By: Marcy Barthelette

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night…. Psalm 91:5a

It was just after midnight on Thursday night, and I’d settled in for a good night’s sleep when a loud bang pierced the silence, and I realized someone in the neighborhood was shooting off fireworks. I also noticed a vibrating sensation, not uncommon by day because lots of vehicles pass through the neighborhood during daylight hours blasting radios much louder than needed. But in the middle of the night! Really? I looked out my window and witnessed a large party just getting started two houses down the street.

It’s legal in our little town to shoot fireworks on July Fourth only, so by starting just after midnight, they were technically within the law. I finally gave up griping and complaining and found something calming to stream on my tablet, thinking they would settle down soon. At two forty-five AM, I decided I had to try and sleep. I shut down my tablet and snuggled down into bed, only to hear another loud bang. Thankfully, I finally fell asleep sometime shortly after three.

As we slept, hundreds of miles away, in the beautiful hill country of Texas, the Guadeloupe River, typically an idyllic place for water recreation, raged through the town of Kerrville and the surrounding area with a rise of more than twenty feet in less than an hour. We woke to learn that many lives were lost that early morning, and, as I write, a number of people are still missing. The loss of life has been staggering; many were just children, enjoying a week at summer camp. I was quickly reminded that my earlier concerns had been merely a bump in the road.

Some events in this life, like inconsiderate neighbors, have a seemingly major impact for a short while, but the memory quickly dims. Others, however, leave a damaging footprint that affects families for as long as they live. Families devastated by this flood have yet to find rest, and they will never forget what happened in the dark, wee hours of July Fourth, 2025.

I can’t imagine the terror felt by someone caught up in the violence of raging water, nor the grief so many parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, and others are experiencing as they grapple with the awful truth of what flash flooding can accomplish. Ken and I have lived alongside rivers that were heavily prone toward flash flooding. We know how fast they can rise and have seen the devastation that can occur in just minutes. We’ve been involved in evacuations and search and recovery missions. It’s not an easy thing, and it’s one of those times when your mind wanders to questions about why God would allow something so heinous to happen. We’ll never have those answers this side of heaven, but we do know He promised to be with us in times of trouble and sorrow.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

God is a constant presence in the lives of His children. He is there to shelter and protect each individual who is hurting today as a result of a loss caused by those flood waters. We can’t bring the lost back to them, but we can pray that they will seek the shelter of the Almighty in their grief.

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. Psalm 91:15

Lord, Jesus, may every person experiencing a loss in this recent flash flooding feel the touch of your hand as they travel a road they never wanted to explore. May they find your peace and comfort in the days, weeks, and months ahead. May they lay their doubts and anger at your feet. May they accept your strength in their weakness. Help them to allow their good memories to overcome the bad. And please let them know they will never, ever be alone. It is in your precious name I pray. Amen.

This week, we celebrate the birth of our nation. To many of us, that means backyard barbecues with family and friends, perhaps some fireworks to cap off an evening of fun and fellowship. A deeper dive takes us back over two hundred and fifty years when the place we call the United States was a loose configuration of colonies along our eastern coastline that were engaged in deep disagreement with the British government over a little thing called “taxation without representation.” In other words, the British government was demanding tax money from the colonists but not allowing them a voice in the government. All of this disagreement precipitated a painful war that ended in the birth of a new nation. 

But disagreement continued among the new colonies about a number of issues, and so a Continental Congress was convened with representatives from each colony in attendance and, following a lot of heated debate, a constitution was established. Was it perfect? Absolutely not! And yet, its precepts have served us well over the two and a half centuries since. Various leaders have come and gone, and differing perspectives have kept our debate alive. We naturally gravitate toward certain individuals because they espouse beliefs with which we can agree. We take positions that align with what we hear that sounds reasonable to us. We are pulled toward those individuals and ideas that are attractive to us, for better or worse.

We’re all familiar with the word gravity. It is defined as the force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center. It’s the force that causes all the planets to remain in constant orbit around the sun. It’s what makes a ball come back to earth when tossed in the air. It’s what keeps us from floating off into space.

It’s easy to see how the word gravity could be applied to our attraction to the things around us that may seem better than that which we are experiencing in any given moment. A person or an idea that seems to promise personal gratification can color the way we see the world around us. We can easily be drawn into danger or unacceptable behavior because of our innate sense of “lust.” As Pastor Dennis pointed out on Sunday morning, our downfall began in a beautiful garden called Eden, and today’s temptations are just as dangerous. Just as our country remains in constant search for good leaders, we need a personal leader we can rely on to point us in the right direction. That leader went to a cross to redeem us.

This past week, the kids in our church and community learned the meaning of a term called “True North,” defined as the direction along Earth’s surface toward the place where the imaginary rotational axis of the Earth intersects the surface on its northern half, the True North Pole.

But the term “True North” also contains a spiritual adaptation, referring to our core values, purpose, and deepest sense of self. Think of it as an internal compass that guides us toward authenticity and personal fulfillment, as well as ensuring that our decisions will align with our genuine beliefs. It is an awareness of direction, a fixed point that helps individuals stay on their chosen path, a gravitational pull, if you will.

All this rhetoric begs the question,

“Where, or whom, do you want your True North to be?”

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer….Psalm 18:2a

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:20-21

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business…” I Thessalonians 4:11a

My first focused exposure to this admonishment came when Pastor Dennis used the verse in a sermon, then the verse popped up in one of my devotionals, and most recently, Ken found an online photo of a coin with the words “Mind your business” engraved in the center. It was dated 1776 and commemorated the Continental Congress. Apparently, we have a lengthy history of meddling. All these interruptions (from Jesus through other avenues) made me think about our use or overuse of acronyms

MYOB (Mind Your Own Business) has become the acronym of our daily lives, along with MMOB (Mind My Own Business). These two very wise acronyms reflect directly on the verse above. You’d be surprised how often we need to use them. If we all take a good look at how we think about others and criticize their behaviors, whether openly or behind their backs, it’s pretty shocking what meddlers we are.

But, on a somewhat lighter note, many years ago, when I used the acronym KFC, Ken looked at me like I was an alien. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “It’s the latest thing,” I answered, “using initials to identify a business.” Does anyone say Kentucky Fried Chicken anymore? Of course not…in our fast-paced world, we use every shortcut available to reach our end goal as quickly as possible.

Today, everything has an acronym…illnesses, organizations, businesses, even celebrities. If you don’t believe it, just try watching the news or a TV commercial without Google or Siri readily at hand. Acronyms are so frequently used and, unfortunately for me, we’re expected to know each and every one of them. I must admit, even though I got onboard early with acronyms, I’m now way behind the curve and am a frequent visitor to Google, while Siri is a necessary companion.

And, of course, texting acronyms are a language all their own. I can’t tell you how often I have to look up a previously unseen string of letters my grandchildren use in their messages to me. And, once again, it’s Google or Siri to the rescue!

I’m ashamed to admit that lately I haven’t employed that most valuable acronym, MMOB, as readily as I should. I’ve found myself wondering why the people I encounter do the things they do to their bodies, or why my neighbors may not have the same view of the perfect yard that I have, or why that child in Wal Mart is screaming at the top of its lung power and no one is stopping it.

Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own…first get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5 (Paraphrased)

And, wouldn’t you know, this Sunday morning during the prelude to communion, Pastor Dennis reminded me that I needed to give the people around me a break, bring my own shortcomings to the foot of the cross, and leave them there. Jesus didn’t die there just to save sins already committed, but every single sin that ever would be committed. That spirit didn’t die on the cross with Jesus. We know the rest of the story….it lives in each of us because we have a living Savior, and He will keep forgiving our shortcomings until the day He takes us home to be with Him. What a promise! And when I fall short again, I know He’ll send one of His unique interruptions to remind me whose I am and that I need to follow His lead.

Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. I Timothy 4:12 MSG

Remember recess when you were a kid. Everyone raced to the playground, ready to choose sides for whatever game was on tap for the day. Captains were chosen or they appointed themselves, and then the chanting began….”Me, Me! Pick me!” Every kid wanted to be the first chosen because that somehow elevated their self-esteem, and the other kids had all been put on notice that they were not the best player and needed to work harder to achieve that honor. That would seem archaic by today’s rules, and yet, don’t we still tend to live in a “ME first” culture?

Our world seems to be one of “culture wars,” and many of the clashes between opposing ideas are so aggressive that we find ourselves in an atmosphere that is not conducive to the development of a positive culture. Today’s chants are still of the “me first” variety, but on a larger scale than those from my youth. Our news stories would depict us as a nation of “mob rule.” The person or group who makes the most noise is the one who controls the direction we will all go. Whatever happened to good, honest debate, to respect for authority, and pulling together to create a healthy environment for all? Whatever happened to the art of listening?

God gave me two ears and one mouth for a good reason.

Jeannie Blackmer, Mornings with Jesus, 2025

It’s natural to want to share our thoughts and opinions, but it’s important to realize that others want to do the same. If we take the time to really hear each other, everything else falls into place. That theory is exemplified in our home by a very simple fact of aging. Ken has a hearing loss that began in the military while working among loud diesel engines. Today, he wears high-tech hearing aids, but they don’t quite replace the hearing God gave him at birth. When I speak to him without considering my proximity to him, he often hears a word incorrectly, and once it becomes engraved in his brain, he can’t easily replace it with the correct word, and our communication suffers. Then I remember to face him so he can watch my mouth, and I replace that word that he has heard incorrectly with something different, and the understanding is instant. His audiologist explained that the problem is more of an understanding issue than one of hearing. He hears me speak, but he can’t discern what I say because it becomes garbled, and the message that is sent to his brain is totally different from what I said.

Conversely, when Ken is speaking, I often become impatient for him to finish and try to complete his sentence for him. I really believe I know just what he is going to say, and I’m very often wrong. I need to stop being just plain rude and listen patiently to what he is trying to tell me. He’s a pretty smart guy and typically has a much better way of approaching ideas or issues than I do. We work much better as a team. These simple practices of listening and really hearing each other, along with exercising copious amounts of patience, can go a long way toward creating a positive culture, one in which we can flourish as a people. We can’t just continue to go our own way and do our own thing. There are always others around us to consider.

When you do what you want and I do what I want and no one gives a [care] as to what God wants, humanity implodes. The infection of the person leads to the corruption of the populace….extract God, expect earthly chaos, and, many times worse, expect eternal misery. Max Lucado, Come Thirsty

Each of us is a single and very individual ingredient that, when stirred together, creates a healthy and vibrant whole in which we can flourish as a people of God. Next time your “ME first” attitude starts to kick in, quiet that tongue and engage your ears. You may be very surprised at the positive response you receive from the crowd around you.

If you don’t know Jesus, you might misunderstand that statement. You see, I was raised by two loving biological parents, but when I was eleven years old, I completed my instruction, accepted Jesus as my Savior, was baptized, and became a child of God. Quite certainly, I did not grasp all the implications that accompanied my conversion until much later. And I’m still learning. An ever-growing earthly family has broadened my spiritual growth.

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5

Between the two of us, Ken and I have a mixture of grandkids, the oldest being a step-grandchild to both of us. Of the next eight, five are biologically traced to Ken, and I lay claim to three. Number ten was adopted into our family and, as such, is not biologically connected to any of us. But each child is and always has been treasured by both of us, because regardless of where they began, they are all our grandkids and we love each one dearly. As a matter of fact, we’re always referring to traits that they display as descending from one parent or the other, or sometimes to either of us. Often, the person referenced is not biologically connected to that child, but they’ve been a part of our family for so long that it’s just natural to assume they have inherited some of our traits. And, realistically, they have absorbed some of their characteristics just by being a part of our environmental sphere.

Abba, Father; Thank you for accepting me as I am but not leaving me the same. Max Lucado, Pocket Prayers

I remember when each child was born or when they became a part of us, and I remember adoption day especially well. Our little bundle of girl joy was a gift from a mom who wasn’t able to care for her. We knew her before she was born; it was our daughter and son-in-law who stood by on the day she took her first breath and have cared for her every day since. We had a preliminary court date that gave temporary custody to our kids. I waited outside the courtroom and held that tiny bundle so all of the other important players could appear before the judge. As I looked into her pretty blue eyes that day, I knew that she would provide many adventures for her new family. We had to wait six months for the final decree. This time, we were all in the courtroom, and she bounced on her dad’s knee during most of the proceedings, laughing and entertaining all who awaited the important words from the judge, who was also laughing with her. She seemed to know it was a special day, and it was a joyous affair when she became an official part of our family.

When an infant is adopted into a family, the child has no choice in the decision. The adults in the equation do all the decision-making.

The process for entry into the family of God is, in many ways, a much simpler one. No documents need to be signed, and the only judge is God himself. And here’s the best part….He’s already chosen you and me! Even though he wants every one of us to know His wonderful love, He lets us decide whether we will or won’t accept His gracious offer of forgiveness and mercy, His offer to spend eternity as a treasured member of His family.

And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:18

As I’ve aged, the implications of my acceptance into God’s family have become much more profound. I realize that along the way, I’ve disappointed my heavenly Father but, just as my daddy lifted me in his arms after a fall to check out my “boo boo” and kiss it well again, my heavenly Father takes me into His loving arms, welcomes me with a big hug and assures me that, with His guidance, I can do better next time. Sadly, sometimes, even with the best of intentions, our earthly fathers let us down. But God will never let us down, never turn His back. He just asks us to love Him with all our hearts and try to act according to His will for us. He wants us in His family. He chooses us, you and me, to be His adopted children.

God assessed your life from first day to last, from worst moment to best, and made his decision. “I want this child in my kingdom.” You cannot convince him otherwise. Max Lucado, God’s Story, Your Story.

Some of you are aware that my husband, Ken, experienced a pulmonary embolism last fall, but before that occurred, he was dealing with a chronic light-headed feeling, which sometimes escalated to temporary dizziness, not as extreme as vertigo, but serious enough to prevent many of the activities he enjoyed. He was in the process of testing to learn the source of his lightheadedness when the blood clot sidelined him, and we had to redirect our focus.  

Once he was stabilized, we continued the search for answers. Following consultations with a headache specialist, neurologist, ENT, and finally a number of sessions of physical therapy plus new lenses from an eye specialist, the conclusion was reached that he had experienced damage to his vestibular system. What you say…..is that?

In simple layman’s terms, it’s what keeps you balanced so that you can stand, walk, and run without falling. This complex system is located inside your inner ear, where it senses your head movements and forwards data to your brain regarding your position and orientation within your surroundings. Your brain then integrates this data with information from your eyes, muscles, and joints. Once this data is assimilated, your brain is equipped to signal your body with the correct information to maintain balance. When damage happens to tiny hairs within the system that read the body’s movements, incorrect messages are sent to the brain, thus creating a feeling of imbalance and lightheadedness.

We don’t know for sure what caused the damage to the vestibular system, but physical therapy and new lenses have worked wonders to improve his condition. The therapists really put him through his paces. At first, it was simple eye exercises, following moving objects with eyes only, then moving the head side to side and up and down while remaining focused on a motionless item. From there, he was asked to walk down a long hallway with a card of words in each hand, held out to his sides, looking back and forth to read a sentence, word one on the left card, word two on the right, and so on. Then the left card was angled above the head and the right down by his hip so that he was looking diagonally up and down to read the sentences. And, you guessed it, he had to reverse the hand positions and repeat the exercise. It kept getting more complicated from there.

The real fun began when he was told to stand perfectly still on a two-inch foam pad with his feet together, then to turn his head right and left to a count of 20, then up and down for the same count. Next, he had to turn his head and accomplish the up and down movement with his eyes closed. To go a step further, he was asked to place one foot halfway in front of the other and eventually one foot completely in front of the other, still executing the side-to-side as well as up and down head movements. If you think it sounds easy, try it. I have trouble with a non-moving floor, the balance pad is quite a challenge.

When he had achieved fairly good proficiency on the pad, he was released to work at home. So when I grab my workout pad, he grabs his balance pad, and we work at the same time. The trick for him is to make himself somewhat dizzy in order to retrain the brain to send the correct messages to the rest of his body.

As I watched him, and occasionally snickered when he became a little tipsy, I began to think about other things in our lives that need to be kept in balance. A couple of devotions that I read on the same day discussed balancing our opinions of ourselves. It’s easy to think too highly of ourselves when things are going just the way we want, and, conversely, when life throws us curveballs, we begin to believe we can do nothing right. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth of how we should regard ourselves.

**Dead center between “I can do anything” and “I can’t do anything” lies…..

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13

Paul, the author of Philippians, knew all too well how much he needed the constant support of his Lord and Savior. Most of us have known nothing like the eye-opening experience that Paul had on the road to Damascus when he was struck blind by an encounter with God. You can read about this encounter in the book of Acts, Chapter 9. My point in this missive is that we need not think too highly of ourselves, nor should we be hyper-critical of our actions. Just as Ken must train his whole body to stay upright on his balance pad, we need to find a proper balance in our opinions toward self, and to do that, we must remain close to the real source of our strength, just as Paul learned to do. But, as Pastor Dennis showed us in last Sunday’s message, he had to work hard at it. (See Romans 7:15-25)

Neither omnipotent nor impotent, neither God’s MVP nor God’s mistake. Not self-secure or insecure—a self-worth based on our identity as children of God. The proper view of self is in the middle. Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life

**The quote is taken from Max Lucado’s Cure for the Common Life. The first portion is in Lucado’s words, and the quote concludes with the Biblical reference from Philippians

Here we go again! It’s Sunday night, and our weather forecasters are warning of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes through Tuesday morning. And this comes following major destruction and loss of life in several states, including our own, on Friday. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself, and sometimes verbalized, how truly “weather weary” I am. We’ve been blessed, thus far, with only downed limbs, power outages, and lots of leaf clusters throughout the yard. Others nearby have seen much worse.

As I watch the rain outside my front door, I’m recalling other times when storms came calling. The year we were stuck at 12,000 feet on Pike’s Peak in 80 mph winds & whiteout blizzard conditions (including thunder). And racing across Florida in our camper to escape the wrath of a hurricane. Floating down the Current River in an aluminum canoe when a ferocious thunderstorm struck without warning (That was before I knew Ken.) The ice/snow storm that hit in January of 2018, when returning from my sister’s funeral…we waited tucked away on a side road along Highway 60 until MODOT could get a truck out to clear the big hill coming down into Springfield from the east. We’ve had our share of weather events, and these are just a sampling. I imagine you’ve experienced a few as well.

Lots of storms are not weather-related. They come in the form of emergency trips to the hospital, learning of a serious diagnosis, a call from a worried child telling of a serious injury to their child, or that late-night call saying there’s been an accident. Sometimes it’s having to face the end of a relationship we truly believed would last a lifetime. All too often, it comes as an estrangement between parent and child. And I wonder, how do people survive these storms without Jesus by their side?

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they’ve never heard about him? Romans 10:14a-b

And then I wonder, have I at some point neglected to say a comforting word about Jesus to someone who needed to hear it? Have I ignored a “God nudge” thinking I was not equipped to handle the situation? Or was it because I doubted it was really God talking to me, or that the person He advised me to speak with didn’t really want to hear my clumsy attempt at addressing whatever was wrong?

And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? Romans 10:14c

That’s a powerful statement, and it clearly defines our mission here on earth to never be afraid or embarrassed to breathe the name of Jesus to someone who needs to hear it. Our words may seem awkward or overly simplified, but to the ears of a fellow human who is being tossed and turned while enduring one of life’s storms, our heartfelt words can be lifesaving.

I seem to recall a story about Jesus and his disciples crossing the sea when a tremendous storm came up. The disciples were terrified, but Jesus, weary from all the crowds, had found a soft place in the back of the boat to lie his head and fall asleep. Guided by their understandable fear, his disciples woke him. Then Jesus spoke to the wind and waves with a few simple words:

“Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died, and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39b

So, always remember, when the storms of your own life seem to toss you around like a boat on the open sea or the mountain you’re climbing seems to grow taller with each step you take, reach out for the hand of Jesus and let Him carry you safely to your destination. And, when you encounter someone in the midst of their storm, don’t hesitate to share your Jesus with them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about bread lately. Maybe because I’ve been eating way too much of it. We’ve been on the go a lot, and that translates to grabbing whatever is quick and easy, either at home or on the road. And easy often means sandwiches, made with bread, chicken covered in deep-fried breading, and even the occasional doughnut. And we mustn’t forget the tantalizing pizza. Truth be told, I love all these things, but when they happen too often, my body begins to feel sluggish telling me it’s time for an infusion of salad or fresh fruits and veggies.

When did our disdain for carbs become a way of life. Our ancestors subsisted on bread made from whatever grain was available, hard tack, cornbread, johnny cakes—by any name, it was bread of sorts. Later, wheat became the staple grain used in bread making but it was a coarser version of the whole wheat bread we eat today, the kernels ground between millstones. As better milling equipment was invented and the industrial revolution took hold, wheat was ground into pure white flour. White bread swept the nation, the softer and smoother, the better. My generation and maybe another after us grew up on white bread. A certain number of wrappers from a certain brand-named white bread could even get us into the Saturday afternoon matinee at our local theater. Bring on the PB, & J!

I recall, in the late 1980s, our family doctor informing Ken and myself that the cholesterol level in our bodies was high. We had no idea what cholesterol was, but the doctor convinced us that if we didn’t adopt wheat bread into our diet and cut out anything else made from white flour, we were a heart attack waiting for a place to happen. That was all the warning I needed—whole wheat bread became the staple of our kitchen and even that was used sparingly. And, somewhere along the line, all the other white things we loved were removed from our diet; potatoes, rice, pasta (That was a hard one. We tried the whole wheat version, but it just wasn’t the same.) Today, our doctor wants us to eliminate even the whole wheat versions, claiming that bread of any variety is bad for the body.

Over the last twenty five to thirty years, opinions regarding which foods are healthy for the human body have undergone many changes, but the notion that carbs, particularly those that are derived from grain products, are simply not acceptable dietary components. In our household, we go with the belief that all foods should be eaten in moderation. But still, we miss those hot, fluffy, buttered rolls fresh from the oven, so every now and then we offer ourselves a treat. We may, or may not, possess the will power to remove homemade bread from our diets completely, but there is another bread that needs to remain constant.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever;

and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh. John 6:51 NLT

These are Jesus’ own words. We hear His promise of life every time we celebrate Communion.

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.

Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

I Corinthians 11:23b-24

Our bodies will typically warn us when we have consumed too many of the dreaded carbs, but Jesus is Bread we can indulge freely. He invites us to sample the “bread” often. Talk to Him, study the Father’s Word, fill ourselves so full of Him that it spills over onto all those around us. It is our mission to go and make disciples but that can only become a reality when we really get to know Jesus and are filled with His goodness, grace and mercy. So go ahead—be a glutton in your search for the Bread of Life!

Make sure you receive the bread. And once you do, pass it on. After all, if we don’t, who will?

Max Lucado, Outlive Your Life