, they are marked size 12. Yes!

My feet hurt, but I have no time to sit down. A young man comes up and with his head lowered so that I can hardly hear him, “I’ve never been here before.” I ask for ID and proof that he lives in our county. This doesn’t happen to be one of the centers for the homeless and these proofs are mandatory. He has ID, but no proof of address. I go to the computer lady. “He is not in the system, we cannot help him till he brings proof.”

“But Ma’am this is kind of an emergency,” he whispers to me. “My wife just left me with the kids and I don’t have anything for them.”

“Let me ask my supervisor,” I say.

“He needs to show proof,” she sighs, and I suppose she is tired too. I hesitate to go back and tell the man we can’t help him, so I wait a moment hoping she’ll come up with a solution. To give her time I go back to the counter, but I hear her say loudly, “You have to have proof.” I am disappointed, but she walks past me and whispers, “Go ahead and send him through.” Yes!

I can’t stop thinking about him, however. I’m afraid he’ll be rushed through without getting everything he needs. I sneak back to the interview station and see him with a new interviewer. I won’t interrupt, but before I walk away I hear her say: “And what about Christmas, do you have any toys for the kids?” Later, I see him walk by with a big grocery sack full of Christmas toys, headed for the clothing room. I know his next stop will be the food station and they’ll take good care of him there. Yes!

We are busy at the crisis center on this day, in the week before Christmas, but I love to be here because we see so many good people helping others and so many God-incidents to thrill and surprise us.

 

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Perspective – Circumstances

8 Jan

 

 

This touched a tender part of my heart today~Onisha

 

god-breathed

Treasure Beach, Jamaica, is an earthly paradise, but in this beautiful place you can also find extreme examples of land and seascape: warm inviting water, threatening jagged reef. Like the photograph, life is so often a portrait in extremes. In the hours of one day it is possible to experience the sweetest, uplifting highs, only to find yourself cut to bits by unexpected, devastating lows. We’ve all experienced these contradictory days. Yet, through it all one fact holds true, the Word of God stands eternal. Whatever I am going through in my life, whatever injurious circumstance I, or someone I love, might be experiencing; the Word of God is a lifeline if I reach out and open the book.

 

 

Please be sure to read the rest of this: Perspective – Circumstances

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Anticipating heaven. | Janet Perez Eckles

12 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet Eckles Perez

 

Once in a lifetime you meet somebody that prompts you to say, “I want to be just like her.” Let me tell you about Karen. Like millions, she has faced cancer, but hers is a rare type;., the survival rate is alarmingly small. Yet, for years, she has defied all odds and survived its claim on her health. But Karen hasn’t just survived; she is living her days to the fullest. Though years of treatment have zapped her energy, she keeps going, again, defying all odds, baffling all doctors.

But Karen has another secret: she has no fear of death. She knows Christ. She knows heaven awaits her. And certain of her eternity, her courage can fill her hospice room. Karen displays the confidence few possess. She has even taken her husband shopping for the suit he will wear at her funeral.

Like many of us have chosen the centerpiece for the table at our wedding reception, Karen has chosen her tombstone which you see in this picture. (click link below to visit Janet’s blog) Could it be that Karen was put on this earth to fulfill God’s unique plan and also to teach the rest of us that death cannot bring about fear? Death of the physical body is the doorway to life eternal, the beginning of the perfect life, and the anticipation of glorious living.

As of this writing, Karen has been told it’s only a very short time before she faces Jesus. But she holds to her faith. She has all plans in place.

She has prepared her family. And in doing so, perhaps she prepares us to see her example, so that we, someday like Karen, will declare the words of Paul: “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” “…

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 16:55 and 57) Has Christ who lives in you also erased the sting of death?

Read more:  Anticipating heaven. | Janet Perez Eckles

 

I’m working on a new book. And this time, a hot topic will fill its pages:

• What does God say about immigration?

• Does His law contradict man’s law?

• Is deception justified when facing desperation?

The answers will be in the book…and as always, I’m in prayer for wisdom and God’s favor.

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