No Deposit, No Return

Remember the slogan, "No Deposit, No Return"? Back in the day, bottled soda and beer came in refillable bottles. You would pay a deposit when you purchased your drinks. Then upon returning your empty bottles, you received your deposit back, (about 2 cents per bottle).

But in the 1950s the manufacturers came up with a brilliant solution; they would simply charge an extra nickel for the beverage and tell the customer to throw the 2-cent bottle away. Hence the slogan, "No Deposit, No Return."

As Christians, we have a deposit on us. 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 states, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

The Holy Spirit is a deposit put in us by Christ. That deposit gives us value. And when the end times come, whether it be by our death, or the second coming, that deposit will get a return. Our "return" will be eternal life because of our faith and that deposit of the Holy Spirit. Without that deposit we are ensured eternal separation from God; hell.

Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Have your received your deposit of the Holy Spirit? If not, why not seek guidance* today on how you too can be assured of eternal life. Remember...No Deposit. No Return.




* Visit your pastor, a trusted Christian friend, or read this article to find out how to become a Christian and receive the deposit of the Holy Spirit. Be sure to tell someone your decision and find a mentor (pastor or friend) to help you along in the process of growing your faith.

See or PhariSee?

I tend to be good about seeing a situation and sizing it up appropriately. I can read body language and gestures, tone and inflection, attitudes and appearances. Some would call that being astute.

Police officers are trained to check out situations and size them up appropriately as well. By reading body language, gestures, tones, attitudes and appearances, they try to determine what illegal activity may be going on. That is called profiling.

But at what point does sizing up, or inference, become judgment? When do we go from seeing to “PhariSeeing.”

Join me over at Titus 2 in Action, where I am a regular contributor to find out!

I Can See Clearly Now

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
I Can See Clearly Now, Johnny Nash, 1973

Have you ever been driving in a thundering rain storm, and had to pull over because you couldn't see? You know the road is obviously there right under you, but you can't see it in front of you. But just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. And sure enough, when the rain clears the road is there, like it was all along, "I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way."

Where is God when bad things happen? Or what about during that empty time when he just seems so far away. "God where are you? I can't find you!" Just as heavy rains obscure our view, the storms of life can blind us to God's presence. But that doesn't mean he isn't there.

Just like the road, God is still there when we can't find him. In Jeremiah 29:13, God tells us "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." We have to be looking, and not half-heartedly, for Him. Still when the heavy storms of life are there, we can be blinded by them. It's then that we may need to pull over.

Even though we know the road is there in the pouring rain, we still may need to stop. And even believing God is there, we still may need to stop. Rest and pray. Sometimes it may be a brief shower. Other times may be hurricane force winds, with lots of damage. God is still there.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Then hopefully you'll be able to say "I think I can make it now, the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is the rainbow I've been praying for." But even when the pain holds fast, remember that with the help of God, it will be a "bright, bright SON-shiny day."

Musical Musings:
1. What are the storms in your life, and are they blinding you to God's presence?
2. What are some things you can do make you see clearly that God is still there?
3. If you are experiencing a life storm, look to God. But surround yourself with loving friends or family to help you as well. Someone just may have an umbrella.

Karaoke:
Dear Lord, thank you for being our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Help us to draw near to you and seek you whole heartedly in good times and bad. And help us see clearly. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rock On: Read the story of Noah, who experienced big storms in life, in Genesis 6-9.

My New Tattoo

"If you had to get a tattoo, where would you get it and what would it be?" Have you ever been asked that in one of those 20 Questions type of games? I always have a hard time answering. I guess I'm just not a tattoo kind of gal.

I remember when my two sisters went together and both got tattoos. My feelings were a little hurt that they didn't invite me. "You'd never get a tattoo!" they exclaimed. They were right. But it still would have been nice to be invited.

While some Christians are strongly against tattoos, others equally for them. Leviticus 19:28 says,“‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD," but even that is up to your interpretation. Some say we aren't under the Old Testament laws anymore, so it no longer matters. Others say the verse means not to tattoo the names of your dead on yourself, but does not forbid other tattoos.

But the other day, I read a verse in Isaiah 44:5, and realized what tattoo I wanted. The verse says, "others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s.'" THE LORD'S. I love that. How wonderful to have a constant reminder tattooed on my hand that I could always see. THE LORD'S. Reminding me who I belong to, who I represent, and who died for me.

Did you know the Lord also has my name tattooed on his hand? In Isaiah 49:16 God says, "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." The Amplified Bible puts it this way, " I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands."

Just imagine that on my hand is tattooed "The Lord's" and on His hand is tattooed, "Kelly." I love that image. He is our forever God, written in permanent ink.

So, about my new tattoo...truth is, I didn't get one. I'm still not the tattoo type. Besides the complete verse in Isaiah 44:5 says, "Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the name Israel."

I guess I'm more the type to just say, "I belong to the LORD." And I do. Do you?

Dancing in the Rain, Book Review

Imagine hearing these words, "Your baby won't live. It most likely won't even be born alive." These are the terrible words that Cindy Shufflebarger heard when the baby she was carrying was diagnosed with trisomy 18.

The pain that followed was the greatest storm of Shufflebarger's life. Her precious daughter was born and died within a couple of days. The suffering of the loss of her daughter, Ashlynn, left Shufflebarger with two choices: drowning in the storm of her life, or Dancing in the Rain. She was determined, with the help of God, to dance.

Shufflebarger shares with her readers the hope of God's love even in the midst of suffering. She shares her story, while drawing the reader in to examine their own life storms. I especially enjoyed the "God says" heading at the end of each chapter where she shares Bible verses to help weather your own storm. The book is heavy with scripture to support each chapter, and I found that to be a huge positive and a blessing to the reader.

Each chapter also has a "Your Chance to Dance" heading where she offers substantive and concrete application tips for the reader to apply in their own life to help overcome their storms.

Because of her faith, Shufflebarger is Dancing in the Rain. If you would like to be able to dance in the rain too, you may purchase her book. To learn more about Shufflebarger, visit her website.

I Will Survive!

Go on now go! Walk out the door.
Just turn around now 'cause you're not welcome anymore.
I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor, 1979

Sin. Sometimes it seems it's hard to resist doing the wrong thing. We try to do right, yet we blow it! Don't think that it's by accident either. The Bible is clear. The Devil is there to attack us and tell us lies. As a matter of fact, his name "Diabolos" means slanderer, and the root word also makes the word diabolical.

The Devil takes evil and makes it look good to us. Look at his first victims, Adam & Eve. He confused them as to what exactly God had told them (not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.) He convinced them that God was holding out on them, and next thing you know Adam & Eve ate the fruit and created the divide of sin between them and God.

And we continue to do the same thing today. But the Bible is clear on how we can make the accuser, the slanderer, the diabolical liar leave us alone. Submit to God, and resist the devil. If we resist him, the devil will flee us.

So next time the devil is accusing you, simply sing out loud, "Go on now go! Walk out the door. Just turn around now 'cause you're not welcome anymore!" The devil's lies can make us feel like dying, but with God on our side, we can sing "I will survive!" With God, we can not only survive, but thrive.

Musical Musings:
1. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Does knowing this confirm to you the fact that sin is no accident?
2. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Do you believe this, and if so what is keeping you from telling the devil to Go!
3. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Stand firm against the devil today and tell him to "walk out that door!"

Karaoke: Dear Lord, thank you for giving me ammunition to use against the devil. Forgive me, Lord, when instead of standing against the devil I give in to his lies and temptations. Help me to be strong in your word, so that I can resist the devil and submit to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rock on: Read Ephesians 6:10-20 to learn how to put on the full armor of God and win the battles against the devil.

Five Ws

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

These are known as the 5 Ws. It is the "formula" that journalists use for getting all the answers on something.

But what about as a Christian? Do we know the answers to the 5Ws? The Bible answers all our of questions.

Who? Who are we in Christ? Do we know we are children of God?
John 1:12-13 -- Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

What? What does it mean to be a Christian? How should we be living as Christians?
Galatians 2:20 -- I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When? When should we decide to become a Christian? Is there any urgency?
Matthew 24:36,42-44 -- “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Where? Where are we going to end up? How do we know we will have eternal life?
1 John 5:10-13 -- Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.... And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Why? This one reminds me of the Mickey Mouse club. "Why? Because we like you!" Actually, it's because he loves us. He loves us so much that he lay down his life for us to spend eternity with him.
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.

These Bible verses just give you a glimpse of the answers in the Bible. Why not get the full story today. Start reading your Bible, regularly. It really does have all the answers!