Son Shine!

Today’s Reading: John 8:10-11(NIV)

10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is a great day to experience new life! From where I’m sitting inside my home, I can see the sun rising up across the sky and I am so very grateful. We’ve had weeks of clouds and rain, sleet, and snow. To see the sun on a day like today makes me want to run outside and walk into the Promise. Do you have spring fever? In a couple of weeks, daylight savings time will kick in across the United States. We will begin to experience extended hours of day light, and I can hardly wait! I have a walking buddy that I’ve been missing, and once the time changes, we should be able to get together again for spring strolls and some girl talk as we enjoy our favorite city park together.

Can you imagine the joy that precious woman must have felt when Christ saved her life in the town square? She had been sentenced to death for sins she had committed. With one simple statement, Jesus Christ convinced the crowd to let her live. She must have felt like jumping and dancing in the Son’s light, after a long and cold winter. To finally be free of the burdens she carried, knowing that there was hope for even someone like her, was truly a reason to celebrate! The Son had come up in her life and He had set her free to live!

This is a brand new day! When we fail, we have a Savior who forgives us and offers us a brand new beginning in Him. We can experience His wonderful rebirth today, when we choose to leave our sins behind, and begin walking in the light of His grace and love. Come outside with me and enjoy the rising Son. He will forgive you right now if you ask Him to. My Jesus Christ will do it, as sure as the sun is shining this morning!

Enjoy the day! It is His ultimate gift of love, given especially for you.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Overexposed!

Today’s Reading: John 8:9 (NIV)

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

Good day!

Yesterday, I had a close encounter with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine. I spent a couple of hours inside a tiny tube, hearing nothing except the thumping and swishing noises it made as the laser beams looked inside my thick skull. As I prepared for the test, I left my husband behind in the waiting room and the receptionist at the front desk, and then it was just the MRI tech and me, in what seemed to be a very sterile and sound-proof environment. I was strapped onto a table, my head placed in a secure and uncomfortable helmet. Within a few short seconds, I was nose to nose inside the tube with a high-powered laser beam, designed to explore my innermost being. I will admit it was just a little too close for personal comfort, and as I lay there, I wondered if the next two hours would somehow change the course of my life.

The anxiety in knowing that you have been overexposed must have terrified the woman when she knelt before Jesus. Every sin she had ever committed was being held up to public scrutiny. The community where she lived wanted her out of there; she had not kept the law and therefore, deserved to die. She just wanted to get it over with, hoping someone would throw the heaviest stone first so that her torment might end quickly. But the crowd could not resist heaping a little extra humiliation upon her head. No one anticipated how the Lord might react. He is the only One who could see clean through our physical frames and into the depths of our souls. As He began to examine her sick and wounded heart with His piercing, loving eyes, the people began to fall away, one by one. The older ones left first, and eventually, there was no one left but the woman and her soul-searching, laser beam of light.

I will never forget the two words I heard as I allowed my body to be drawn into the magnetic resonance imaging tube. Jesus softly said, “Come here.” I could feel His hands, holding me close, comforting my anxious heart. I was able to relax and pray, and even go to sleep amid the banging noises surrounding me. I knew I was being over-exposed. When everyone else had left, the Only One I really needed was right there with me, looking even deeper into the depths of my soul.

If you’ve ever had a close encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, you know He sees into the depths of your soul. Christ takes the sins that separate me from a perfect and holy Father, exposing them for what they truly are. With His healing power, Jesus carries my sin straight to the cross, so that I might be fully healed once and for all. I have received a brand new life through salvation by grace. The old is forever gone and the new is now my happily ever after.

I don’t know what that MRI may reveal, but I do know that my Jesus, who sees me, exposes me, and heals me day by day, is the only One I need for this life and in the new world to come. We all need to experience a close encounter with the soul-searching, laser beam of the Lord. Let Him see through that hard shell and into your heart of hearts, where He can wash away your sin, heal your broken spirit, and free you for new life today.

Won’t you trust Jesus enough to invite Him into your life right now?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Now what do you say?

Today’s Reading: John 8:3-5, 7(NIV)

3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?”

7 When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let Him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Good day!

My husband Jeff and I have lived in church parsonages for twenty-nine of the thirty years we’ve been married. We served several congregations in Texas and in Missouri We’ve met a lot of precious people, many whom we count as dear friends. It is interesting to experience faith through the hearts of so many as we’ve shared Christ’s love together. since Jeff entered the ministry in 1975.

We’ve known a few dear saints who truly believe and profess with their lips that they’ve never ever sinned. Maybe you feel that way too. In their heart of hearts, they believe they have done their very best to not break the law of Moses. They have chosen to be faithful and continue to walk in Jesus’ steps; loving others more than they love themselves and forgiving those who have hurt them seventy times seven times.

It is difficult for me to find a day when I don’t somehow slip up and sin. Some unsavory thought crosses my mind, or I say something in a rash and heated moment, that I soon regret. I have a hard time relating to my friends who believe they have never ever messed up, especially when I seem to mess up all the time. How I long to one day be perfected in Christ’s love! There is not a moment when I don’t regret the mistakes I make. Fortunately for me, Jesus Christ forgives me when I repent, and choose to leave that sinful whim behind. Knowing my faults and imperfections, I find myself praying each morning in advance of the sins I may encounter during the day. I ask the Lord to lead me NOT into temptation and deliver me from evil. Of all the things I pray for each morning, this prayer has become my daily bread.

Now what do you say? Jesus is standing in front of you today, asking whether you would condemn this sinful woman. Would you be the first to hurl a stone, believing in your heart that you had never sinned yourself? Would you feel that you had the right to judge her heart based upon your own flawless track record?

I confess I’ve hurled a lot of stones in my life, judging some people and certain situations that I have had no right to pass judgment upon. I’m asking the Lord God Almighty to take the stones we are holding in the palms of our hands and replace them with His healing love and forgiveness today.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

The fountain of new life

Today’s Reading: John 7:38(NIV)

38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Good day!

My father spent a good portion of his electrical contracting career installing indoor fountains at local shopping malls in the St. Louis area. There is something simply delightful when we stopped to watch the dancing waters. For years, my mother and I would meet at Jamestown Mall on Saturday morning and walk around the perimeter of the shopping complex where my father had worked to install the fountain in the center of the mall. We would watch with delight as children would slip off their sandals and dangle their feet in the cold spray. Babies in strollers were fascinated by the beautiful colors of the water as it poured from the spout into the air, falling gently into the pool below. People would stop to make a wish and throw a coin or two into the water. I often wondered where all that money went at the end of the day, when the fountain was cleaned.

There is nothing more refreshing than the spray of a sprinkler on a hot summer’s day. Sometimes, the rays of the sunlight catch the water and make each droplet sparkle with beautiful colors of the rainbow. A blast of cold refreshment can cool an overheated soul. I love playing under the sprinkler with my grandchildren in the summer time, and I don’t worry about what the neighbors might think. I’m just a kid at heart.

Jesus said that all who chose to believe in Him, would experience streams of living water flowing out of their lives, from deep within their souls! Think about those dancing waters welling up inside your life. It quenches a dry, thirsty heart, and refreshes you to full and complete joy! No matter what may be happening in your life today, you can experience pure refreshment in the love of Jesus Christ! Like dancing waters flowing out from the base of the fountain, Christ’s love pours out of our hearts from within and makes the expression of who we are in Him a beautiful thing to behold.

I pray that you will stop and enjoy the living waters that Christ has birthed in your life today. There is no greater love than the love of Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

The heart of a child

Today’s Reading: Galatians 5:1-2(NIV)

1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Good day!

When I arrived at the party, I saw my four-year-old granddaughter, sitting on a chair at the Strawberry Shortcake table, dressed in a pink polka-dot dress with white frilly socks and shiny white shoes. I began singing the song “Happy Birthday.” When she saw my face, her eyes lit up like little firecrackers exploding in the night. Immediately, Emily jumped to her feet and shouted, “Nanny, I got four! I got four!” I took her in my arms and we danced around the table singing and celebrating together! There is nothing like seeing the face of an exuberant child on her fourth birthday. Throughout the afternoon, Emily said, “Nanny, I’m just so happy!”

We celebrate our birthdays, remembering the gift of new life and the hope of all that is to come. Emily is four years old today, and as sure as I look away and blink again, she will be fourteen, going to proms and playing sports, and then twenty-four, walking across the graduation stage in her cap and gown, and maybe down the church aisle in a beautiful white wedding gown. I wonder if we will dance together like little girls in party hats on the day she gets married, or what Emily might say to me when she hands me my great-grandchild for the very first time. I see in her precious face the love of my Lord Jesus Christ. She is so full of His Spirit. It is His life that gives her new life, and it is birthed every day, as she is nurtured by the love of family and friends. I am constantly reminded of how blessed our family is, five times over, as we share in the joy of watching our grandchildren grow in the light of His love, mercy and grace.

No one teaches us how to love each other better than a little child does. We can learn a lot from them, as they experience for themselves a personal relationship Jesus Christ. May you find yourself celebrating new life in the Spirit today, as you cherish rebirth in Him. Take hold of that hope that He has planted uniquely inside of you and reach out to someone who needs to experience what real love is today.

May we daily seek to imitate our Lord, as we learn to love with child-like hearts.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Thirst quencher

Today’s Reading: John 7:37 (NIV)

37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”

Good day!

Have you ever been really thirsty? My husband makes a “thirst-quenching” stop every morning at the Convenience filling station near our home. He is on a first-name basis with every manager there. On Sunday mornings when our United Methodist Men have breakfast, Jeff delivers an extra meal or two to the people working at the station. They keep him well-stocked in his favorite diet soft drink. I believe they have taken the challenge to quench the insatiable thirst of this circuit riding Methodist minister quite seriously.

Every time I go inside Convenient, I have to laugh out loud. You can’t help but notice the silly grin of the sales clerks as they watch my husband fill a 64-ounce cup to the brim. Quite often, he grabs two additional 24-ounce bottles to go. It makes their day. Quenching an insatiable thirst is big business around here. Fast food stops and filling stations line every corner of the community where we live. I have found that suburbanites do get thirsty often and are constantly looking for a place to purchase some much-needed refreshment.

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and announced that if anyone is thirsty, they should come to Him and drink. Jesus is offering living water to all who seek Him. It is the kind of drink that cannot be purchased. It is God’s free gift to all who will seek Him out. That thirst-quenching drink that Christ offers to all provides soul nourishment, and is the sustaining force that catapults us through this life and into the everlasting. Jesus is closer to you than the Convenient shop just down the road. You do not have to drive to Him – He will meet you right where you are. Christ can quench the thirst of your soul, if you will stop and ask Him to give you a taste of His living water. It is His free gift, given for you and me.

Are you thirsty? Come to Jesus and be refreshed.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.