Inspirational Words for Distress From Michelle Rocker

For my friends struggling with what life has thrown at them today: Isaiah 63:9: "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."

John 14:3

Jeremiah 29:11

Hope flourishes even during the rocky times in life.

The Risks We Take By Liz Huggins-Thompson

I stood on the top step of the ladder. On the very top it read DANGER. DO NOT STAND OR SIT. I stretched to reach the tree branches with my pruning shears. That one branch was just out of reach. I looked at the message again.  Maybe if I hooked my arm over this sturdy limb... As the bark dug into my bare skin, I was suddenly reminded of a time when we were kids.

We were at a family picnic. My parents warned us not to go into the woods. Not that we were so rebellious, but my sister, Rosie, and I were the adventurous sort. There were some great rocks for climbing. I reasoned that if we stayed near the edge of the tree line, we weren't really IN the woods. So, up the cliff we climbed.
What a view from the top! Thrilling.

It wasn't but a few minutes into our adventure, Rosie spotted a frog. Chasing after it, she slipped and grabbed onto a small sapling just in time before going over the edge. In doing so, one of the small branches poked right into her bicep. Somehow, she managed to keep a hold of that frog, but wow, there was a lot of blood from her arm. I ran back down to get some napkins. It wasn't long before the truth came out, though.

I looked at the message on the top of the ladder again. I would have to climb back down the ladder, reposition it, climb back up, and try again for that pesky branch.

God gives us guidelines and His law to live by. Why do we think we have a better way, or that we can ease the rules a bit to suit our wants?

"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." Psalm 25:9.

I didn't prune the elusive branch, but we named that frog Freddy. He lived a good life in a terrarium we made from a huge peanut butter jar.

Broken By Michelle Rocker

I am broken...but not destroyed. 

I am broken...yet I live. 

I am broken...He binds up my wounds. 

I am broken...by His stripes, I am healed.

I am broken...I am redeemed. 

Through my brokenness, His light shines. 

May I always be...broken.

The Black Knight

In The Fine Arts Festival full theater production, Kingdom Knights, the Black Knight represents Satan. Find the biggest guy you know for this role. His size should be intimidating. For a tall man, you could add some padding to create bulk. He never speaks. Also, It’s important that he is always seen with his hood and mask on so that the children never know who plays the part of Satan.

Kingdom Knights is a 10 week program that takes your children on a quest to discover their own God-given gift. This medieval journey introduces them to 8 quirky characters who help them realize how special they are to God and how to use their unique gift(s) in God’s kingdom. The program concludes with the children presenting a drama in which they run the entire show!

Go to P226Productions.com to find out more about this exciting learning tool for children's Christian curriculum.

To Tweet or Not To Tweet By Michelle Rocker

Before the social media craze, I was a people watcher. Sitting in the mall was great fun watching the people go by and wondering what was going on in their life. Why were they happy? Why were they sad? Now, I have social media that is “people watching” at its best. I know what they are thinking now. I know. I sound creepy and stalker-ish. However, I know most of you do it too. How often do you scroll through Facebook or Twitter but never comment or “like” or retweet? You might comment to your spouse or friends with, “Did you see...?” I am curious about what people are willing to offer up, and if there is an especially spicy squabble, I have scrolled through and read the comments as well, after all they did offer it up. I have even at times commented, but primarily, I’m the creeper.

Recently, I have noticed that social media has become an outlet for bashing others. Some bash in the name of their religion, others their morals, and I have even seen family squabbles played out. It breaks my heart. Oh, I have been tempted to air things out when I feel I’ve been wronged, hoping my friends would sympathize or post a dig when someone has done something I don’t feel is right. The news (both the right and left sides) seem to enjoy picking “hot topics” and watch us bicker and fight about why it is right or wrong.

So, how do I bite my tongue when I want to respond?

John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I run what I want to say through this filter. Is what I am about to say going to show Jesus’ love to this individual? If my answer is no, then I cannot post it. I am far from perfect and anyone who knows me, knows I have a big mouth and I have stuck my foot in it more times than I care to count. However, this is something I have been “commanded” to do. I know why I believe what I believe. I have no problem sharing my faith. I stand by my convictions. But will getting in a social media battle and climbing on my soap box bring them any closer to the Savior? That is the question. And the answer is: “Love one another...as I have loved you.”

God’s Motivation By Michelle Rocker

Did you know that God is not motivated by fear? What motivates God? What moves the heart of God?

I was sitting in a service listening to a preacher and when he stated, “God is not motivated by fear.” I got distracted after that thinking about what motivates God. Verses from the Bible began to come to me.

1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 3:1a: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Ephesians 2:4-5: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

John 3:16: 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.

My conclusion? God is motivated by LOVE. John 3:16, is the ultimate proof of my conclusion. God was moved/motivated by love that he GAVE us his Son to die for our sins. The idea that my Creator, the God of the entire universe, loves me to this extent....wow! I am humbled, grateful, and overwhelmed.

Bloom By Liz Huggins-Thompson

Bloom
where
you
are
planted.

Another Shiny New Day By Liz Huggins-Thompson

We are greeted each morning with a shiny new day.

We proceed to tarnish it with our acts of sin.

The Lord polishes it up while we sleep

And presents us with a bright new hope.

Thank you, Lord, for your faith in me.

I pray that I am worthy of it.

New Year, New Challenges By Liz Huggins-Thompson

Now that the holidays are over and we send the kids back to classes, we approach our schedule with renewed vigor. At least, that’s what I do. I wonder about the children returning to school, though. Are they excited to share their news of the presents they received, the stories of traveling adventures, or show off that new outfit they got from grandma? Whatever their incentive for going back out into the world, we must, as parents, continue to prepare them. For me, my daughter won’t be going back to class as she graduated summa cum laude the week before Thanksgiving. She’s had the whole hectic, crazy, busy holiday from Thanksgiving to New Years to enjoy being with family and answer loads of questions about her future plans. I know one thing she is grateful for and that is the huge relief of being out from under the heavy and intense college workload. The one thing that I am grateful for is that I know I have lead her in the direction the Bible wants us to go; in the path Jesus Christ has set for us. I see evidence of this in the grace she approaches her life with, the compassion she shows others, and the involvement she enjoys with the church she attends in her college town.

Her New Year Challenges will be going after that great job her degree will afford her. I’m grateful to know that she has the tools she needs to accomplish anything she puts her time, energy, and mind to.

My New Year Challenges will be to continue spreading the Good Word to all the children who need to hear it. Through P22:6 Productions, Inc., I’m so excited to have this opportunity to share it in fun, new ways. The programs we have lined up for 2014 are fresh, original, and of course, full of the Good Word!!

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

Life is Hard by Liz Huggins-Thompson

Life is hard. Pray harder!

Waves & Butterflies - Power & Glory By Elizabeth Huggins-Thompson

I took a walk on the beach. It was my personal time to talk to God

and enjoy His gift of warm sand and cool breezes. Along Florida’s

Treasure Coast, there are some dead coral reefs that are called

breakers. This one particular day, the tide was such that the

waves would break on the coral with a terrific boom and spray

of water. I climbed up on one of these rocky outcroppings and 

enjoyed the mist of the waves around me as I looked out onto

the water. I was mesmerized by the beauty, power, and rhythm

of the ocean. I began to notice butterflies. They were flying

along the coast where the waves met the shore. Not just one

or two. There was a steady stream of them. I thought they were

horribly close to these powerful waves. I was worried they would

get swallowed up by the heavy water. As I watched, I saw how the

butterflies danced amonst the spray, riding up and down the air

currents. There was such a symmetry between the two, I was struck

by this amazing balance God created. He knows what was needed.

He knows the limits of each. The butterflies always keeping just out

of the water’s reach. The waves creating an air current for these

delicate, sensitive crea- tures to not only utilize, but play with.

It was so magical I began to cry. God knows what we all need. He

also let me know that there are times for me to push and times for

me to play. There needs to be a balance in my life. I do not need

to bear the weight on my shoulders. In Matthew 6: 33- 34 it says,

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all

these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious

about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient

for the day is its own trouble.”