The Burden of Waiting
Over the last few years, two members of my family have faced life-threatening diagnoses. For me, the hardest part of supporting them through their treatments has been the constant uncertainty. I am always desperate for a definitive word from a doctor, but things are rarely that straightforward. Instead of being given clarity, we are often asked to wait.
It’s hard to bear the burden of uncertainty, always wondering what the next test will reveal. Will we have weeks, months, years, or decades before death separates us? But regardless of disease and diagnoses, each of us will die one day—things like cancer…
I have been involved in Christianity for 5 years now. A co-worker invited me to church during a moment when I was encountering a problem in my marriage related to a family member. I accepted the offer hoping for Jesus to solve my problem. Weeks later my problem was solved and my married was in the up again towards normality. Today, I am still following Jesus, go to Church and volunteer. During a quick trip to Grand Rapids, MI I said to myself. I am going to stay in my hotel room today and read the Bible. Well, little did I know that the hotel is across the Our Daily Bread main office. I quickly asked if they did tours and they received me with open arms. I saw that ODB was in fact legit and everything they do to continue to pass the Word of God. They even use recycled paper to produce their booklets to reduce cost because sometimes they are short of funds. I have since then been very connected to this ministry and know that they preach and speak directly from the Bible the Word of God. God Bless this ministry and those who help continue their work.
Praise in the Dark
Even though my friend Mickey was losing his eyesight, he told me, “I’m going to keep praising God every day, because He’s done so much for me.”
Jesus gave Mickey, and us, the ultimate reason for such never-ending praise. The twenty-sixth chapter of Matthew tells us about how Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples the night before He went to the cross. Verse 30 shows us how they concluded the meal: “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
It wasn’t just any hymn they sang that night—it was a hymn of praise. For…
Should I Forgive?
I arrived early at my church to help set up for an event. A woman stood crying at the opposite end of the sanctuary. She’d been cruel and gossiped about me in the past, so I quickly drowned out her sobs with a vacuum cleaner. Why should I care about someone who didn’t like me?
When the Holy Spirit reminded me how much God had forgiven me, I crossed the room. The woman shared that her baby had been in the hospital for months. We cried, embraced, and prayed for her daughter. After working through our differences, we’re now good friends.
In…
God’s Direction
As a discharge planner for almost 5 years in the re-entry department in a large maximum correctional facility, a good portion of my work day includes the filing of disability and medical benefits for offenders that suffer from mental health and medical disabilities before they release back to the community. Through God’s power He has given me the strength to work with some of the roughest individuals and to see me through each situation I encounter. I look into their eyes and see human emotion exhibited flowing to the top as we visit and build trust with each other. It is an important part of the visit to listen, acknowledge and offer the gifts I can give especially myself. I have had many tell me or send me a note of thanks for being there as someone who cared, This work can appear to be uncomfortable for some, but with God, nothing is impossible or uncomfortable, as this is God’s mission field and He has called me. Each day as I enter this facility, I whisper a prayer that I may make a difference in a life of one of His children.
God calls us to go in the direction that He has for us and to the mission field that He has set up to use our gifts and talents for His service. It may be uncomfortable and we do not understand, but God knows and will show Himself if we trust as we take this journey through life. We may not know the final location on this earth, but His final place for us is one with many rooms
Prayer
God lead us in your direction and show us your path each day so that we may glorify your name in all we say and do so others will follow the path of Jesus. Amen
Bring your mistakes to Jesus
Mistakes happen. And most often mistakes have consequences. But as we’ll see today on Discover the Word, mistakes don’t have to define us. It’s a part of the discussion of the series titled, “Bring It to Jesus.” You’re invited to receive the amazing restoration that Jesus provides when you bring it to Jesus, today, on […]
13 Words that Changed My Life
There are certain moments in life we will never forget. We remember these times vividly because they have a profound impact on the way we view the world, ourselves, and how we approach life.
The Ministry of Memory
Our experiences of loss and disappointment may leave us feeling angry, guilty, and confused. Whether our choices have closed some doors that will never reopen or, through no fault of our own, tragedy has invaded our lives, the result is often what Oswald Chambers called “the unfathomable sadness of ‘the might have been.’” We may try to suppress the painful memory, but discover we can’t.
Chambers reminds us that the Lord is still active in our lives. “Never be afraid when God brings back the past,” he said. “Let memory have its way. It is a minister of God with its…
My name is Ann Ferguson and I became a Christian in November 1982, four weeks after moving back to live with my dad in Dunfermline. I never realised as I gave my heart to Jesus that night and got prayed over how my life would change and surprisingly not always for the best.
I started to attend our local church of Scotland church in Abbeyview, Dunfermline and enjoyed the Sunday services. At firstI attended the morning service only and then eventually as God led me to the evening service.
The minister's wife worked at the faith mission bookshop in Dunfermline and got me a job as a volunteer there two days a week. I loved it and eventually, because I was unemployed at the time started to work more hours there.
In the church I started attending the women's guild and helping with the Sunday school. I also helped with the cleaning rota of the church and occasionally with the teas and coffees on a Sunday.
When we had children's missionsI would be helping as well.
Unknown to me my body couldn't take the toll of all the physical activities I was undertaking and in June of 1984 I think, not sure of exact date, I took to my bed with depression and ended up in Strathedene hospital near Cupar, Fife which is about 40 miles away.
I was in hospital for at least a fortnight. I couldn't function at all. I remember thinking that I had let God down and he was angry with me!!!!!!!
I started to read a romance story i had with me and then eventually managed to start reading my bible again.
I had no idea what was going on and was very frightened.
I was afraid of the nurses and doctors and was not willing
to trust them at that time. The only person I truly trusted was Jesus!!!!!!!
Whilst in the hospital I attended the morning services on the Sunday morning. Interestingly the first sermon I have never been to remember but the second was a breath of fresh air to me.
The minister told us the story of the woman with the blood disorder that touched Jesus and Jairus's daughter. Somehow I knew God was talking to me and giving me hope for my healing.
After lunch I went for a walk on the border of the hospital and sat in a cornfield. I had with me my St Ninian's newsletter and my bible. The passage was, wait for it, Jairus's daughter again and about healing.
After I got home from hospital I shared this with my minister. He didn't say anything and neither did I because at that time I wasn't able to ask questions as I had so much fear in me.
It has only been after much Christian counselling, prayer, healing and deliverance that I am able to share my healing.
God is good and has been with me through all my life only I didn't realise that at the time.
My daily bread notes have been a blessing to me over the years and when I have had bouts of depression I used to just read the notes without reading my bible and I got some comfort from them. Thank you for daily bread notes and may they be an inspiration to us all as we continually walk daily with the Lord Jesus.
Yours in Christ,
Ann Ferguson
Bring your disappointments to Jesus
How do we respond to disappointing news? What do we do when things don’t turn out as we hoped, and we have to deal with the disappointment? Today on Discover the Word, we explore that very question. What good does it do to take our disappointment to Jesus? Listen today to Discover the Word!
Five-Minute Rule
I read about a 5-minute rule that a mother had for her children. They had to be ready for school and gather together 5 minutes before it was time to leave each day.
They would gather around Mom, and she would pray for each one by name, asking for the Lord’s blessing on their day. Then she’d give them a kiss and off they’d run. Even neighborhood kids would be included in the prayer circle if they happened to stop by. One of the children said many years later that she learned from this experience how crucial prayer is to her…
Bring your worries to Jesus
I think it’s safe to say that we all worry about something, even though we know it doesn’t really change anything! Today on Discover the Word, we will discuss what it looks like to bring our worries to Jesus. The group turns to Matthew 6 to continue their series “Bring It to Jesus,” today, right here […]
What is God Calling Me To Do?
There have been so many times in my life when I didn’t know what to do. Sometimes, those moments were silly, and getting the answer wrong didn’t have significant consequences.
Alone in Space
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden knew what it felt like to be on the far side of the moon. For three days back in 1971, he flew alone in his command module, Endeavor, while two crewmates worked thousands of miles below on the surface of the moon. His only companions were the stars overhead that he remembers as being so thick they seemed to wrap him in a sheet of light.
As the sun went down on the Old Testament character Jacob’s first night away from home he too was profoundly alone, but for a different reason. He was on the…
Bring your thirst to Jesus
Tap water is amazing! Do you ever think about how great it is, when you’re thirsty, to turn on the faucet and have water come pouring out? Well, be part of the Discover the Word team today as they dive into John chapters 4 and 7 and talk about how to quench your spiritual thirst. We’re […]
