Word Games (Sabbatical Post)

October 28th, 2015 dsisler

 

My sister Tammy and I love to play games. Our favorite however, is Scrabble and when we are together, there must be at least one game of Scrabble during our visit.

 

We live over a thousand miles apart, but we have figured out how to play our beloved game. It’s called Lexulous. Lexulous is an online word game similar to Scrabble and since we started in February of 2009, we’ve played 133 games together.

 

In the 133 games played, I have won 61 times, lost 68 times, and there have been 4 ties. Obviously, you can tell who the better player is.

 

I had high hopes of winning a game that ended recently. I thought for sure I was going to be victorious. But as Tammy made her last move, she won. At the beginning of our new game, she informed me that she had won…by 2 points. How disappointed I was.

 

I mentioned this loss to my daughter Candace and she said, and I quote, “that’s a tie…pretty much.” Unfortunately, the inventors of Lexulous didn’t see it that way. The stats reflect that I did indeed lose and that Tammy won that game.

 

I fell short in that game of Lexulous. I fall short in many areas of my life. But the only one that matters is in my relationship with Jesus.

 

Romans 3:23-24 (NIV) tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 

Yes, I fall sort of God’s glory. We all do. However, in His great love for mankind (Ephesians 2:4-5) and in His great desire that no one be lost (1 Timothy 2:3-4), God made a way for me and you to experience redemption. Through the gift of His Son, it is as if we have never sinned. That we have never missed the mark or have fallen short. “That’s a tie…pretty much.”

 

Far from it! Jesus’ sacrifice far outweighs anything I could ever do. He’s the winner, hands down. But Jesus makes me feel like the winner. I receive the benefits of His sacrifice and grace. He gets me.

 

But, that is exactly what God wants. Me. Just as I am. Not perfect, but a usable woman in His Kingdom.

 

So what are the benefits of accepting God’s grace? While there are many, let’s just look at a few.

 

Peace and Hope

In Romans 5:1-2 (NIV), Paul encouraged the Roman believers with these words.

 

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

 

Peace may be a difficult thing to come by in your life, but through God’s grace, there is peace with God. When our lives line up with God’s message, there will be peace. And because of that peace, we certainly can rejoice in the hope we have found through Him.

 

Everything We Need

We find these encouraging words in 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV). “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

 

God’s grace is sufficient. It will lift us up as we need it. His grace will supply all that we need at all times. Because of His all-sufficiency, we have the ability to go far and beyond through the good works we do. He gives what we need to do so.

 

Forgiveness of Sins

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’ grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8 – NIV)

 

I don’t know about you, but I am thankful for this benefit daily. When my attitude needs an adjustment or my temper gets out of control, God’s grace offers forgiveness of sin.

 

I’m also thankful that He doesn’t skimp on this benefit. He lavishes His grace upon me. Yes, I am rich in God’s grace.

 

Preparation for Good Works

God’s grace has saved each of us and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. However, it is out of love for God that we are to do good works. And not just any good work. The good work God prepared for us to do.

 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 – NIV)

 

If God has prepared it, He has prepared us to do it.

 

I don’t know that I could ever cover all of God’s grace benefits effectively in this short blog post. There are many. But what I can do is open the door for others to see some of His grace benefits.

 

Have you accepted God’s grace? If not, what is keeping you from doing so? It is God’s deep desire that no one should perish. That means you. He loves you and wants to lavish His glorious riches (grace) upon you. Why not step into His grace to receive all of its benefits?

 

For those who have already accepted God’s grace, I pray that you have a better understanding of His grace benefits. There is so much more to learn on this topic. Maybe this is an opportunity for you to dig a little deeper for your own spiritual growth. I pray that you will.

 

I’m waiting for Tammy to make her next move in our game of Lexulous. And if I know her, she’s going to play a word that will continue to boost her score. But, I continue to play this game with her because of the common interest we have through this game. It’s our way of connecting with one another, even though many miles separate us.

 

Tammy, it’s your move!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Memories (Sabbatical Post)

October 27th, 2015 dsisler

 

When my granddaughter Joy was younger, bath time for the two of us was special and so enjoyable. A couple times a week, I’d get the chance to sit with her while she splashed, laughed, colored, and many other memorable types of play in the tub. One of which was singing. We would sing all kinds of music. Mostly children’s music, but still, it was so much fun to hear a child sing about Jesus or the alphabet.

 

When it came time to wash her hair, we’d jump to my favorite musical, “South Pacific,” and sing, “I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair. I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair. I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair and send him on his way.” Then I’d let Joy take the floor and she’d say, “Get the picture?” It always brought a smile to my face to hear that phrase in her little voice.

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve given Joy a bath and with that, haven’t sung this song in quite a while. The other night, out of the blue, I decided to sing this song. I started and when I got to her part, she didn’t say anything. So I filled in for her. I repeated the words again, and again, she didn’t respond, so I did once more. Then she asked, “Why do you keep saying that?” She didn’t remember. None of it. I don’t even know if she remembered any of the bath times we had shared. Needless to say, I was disappointed. These moments were special, very precious to me and it wasn’t even a memory to her.

 

I suspect this is exactly the reason God gave us a particular command in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NIV). “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

 

God knew that we’d forget. Forget His commandments and His promises. Life would get in the way or maybe we’d simply grow up and forget all that He has given us. Forget and take for granted the promises He made to us. Oh, how I want to remember. All of it. Peter writes a tiny verse in 2 Peter 1:13 (NIV). He says, “I think it is right to refresh your memory…” Yes! It is right to refresh our memories of some of God’s promises. They are too numerous to recount here, but a few might jolt your memory to dig a little deeper.

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 – NIV)

 

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38 – NIV)

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 – NIV)

 

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 – NIV)

 

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 – NIV)

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1 – NIV)

 

These are just a few, but maybe these are a few that can be memorized, kept in our hearts, impressed upon our children, or written on our doorframes. God doesn’t want us to forget. “Get the picture?”

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Super Sunday (Sabbatical Post)

October 26th, 2015 dsisler

 

I believe there will be several people who are shocked to find out that our television was not tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday. Not once. Not even for a minute.

 

We aren’t professional football fans however we had a party of our own. My daughter and the grandkids came for a visit! We made homemade pizza, jalapeño poppers, and brownies (my tummy wasn’t in the best shape as I went to bed Sunday night) and instead of watching football, we played Wii games all afternoon.

 

Okay, maybe I didn’t play Wii games all afternoon, although I did play one rhythm game with my 6-year old granddaughter who beat me mercilessly. Most of the day I held a precious baby, played with a nearly 2-year old and had great conversations with my baby girl. I had the best Super Bowl Sunday.

 

But the day would have been lacking if I hadn’t started the day with serving my Lord and worshiping Him. It was a morning filled with meaningful worship music, good fellowship, an excellent presentation of the Gospel, and reflection during the Lord’s Supper. These are truly what make every Sunday a Super Sunday.

 

I enjoy reading the section of Scripture about the believers in Acts 2:42-47. This group enjoyed fellowship with one another and with God on a daily basis.

 

As I read this passage, I’m almost jealous. Where has our longing to be with one another gone? Where has our longing to be with God in this way gone? Our busyness and life practices have taken a great deal from us, but perhaps the greatest thing we’ve lost is our communion with God and other believers.

 

So let’s break this passage down and see what these early believers enjoyed.

 

“They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42 – NIV) This one is jam-packed full of wonderful things to enjoy. And to be honest, this is the verse that everyone knows. We all know that we are to do these things. And I suspect, once a week might be the limit of our practice of this verse. How might we be change that?

 

“Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” (Acts 2:43 – NIV) When was the last time you were awe-struck by God? We seem to find awe in the most unusual places. Like an action or a celebrity. But God is the only One deserving of our awe.

 

The wonders of God deserve our awe. The miracles we see in our lives deserve our awe. But the God of all deserves our awe more than any of these. When was the last time you were awe-struck by God?

 

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.” (Acts 2:44 – NIV) I’m sure there were personality conflicts among the early believers. There had to be. But when God is the common factor in a relationship, certain personality traits can be overlooked. Unity of believers was one of Jesus’ prayers. This verse shows us that it is possible.

 

“Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:45 – NIV) Benevolence is good practice. Sharing with other believers who are in need is exactly where our priority of possessions should be. Giving of ourselves and our material wealth allows others to experience the ability to be among fellow believers. I’m sure this had its problems, but it worked for the early believers.

 

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” (Acts 2:46 – NIV) It’s been said that you learn more about another person when you sit down to share a meal with them. That’s exactly what happened here. Getting to know other Christians brings us to a better understanding of who they are and why they are like they are.

 

And as they shared together, they were glad. They were sincere. Their heart motives were right on spot. What an example we can see from this group of believers.

 

“Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” (Acts 2:47a – NIV) This just might have been the first externally focused church. Their actions moved into the community and those who lived in the community were the benefactors of their joy-filled service. Jerusalem experienced God and Jesus through this group of believers. And all the while, God was praised.

 

“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47b – NIV) Ah, we see in this verse that as we get out into our communities, lives are changed. When others see the change in our actions and words, God is able to move in their hearts. This must be the reason we do what we do. For the lost to hear the message, to see the message through us and to turn their own lives over to Jesus. That is our purpose here on earth. To make disciples (Matthew 28:19).

 

You see. I want this in my life. Community with other believers. Not as we know it today, but on a daily basis. Living our life with fellow believers who are alongside me to encourage me, to know me, to serve with me, to share our faith with others, to give where there is a need. Do you get it?

 

I’m not sure how or if this is possible in our world today. In our American society. But oh how I wish, no pray that it were.

 

Perhaps it must begin with me. Perhaps I need to make an effort to create a community of believers around me. Where my contact with them is on a daily basis, not just once in a while. I know my weaknesses and I think I’ve just added another one to the list. But with God’s help, I believe I am up to the task.

 

I guess what I’m saying is that at the end of my life, I’d love to have these verses read. And as they are being read, those who hear them would be able to say, “Donna lived her life just like that.”

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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The Write Rules (Sabbatical Post)

October 25th, 2015 dsisler

 

I read this quote recently about writing. “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” (W. Somerset Maugham)

 

I don’t know about rules for writing a novel, but I am reading a textbook on writing and I can guarantee there are more than three rules for writing and the authors of this textbook know what the rules are.

 

Now I know I am not the best writer and I don’t profess to know all of the rules, but I certainly try to follow some of them.

 

Rules like:

 

1) A verb must agree with its subject.

 

2) Possessive Case – I must admit, this one gets me all the time. I try so hard to understand it and think I’ve done so, but then make a mistake. Apostrophe, apostrophe’s, and apostrophes’ always send me to review the rule.

 

3) Do not shift between active and passive voice in a sentence.

 

4) Punctuation enables communication with clarity and precision.

 

5) Sentence construction is the most fundamental tool a writer can utilize.

 

The list could go on and each of these rules is imperative when it comes to writing. Anything. A novel, a Bible study, or a daily devotion.

 

The same is true with my spiritual life. I know I don’t follow all of God’s commands. I may not even know all of them, but I do know a few and certainly try to follow what I do know.

 

Commands like:

 

1) Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

 

2) Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

3) Acts 2:38 (NIV) “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

 

4) Acts 2:42 (NIV) “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

 

5) 1 Corinthians 11:23b-26 (NIV) “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took break, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

 

6) Ephesians 4:2-3 (NIV) “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

 

7) Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

 

8) Philippians 4:4 (NIV) “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

 

9) Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

 

10) Philippians 4:8 (NVIV) “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

 

Again, this list could keep going, but I believe the 10 verses I’ve suggested lead us to the conclusion that God’s Word is filled with commands for us to follow. There is always something we can be working on to grow spiritually.

 

Perhaps my next step should be to figure out the three rules of writing a novel. Maybe my fourth novel will hold those elusive rules.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Jesus, the Glorious Emancipator (Sabbatical Post)

October 24th, 2015 dsisler

 

I heard an old gospel hymn yesterday and there was one line that caught my attention. Jesus, the glorious Emancipator.[i] That single line brought such hope and joy to my soul in that moment. It was amazing!

 

DSC00374I suspect the true meaning of that term really hit me. I live as a free woman. A free woman in Jesus Christ. Without the freedom I have through Him, nothing else would really matter.

 

Physically, I’ve never been a slave. But spiritually, I have been held in bondage by sin and it’s from that bondage that Jesus has set me free. Yes, Jesus is the glorious Emancipator!

 

This hymn reminds us of all that Jesus freed us from.

 

Freedom from all the carnal affections,

Freedom from envy, hatred and strife;

Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions,

Freedom from all that saddened my life.

 

Freedom from pride and all sinful follies,

Freedom from love and glitter of gold;

Freedom from evil, temper and anger,

Glorious freedom, rapture untold.

 

Freedom from fear with all of its torments,

Freedom from care with all of its pain;

Freedom in Christ, my blessed Redeemer,

He who has rent my fetters in twain.

 

Some of these words may seem unusual to us in our world today, but we as Christians, know exactly what they means. Freedom through Jesus, the glorious Emancipator.

 

Jesus Himself spoke very similar words to the lyrics of this song in John chapter 8. Let’s see what He had to say. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32 – NIV)

 

Yes, freedom comes from Jesus, but from His own words we see that we need to be doing something. We are to hold to His teaching. Learn it. Know it. Live it. Be it.

 

We also see from this passage that it is truth that sets us free. Jesus’ truth.

 

It seems very simple, but when I read the words of the old hymn mentioned earlier, I can see where I still may be held in bondage. Perhaps there are still some critical pieces that need work. Somebody, please throw me a file!

 

Someone is willing to help me escape from the bondage of sin. That someone is Jesus.

 

The good news for all of us is that He can be the glorious Emancipator for each of us. Not just a chosen few or the select. But all. Even the vilest offender in Jesus’ arms is free from the bondage of sin.

 

Are you burdened with sin? Are you held in the bondage of sin? Do you wish to be free from it all? If so, I can introduce you to the glorious Emancipator. His truth and freedom exceeds all you could ever imagine.

 

Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters,

Chained like a slave, I struggled in vain;

But I received a glorious freedom,

When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.

 

Refrain:

Glorious freedom, wonderful freedom,

No more in chains of sin I repine!

Jesus the glorious Emancipator,

Now and forever He shall be mine.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] Glorious Freedom, Haldor Lillenas, 1917

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    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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    In September 2012 I went to SE Asia on a service trip. For more information, check out preachitclearly.blogspot.com.

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