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A Swell of Swallows

June 7, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Every morning when I drive to work, a flock of swallows huddles together under one of the highway overpasses. You can barely see them as they cling together for safety, companionship and warmth. But when cars whiz by, they immediately scatter willy-nilly, flying in a  chaotic waltz. They swell into swirls going a thousand different directions. Then one by one they return to the underpass. This happens over and over, every morning. Silly birds. After a while, you’d think  they’d be immune to the disruptive engine noise and vibrating whoosh of the wind as tons of metal and rubber zip by underneath them.

Are we immune to disruptions? As Christians we huddle together and cling to our traditions. But when something disruptive happens  often we let it ruffle our feathers. I have seen congregations burst into chaos when someone suggest a new way of doing things. People fly off the handle, as the saying goes. Everyone scrambles to take sides, often bumping into each other’s feelings.  But, eventually, we all remember to whom we should cling and peacefully return one by one to our knees before His throne … until the next disruption whooshes by to unnerve us.

It may be that many church goers cling to the wrong things such as traditions and customs, mistaking them for faith. “But we have always done it this way.”  “We have never allowed children at the early service.” “The minister should always preach for 20 minutes, no more.”  “The women have always held Bible study at 10 am on Thursdays. We can’t possibly move it to the evening just because some women work nowadays.”  The theology behind why we do what we do gets lost in the routine.

Perhaps, God’s spirit shakes us up a bit now and then to see how we will react. Will we cling to our faith, or scatter in a swell of chaotic fluttering like the swallows, seeking security in our steadfast routines and customs?

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Two Dogs

June 4, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

A friend got a puppy because she was living by herself for the first time in a very long time.  Even though she is on a fixed income, she paid hundreds of dollars for it, then even more in obedience classes which didn’t work, neutering and  accessories. But the dog is not the cuddly little apartment dog she wanted. It is high strung, barks all the time, chews everything in sight and is almost impossible to discipline. Because she cannot trust it to not tear up her stuff, it stays in a dog crate in her bedroom.  She tried it for months in the living room but found she couldn’t watch TV or work on the computer because the dog was constantly being disruptive. She has tried walking the dog four times a day to get its energy out. She’s tried and tried.

Then she thought maybe the dog would like a friend. She found a rescue dog- cute, soft, cuddly and well mannered. The exact type of dog she wanted.  Now she is in a dilemma.  The contrast between the two is making the first dog even less desirable. But she says she has invested so much time and money in the dog she feels a duty to keep it.

Okay- to be fair – it is not the little dog’s fault. It is just not the dog for her. The dog would be happier and have a better life with someone else who didn’t want to try and make it into what it will never be – a sedate, cuddly animal.   Sometimes, you just have to let go and realize you made a mistake. And that may be the toughest part of all.

Is this not true of our habits? We have a disruptive one, and then Christ comes into our lives and shows us a better way. Yet, we still want to cling to what was before. So we try to justify keeping it.

It is hard to give up some things that we have been doing for so long. You may have friends that are a poor influence on us, or music that is not uplifting and wholesome. Yes, but. . . . What about the TV show we’ve watched for several years that has some morally loose characters – well, that’s okay because the plots are good.  Then there is that author we like. Even though their language gets a bit much – it is still a page turner. That doesn’t mean we will talk like that, right?  Watch out for your mistakes. You can justify yourself all you want, but the fact remains if you are justifying then you know they are not the right thing for you.

What are you investing your time and money in?  Does it fit your Christian lifestyle, or is it fraying the edges of it?  Is it disrupting your time with God and influencing your thoughts more than you think? Are you trying to justify the reasons to cling to it, or will you let go?

 

 

 

 

Posted in Life Experiences, Nature | 1 Comment »

In a few sentences

May 30, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

Julie,

Thank you for your submission. We would like to publish Hush in the Storm. I have attached our contract and W9. After you review the contract, please return it along with the W9.

 After you return the contract, you will need to have your final version of the manuscript to me within three months, then we’ll begin the edits.

Thank you,

Marcy G. Dyer

Editor, Prism Book Group

hush_womenIt’s no longer a secret- my 2nd novel is about to be born.  Thank You Lord for creating this story in me  and orchestrating all that has to yet occur for it to enter the world – in your perfect Timing.  Forgive my impatience and frustration over the past 18 months, and the doubts it would ever come to fruition. To  You be all the glory.

Read the first chapter at www.juliebcosgrove.com/hush-in-the-storm.html

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On A Billboard

May 25, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

 

 

“Everything works out in the end.

If it hasn’t worked out,

it isn’t the end.”

 

Becky Toews writes that trust must be tested in order to grow. Read more about trusting God at  http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2013/05/25/tenacious-trust/

 

WOW – Get a daily devo like this FREE in your email box every morning. Just click the spam-free “Subscribe” envelope at the top right corner of the link in the blue banner.

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In a Deck of Cards

May 23, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

Absolutely awesome video.

Even if you are not an American- if you love God and freedom, it is worth watching this powerful, short video.

Super slight of hand magician with a meaningful story of faith.

click here –    http://stg.do/91qb

Freedom is not free – it has already been paid for in sacrifice on a cross, and in the battlefields.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13

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In a Nest

May 22, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????The church where I work is built in a square with an inner meditation and memorial garden called a Garth. There are wonderful trees, flowering bushes, benches and a trickling fountain.

It’s almost like a mini ecosystem with all sorts of life. Lizards scurry the columns, birds flit in and enchant us with their songs. Butterflies flit amongst the flowers.

Yesterday, I noticed a small nest in the crook of a tree limb. A young male cardinal had been singing like crazy the past few days, and now I knew why. He was trying to get a female to come see his handiwork.

Then the clouds darkened and the sky rumbled. The phone rang with the emergency announcement that we were under a severe storm warning and tornado watch. The trees bent. The rain gushed. The rampage lasted about thirty minutes. When it was over, I looked out and there was the little nest.

In the past few days tornadoes have devastated communities here in North Texas and in Oklahoma. Houses have been reduced to piles of rumble and lives lost. The landscape looks as if a Paul Bunyan sized bulldozer blazed through it, living little unscathed.  And yet, a little nest was safe.

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young– a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Psalm 84:3

In the storms of life, is your nest safe? I am talking about your spiritual one–the one where you can find love, refuge and security. The one that will help you survive, no matter what. The one built on faith. If it is interwoven with Scripture and padded with God’s mercy, it can be. No matter what horrible, unexplained things happen, there is a place you can nestle. It is in the arms of our Savior.

Please continue to pray for those whose lives have been ravished by the spring storms. Pray for the parents who lost children in Moore, OK and for the communities of Granbury and Cleburne, Tx.

Posted in Life Experiences, Nature | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

In the Drama

May 17, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

The gavel tapped repeatedly on the wooden top of the judge’s bench. The spokesperson for the jury slowly rose.  “What say you?”, the judge queried as he peered over his reading glasses…

This is the part that every TV court drama aficionado waits for, isn’t it? Did the person get off or not? Was the stealth lawyer savvy enough to find the real “whodunit?” Will justice be served, the way we want it?

Ah, that is the key- the way we want it.

judgeAnytime now, from today though the next two weeks, the Texas Supreme Court will hand down their “opinion” as to whether around 50 congregations  here in North Texas get to keep their church buildings, many over fifty years old, or be forced to leave. It has been a long, arduous and expensive legal  battle.

Someone will win, someone will lose. But will God be praised by both sides no matter the outcome? Both sides will lose if they continue to  harbor ill feelings for each other and do not trust that God’s will is greater than any decision man can make.

It is so easy to get caught up in the drama.  But like a tornadic vortex, those being sucked up into it rarely come out unscathed. No one really wins when they are battered by the experience.

In the first chapter of the book of James, he tells his listeners to be slow to anger because human anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. When we let emotions get in the way, we will always be hurt. Whips of sharp tongues can have a boom-a-rang effect. Hurt and anger can skew the Truth just like looking through the wrong prescription glasses.  Not getting the justice we feel we deserve can sour our faith if we do not yield our emotions to God’s plan and fall to our knees, begging for clarity and strength.

Drama on TV is one thing- in life it is something else.

As far as the court decision, I pray the judges will heed these words:

He [Jehosophat who appointed judges in ancient Israel after he had turned the people back to God’s ways] told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict.”  II Chronicles 19:4

But no matter what, God is still on His Throne, and He is the ultimate judge.  Thy will be done, even though it may not be mine.

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Spiritual Boot Camp Day 2

May 13, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

Shelly is walking us through the Book of James in a Spiritual Boot Camp, providing some deep insight. You will find God in your trials- and His Truth in her words. Follow her at Deeply Rooted in Him.

Shelly's avatarDeeply Rooted in Him

Hope you had some insights during your prayer time from Day 1 on where you find your identity. Please feel free to share any insights you gain by leaving a comment. Today we will continue digging into James 1.

James 1:2-4

  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

There are three main points in the first sentence in this passage. The first is we will face trials and not just one kind of trials, but a variety of them. The second point is the reason we face trials is to test our faith. It is easy to say things with words but much harder to follow them up with action. For example, how…

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In a Bisquick Pie

May 11, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

I spoke at women’s breakfast today. One of the dishes they served was taken from a recipe on the Bisquick box  – the Impossible Pie.  I had made it years ago for my family, back when I cooked meals on a budget and was always looking for a new way to dress up hamburger meat, leftovers or sausage.

What is incredible is that you pour all the ingredients into a pie pan, shove it in the oven, and as if by magic, the layers separate as it cooks  into a tasty quiche-like meal. It comes out perfectly  – crust on bottom, cheese on top and the eggs and other ingredients fluffed up in the center. Seems impossible.

You know this is going to turn into a devo- so here goes.

Our lives can be like the impossible pie. All the things that are happening to us can be mixed up and shuffled together. We just can’t see it all coming together in a right way. But with God in control, all things will come together and turn out in perfect order.

When you follow the instructions on the recipe, it seems as if the ingredients are a bit off kilter. How can so little dough make a crust, and will it come out okay when you don’t take the time to mix it, knead it, pat it down, roll it out and press it to the sides? If I was doing a pie, that’s what I’d do.

When we follow God’s instructions, everything is perfectly measured, even though we think., “Now,  how in the world can that turn into something good? That’s not how I’d do it.”   God’s fiery furnace will  bring it all together in a wonderful way. We just need to trust in that fact.

If you feel the heat turning up a bit in your life, take to heart what Peter wrote in his first letter –  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”  1Peter 4:12

Let God work in your life and slowly, things will get in order. The end result will be incredible,  even though you thought it impossible at first.

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In the Saints

May 8, 2013 by Julie B Cosgrove

Last Sunday our youth minister honored all the high schoolers in a special way.  He took time to research each of the saints and match them with a teen’s personality, talent or interests.  It soon became a congregational guessing game as he described each saint- who was like that? There were giggles and finger-pointing in loving jest. Each student, one by one as they were identified, received a simple cross he had painted with our church’s name and the year. Yet, they received so much more.

normal_agkkyproyThese teenagers received recognition for being themselves – unique and precious in the eye’s of this minister, the congregation, and yes, in God’s eyes. They were applauded for their talents, their contribution to the youth group, and their individual worth.

This young minister made the effort to get to know each teen personally and to research which saint they resembled. That conveyed how much he valued them. He had spent time thinking of them. Each of them was important to him and the church. What a message!

Remember the old song? “I sing a song of the saints of God…. for the saints of God are folk just like me, Lord, help me to be one, too.”

Which saint to you resemble? My friend, you are uniquely and wonderfully made. You are a saint of God if you believe in Christ, have opened your heart to have Him come dwell in you, and are being changed by His presence. He qualifies you for sainthood.

Just like those teenagers, receive His cross and be thankful. You have worth in the kingdom of God.

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:11-12, ESV)

 

 

 

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