Sunday Prayertime

Dear God, Please give me a vision for what You want to do through me, for the role You want me to have in the local ministry of my church, and for the ministry You want to work through me in daily life. Please help me to keep my eyes upon You, not upon other people, things, or circumstances. May Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Saturday Prayertime

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Thank you, Jesus, for your obedience to the Father. Thank you, God, for Your loving sacrifice. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for Your comforting guidance. Life is so much more with the hope I have in You, Lord. I am so glad that you have provided the way for me to have eternal life in Your presence--in a place where there will be no more tears and no more suffering; a place where there will be unimaginable joy, praise, worship, and peace. I praise You for Who You are and for what You have done. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Real Black Friday

Today is called "Black Friday" in the commercial world. It is the day that businesses seek to see their ledgers show in the black instead of the red. They seek to see how much they can sell to kick start their Christmas sales. Businesses seek to lure as many people into their stores by extravagant sales. Yet, over 2,000 years ago the real Black Friday happened.

It happened in an obscure part of the world, a tiny country under Roman domination. It happened to an obscure, itinerant Rabbi, who spoke such truth and lived so profound a life - that men could not accept Him. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in Israel was taken out and crucified upon a cruel Roman Cross. The Creator of the Universe was killed by His own created beings. Man, involved with jealousy, greed, pride, cowardice, fear, and a love for the darkness instead of the light took the perfect, sinless Son of God out to Golgotha and nailed Him to a cross. They watched as the life-blood of Jesus poured out. And then, this lifeblood spilled out became the very sacrifice for each of us. His blood shed on that Cross became the means that bought us back from this broken world. It was the "red" blood that was the positive side of the ledger that day.

Consider, that on this day the world wants to turn the red into black - while God in His kingdom turned what was black into red. Are you trusting the shed blood of Christ? Muse over what the cross means to you today - on this "Black Friday."

A Thanksgiving Reminder

Today, as we pause to remember all the great and marvelous blessings that God has given to us, let us turn to His Word, and read the great Psalm 100 - a Psalm of Thanksgiving. Take some time today - and focus your thoughts upon the One who is worthy of all thanks, the One who is worthy of our praise. We are blessed, not because of ourselves, but because of Him.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Sunday Prayertime

Dear God, I worship you and lift up my praise to you, my Creator and Sustainer. Thank you for showing me the things that bind me on this earth. Open my eyes that I may always be mindful of what may hold me in bondage. Help me to resist the things I should. Help me to steer clear of hazards and to draw strength from your Holy Spirit when temptations are enticing me. Please help me to break free...and to experience total freedom in you. Thank you, my gracious God. In the name of my Savior I pray. Amen.

Saturday Prayertime

Dear God, Your Word tells me to "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (Jer. 33:3). I'm coming to You now, and asking for a closer fellowship with You. I want to know You more; to desire You more; to be an obedient follower and do Your will. I am waiting, listening and watching...yielded to Your will. Bless me Lord, that I may be a blessing to You and to the people around me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Operation Christmas Child - The Power of a Simple Gift

Today, as we draw this week to a close - let me share with you a story from a young boy in Guatemala. Next Monday we will return to our study of Spiritual Warfare. 

“I live in a very poor neighborhood and many times I don’t have the school items that I require at school. I always wanted to have a special pencil with removable leads. I prayed to God for one and some friends at my school laughed at me because I said I prayed for one. However, when I was invited to participate in a special celebration in a Christian church at my village, they gave me a gift where I got school supplies. Among them were two of the special pencils I always wanted to have. Now I’m happy that I have the opportunity to study the Bible lessons and I’m learning a lot from what our teacher explains. I have learned that God cares for me. These lessons came to our village because God is good. Thank you for sending to us these lessons.” - Roberto, 12-years-old*

From this, we gain some insight into the impact that we can have - through the power of a simple gift.

*http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/rss/operation-christmas-child/impact/impact-stories.aspx#.VGOkYpPF8wR

Operation Christmas Child Stories

From the Operation Christmas Child Website* I want to share this story. God uses Operation Christmas Child to touch the lives of Philippine children living in dire conditions.

It smells so strongly of trash and cow dung at the big garbage dump outside of Manila that most people hold handkerchiefs to their noses to block some of the smell. No one wants to visit this area. Muck swallows shoes, leaving people barefoot in the smelly mess.

And yet there are people who live and work here.

These people are lower-class Filipinos. They collect bottles and other pieces of trash to sell. Their houses sit right on the edge of the dump site and are made of trash. While most people crinkle their noses and want to leave, the dump people smile and laugh while the brown concoction on the ground squishes deeper in between their toes.

The children in this area are quiet but happy. Boys run shirtless through small patches of grass with a soccer ball. Girls watch and giggle in their crisp, white school blouses and plaid skirts. They’ve just finished a day of school and walked home under the hot and sticky June sun.

Today, the smiles are a little wider. On the walk home, the children cradle Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes underneath their elbows.

This was a special day at school, a day of surprises. Although the teachers had tried to keep it a secret, the children had found out that they would receive gifts, and they were excited. Before she received her shoe box, 8-year-old Joy listed the things she wanted.

“School supplies … slippers … a pencil case … a pencil … anything that can be used for writing … and shoes.”

She paused between each item as if she was afraid to say that she wanted more than one thing. Only after being prompted did she continue her list.

Nine-year-old Ralph slowly listed what he wanted, too.

“School supplies, school bag, a T-shirt, shoes and socks.”

All of these are simple things that most American children take for granted. But in impoverished areas like this one, school supplies and basic clothing make a huge difference.

“Education is the only way out,” said Marlin, pastor of the church that arranged the shoe box distribution at the school. “OCC will make a difference for them.”

With new school supplies, the children will have more opportunities in class. But the shoe boxes don’t just offer physical items to make life better for children. The gifts also present an opportunity to learn about the Gospel.

That’s exactly what Ralph did. When he accepted his gift, he also accepted Christ. As he kicks a soccer ball to a friend, his smile isn’t just because of his new toys. Now he has found God’s love.

Ralph and his friends were offered “The Greatest Gift of All” booklet with their gifts, which explains the story of Christ and salvation through Him. Ralph said he is excited to learn more about Jesus. He is blessed because his mother is also a Christian, and she taught him about Christ even before he believed.

Joy also received the booklet, but she didn’t look at it as soon as she received it. She said she wanted to look at it later. When she reads “The Greatest Gift of All,” there is hope that she too will find Christ’s love.

At the end of the day, the smiling faces at the dump pick up their last bottles and throw them into bags. Then they walk the short distance to their houses.

Children have finished playing soccer and are helping to prepare the evening meal. Over dinner, they will talk about their day at school. Parents will see every gift in the shoe boxes, and they, too, will hear about how Jesus loves them.

* http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/occ-impact/

OCC - The Story of Simple Gifts

In an excerpt from his new book, Operation Christmas Child: A Story of Simple Gifts,Franklin Graham talks about the beginnings of what has become a worldwide ministry that has delivered over 100 million shoeboxes to children in over 130 countries.

BIG TROUBLE, BIG TASK, BIG THANKS

Days before Thanksgiving my secretary came through the door with a look on her face that I knew very well. “Do you remember that man from Britain that called you back in the summer asking for shoeboxes? He’s on the phone asking when you’ll be sending them—he’s leaving for Bosnia soon,” she stated with an air of “You’re in big trouble!” I had forgotten about it and now the Christmas season was fast approaching.

I picked up the phone. “Mr. Graham, how many shoeboxes have you collected?” I couldn’t let him down. His cause was worthy, so I said, “David, we’re working on it; I’ll get back to you.” He was thrilled and I was, well, in trouble.

“We’ve got to collect some shoeboxes—fast!” I said. We threw some ideas around and then called Ross Rhoads, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. As always, Ross was glad to help and said, “Tell me what to do.”

“Get a shoebox and fill it with some little toys for kids—maybe some toothpaste and a toothbrush, a hair brush, and sock,” I suggested. “Take it to the pulpit on Sunday and show your congregation. Ask if they will help us collect shoebox gifts for the kids in Bosnia. And by the way, tell them to put a note inside with their picture so the child will know who the box is from—maybe some of the kids will write back.” Ross enthusiastically agreed. Then I called Sean Campbell, our executive director in Canada. “Sean, see what kind of response you can get from a church up there.”

I hung up and forgot about it again, until a few days after Thanksgiving. My secretary walked into my office and announced a call from Ross with that “you’re in trouble” look on her face. “Ross needs to talk to you.”

Picking up the phone, I heard his voice filled with troubled excitement. “Franklin, you’ve got to send someone down here to pick up all of these shoeboxes!”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, we’ve got shoeboxes stacked up in the gym, in the foyer, and in Sunday school rooms—they’re in the way.”

“So you’ve really been able to collect a few hundred boxes?” I asked.

“A few hundred?” Ross answered. “How about eleven thousand!” I was stunned. Ross had a big church, but eleven thousand in two weeks? He said, “Franklin, this is obviously something the Lord has blessed.”

Reflecting years later, Ross said, “All I did that Sunday morning was to show the congregation a shoebox Carol had packed and asked them to do the same. That afternoon, a member of the church with the Bible Broadcast Network (BBN) interviewed me and gave me the chance to tell about the project. We did not solicit for boxes nor was the church address given. Over the next several days, however, people began bringing shoeboxes to the church and deliveries were made daily by the post office and courier services. The church was known for ‘sending help,’ but

‘receiving’ was not something we were set up for.”

I said a great big thank you to Ross and then placed a call to David and reported the big news. Immediately, I sent my projects director (now vice president of projects and government relations) Kenney Isaacs to Charlotte to assess the situation. He called and said, “Franklin, you’re not going to believe this. People are really excited!”

This response was so overwhelming that Ross suggested I come on Sunday, December 12, to preach and thank the congregation.

HYPHENATED BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

That was twenty years ago. Two decades have passed—hyphenated by the turn of the century. Not every generation experiences living from one millennium to another. We have now surpassed that milestone and have come into the second decade of the twenty-first century, marking one hundred million shoebox gifts collected and delivered, representing an even larger number who have heard God’s message. When I look back on this project—Operation Christmas Child (OCC)—I think of the Scripture that says, “Oh, what God has done!” (Num. 23:23)

The Lord has blessed this outreach in numbers—monumental numbers. But more important, He has blessed it by changing hearts, one at a time. And in the twentieth year of Operation Christmas Child, we delivered the one hundred millionth shoebox!

There are miles of smiles that tell stories about changed lives, miles of oceans away. But it all started with:

One phone call

One request

One shoebox

One church

And one message about the Christmas Child

For one heart at a time

We pray that the heartbeat of the Gospel will stir the hearts of hundreds of millions more.

Come with us on this journey as we tell you about one profound truth that changes one life at a time.

Excerpted from Operation Christmas Child: A Story of Simple Gifts (B&H Publishing, 2013).

OCC - The Back Story

Matthew 19:14 (NKJV) - Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

The concept of Operation Christmas Child began on October 10,1990, when Dave and Jill Cooke of Wrexham, Wales were watching a broadcast on Romanian orphanages. They asked the question: How can we help the real victims, the children, who live in these situations day after day? They knew they could not stop the wars, but they could offer something – the gift of love. Together, they filled a convoy of nine trucks with medical supplies, food, clothing and Christmas gifts for children, and headed into Romania, which had recently been devastated by war. This was the beginning of the world’s largest children’s Christmas program. In 1993, Franklin Graham, International President of Samaritan’s Purse, adopted Operation Christmas Child. Since then, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been delivered to hurting children in more than 135 countries.

Since we were introduced to this ministry, my wife and I have felt our hearts challenged to help reach out to children over the world who may never hear the good news about Jesus without someone taking it to them. Helping them to discover a loving God by receiving a gift from a loving Christian is a blessing that cannot be resisted. Over the years working with Montrose Christian School and the Child Development Center in Rockville, MD. we have been blessed to see many boxes collected and delivered. Moving to North Carolina we have been able to continue this work with Christ the Cornerstone Academy and New Hope Baptist Church in Laurinburg. Working as the Collection center for the area, my wife has been able to continue to to help reach the children.

If you haven't been a part - now is the time to get involved. Go to  http://operationchristmaschild.org and find out how to pack a shoebox and where to take it in your area.

Muse over the truth of Christ's great work, and how you could be a part of this great opportunity.

OCC - Shoeboxes of Joy

Matthew 19:14 (NKJV) - Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

This is National Collection week for Operation Christmas Child - a branch of Samaritan's Purse. The world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child, uses gift-filled shoeboxes to share God’s love in a tangible way with needy children around the world. Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has collected and delivered more than 113 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in over 150 countries through Operation Christmas Child.

In 2014, Samaritan’s Purse hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 10 million children through the Operation Christmas Child project. Shoebox gifts are collected in the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. More than 500,000 volunteers worldwide, with more than 100,000 of those in the United States, are involved in collecting, shipping, and distributing shoebox gifts. Samaritan’s Purse will deliver the gifts to children in more than 100 countries on six continents. More than 2.8 million children have participated in The Greatest Journey, the 12-lesson discipleship program created by Samaritan’s Purse for children who receive Operation Christmas Child gift boxes. The Greatest Journey is one of the largest discipleship programs in the world, implemented through a global church network to help children know and follow Jesus Christ.

This week I will share about this wonderful outreach for the Kingdom reaching children with the good news of Jesus Christ. For many years my wife and I have taken an active part - from packing a shoebox to collecting to encouraging others to be a part. Reaching a young person can help to shape and change the world.

Today, spend some time praying for this collection week. Pray for those packing boxes, transporting boxes, and for those who will receive these boxes.

Sunday Prayertime

I praise you, O Lord, for your awesome and holy being. I thank you for the life you have given me. I appreciate the beautiful blessings you have provided in the earth around me and the simple, but important, things of life. Thank you for family--my birth family, my extended family, my family of the church. Please forgive me of taking them for granted sometimes, and help me to always show my appreciation and love to them. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for answering my prayers in the way that you know is best. Thank you for always being here for me. With all my love, in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Saturday Prayertime

God, I have to make decisions every day of life. Some are big decisions; others are simple decisions. Please help me not to presume I know everything, but to come to you in faith. Show me who would be a good counselor to keep me accountable and help open my eyes when making weighty decisions. I pray that you will give me wisdom and direction...and spiritual discernment to know what is the right decision. God, thank you for being the great Counselor, for loving me, and for correcting the mistakes I sometimes make. Bless You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Sunday Prayertime

I praise You Lord, for Who You are; the Alpha, Omega, Beginning and the End, Savior and Lord, You're my best friend; Creator of all. Thank You for being my best friend forever. Thank You for being my heavenly Father, always present and always there for me. Thank You for being my sustainer and protector. And thank You for saving me and setting me upon the solid Rock--Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.

Saturday Prayertime

God, I come to you seeking your face, searching for answers so I can do something about the problems. There is so much turmoil in the world. There have been so many disasters, many beyond man's control. I pray that You will broaden the minds the people affected by each incident and open their eyes to see what you want them to learn. And I pray that they will respond in the right way. I know that you sometimes allow pressures in my life to bring attention to an issue you want me to take care of too. I pray today, that you as my Loving Father will make known anything that stands in the way of fellowship between you and I. I want to turn from any wrongdoing, and "step up to the plate" to do the right thing, no matter how great or how simple it may seem. I praise you for who you are, for all you do, and for the fellowship we share through prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Financial Burnout Restoration

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

As we are looking at the epidemic of burnout in today's clime, we have sought ways from Dr. Richard Swenson's book Margin on how we can restore balance in our lives. we have mused over Emotional, Physical, and Time restoration, and today we will ponder Financial restoration. Again, Dr. Swenson lists 16 prescriptions, we will consider a couple of them.

We need to be people who are moving counter to our culture - the one that teaches us to spend and get. We need to learn to live within our harvest, in other words - make do with what we have. This is not easy, nor popular today. Consider all the ads designed to make us feel that we need the latest whatever to live a happy life. we have to discipline our desires and redefine what we see as needs.

So, what can we do? First we must either/or increase our income or decrease our spending. If we can't increase our income, we must "bite the bullet" and decrease our spending. This causes us to make a budget - and then stick to it. I have OCD tendencies and when I set up something like this I become very structured to do it - it is a compulsion. As a TV character Monk used to say - "It is a blessing and a curse." Budget in savings, discard use of credit cards, resist the impulses when watching TV or shopping. Consider the usefulness of what you are seeking to spend money on.

Most importantly, put the Kingdom first. We need to give tithes and offerings to God through His church and other Kingdom related enterprises. Matthew 6:33, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount reminds us to "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."

Today, ponder over the needs you have in the financial realm, and then consider how you can gain control over these. When our finances are in balance, we reduce the possibility of burnout or restore our personal balance in life.

* Material used this week is from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Published by NavPress:Colorado Springs CO. 1992

Time Burnout Restoration

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

As we are looking at the epidemic of burnout in today's clime, we have sought ways from Dr. Richard Swenson's book Margin on how we can restore balance in our lives. we have mused over Emotional and Physical restoration, and today we will ponder Time restoration.

In his book, Dr. Swenson lists 16 prescriptions for restoring balance to our lives. And, once again I will just touch on a couple of these. A few of these can be considered a "duh" if we are honest. To regain balance we need to learn to say "no." We need to prune our time from trying to accomplish all things to setting true priorities - and then seeking to achieve these. It may mean we need to turn off the mind vacuum (television), it may mean we need to seek more simplicity, we need to expect the unexpected.

We often seek to attempt to much only to feel frustrated and a failure in our attempts. We need to develop a plan to not only do the right things, but to do the right things right. Don't compare yourself to someone else - Paul makes a good point about this in 2 Corinthians 10:12, where he states "For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding." Do what you are capable of doing.

Finally, if you are a Type A personality [like me], train yourself to create buffer zones and free time in your life. Learn to smile, listen to others as they speak, stand in the longer line, and generally force yourself to make room for slowing down. Be sure to use this time to ponder and thank God. One thing I am learning is to relish the journey as well as the destination. Am I there - no. Am I still working on it - yes.

Today, muse over the points given for emotional, physical, and time restoration in your life. Attempt to develop one new habit. It will be hard, but in the long run being restored from burnout will be one of the greatest releases and refreshments you will ever know.

* Material used this week is from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Published by NavPress:Colorado Springs CO. 1992

Physical Burnout Restoration

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

As we are meditating over the need for restoration in a burned out life, we looked at emotional restoration. Today, Dr. Swenson encourages us in physical restoration. In his book, Margins, he lists 29 prescriptions that can help to relieve the stress and burn from our daily lives. Again, I will share just a couple. I encourage you to seek out a copy of this book to see all the ways that a person can be restored in burnout.

This is a hard one for most folks. In this area, we must take personal responsibility and learn to change our habits. We must value the importance of sleep and develop healthy sleeping patterns. A good way to help induce a good night's sleep is to add exercise to your daily regimen. 

To help restore physical balance we need to seek to fix our nutritional part of life. I have personally learned to watch and develop a healthier eating lifestyle. Decrease the amount of sugars, avoid overeating, and seek a balanced diet. This means a definite change in eating styles. A number of great websites are available to help you determine the proper percentages and sizes of meals. Your doctor will be more than glad to help you develop a healthy eating regimen. [I know, this is meddlin', but I have learned and have changed into a healthy eating lifestyle - it works].

Another balance is exercise. This helps with your general health and also with weight loss. Check with your doctor and develop a healthy exercise program. One of the very best is walking - just 10 minutes a couple of times a day can make a major difference in how you feel and look. In all these areas, be realistic - it took a long tome to get where you are, and it will take some time to see the difference in your life.

Muse over what changes you (or your friend) can make in these areas of emotional and physical margins to begin the restoration process from burnout. And, don't just think about them - apply what God is leading you to do.

* Material used this week is from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Published by NavPress:Colorado Springs CO. 1992

Emotional Burnout Restoration

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

A good book dealing with restoring ourselves from burnout is by Richard Swenson. MD. called Margin.* He teaches that we need to find the space between our load and our limits. We need to put ourselves in God's hands and find out the space He desires for us to rest in Him. Today, let us muse over our emotional restoration.

In his book, Dr. Swenson lists 14 prescriptions, as he calls them, to take to restore this balance in life. I will mention a few, and I encourage you to seek out this book and read it if you are struggling with burnout in your personal life.

The first I would state is that we need friends. We need those whom we can go to for support. Sometimes this may mean that we need to reconcile with others. Having someone to connect with, talk with, seek encouragement from can help us through a troubling time.

We also need to follow Paul's advice in 1 Corinthians 13:13 - "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." We need to be rich in faith - "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 HCSB). We also need to hold fast to our hope - read what Paul says in Romans 5: 2-5 today. And, finally we need to grasp the truth of love. Love heals completely and as Paul admonished us in 1 COrinthians 13:13 above - "the greatest of these is love."

Muse over the truths developed in this short time today. How can you apply them to yourself? How can you help someone around you with these truths? 

* Material used this week is from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Published by NavPress:Colorado Springs CO. 1992 

An Epidemic of Burnout

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

Because of our culture's "pursuit of excellence," we have developed an epidemic of people who are burned out. Burnout is a stressful state characterized by physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, chronic fatigue and lethargy.* In 2007 nearly 54% of Americans fought with people close to them because of stress. 

Burnout is often felt by clergy, doctors, police, and others who work with people in the helping professions. People can put excessive demands upon those who are seeking to help - demands on their time, energy and resources. I have talked with caregivers who also are displaying symptoms of burnout. 

People in burnout can feel cynical and have a strong desire to escape from life. They can experience a false sense of failure, succumb to depression, and endure illnesses brought on by this stress. They can become hypercritical and experience negative feelings toward others.

Some steps that can be taken are: take control of your own schedule, learn to say "no," understand that God will never lead us into overwork, consciously slow down, and learn to set priorities in your life.

Ponder today, do you or someone you know exhibit some of the classic signs of burnout? Over the next couple of days we will talk about developing margins in our lives to help us restore the proper balance that God desires. Muse over your own situation, and pray that God will help you begin to balance out what He wants in your life. Meditate upon what Augustine of Hippo is quoted as saying -"You [God] have created us for Yourself, and our heart cannot be stilled until it finds it rest in You."

* From The Quick Reference Guide to Biblical Counseling by Tim Clinton and Ron Hawkins. 2009. Baker Books:Grand Rapids, MI. page 54.

Sunday Prayertime

Precious Father, today we have moved our clocks back one hour. In this time of year we fall back from Daylight Savings Time. While we may move our clocks and change the times, we can be assured that all time is in Your Hands. You are consistent, You change not. You set the sun, the moon, and the stars in their courses - and they remain constant. You have our time set - our birth and our death. You know our good times and our bad times. Today, help us keep our focus upon You. Upon Your guiding Hand. No matter how man may change the clocks, Your steadfastness continues forever. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

Saturday Prayertime

Dear Father in Heaven, Please work in me today to ripen the fruit of the Spirit. Help me to bear this fruit in my life...to show and share love, joy, and peace; to be long-suffering, gentle, and good; to have strong faith; to be meek and temperate, slow to speak and quick to listen. I want to walk in the Spirit so that my life will be pleasing to you and a light in the darkness, that the world may know that you are God. With praise and thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus. Amen