Living a Balanced Christian Life (and other funny jokes) ... a devotion from Dianne J. Wilson

If you're anything like me, you spend most of your time juggling many things, wondering if you should have them all on your plate and trying to figure out how to 'balance' it all. Sound familiar?

Sometimes I feel like I'm limping along on a flat. Who am I kidding - most times.

I've attempted to fix my life pizza-style. You know, rearrange things into equal time sections so that everything at least gets a touch. That's not realistic though, so I whipped it all about into some sort of redeemed Mazlo's Hierachy... God first, family second, then church... oh wait. Is it meant to be church then family? I just can't get it straight. But where do you fit a book deadline into that? Or car repairs? How about elastics that need to be stitched onto a ballet shoe? Does that legitimately belong in family?

I've winged it too... on-the-fly-allocate more time to those things that are apparently more valuable than others. But you know what? All it takes it one cat with a fur-ball who decides it's time to let it all out over the lounge carpet to blow my priorities out the water. Or a kidlet who forgot about a speech that has to be done for tomorrow. Or a dropped bottle of ketchup-slash-tomato sauce... Fill in the blanks.

I've come to realize what I was missing from the whole equation. To run smoothly every wheel needs an axle, a central point that is constant. For us, that's Jesus. Once He is securely central, the origin for each thing that captures our time and energy... then our lives run balanced.

Here's the funny thing - there will be seasons of complete and utter 'unbalanced-ness' for each of us. A deadline, a new baby... whatever hits your life with enough force to shake you wonky. But when Jesus is smack in the middle, somehow the wheel can still run smoothly.

How can it though, when the spokes - AKA all the demands on us - are sometimes so unequal? Ask any cyclist how bumpy a ride with spokes like that would be.

Here is the secret... Jesus is a magnificent spoke equalizer. He doesn't just stand on the sidelines, barking orders and smacking his forehead when we get it wrong. He is right in the middle of our mess, His grace, the elastic that reaches the bits we can't get to. He stretches and holds on our behalf when our internal elastic is so frayed that our mental and emotional pants are falling down.

Right now for me, life is a stretch. I single-parent during the week, miss my hubby between weekends, try my best to mommy my girls, work, do home & pets and chase my deadlines. Some days I feel like something has to give or I'll conk out. But you know what? I just need to stay cuddled up to Jesus. He has all these things that pull at me, these spokes... He has them all. Where I fall short (so so short) He doesn't. And He's got you too.

“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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. She is writing the third book in YA series, Spirit Walker, with Pelican / Watershed. Book 1, Affinity is releasing on the 8th of June 2018.

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Amazon & Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.

Devotion: 7 Ways to Overcome Feeling Overwhelmed

by Sherma Webbe Clarke | @sdwc8181 

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:2) 

Do you have a red cape in your closet? Is there a power ring in your jewelry box? Can you tap into the Speed Force to become like The Flash, gaining the ability to move faster than light and cut through time and matter? If your answer is ‘no’, you’re not alone. But we give it a good try, don’t we? No wonder we are in jeopardy of burning out when we can’t accomplish everything on our to-do lists.

The Top Three 

The truth is, we can’t take care of others or do our best if we’re exhausted. Here are the top three lifelines that I cling to when I’m feeling overwhelmed: 

Pray 

I believe prayer should be our first step in any situation, not the last resort. Let God give you a fresh perspective. After all, He sees the entire situation and is already in the future and has worked things out for us. When we cry out, He answers with an invitation: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) 

Worship

When I worship in the midst of chaotic 21st-century life, it’s a matter of allowing my mind to get distracted by the wonder and majesty of God. Sometimes my hands pop into the air in praise. At other times, I press my eyes closed and imagine the splendor of heaven. 

Read the Bible

Turn to Bible truths to combat stress and worry. It's like finding treasure. Biblical accounts of others help us see God’s faithfulness. His promises can be found throughout His Word. The Psalms are a good place to start. 

When You’re Prayed Up But Still Need a Break 

We’re fearfully and wonderfully made, fashioned in the image of God. We have interests, abilities, and curiosity about the world around us. These are gifts we can use to shift our perspectives when we expect to pack 35 hours of continuous action into a single day. There are better options than pushing ourselves into exhaustion. 

Here are four: 

Engage in a hobby

Even when free time is a luxury, favorite pastimes can be squeezed into our schedules. Snap a picture of a sunset, a rare flower, or your kids' big smiles. Cycle to an appointment. A few compromises can allow us to infuse some fun into our routines.

Help someone else 

Is there a way to use your talents or gifts to ease someone’s burden? A friend of mine has a heart for writing poetry for those going through difficult times. She has blessed many people with her comforting words. 

Record a song 

I hope you don’t mind this bit of whimsy. You don’t have to upload the recording to YouTube—or even keep it. Not feeling so dramatic? Hum your favorite song while doing chores. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it helps to make a joyful noise. 

Talk it out 

Find a trusted friend, family member, your pastor, or if necessary, mental health professional. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek help. We are social beings, and we weren’t meant to struggle alone. As it turns out, God has many ways to show me how to guard against becoming too busy. I’ll share more in another post. In the meantime, what strategies do you suggest? Let’s see how many we have in common. 

About Sherma... 

SHERMA WEBBE CLARKE is a contemporary fiction writer and a 2017 ACFW First Impressions Finalist. Her inspirational writing has been included in Christian devotional books: Grace Notes and Blessed. She loves to take her husband by the hand to explore nearby and far-flung areas of the globe. This wanderlust has its perks. She credits many of her story ideas to these adventures. Quiet, early-morning walks along the railroad trails on her home island of Bermuda provide inspiration when she is homebound.

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Sometimes life gets in the way

About two years ago I had these ambitious writing plans. I had just finished my first secular novel, had a Christian novel with a publisher preparing for print, was getting another ready for submission, and had finished four chapters of my next story in the Alpha series. More projects were forming an orderly queue behind them, jostling for attention.

Then, something happened. Actually, a few things happened. I won't go into details but suffice it to say that my head was spinning so fast I had neither the energy nor desire to work on any of these projects. The only thing that did go anywhere was the secular novel. This made the final step to print but with absolutely zero marketing it may as well be sitting on my spare hard drive at home.

It has taken what feels like forever but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and am slowly working towards it. I am not in the clear yet and the anxiety of what may happen means I get precious little sleep, but I can now imagine a time when I will have the desire and energy to start putting pen to paper. Contributing to this blog is part of that.

In the meantime, as a way of keeping the creative juices flowing, I started a little webcomic featuring conversations between a programmer and the Artificial Intelligence he created, loosely based on Brett and Jay from Alpha Redemption. The artwork is very basic, initially taking an hour or two to create using Serif Drawplus (great for simple projects) while the comic itself takes about five minutes to prepare each evening. I think of some dialogue during the day and jot it down. Then, when I get home, I add it to my comic and publish it.

You know what's the surprising thing? For almost two decades I slogged away at a keyboard in an attempt to produce good quality fiction, doing courses and reading everything I could lay my hands on about how to create attractive prose. I spent countless hours sending out manuscripts, and reading the rejection letters. In 2010 I finally made it to print and have enjoyed a modest level of success. Then, something unexpected happened. During one of the most stressful periods of my life, a daft little comic that takes almost no effort to produce gets more readers each week than all of my novels put together. Last time I checked I was getting almost 2,500 views a month.

I can only scratch my head in amazement and wonder if perhaps God isn't trying to tell me something.

Anyway, it's good to be back and I look forward to chatting with you all again.

DEVOTION: How Is Your Heart? ~ by Yvonne Ortega

2 Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”


Do you worry about your finances or your children? Are you or family members sick with the flu or another illness? Do you feel stressed over your job? Has someone hurt you or disappointed you? Do you struggle with anger or unforgiveness?

Our heavenly Father promises “to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” I want to hang on to that promise. Don’t you?

I find comfort in this verse for a couple of reasons. First, the Bible tells us God keeps his eyes on us. Our Abba Daddy loves us and watches over us.

Secondly, he promises to strengthen us, but he places a condition on that promise. He will strengthen those “whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

What does it mean to be “fully committed to him”? Let me give you an example of what it doesn’t mean. An acquaintance turned his back on God when his wife died of cancer. He said his wife taught Sunday school and sang in the choir. He didn’t want anything to do with God because he let a good woman suffer with cancer.

He was a “fair weather Christian.” As long as the blessings flowed in his direction, he lived for God. When he lost his wife, he became bitter and fell into the devil’s trap of unforgiveness.

As a “fair weather Christian,” he forgot God’s only Son, Jesus, suffered and died on the cross for our sins and how many Christians have been imprisoned, tortured and killed for their faith.

On the other hand, a friend lost her husband when he was 36 years old. She continued to love God, trust him, and serve him. God strengthened her and blessed her with a wonderful second husband, a young widower.

We can’t get through life without trials and heartaches, and we all come with an expiration date. The proof of our faith comes when we hang on to God’s promises anyway and allow him to strengthen us.

Dear God, help me be fully committed to you. Amen.

Copyright © by Yvonne Ortega January 14, 2013

OVER TO YOU: In what heartaches will you allow God to strengthen you this week? Leave a comment below.


Yvonne Ortega is a counselor, international bilingual speaker, trainer and eleven-year breast cancer survivor. She is the author of Finding Hope for Your Journey through Breast Cancer (Revell) and a contributing author to The Embrace of a Father (Bethany House) and Transformed (Wine Press). She has also been published in several magazines online and hard copy.

Yvonne hosted a blogtalkradio program on breast cancer, addiction, domestic violence, and other types of trauma. Archives are available. Visit her website

How to Kiss Stress Good-Bye!

The last few months have been exceptionally hectic for my family. Between homeschooling, ministry, building a house, short-term mission groups, writing, and life in general, I sometimes find myself feeling that all I do is run from early morning to late at night.

It doesn’t really matter what your job is or what you are going through at the moment, we all understand and experience stress on a daily basis, both good and bad.

As I grow older, I've noticed that it is essential to find both quiet and balance in all the chaos. Especially when my 'jobs' are never ending. For example, as a writer, between writing, brainstorming, editing, and marketing, and social networking my job is never finished. And that is just one segment of my life! 

Seth Godin has a great blog post on Dancing on the Edge of Finished that really got me thinking about how while it might be true that there is always one more things to do, my life should be "a dance, not an endless grind." It started me thinking about the importance of finding that balance in my life.

So here are nine things I'm trying to implement to help kiss stress good-bye!

Learn To Say No: Michael Hyatt recently had a blog post dealing with the importance of saying no. We can only do so many things in a day, and as hard as it might be, sometimes we have to say no.

Delegate: Are your kids old enough to take on extra responsibilities around the house? Can you call on a friend to help you out on a project? It’s easy to want to keep that control and do it all ourselves, but there is also a blessing in having others pitch in and help.

Exercise: I always see a difference in the way I feel when I stick to my exercise routine. I feel better, I’m healthier, and more relaxed. Exercise can improve so many aspects of our lives both mentally and physically by improving our mood, combatting disease, and boosting our energy.

Positive Self-talk: I’ve been amazed at how many time the Bible talks about the importance of our thoughts. Paul says in Philippians 4:8 that we should be thinking about things that are true, pure, and lovely. He also says in 2 Corinthians 19:5 to take captive every captive and make it obedient to Christ.

Keep in Tune with the Spirit: In connection with positive self-talk, it is important to look at what are we filling our minds with? If we are filling our minds with constant negativity from the media and television, it’s hard to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and his active roll in our lives.

Remember You’re not Superwoman or Superman: (And you don't have to be.) It’s so easy to compare ourselves with others, and believe that we have to do it all ourselves. We look at others around us and feel as if we fall short when we can't keep up. Putting reasonable expectations on ourselves is essential to cutting out stress. 

Prioritize: Have you ever heard the old expression, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." It means that when you are facing an overwhelming situation that feels too big to handle, you need to take a deep breath and don't panic. My own kids, for example, start to panic when they find out they have to write a research paper, until I tell them not to focus on the overall goal, but instead the mini-steps they will take to get there. Break things down into small pieces. One thing at a time. One day at a time. It really does make a difference.

Laugh more: I have some good friends who send me links to funny You Tube videos because they know how important laughter is. The saying is true that laughter is the best medicine!

1     What about you? I’ll be off line through the weekend, but would love to hear from you when I get back about what helps you handle stress. 

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LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award nominated author who has over twenty novels and novella collections in print. She and her husband, Scott, along with their three children, live near the Indian Ocean in Mozambique as missionaries. As a homeschooling mom, life can get hectic, but she sees her writing as an extension of her ministry which also includes running a non-profit organization The ECHO Project. To find out more about her books you can visit her website.

Spontaneous Human Combustion

Sometimes I have too many pots on the stove. Writing in multiple genres, editing, involvement in political actions, performing arts/fitness programs, volunteer work, domestic engineering (ha! ha!), raising an energetic, testosterone-laden boy and managing to coddle a husband who wants and needs my attention, leave me often feeling like I’m about to ignite. And that wouldn’t be pretty. Wait!—let me think about that—no, that would not be pretty. Besides, who wants to scrape little-miss-dancer-chick off the floor—before or after combustion?

Desiring to grow a set of octopus arms in order to have a hand in everything I believe I’ve missed my true calling: professional juggler. How did I get myself in this predicament? And to think, I’ve pondered going back to school to top it off.

Truthfully, the more items to tackle the happier I am. I suppose I relish busyness and even thrive in chaos. The stay-up-all-night-to-get-stuff-done doesn’t even bother me much (ehem…as much as it does those around me). It’s not altogether my fault. Ask members of my kin and they’d tell you the same thing about their own lives. Furthermore, it’s what society often demands from us these days.

Survival is for the fittest, they say. What they didn’t mention is that training is a lifelong commitment. So, it’s good to take a moment or two to remember how to breathe. Inhale, exhale, inhale…oh, right—exhale. And if it ever gets to be too much, you’ll probably find a tidy pile of ash right next to the 24-hour coffeepot. If that happens, just remember I wore a smile on my face.

A former contemporary dancer and missionary, Tessa Stockton, who also found involvement in politics and human rights groups, wrote The Unforgivable (RisenFiction April/2011)—a love story entangled in the aftermath of Argentina’s Dirty War.  www.TessaStockton.com