As I sit in orchestra
and I begin to play–
each little note I find
has its own thing to say.
The tone can go up
or it can go down.
It can be soft
or it can be loud.
The sound can be muffled
or it can be clear.
Each note is different
to the listening ear.
Mix the notes together
and join them with a staff.
Practice them with fervor
and an occasional laugh.
Add a touch of variety
and a little beat.
Out comes music– I hope the sound is sweet.
As a teacher who has worked in various ministries, I’ve come to believe that some of our teaching methods are not as effective as they used to be because of a variety of changes in our culture. I know the Holy Spirit works through us to touch our students. He can complete His work regardless of changes in our culture. I know the Holy Spirit wants to use us to bring God pleasure, and God promises His word will not return void; God’s word will accomplish all it sets out to do in spite of the way we teach. Yet I believe God wants each of us to do our best as we serve Him and share His word with others.
I also believe that our old-fashioned teaching method of lecturing students, while they listen and take notes, does no longer hold the interest of the students. The students of the present and future generations are conditioned, by their culture and environment, to expect high-quality, action-packed visual presentations. In addition, they desire to participate in the learning process by engaging in discussions, hands-on activities and learning experiences. They are not trained to sit still and listen to lectures for long periods of time.
The listening-centered “lecture” teaching method worked beautifully when radio provided most home entertainment. People loved to listen to the old radio programs. Perhaps the lecture method was still appropriate when television first came out and only a few people owned them. During this time, people were amazed at the “new technology” and were excited about hearing their favorite radio broadcast or watching the new black and white television screens. They conditioned themselves to sit quietly and listen for long time periods. Listening and sitting quietly came easier because traveling was difficult and there were fewer places to go. People spent more time working to provide for family survival, and they didn’t have the continual distractions provided by the multitude of goods and services that flood our market places today.
Also, during this time period, people’s expectations were easier to meet and their patience and tolerance were much greater. Imaginations were not continually stimulated by an ever-increasing line of electronic gadgetry and most people’s bodies weren’t saturated with caffeine and other stimulants. Drug and alcohol consumption wasn’t so rampant and so dangerous. The people of the past were, for the most part, satisfied with simple daily living and providing for the needs of their households. They worked hard and were committed to taking care of their families and their responsibilities. They didn’t require huge amounts of goods and services. Nor did they spend so much time, energy, and money on entertainment.
I believe listening-centered Bible-teaching materials and methods like lecturing were “beautiful in their time,” and God will still use them today for those who willingly sit and listen. However, many people, especially children, youth, and teenagers, do not discipline themselves to sit still and listen to educational programs or speakers for long time periods. Because of a lack of parental or self-discipline and cultural changes, many students become impatient, lose interest, get bored and lose their desire to return to class. Therefore, I believe the time for lectures and other listening-centered teaching methods was in the past, and we need a change in today’s Bible classes.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV tells us, “He hath made everything beautiful in his time; also he has set the world in their heart so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Scripture also tells us, “To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 KJV) I believe the time has come for us to “pluck up” some of these old teaching methods, especially in classes of teenagers, youth and children.
As a teacher, I believe we should endeavor to encourage learning and make our classes more enjoyable. I believe we can do this without compromising God’s word or turning our class time into more “entertainment.” We should pray and ask God for a fresh revelation and new methods of teaching that will engage our students and give them a passion for His word and attending church classes. With God’s help and wisdom, we can make our Bible classes more enjoyable and more relevant for today’s students.
As Christian teachers and workers, we should teach our students about the Bible, Jesus, salvation, Christian living, and how to establish a personal relationship with God. We should also teach them how to use their Bible to find solutions to the challenges they face and life, and how to apply scripture to their daily lives. We should teach them how to live a Godly life, how to use scripture to fight against lies of the enemy, and how to live victorious lives in Christ Jesus.
Satan, our adversary, is waging a full-blown war against God’s people because his time is short and he’s doing all he can to take as many people as he can down the path to eternal destruction. We need to equip our students, as best we can, to confront Satan with our sword—the Word of God–so they can stand and be ready for the time when Jesus comes back for His bride.
How can we, as Christian workers, be effective at training up God’s people with boring classes that only discourage them from coming?
I think it’s time to reflect on our past teaching methods and make some needed changes. I have suggested some ideas in the article entitled “I Believe it’s Time for a Change,” which can be found on https://faithwriters.com and my new blog https://christianeducationstation.wordpress.com I am also open to new ideas from Bible teachers who are out ministering during the present generation. Yes, I believe listening-centered Bible teachings were “beautiful in their time” which was, for the most part, a time in the past. Now our students need pastors, teachers, and other workers who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to love them, be examples and point them to Jesus Christ—the only answer to the overwhelming issues we all face in life. Jesus is the only one who can heal broken hearts and lives and make something beautiful from them. Pointing our students to Jesus should be our top priority.
September 8, 2017
This last week has been unique. Forest fires rage in the states surrounding us, and even in Payette, Idaho, a town several miles south of my hometown, Sandpoint, Idaho. The normally fresh clean air has been saturated with smoke from these fires. The sky is filled with a light gray color rather than the beautiful blue summer sky. The smoke looks like thick light-gray fog and decreases our visibility to the point where the mountains can barely be seen. The smoke smell is so thick that you wonder if you’re actually breathing in sawdust when you take air in. One night this week the news channel actually said that our little community of Sandpoint had the most hazardous air in the United States. How different it is from our normal breathing of clean mountain air.
The last week I’ve tried to stay in out of the bad air because I have allergies and asthma. The allergens in the air can cause me to have serious breathing issues. Yet no matter how you try to stay in, there are always errands to run and eventually you get cabin fever from being cooped up inside. My husband, Steve, and I did break out a few times to enjoy some meals out and run a few errands.
Steve enjoys getting outdoors more than I do. He likes to go various places and window shop. He also likes electronic gadgets and movies. Steve is a medically retired, disabled veteran and his medical issues prevent him from driving so I usually spend time every day making sure we get out for some time together. We enjoy drinking coffee and doing our Bible Study time in one of the local restaurants.
This morning we met with a man we usually disciple with the Word of God. We are presently studying the book of Mark. It’s a great reminder of the miraculous wonders Jesus did when He walked with His disciples on earth. It’s a great encouragement. With all of the fires, flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes going on around us, reading God’s word reminds us of the divine power of God–and His ability to keep us safe during the trials.
My heart goes out to those people in Texas, Louisiana, Mexico, Florida and any other areas who have suffered great loss due to the catastrophic events presently going on around us. Steve and I are praying for all of those people to have their needs met and God’s help in restoring their lives. The Biblical book of Nehemiah is a great source of encouragement for those who find themselves having to rebuild in times of trouble. Nehemiah told the Jews to remember how great their God was and how He would help them. Because of the many prayers going up for those presently in the midst of troubles, I know God will be there to encourage them and help them rebuild. Our God is faithful!
On Friday, October 5th, Steve and I were blessed to be able to share God’s word with a man whom we disciple each Friday morning. We have been going through the book of proverbs and learning some of the wisdom of Solomon and others who contributed to that book of the Bible. Proverbs has many nuggets of wisdom on a multitude of issues we all deal with on a daily basis. It is a great book for those who want wisdom to help them on their journey through life.
After our Bible study, we went to our area Walmart to pick up a couple of items. As we entered the parking lot we saw a homeless woman with a sign asking for help. I have learned over the years that giving homeless people money is not always the answer. It may provide them with a meal (if they spend it wisely) but frequently the homeless are looking for money for alcohol or other wants. Therefore it is wiser to buy them food or help them get connected to churches and/or other organizations that can truly meet their needs. So I gave this woman the contact information for an organization in our area that helps people in need deal with their true issues. I also referred the woman to an organization that provides shelter for the homeless in our county. I don’t know if the woman followed up and connected with the organizations that can help her, but that is between her and God. At least I tried to reach out and demonstrate the love of God with someone in need. If I were homeless, I would hope someone would reach out and show me the love of God and direct me to those who can truly help. How can I do anything less?
Living in an apartment can be a real challenge. Many times there are circumstances brought about by landlords and neighbors that cannot be changed by the individual(s) living in that place. Since people cannot change other people or several circumstances, the problems of life can appear to be giants and cause great distress. This became apparent when a friend and brother-in-Christ began telling us about his situation at his apartment complex.
Our friend was renting an upstairs, one-bedroom apartment where he lived for about twelve years. However, a couple of years ago a man who was also related to our friend’s landlord, moved into the apartment next door to our friend. Air vents, which looked somewhat like dryer vents, were connecting the apartments to help provide more airflow in the rooms. However, these air vents picked up every little sound made and the sound waves carried it to the neighbor’s apartment. As a result, if our friend turned a page in a book or if he rolled over in bed and the box springs squeezed, this new neighbor would pound on the apartment walls and begin hollering. This became a continual problem, oppressing our friend so much that he couldn’t move about, even quietly, to do what was needed in his own apartment.
A few other renters commented that they were either searching for other places to live or were moving out already. Someone mentioned the possibility of persecution of Christians but I don’t know if this is really the case.
With multiple health issues of our own, my husband, Steve, and I worked to help our friend and brother-in-Christ move into a bedroom in our home. We began, with help from our Pastor and a friend, clearing out and moving items in our home to free up a room for our friend and to get rid of clutter. This project took a few months and will continue on even after our friend is moved in.
As we helped our friend pack up and move his belongings, I noticed a strong smell of tobacco, possibly even pot, permeated the air in the hallway and my friend’s apartment–though my friend does not smoke. I prayed that God would help me so that the smoke would not trigger an asthma attack and result in breathing problems and coughing for months. I don’t know how my friend could stand breathing in that bad air for so long.
We are getting near the end of this moving task. Only a few large items remain to be moved. Our friend had lined up some people from his church to come and move the larger items on Tuesday. Lord willing, our friend will be moved before the end of October.
During this transition period, we have faced some challenges. The doorknob on our friend’s room will not latch and our dog, Roxy, keeps going in his room. She is still a puppy who likes to chew on things. She apparently got up on the bed and got one of our friend’s hearing aids. Now we will have to pay for the repair. We will keep the door barricaded until Monday when someone is coming over to fix the door knob. We may also have to fix an electric heater in my friend’s room. In spite of the challenges, I thank the Lord that we could make room for our friend in our home and get him out of that dreadful, apartment-living situation.
Late this evening my latest book project became a reality. Hidden Treasures: A Collection of Writings by William Curtis Harvard was completed and can now be purchased exclusively on Amazon.com. William Curtis Harvard is listed as the main author and I am also listed as an author. Several others have also contributed to this book. Hidden Treasures has been a challenging project that my husband, Steve, and I began in 2012. It has been a challenge and many hours were spent researching quotes and other information Curt retrieved from reading magazine articles and news publications. These quotes etc. needed to be researched so proper credit could be given to the originator and the copyright law could also be observed. Also, scripture verses had to be changed from the New King James Version of the Bible to the King James version which is now public domain. Though the task of compiling these articles was an overwhelming challenge, God got us through it.
I hope you all enjoy reading the heart-warming stories and wisdom literature contained in the pages of Hidden Treasures! The treasures you will find in this book are mainly unseen as they originate with the Holy Spirit who works through Curt to share. Among the treasures is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the mercy and grace of God, and the precious pearl–Jesus Christ. You will find many other treasures as you read through the pages of this book.
Hidden Treasures! was also meant to be a legacy and remembrance of brother Curt Harvard. Curt was an Elder at Sandpoint Christian Center for several years as well as a teacher at Bonner Gospel Mission. He is missed by many who still walk their pilgrimage with the Lord while Curt has gone home to heaven. Thank you, God, for the time we had with brother William Curtis Harvard!
Over the last four weeks, God has truly been stretching my faith and teaching me to trust Him more. On May 21, 2020, Steve and I took our one-year-old dog, Roxy, into the veterinarian to have her spade. Roxy is a mixture of Terrier, Dachshund, and Snauzer. She is usually extremely active, jumping up and down on the furniture. She manages to sit on the back of our sofa and watch out the window to see who is passing by. When people pass by she barks but when other dogs go by, she whines because she wants to go out and meet them.
On May 21st, when we picked Roxy up at the Veterinary Clinic, we were instructed not to let her jump up and down from furniture and not to let her free run. Roxy also had a cone over her head so she couldn’t lick or bite at the stitches. I don’t know if you have gone through a similar situation, but keeping Roxy down and quiet took both Steve and I together. Steve and I would take turns watching our dog. When I had to do something, Steve would watch her and when he needed to do something, I would watch her. She frequently tried to jump onto the furniture or down to the ground to follow one of us.
In addition to our 24 hour guard duty, Steve had to carry her out our front door and set her down in the grass to relieve herself. He took her out during some rainy, cold days. Though Roxy is only about 17 lbs. of weight, I have a bad right shoulder and my left hand is in need of surgery. When I tried to take her out, she squirmed about and I was afraid of dropping her.
Now the cone on her head was another great challenge. She hated it and would not even try to eat or drink. I tried everything, even her favorite foods, and she would not eat. We called the vet and they told us to go ahead and remove the cone when it was time for her to eat but to keep a good watch so she didn’t tear the stitches loose. Even with the cone removed from her head, Roxy would not eat or drink much of anything. I was so frustrated that tears came to my eyes because of fear that she would not recover.
In desperation, at about 10 p.m. one night, I called a friend who trains dogs for the deaf and told her what was going on. My friend said she thought my dog had an “attitude” because she wasn’t getting her way. My friend suggested letting Roxy continue her “attitude” for a few more days because she thought the dog would eventually get hungry and thirsty and finally decide to cooperate. My friend was right! The following afternoon Roxy finally decided to take nourishment but she made sure we knew she didn’t like that cone on her head.
One day, after her two weeks of inactivity, I let Roxy go outside in our back yard. She had the cone on her head. When she came back into the house, the cone was gone and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Roxy apparently figured out a way to lose it–and to nip at her stitches. I think she may have tore a couple of the stitches because I saw fluid on the surface of her wound. I found a gauze bandage and some peroxide and an ace bandage. I cleaned the wound, put the gauze bandage over the wound, and wrapped the ace bandage completely around Roxy’s thin body several times, covering the bandage so she couldn’t bite it again. Roxy seemed proud of herself for getting free from the cone but she didn’t bother trying to chew or lick her wound much. I was thankful for that!
Not too long after the incident with Roxy, on May 30th about 1:30 a. m. I had to rush my husband, Steve, over to the emergency room at our local hospital. Steve had been coughing really bad for about five days. That morning when I went to bed, Steve was having bad chills and coughing so much that he nearly choked. When he asked for another quilt to cover him up, I knew something was wrong. Steve is usually too hot and even wears shorts in the winter time. He rarely even gets cold. So I told Steve to get up and get ready because I was taking him to the hospital (because of his disability, he can’t drive). He felt so bad that he didn’t even argue with me about going.
When we got to the hospital, they took his temperature and because he had taken a sip of my ice-water, the temperature didn’t register high on the thermometer. However, the one taking Steve’s temperature believed me about his sickness and they put him in a room in the isolation ward. I found out later that Steve had a fever and had sepsis and pneumonia, caused by a strept bacteria. I couldn’t visit Steve in the hospital so I had to call in periodically and check on his condition. Steve’s temperature was high (103) for a while and he was not coherent. At one point, they were not sure he was going to pull through. Consequently, I prayed and put Steve on the prayer chain. Some friends put him on their church’s prayer chain and my family in Arizona has a neighbor who put Steve on the prayer chain for her church.
Several days went by and I prayed and waited to find out if my husband was going to pull through. Gradually the doctors’ reports indicated Steve was getting slowly better each day. Finally on Saturday, June 6th I got to take a bag of clothing, etc. up to where Steve was in the hospital and talk with him briefly. I was relieved when I saw him sitting up in a wheel chair and he began talking to me. Finally, Steve got well enough to transfer to our local Life Care Center where he could still me monitored and finish up his intravenous antibiotics and get some additional therapy to help strengthen him. During this time, Steve’s said his shoulder was really painful. Days went by and Steve’s shoulder didn’t seem to get better. Finally I asked his doctor to check it out.
This morning the doctor looked at Steve’s shoulder and checked him out. We found out his pain is not in the shoulder but it’s all the way across his upper back area. The doctor is doing some tests and will let me know the results. Now Steve is in Life Care and I am home taking care of business and praying (along with a lot of others) for God to heal my husband. I am learning to trust God more in the midst of these great trials. Though I don’t enjoy struggles, I know God has His purpose for allowing us to go through them. Yet I look forward to the day when my husband can come home and be with us again!
“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” (Proverbs 2:6-8 NIV)
A couple of weeks ago, on a Friday evening, my husband had bad pain in his chest. We were concerned that it could be a heart problem so we went to our local Fire Department to see if they could check and see if it was serious. We didn’t want to have to pay for an emergency visit if it wasn’t necessary.
Our local EMTs put Steve on the monitor and noticed something going on. They recommended he go to the emergency. In fact, they followed us over to the hospital. The emergency team took him in right away and ran several tests on him. In fact, one test didn’t turn out good so they had to redo it. Finally, after six hours in emergency, the doctor brought the diagnoses.
Steve had Pluracy–an infection in his check area that was causing inflammation and swelling. It put pressure on the heart, causing the odd reading of the Fire Department’s heart monitor. The doctor prescribed some aspirin along with Steve’s regular anti-inflammatory medicines, and within a week or so he was feeling better.
I want to thank God that it wasn’t a heart attack or stroke and that Steve is doing better. It was a tense moment, but our God was faithful and we received a great report.
Today I read a horrifying report from Jay Seculow at the ACLJ on the terrible acts being committed against Christians in Syria, Iran, and other countries in that area. We Christians need to get down and pray for the Christians being persecuted all over the world. Though, as individuals, we are not able to stand against this ISIS and other terrorists, we know that our God can defeat them. In 2 Chronicles 20, the Bible tells about King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judea. They found out that multitudes of armies of their enemies were coming to war against them. The King gathered his people in the temple to pray and seek God concerning the battle. They received instruction from God and obeyed, and God wiped out their enemies. We need to follow their example and pray for those who are under siege from their enemies. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they need all the support we can give them. So please take time out to pray for them!
God works in amazing ways! He knows when we need His encouragement and reassurance, and God provides these needs by communicating with His people via the Holy Spirit and God’s written word, The Holy Bible.
During these last days prior to Jesus coming back for the church, the Bible warns people about many false Christ’s who come to deceive people, many wars and rumors of war, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. God’s people will go through tribulation, some will be killed and all will be hated because of their beliefs about Christ Jesus. Lawlessness will abound and the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:1-14 NKJV)
As we see these signs coming true all around us, including Covid-19, we can get discouraged and overwhelmed. God sees us and knows when to encourage us. One day, in the spring of 1996, I was in a place of discouragement and feeling overwhelmed. I thought the bottom had fallen out of my life and future, and I was left feeling helpless. I felt like I had a rug pulled out from under me and I was suspended in air, expecting to fall on my face at any moment. I didn’t know how to fix any of the circumstances that plagued me. Nor did I know how to move forward in my life or which direction to go. Consequently, I sat in my office chair, stared at my computer screen and begin to cry as Satan bombarded my mind with thoughts like “My whole life is falling apart right before my eyes and there is nothing I can do about it.”
Throughout my life I have been plagued with feeling unaccepted and worthless. When I came to know Jesus Christ all of that changed. He accepts me for who I am and values me a great deal. He even died on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty for my sins and to gift me the gifts of eternal life, forgiveness, salvation, adoption into His family and a great inheritance. God is changing me from the inside out. I am a work in progress and I still battle with many past hurts and bad memories. Yet I know God will be faithful to complete the work He has begun in me.
These feelings of worthlessness were magnified in years of abuse I endured from being married to an alcoholic. After six years of daily abuse (mental, physical and verbal), I finally divorced my first husband so my two sons and I could begin a new life apart from abuse. Yet Satan tried to heap piles of condemnation and guilt on me for breaking up my family. Satan kept bombarding my mind with thoughts like “It’s your fault your husband was an alcoholic and you were the cause of marriage failure.” I finally got some counsel and found out it was all a lie. Though I had issues that didn’t help the situation, I did not cause my husband to drink and my marriage to fail. It was all a lie Satan used to try to get me depressed and discouraged.
In 1975 my parents purchased shares in a small office supply business. In 1978 my first husband and I worked for them. My husband worked as an office machine repairman. I occasionally worked part-time, temporary jobs such as helping with inventory or doing light bookkeeping. When my first son was born in February of 1980, I quit work and stayed home to care for him. In 1984, my second son was born and I stayed home and chased after two small children all day long.
In 1986 my divorce was finalized and my two sons and I moved in with my parents in Sandpoint, Idaho. We stayed with them for about six months. During this time, I looked for work but nobody seemed to want to take a chance with someone who had been out of the workforce for four years. Finally, my parents gave me a job in Sandpoint office supply store. I worked full time as a cashier—sales clerk and I enjoyed the interaction with the customers.
In January of 1987 my family of three moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Sandpoint. With God’s intervention, help from my family, and child support from the children’s father, we began to adjust to the change, heal up from the emotional trauma, and move forward in our new life. Later we moved into a three-bedroom apartment in the same complex so the boys could each have their own bedroom.
In 1990 my parents sold their office supply business, now consisting of three stores, and retired. They spent a few years traveling to Mexico during the winter and coming home in the spring. Eventually my parents and my sister moved to Arizona to get away from the cold north Idaho winters.
Since my family of three had finally settled in to our new home and my oldest son was attending school, I didn’t want to uproot my family again to move to Arizona. Besides, I love the evergreen trees, lakes, and mountains that surround my hometown of Sandpoint, Idaho. I would have been homesick within a week of moving into the desert area. In addition, I don’t fare well in hot weather. Therefore, I chose to remain in Sandpoint but we missed my family a great deal.
I continued working in that Sandpoint Office Supply store and watched to see how the new owners operated the business. My heart sank when I realized they didn’t seem to care about the customers or the employees. In addition they kept asking me to lie to the customers and tell them their copier supplies were on backorder when the supplier was not shipping out the order because the bill was not paid on time. They also wanted me to lie about warranty repairs and other issues. I refused to lie for them and requested to be moved out of the service department and put back out on the sales floor. I know some people were not happy about this but it was the right thing for me to do. I also knew I was no longer happy working in that place and it would soon be time to move on. Yet I didn’t quit my job because I didn’t have a new job lined up and I didn’t want to forfeit my unemployment benefits.
For a few more years I stayed working at the office supply store. I watched as these three new owners drained the life, money and net worth out of the stores that my parents poured 15 years of their life, money and time to build up. It broke my heart to see the great devastation happening around me every day as I worked.
From 1991 to 1994 I met and came to know my neighbor, Steve, who lived in an apartment a few doors down from us, in the same complex. As Steve and I got to know each other, God used us to help heal one another from past bad relationships. We fell in love and got married in 1994. Steve encouraged me to endure through this trying time. He also brought added income into our household which helped lesson the stress I carried with me through this trial.
Finally, in 1996, the day came when the personnel manager called me into her office to cut my hours from full time to four hours a week, on Saturday. When I asked her why they were doing this, she started down a list of rehearsed half-truths and lies they made up to get rid of me. I confronted her and told her I wanted to know the truth. The personnel manager quickly called up the lady that managed all three stores, and she came to talk to me.
This lady manager had previously been fired by my parents for promiscuity with sales representatives who came to visit our stores. She also had an alcohol addiction. This lady was rehired by the manager whom my father had in place when he sold the stores. Somehow this woman managed to convince the new owners to hire her and later to fire the present store manager and let her manage the three office supply stores.
When this lady manager came in to the personnel office I asked her why she was cutting my hours back. She started down the same rehearsed list of half-truths and lies that the personnel manager had tried to use to convince me. I told her I knew that list was a bunch of lies and I wanted to know the real reason why she was cutting my hours back.
“I’m sick and tired of hearing about your religion around here,” she said loudly in front of the personnel manager. The ironic part of this was that I rarely, if ever, spoke to her about my Christian beliefs because I knew she believed in reincarnation as was not open to the gospel.
I do admit having conversations about my Christian beliefs with many customers whom I knew were also Christians. However, I avoided controversial topics because I didn’t want any conflict in the store. Our discussions were brief moments and generally about how the customers were doing or what activities their church was doing. I tried to encourage those who were struggling. Then we would quickly go to find the office products they needed.
After finally hearing the truth for having my hours cut back, I proceeded to speak with the office secretary who was a Christian sister and friend. I told her what happened and that I could get the manager lady—and possibly the store owners—in a lot of trouble if I reported what had happened. The secretary went to speak with the store owner and eventually came back with a check for me that was equal to the amount of the three weeks of paid vacation I had coming. I finally went home. Afterwards, I worked three or four of those short Saturday shifts. Finally the lady manager called me into her office and fired me.
A few days later I went to work for the competition, a book and office supply store that was about two blocks away from my former job. I worked in that store for about a year. During the last few months of my employment, the boss asked me to train two new girls. These girls were energetic and would jump in and do tasks without knowing the correct procedure. They just wanted the job done, even if they did it wrong. They would not wait while I finished the sale with my customer or finished filling out the paper I was working on so I could show them how to do the job correctly. Consequently several mistakes were made and I ended up getting fired for it.
Later I spoke with the store owner and he admitted he didn’t know who was responsible for the chaos and confusion. I told him my side of the story. He was cordial and listened but did not change his mind and hire me back. Years later I realized the chaos and confusion was from Satan, the Christians’ adversary who is out to rob, kill, and destroy God’s people.
In 1996, after enduring the marriage failure and being fired from two jobs, I sat in my office chair, staring at my computer screen, weeping and wondering, “Now what, Lord? No one will hire me now because of my past record. Selling office products is the only job I know. I’ve applied at every place in town that I know sells office products and haven’t heard a word from anyone. Nobody seems to be willing to give me another chance. What about the future of my family? How can I help provide the things they need?”
I looked down at my desk and noticed my Bible. I flipped open the pages and looked down at a page that had the title “Nehemiah” on it. Suddenly a couple of verses seemed to leap off of the page at me: “And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.’” (Nehemiah 4:14 NKJV)
At that moment I knew God was still with me and He would help me. I also knew He was bigger and more powerful than all of my problems. I knew God wanted me to keep moving forward, keep looking for work, and keep trusting Him to lead and guide me. So I picked myself up, read through the book of Nehemiah, and began moving on. I searched for employment a few more weeks and finally God answered my prayers.
As I walked in to a local fast-food restaurant to put my application in, I had no idea that God was going to work a miracle in my life. I did not know the restaurant manager was a Christian sister and friend with whom I had worked, doing Children’s Church for over a year. As we did the Children’s church service my friend, Norma, and I got to know one another fairly well. Apparently God had positioned Norma so she would see me come through the kitchen with the other job applicants on our way to view a video and do paperwork in the break room. I submitted my application, with my new last name and previous employment record. A few days later, this restaurant called me in for an interview.
Norma listened as I explained what had happened that caused me to get fired from my previous two jobs. She asked a few questions which I answered. Then she said something like this, “Robin, I know these bad things that happened were not your fault.” She hired me to work full time (six-hour shifts) in the grill area where they do food preparation and build the sandwiches. I worked about eight years in that kitchen area learning how to prepare the food and then teaching others how to do the same. During this time, I also worked part-time for a few years while I attended Journalism classes at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
In conclusion, God used scripture from the Biblical book of Nehemiah to remind me of His great power, to reassure me of His love and that He was with me in the midst of the struggle, and to encourage me to press on even when the situation looked impossible.
Our God (Father, Son-Jesus, and The Holy Spirit) is the miracle worker! Circumstances that are impossible for people to overcome are opportunities for God to work and to display His awesome love, might, power and strength to the world who desperately needs to see them and believe. Furthermore, when impossible circumstances oppress God’s people, He comes to deliver, protect, and rescue them from danger. God does this because He loves people, especially His own!
So be encouraged. God loves you. If you find yourself in a place of disillusionment and being overwhelmed, turn to God. Ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins and invite Him to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. Ask Him to fight the battle for you. Then stand back, wait, do what God tells you to do, and watch to see the deliverance of the Lord. If you have already been born again, do the same. Then know that God will fight on your behalf because He is faithful and He loves you dearly!
For an example of the deliverance of God, read the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:1-21. It is also another great encouragement. “…Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” (Nehemiah 4:14 NKJV)
In this world of instant gratification, Satan and his allies have devised powerful, action-packed media such as compact disks, DVDs, computer games and programs, radio and television programs, learning, music, podcasts, sounds, videos, and a wide variety of materials to learn about anything a person desires to learn. They use these tools to attract people, stir up their interests and/or temptations, and draw them into evil belief systems and thinking patterns. They feed people lies about multitudes of topics and use media to attract audiences to need or want some new product. Media can stir up such strong desires in people that they drop what they are doing to run to the store to purchase the advertised product or donate money to the causes they hear or see in advertisements.
Our society’s selfish “instant gratification” and “status quo” attitudes contribute to some of our societies’ illnesses. These attitudes stem from pride, a sinful heart that says, “What I want is more important than anyone or anything else. I am the best and/or most important person here, the only one that matters.” The person with this heart attitude has little patience and tolerance toward anyone else and will not settle for anything less than what they want when they want it. It doesn’t matter if someone else gets hurts trying to do the best they can to fulfill their personal desire.
Many media programs and/or products promote following the life patterns of Satan’s world agenda. They glamorize and promote perverted lusts, unnatural desires and relationships, and any other perverted, sinful evil they can conjure up. They use their powerful influence and tools to promote greed, selfishness, destruction of families, individuals, marriages, and nations.
Some media broadcasters and products promote the idea that “the pasture is greener and better anywhere but home.” They try to encourage or entice people to look for relationships outside of their marriages because most marriages take commitment and the couple goes through difficult times. Yet those who promote this idea of “the pasture is greener and better anywhere but home” fail to let people know that every relationship goes through difficult times, and being alone—because of a fear of commitment—is not fulfilling either.
Another lie that is promoted by media and advertisers is the idea that “we have to be beautiful, handsome, skinny or wealthy or we are worthless.” Why do they have to send that lie out to the public? They use beautiful or handsome people on all of the product advertisements, giving the public the idea that if they don’t fit the mold, they are worthless. This is a big lie!
In God’s eyes, we are all beautiful and He loves every one of us. God sent Jesus, His one and only begotten Son, to pay the penalty for our sins so we might have eternal life. God offers this gift to each individual if they will only accept it. If God places such a high value on people, who are we to go against Him? Each person was created in the image of God to bring Him glory and pleasure on earth. We are accepted as we are: without tons of makeup, with our extra pounds and our weaknesses. We all have been given gifts by God and those who may not be so handsome and beautiful on the outside probably have the most beautiful hearts—humble, loving, and giving to God and others. Yet many people spend huge amounts of money to try to fit into this perfect person mold, even when it’s impossible. Also, many people become depressed and discouraged and some even commit suicide because they try so hard to fit in with the crowd and cannot be as perfect as the false illusion society has created for them to try to attain.
Some people stir up racial tensions and destroy friendships among people of different races. They promote their fanatical beliefs and use them as wedges, even to the point of creating wars within nations—all to promote their own selfish agendas. They don’t care how many people die as long as they get what they want. And worst of all are those who say they really care but do everything they possibly can to destroy our nation and its citizens!
We have seen this in action as the leaders of our country and the news media who do everything possible to try to destroy our freedoms, our blessings, and even our people—all so they can promote their own communist agenda and take the money away from the citizens who have worked hard to earn it. We have also seen it in those who came up with Covid virus and tried to use it to control the numbers of people living on earth (for population control) or as a biological warfare tool.
Media, a powerful influence, can be used for both good and evil. Yet, how often do we see an exciting game or television program that excites people so much that they immediately want to go ask or tell someone about Jesus? How often do we see programs that teach our children about Jesus or even provide clean entertainment? What about the games we have installed on our home computers or the game machines we purchase to entertain our youth?
Not long ago I went shopping at a local department store looking for a game for my grandson’s Xbox game machine. As I began to look through the game choices, all I saw was games that were filled with dark spiritual forces. There was nothing that could encourage my grandson to desire good behavior or entertain him without a bunch of killing, dragons, dungeons, magic or witchcraft. I finally settled on a car racing game but I’m not sure that was even a good influence. My grandson is only a few years away from getting his driver’s license and I don’t want him to think racing the car is a fun, entertaining pastime. He needs to understand the seriousness of driving and realize you or someone else can really get hurt by goofing off while you’re driving.
As God’s children, we should be able to use these tools provided for us to create more educational and clean entertainment, games, movies, teaching materials, reading materials, and a variety of other media to help spread the Gospel and equip/train up the body of Christ. We should be able to create Bible lessons and programs which hold peoples’ interest and create excitement for the things of God. With the Holy Spirit living in us, we should have a more alluring, more powerful presentation than the one the world creates to promote the things of darkness. The eternal gifts God gives us are much greater than the temporary things this world has to offer.
So why don’t we put as much effort, money and time–as the world does into promoting their products and viewpoints–into praying and promoting the things of God? After all, we have the greatest things to offer—true and lasting things—like Jesus, forgiveness, joy, love, peace, and all of the wonderful blessings and promises God has bestowed upon us.
In Matthew 28:18-20 NIV scripture says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Though there are some media available to help with this mandate, we could still create and have more products available for helping us disciple and share God’s word with others.
If all of God’s children would make an effort to share the testimonies of what God has done in their lives, whether through audio or video, the witness of God would be so strong and God would be glorified all across the world. With the internet and the powerful podcast and video capabilities, these testimonies could be promoted worldwide. Even countries that deny Jesus Christ could not stop the influx of the message of the gospel. The evidence would be so overwhelming that more people would believe that Jesus is alive and real. Though some people, even in spite of the powerful evidence will not accept Jesus Christ, they would not be able to say that they never heard of or knew about Him. Even if they said Jesus Christ does not exist, that would not make it so. In conclusion, I believe it’s time for God’s people to step up to the plate and make the truth known. We need to confront these evil spiritual lies and weapons so the people can come to know the truth—Jesus Christ. The people need to know there is a God who loves them and cares for them more than any human ever could. The people also need to know that those who bring this great spiritual destruction upon us will have to stand before Almighty God and give an account for their actions, whether they believe in Him now or not. Refusing to believe that God exists and is real doesn’t make it true! God will deal with them in His perfect timing.
Seeds of Christian Faith 