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Is October A Good Month for Planting?

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 8:11- “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.”

Growing up, I remember my parents always had a small backyard garden. I also recall that they consulted an almanac, assuring them that they would be planting at the “right time.” Back then, the advice was pretty much straight forward.

Currently, if you want to get information on planting, you can consult one of the online almanacs and get information for your specific soil, temperature, altitude, slope of land, nearby water sources, length of day, etc.

It gets even more specific, based upon what it is that you want to plant. For example, plants vary by length of their growing season. Then, they take into account the weather predictions for those seasons (by year), type of crop, and on and on.

These websites are so all inclusive, that now they have calculators built into them for your convenience, baking tips, recipes, astronomy sections, poetry, newsletters, blogs, and web cams set up in various states.

So, as you can see, this question of “when to sow the seed” can be as complicated—or as simple—as you want to make it.

Jesus often used parables about the sowing of the seed to refer to spreading of the gospel. He talked about the ideal conditions under which the seed sown in the hearts of men would flourish (deep rich soil vs. rocky ground).

One thing he didn’t do was restrict the spreading of The Good News to a particular month, day, or season of the year. The important point being that, as Christians, we need only to be obedient to His calling and share with others as we are led.

Hearts which are fertile are everywhere, just waiting for someone to sow the seed.

Is October a good month for planting?

What do you think?

The Power of Love

by Brenda Poulos

I John 4:19- “We love Him because He first loved us.”

I watch as a gray-haired lady and an adorable Yorkie enter a patient room in a nursing home in the east valley. Although the lady they visit has been mostly unresponsive for several days, she slowly lowers her hand to pet the dog.

Many organizations, such as Hospice, have programs in which volunteers and their pets visit with patients in palliative care units, hospital rooms, nursing homes, day care centers, schools for handicapped children—even substance abuse facilities.

(Just an aside: I recently learned that it’s not always canines that are used for this purpose. Sometimes horses, pot-bellied pigs, and even turtles accompany their owners on such outings…)

So, what is so special about animals? How are they able to reach, comfort, energize and inspire certain people when no human being can do so?

One factor, I believe, is that they offer unconditional love and acceptance.

It doesn’t matter to them if the person is wearing nice clothes, has a trendy haircut or glasses, how much they weigh, or whether or not they are in a wheelchair or confined to a bed. Race, color, education, social status, religious or political affiliations—none of these matter to these animals.

In the world of human beings, then, I must conclude that people are likely to respond in a more positive way to those who love them unconditionally. People who are not judgmental. Those who extend forgiveness and grace.

Jesus showed these qualities as he walked this earth…and He still offers the gift of forgiveness, today. We are drawn to Him. He is able to reach us—touch us—in a way that no one else can.

He knows us—even our dark side—and loves us, still.

This is the kind of love to which we respond.

The is the kind of love that has the power to change hearts and lives.

The is the kind of love that meets us where we are, fully aware of our faults, and invites us to walk with Him for the rest of life’s journey—and beyond.

This is the power of unconditional love.

24 Hours

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 6:27- Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

I was frazzled. I had just unloaded the groceries from the car, realizing that I only had an hour to finish straightening up the house and make dinner.

Do you ever feel like if you had just one more hour in the day that you could accomplish everything you had set out to do?

That if you could squeeze another day into the week, or another month into the year, you wouldn’t feel the anxiety of not completing all “there is to do”?

Do you feel constantly “behind” schedule?

When I feel like this (and I confess I often do) I take a deep breath and calm myself down.

I think about this verse and just why I think God included it in His Word.

He gave us twenty-four hours in a day to get things done. Twenty-four hours to eat, sleep, visit with others, read—and hundreds of other things that “take up our day.”

Since I know he wants the best for me, I have to believe He knows that, in a given day, this is all the time I really need.

But, perhaps He is saying something so simple that we often miss it. Maybe, He is saying that He wants us to lead the kind of lives that fit nicely into the realm of His 24/7 established time frame.

Maybe He’s saying that filling up our day to overflowing isn’t part of His plan for us at all.

Maybe He wants us to enjoy life more and not try to pack it so full of endless activities that have no lasting value in the “big scheme of things.”

Maybe He’s telling us to take more walks and watch more sunsets.

Maybe He’s telling us that He’ll take care of the rest.

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Tell Me a Story

by Brenda Poulos

Deuteronomy 6:7– “Impress (God’s Word; commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

“Mommy, tell me the story about how I was born.”

My husband and I recently saw a movie featuring these words several times within an hour and a half film. It brought back memories of my own children asking me to repeat favorite stories to them—and of myself asking my own parents to relate a favorite one to me.

We all love a good story. And, we never get tired of hearing our favorites over and over again.

There are a lot of them in the Bible: David and Goliath, Ruth and Naomi, the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Kings and Wise Men afterward. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Sometimes the morning message in a church service contains a Bible Story that some of us have heard a dozen times. However, if you’re like me, I find that there is always something “new” when I hear it again.

I gain a new insight. It touches my soul in a deeper place.

Like His Mercies, His Word Is New Every Morning.

It has the power to touch us, heal us, encourage us, speak to us.

His Word is Alive.

When I was a child, we sang a song in church that you may remember. The name of it was: Tell Me The Story of Jesus. It started like this:

Tell me the story of Jesus, Write on my heart every word;

Tell me the story most precious, Sweetest that ever was heard.

It is an old story, isn’t it? But, it is one of which I never tire.

How about you?

Is there someone in your life that needs to hear that story, today?

Reminders

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 111:3,4: “Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.”

I am the Queen of Post-It-Notes.

They are all over my bathroom, office, and kitchen counter.

If I want to remember to DO something…CALL someone…SEND something…PURCHASE something…GO somewhere…

I have to write it down, or I forget it.

So far, the colorful Post-Its, are the best way of insuring that I remember things.

As I get older, the more reminders I seem to need.

I buy them in bulk. I buy them on sale. I even have Post-Its reminding me to purchase them when my supply is running low.

And, yes, I always have a few around to remind me to do my Bible Lesson.

To me, God’s Word, The Bible, is the ultimate Post-It Note.

Every page reminds me of His love, His mercy, grace, goodness, righteousness, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

I read it, daily, lest I forget that

I am his child

and I belong to Him.

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Character Arc

by Brenda Poulos

Acts 9:27– “(Barnabas)…brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.”

Yesterday, at a writing workshop, we discussed the “character arc”. This simply means the change that happens within the character, over the course of a movie or book. In other words, the growth resulting from what they learn along their journey…the transformation.

Real life is like that, too, isn’t it? It’s a journey. Hopefully, we learn a lot along the way so that, by the end, we are not the same person we were when we started out.

We’ve changed.

Paul was someone with a HUGE character arc. He went from being a persecutor of Christians to being called of God on the road to Damascus.

What made the change?

It was the experience of meeting Jesus.

He was transformed from being a person filled with hate to a man so filled with compassion and love for others that he spent the rest of his life as a missionary, taking God’s message wherever he was led.

The change on the inside was manifested by a change on the outside—in his actions and behavior that everyone could see.

Because of this, he was beaten, thrown into jail, and eventually martyred.

This is character arc of the highest degree. A person so changed that he willingly gives his life for the cause.

There are brave people in our world right now who are being persecuted and killed for their belief in God. When asked if they are Christians, they bravely answer “yes”, giving their lives for the sake of the cross.

We may not ever face death for our beliefs, but let’s ask ourselves if we are willing to give our lives for our beliefs…an hour or two a week to help those in need…60-90 minutes to share the gospel?

If we know Jesus—if we have met Him and allowed Him to change us as we journey our own Damascus Road—then we will be willing to help bring His message to a lost and dying world.

One hour, one day, one compassionate act at a time.

ADONAI Acrostic

by Brenda Poulos

In high school, I loved to do acrostics for my friends for their birthdays. It was a personal, yet inexpensive, way to celebrate each of them and their uniqueness.

In case you’re not familiar with them, you print a word, vertically, down the left hand side of the page. Then, you write a one-word adjective beginning with that letter, horizontally on the line next to each letter. An example might be:

“A” -adorable; “B” -brainy’ “C” -cute, and so on.

Instead of using one word, you can write an entire sentence or paragraph, if you like.

You might find it interesting to try doing one for your family members, grandchildren, etc. I promise, it will be the one thing they’ll save long after the Hallmark cards are forgotten!

Today, I would like to do a slight variation on this form of verse for ADONAI (Lord) by using a favorite verse from each book of the Bible beginning with the six letters in His name:
A cts 4:12- “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

D aniel 2:20-22 “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”

O badiah 1:15- “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”

N ehemiah 9:6- “You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to

everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”

A mos 4:13- “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God
Almighty is his name.”

I saiah 6:3- “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

It takes a while to find just the right verse for each letter, but what a blessing it was to me while I was working on this to read chapter after chapter of His Word! I was overwhelmed to see, when I finished, that in most cases the verses spoke about our Lord’s attributes and/or were praises to Him.

Blessings,

Brenda

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Timeless, Relevant, Eternal

by Brenda Poulos

Genesis 28: 12-14 “(Jacob) had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it[c] stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”

On July 4th, Chinese artist, Cai Guoqiang, put on a stunning fireworks display featuring a 1,650 foot long ladder made of steel and gunpowder in the sky over Quanzhou, China. He created the fireworks in tribute to his grandmother turning 100 years old. It was a dazzling thank you for supporting his dreams as a young man.

Although this is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen with my own eyes (via U-Tube), it reminded me of Jacob’s Ladder and a Bible story I heard as a young child. In his dream, Jacob saw an even more spectacular display: angels ascending and descending a ladder that reached all the way to heaven! Through the dream, God gave Jacob a promise of land, descendants, and His protection.

It must be pretty awesome to receive a promise from God, you say. It sure is—and although we may not receive a promise through a vision or a dream, the Bible is packed full of promises for each of us from our Heavenly Father.

The Bible is more than just a collection of old stories handed down through the ages. Each entry was included for God’s intended purpose. The verses weave together truths learned by those before us to help us in our own lives today because His Word is timeless and is just as relevant to our present situations as it was theirs hundreds of years ago.

Hebrews 4:12 says that God’s Word is “alive and active.” It’s not just a bunch of stale writing that has long since lost its appeal or relevance.

Since it can be challenging reading, however, you may find it helpful to get a Study Bible with added historical and geographical information. In addition, you may want to use a commentary. What the Bible is All About, by Henrietta Mears is easy to understand. I have used it for many years. If you want more in-depth information, your neighborhood Christian Bookstore has many to choose from.

Being involved in a small group Bible Study is another good way to gain understanding of God’s Word. Through discussion of passages/verses led by experienced leaders, we gain valuable understanding we might otherwise miss.

God’s word is TRUTH. It is ETERNAL. It NEVER RETURNS TO HIM VOID, or without accomplishing it’s intended purpose.

May He bless you, richly, as you let His Word speak His timeless truths to your soul today.

Brenda

God Working Through You

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 128:6a – May you live to see your children’s children—

I attended a Christian conference this week and was blessed by every speaker. I basked in a lush oasis of truth and love from God during that time. It is no secret that one way Christians hear from God is through other Christians.

One of the speakers talked about the time a friend sent him the words to a song. It was the perfect one for him to hear that day. He played it over and over again, letting it minister to his parched soul until he was refreshed and overflowing with joy.

Yesterday, I talked with a friend who shared a struggle their family is currently going through regarding visitation of her baby granddaughter. My heart broke, hearing that the baby’s father and grandparents had not seen this precious one for more than three months!

How can my friend possibly be smiling—finding peace—amid struggles like that? How can she sleep at night when her days are filled with law enforcement and legal issues?

After three months of prayer, God spoke to her through His written Word. She read His promise from Psalm 128 (above). Her heart leapt for joy with the assurance that she would see her granddaughter!

Moments after reading this verse, she received a telephone call from a relative, directing her to look at a specific Facebook page. Imagine her unspeakable joy when she saw the beautiful face of her granddaughter smiling back. The child’s mother had posted the picture and God used it to fulfill His words to her grandmother, my friend.

Her granddaughter is safe and healthy. God had not only heard her prayer, but blessed the reading of His Word by supplying tangible evidence of His love.

God can use our words of encouragement, our prayers, His Word, His people—in any way and any form—to bring hope, healing, and peace to those around us.

Pray for someone today, share a scripture, remind them that we worship a God who cares.

The encouragement they need, today, just may come from God, working through you.