By Monique Sperzel

Recently, our daughter Delayla had many problems with her tonsils. She was sick often and the doctor said she needed to have an operation . But my husband Christoph and I had a bad feeling about this, because the operation is dangerous and can result in much bleeding. So we prayed very hard to God that He would help us to make the right decision. And we told Delayla that she must be praying to God too, that He will heal her. So we were praying every day to God for His intervention.

After a little while, Delayla came to me in the kitchen. She was very happy and said with a big smile: “Mommy, Mommy, look into my mouth, my tonsils are a little bit smaller and you can see my throat. And I can eat and breathe better now. That’s sooo nice for God that He is helping me and that He makes my tonsils smaller. So I don’t need an operation now. I will pray more and more that He makes my tonsils very little. I am so happy that He is hearing and healing me.”

To hear this was moving and heart-warming. We are thanking God for His help and His intervention. It reaffirmed to us that we are on the right way–God’s way; that He can and will help us in our time of need; and that He is here for us—including our little daughter.

by Shelly Bruno

My son came bounding into my room first thing in the morning last week, grinning and thrilled that it was his first day of school. In the weeks prior, he had been counting the days and would repeatedly ask, “How many more days until school starts?”

I have been amazed at his joy and anticipation. My husband and I would exchange glances as he expressed his excitement, trying to remember if we had experienced the same feelings as children.

What am I that excited about? What do I anticipate that earnestly? I know there is something I should be that excited about: God’s way of life. But do I bound into church services each week thrilled to be there, or grin with joy as I study the Bible? It’s clear I should have a childlike innocence in approaching this way of life by walking toward it with complete innocence, trust, and excitement about the gift that God is offering. How can I unlearn old habits and reawaken a childlike outlook? I can look to my son’s example as a start, and I can also trust that God will give me those things I lack. Then I can ask my own question with excitement: “How many more days until Christ’s return?”

by Louise Amorelli

Recently my husband and I have had events in our lives where there was little down time. Family matters and visits, immediate and long term home repair attention, summer land/tree maintenance and other seemingly important responsibilities have been taking up a good chunk of our summer days. It seems like one day was just a continuing previous day without end!

I started to ask myself lots of questions. When is the down time?   Do we have the right balance?   Did we overextend ourselves in family matters/visits and make the right decisions? Should we let some things go and in what order of importance should they be? Do we fully trust God that He will not give us more than we can bear? What lessons is He teaching me?  But the one thing I realized most is that there was no quiet time… no silence… no time to meditate and re-evaluate on these issues daily.  Not only to rest physically but also to rest spiritually.  My body and brain were on overload and needed space and time to breathe!

Things needed to change – something was wrong! I needed to STOP and MAKE that time to meditate on the day’s activities in how I did spiritually and how to improve and meditate on my choices. Without that meditation time, I was just going from one day to the next without analyzing my actions against Godly principles and making the necessary, albeit difficult, changes that God requires of me.  What amazed me is how Satan can try and steal this very precious time!

I had better appreciate how important silence and meditation really are, so that I can be a true beacon of light in this world and to be a help in God’s Kingdom to come. After all, it’s not all about the physical, but about the spiritual.  I look forward to God’s Kingdom of true peace, where there will be time for all to meditate on God’s Word. In this fast-paced Satan-inspired world, silence is not only golden–it is refining! 

by Kalon Mitchell

When I was a younger man, I always thought about the future. What would happen? What would I turn out like? Would I get married, have a family? These thoughts always left me feeling apprehensive.

Looking back now, I am in awe of the way God has formulated and guided my life. The lessons He has allowed me to go through have had tremendous bearing on where I am and where I am headed today.

Now that I am a little bit older, I still find myself wondering at times: What is next? What is in store for me? For my family? As I ponder these questions, I am always aware that while I may plan my paths, it is truly God who leads and directs. Therefore, it is up to me to lean on Him in all things, seeking His Will.

No longer do I feel apprehensive or frightened by the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen from day to day, much less minute to minute. But I do know that it is God who opens the doors and lays the path for me to continue walking upon. The future, while still unknown, is laid out in front of me, ready to be grasped with confidence. 

by Monique Sperzel (Germany)

I am very happy that my family and I are allowed to live God’s Way–that He has called us to His good Way of Life and brought us out of this bad world. I am truly thankful to Him that He has given us this wonderful opportunity and the knowledge and understanding of His Word. It is not self-evident to me, and I do not take it for granted, and that makes it so much more special for us. It is great that I can experience this and that God gives us all the wonderful things, teaching us every day to fight against the world, but it is for our best and to learn, and God gives us the strength through His Spirit, so that we can overcome.

Again and again I realize how God leads and guides me. I can see how much I want to change my life so that I can please God. He gives me so much inspiration, and He helps me and gives me strength in difficult times. Before I learned about God, my life was so wrong, and I had many problems and I felt very bad. But since I have begun to go God’s Way, I feel better, and I’m thankful for the tasks and responsibilities that He gives me, and His direction which motivates me to obey Him. I’m so very happy about this, because I can never receive enough of His help.    

by Laura Harris

As Executor of my father’s estate, I recently submitted forms to the administrative offices of our County Probate Court to remedy outstanding financial issues.  I anticipated leaving the documents with the receptionist and quickly be on my way.  Unexpectedly, the woman requested that I swear under oath to the truthfulness of the information I submitted.  I politely interrupted her recitation and asked if I could affirm instead of swear.  With a befuddled look she asked, “What does affirm mean?”   My stomach tightened, my face flushed and my mind raced: How do I explain an affirmation?  Could I adequately articulate my religious beliefs?  What if she declined my request?  What if..?

I nervously gave a response.  The woman shuffled through some papers on her desk in an attempt to find “official” information on affirmations.  After consulting a co-worker, she agreed to substitute the word “swear” with “affirm.” It had been years since I studied and reviewed the biblical reasons as to why true Christians do not swear.  Under pressure, I had difficulty recollecting my bible study on the topic.  Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying:  “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  As a Christian I must always be ready to defend my actions.  In order to uphold my beliefs, it requires constant study and reflection on the things I “already know.” 

by Delia Messier

Starting out as a foster child, our baby boy was a gift from God, given to us when he was 15 months old. He really had just started walking and was still a little shaky. What a beautiful tiny little boy he was, with hazel eyes and blond curly hair. Holding him, filled my heart with joy!

Only one thing, he had a foreign smell, a sour smell to his skin. He did not smell like my own; the sweet smell our own babies had. He had been living on a poor diet, which was visible by his big stomach and swayed back.

In time, with a good diet of wholesome foods and proper care, his countenance began to change. His little cheeks and lips glowed pink and his body filled out, his back straightened and his tummy flattened. He was not such a tiny small boy after all, but a big boy in the making.

Then the day came, that day, when I held him. There it was, a “SWEET AROMA”! The aroma of my own.  The smell of my own baby. The sweetest aroma for a mom.

Remembering this, I also want to be a sweet aroma to my Father.  Am I recognizable to My Father as His own?  Has my countenance changed enough from the old person I was, to one of His own children?

Am I a SWEET AROMA to my Father?

by Shana Rank

On a recent adventure with my youngest son, while we were looking for special rocks and beads at a local craft store, we had an interesting encounter. We slowly moved around two aisles for almost half an hour, looking and thinking, when one of the employees—a young man, determined to engage my son in conversation—asked him a handful of questions, hoping to help my son make a decision on a purchase. All I could think to myself was how patient this employee was.

Rushed by the fact that we needed to leave in order to pick up my older son from school, I gave a final “warning” to my son—with a calculated eye, he found a strand of glass beads shaped like stars. We hurried over to the register, only to be stopped by the young man who had just been helping us. The employee pulled out a handful of dollars and asked my son if he would like to add the sum to his own allowance to help pay for the beads. My son shyly said “thank you,” and the employee scooted off. I was humbled at that moment and couldn’t help but smile. What a great act of unsolicited kindness!

I really enjoy these types of experiences, when I am struck by character qualities (in this case kindness) that people are capable of. These are the same character qualities that I should exemplify!

by Phyllis Bourque

In my earlier years in the church, a friend confided in me that she was having a problem with someone else in the church, and she wanted some advice on how to handle the situation. While I felt sympathetic toward her and did not want her to be treated unkindly, I did not fully understand her struggle. In effect, I had not “walked the extra mile” with her.

Now– many years and many trials later– I understand better that God tailors our trials for our benefit in order to help us incorporate His character into our lives. I most certainly still have much to learn, but I do believe that the greater benefit of what I learn through trials now will be extended to those whom I may have the privilege of guiding in the Millennium. This is encouraging to me! Of course, by then I will have been given perfect wisdom, but I think that what I learn through my present human experiences will also be a contributing factor to being a successful teacher/counselor/intercessor at that time.

I acknowledge that Jesus Christ has already “walked the extra mile” in laying down His life for me, and I know that He draws on His human experiences when interceding to the Father on my behalf. I want to be able to do the same for those who will be under my care in the future, effectively extending God’s tender mercies to them as He is now doing for me.

With this in mind, I can approach any trials or problems as challenges to my necessary spiritual growth, all in preparation for my future position as a Spirit Being in the Family of God. Therefore, I should be encouraged and hopeful in all circumstances, as God wants me to be, rather than becoming frustrated or discouraged, as Satan wants me to be. I am committed to learning now, so that I can teach in the future.

by Manuela Mitchell

When I was a child, I remember  a week feeling like it took a month, and a month seeming like a year. I remember my summer vacation lasting what seemed like a lifetime as I waited for the new school year to start. But, as I grew older, I discovered that time did not wait and more responsibilities were added to my schedule. Within the last few weeks, I have felt as if I could not keep up with the routines of life. There are always increased trials around the Passover season, and even the simple idea of time can be one of them.
 
I have found that I seem to be always rushing; whether it be before work, church, dropping my son off at preschool, or, for even recreational activities. I don’t mean to rush, and I often prepare enough time to get things done, but somehow, unexpected things find me. I have trouble sitting still; I am always up either at work or working on things around the house. There have been times when I have found myself rushing through prayer or study because my mind won’t take a rest from everything that is occurring all at once.
 
I know that taking a moment to recollect what is truly important in life will help me manage the time that I do have to spend on other things. Sometimes, I have to take a moment to just sit and not fret about the worries in life, but focus on God who will in time make me stronger and be more at peace with myself.