Author Archives: Nannette

About Nannette

Wife to The Sweetheart, Mom to the Fantastic Six, Nana to six of the cutest littles on the planet, Author, The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. UPCI ministers.

In every season…turn

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It’s #FiveMinuteFriday again and today’s word prompt is TURN. Join me, and others if you like, as we look in a peculiar way at the word Turn.

“You change your life by changing your heart.” ~ Max Lucado

We have just breezed through a gorgeous fall here in Southern Indiana and are rapidly heading toward winter. Some say a catastrophic winter is in the forecast. As difficult as it is predicted to be, soon it too will be over and the first daffodils of the season will be poking their little yellow heads up through the dirt.

Seasons.
Change.

They are both inevitable.

How do we handle those seasons that seem to be so heavy and so disastrous that we can’t even poke our heads up long enough to see the sunlight?

What do we do when all seems lost and every solution seems to be worse than the problem itself?

in every season turn

 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” Deuteronomy 28

Look at Job: Satan had accused God that Job didn’t really love Him for who He was but for what he could get from him. In a moment, everything he ever loved or cared about was gone; stripped away.

Yet, he trusted God and still believed that He was just and that the man who trusted him would be blessed; maybe not financially, but honored of God and taken care of!

In every season, in his most difficult season, Job clung to the hope that God was who He said He was. In the end, Job was rewarded countless times over for his faithfulness.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

Do we love God in every season?

[Tweet “Do we only love God for what we can get from Him? “]

Do we falter when His blessings are taken away and we find ourselves in an unwanted season?

“I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22.

Cling to the promises in the Word of God. Grab hold of them and don’t let go! He will walk you through your difficult season; He will carry you if necessary.

Turn to Jesus. In every season.

Kingdom2

Use things, not people…

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 We were created in His image; to worship the God of the universe and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:31)

But so many times THINGS get in the way and we get this all turned around. We love our THINGS so much so that we take them everywhere we go. We can’t live without them.

[Tweet “Use things, not people. Love people, not things.”]

A good example is the cell phone. There really was a time in life that we lived without this small electronic gadget…and survived.

Today is an entirely different story. We rise in the morning and it is either the first thing we unplug from the charger or the first we plug into, if the iPad was charging through the night. We carry it with us all throughout the day, take it with us to lunch and dinner, keep it close by in our pocket or purse and then back to bed with us at night.

Is the cell phone sinful? Of course not. But we sure do love it; we cannot do without it!

[Tweet “Do we use people for our personal gain?”]

If we know that they can help get us a raise or promotion? If perhaps they are IMPORTANT, RICH or WELL-KNOWN?

Yes, we all do it even if it is subtle, we are guilty.

But Jesus said to do unto others as you would have them treat you…

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!  And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.” Luke 6:31-34 NLT.

[Tweet “”If you love only those who love you…why should you get credit for that?””]

Wow. We pat ourselves on the back for loving, for being compassionate to those we know will give us something in return…even if it is just RECOGNITION.

Jesus was clear that even sinners love those who will love them back. Even sinners will do something nice for someone that will repay them in some way.

Let us be careful today to get these in the right order:

Use things...not people Love people...not things!

Use things…not people Love people…not things!

Lord, help us to love even when, especially when, it doesn’t benefit me.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 NIV.

 Kingdom2

 

 

Devotions with Dad Book Giveaway!

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So excited to introduce a great family book to you! Daniel J. Koren is the author of Devotions with Dad, an entire year of weekly devotional stories for dads to read WITH their children.

devotions

 

 

Ready to grow wisdom and godly character in your family?

Here’s a power tool for dads to reshape their families and not let them splinter out of shape. This book contains stories for dads to read to their children and motivational thoughts for dads to stay on track.

Smooth out relationships in your home and get younger members of your family thinking about ethical and moral choices they must make as they hear stories about children just like them.

Hammer home God’s principles for life with discussion questions.
Raise up young people with a fine finish as they grow in understanding and apply God’s Word.
Let this year-full of weekly devotions draw your family closer to one another and to the Lord, too.

“My dad made a profound difference in my life. Not only did he provide for his family’s physical needs, but he led us spiritually. My teen years could have been much worse if my dad had not been there setting an example with his consistent prayer life. I remember lining up together on the couch as a family, reading out of that fat, paper-back Bible he used, and discussing what we read. God was not just added into our lives; He WAS our lives.“  ~ Daniel J. Koren

Order today and get free shipping on Daniel’s page!

You can also order from Amazon.com here!

We are giving away one autographed copy of Devotions with Dad! You can earn several chances to win today so take advantage of the free and easy entries. Be sure and visit Daniel’s website and get to know this man who works tirelessly to raise a godly family and help others do the same.

danielI am a father of six (so far) and husband of one (it works better that way). I was home-schooled (yes, that’s legal) and raised in a minister’s home (yes, that’s survivable). With a degree in Creative Writing (and an obvious love for parentheses). I freelance as professional writer and am a best-selling author. As a full-time minister and Bible teacher, I have recently completed my Masters in Theological Studies at UGST.

My wife, Leanne, works miracles in the kitchen, and is my best friend (not just because of the food). She grew up in New Hampshire; I grew up (not really) in Minnesota. We met while I was twelve, but due to marriage laws and over-protective parents, we had to wait a while before we were married. She works full-time homeschooling our children and serving me breakfast in bed (one part of that sentence wasn’t true).

As an average, American dad, I know the challenges we dads face to be consistent, relevant, and impacting in our homes. God called me to write when I was sixteen (no that wasn’t last week). Fatherhood has been one of my longest consecutive pursuits. I began Devotions with Dad after telling “Rusty Stories” to my kids for many years.

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