Saturday Writings.....6/4/16

Good morning...

       I apologize that I am very late to post for Saturday. Last night my oldest grandchild, Michael, graduated from high school. The ceremonies were scheduled for 6 pm but were moved to 7:30 pm due to the intense heat that we have been having in our area. Last night when we arrived it was still 100 degrees. About 500 young people graduated, and I have to give kudos to Liberty High School in Brentwood, CA who did not waste a second during the ceremonies. After the graduation was ended we all went out to dinner at 9:45. We did not get home until midnight and I had not had chance to do and post the writings during the day. At the end of the day we were all very happy but tired. After a 40 minute drive home I just went straight to bed. Thanking God for a beautiful day of family milestones.

Have a swell (not sweltering) Saturday.

God bless from
Corinne


The Devotional component in the Friday Writings of Women's Focus Ministries is titled, "YES! " and was written by Carol Steficek.  Carol's writing ia about broken promises we have but never from God. She wrote, "  Christ is the embodiment of the Father's 'yes' to us.  Rest assured -- that 'yes' is the only one you can really count on in this time and throughout all eternity."

There is also an interesting posting from Cathy Friberg who writes a story of a woman whose live is a wonderful example of how God gives "beauty for ashes."

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  Today's Devotional   

"YES"

written by

Carol Steficek

"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you...
In Him it has always been 'Yes.'
 For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are 'Yes' in Christ."
II Corinthians 1:19a,c 20a

     

All of us have suffered the pangs of broken promises, both in some little as well as some big and important things.  It isn't always that people deliberately do that to us, it's just that sometimes we go beyond our abilities to fulfill promises to others.

     

It is an amazing thought to realize that of all the promises God has made to us in the Bible, He fulfills ALL of them and has never broken even one.

     Having sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, and preparing a place for us with Him in heaven, the Father can never go back on His Word.  So we can rest assured that whatever He tells us He will do, He will do it.

     Christ is the embodiment of the Father's 'yes' to us.  Rest assured -- that 'yes' is the only one you can really count on in this time and throughout all eternity.

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   June Writing   

  by Cathy Friberg     

  Member of our Monthly Writing Staff   

BEAUTY FOR ASHES

I belong to a Christian group called "Woman's Aglow International." We have monthly meetings at a local restaurant, where we praise and worship in song, listen to a speaker, and have fellowship and lunch together. This month's speaker, Helen, had an especially touching message. She is of Japanese ancestry. Helen's parents had immigrated to America with "stars in their eyes" and hopes and visions of a bright future in their hearts. However, when Helen was 12 years of age, the nation of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Helen and her family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, were sent by executive order to life in an internment camp. Her family of five lived for three years in a 10 by 12 foot room in stark barracks. They were always under scrutiny by the guards. As our speaker told of the uncertainty, fear, and humiliation of her life in the camp, tears filled her eyes. 

Helen's story revealed an interesting fact about the internment which I had never heard before. During  World War II, American Missionaries living in Japan were deported back to the United States. These missionaries were also sent to the Japanese internment camps. That is where the "silver lining" in Helen's otherwise adverse experience comes in. Our speaker's family were Buddhists. However, in the camp, the missionaries led Helen's mother to the Lord. It was a powerful conversion and Helen's mother became a dedicated Christian. Helen did not receive the Lord at that time. In fact, after her release from the camp, she went through times of severe depression. Her mother's perseverance in prayer and her lifestyle witness eventually bore fruit. Helen and her husband accepted Jesus as Savior and committed their lives to His service. 

The objective of our speaker's account was not to garner sympathy or even to

influence her audience politically. Rather, it was to assure us that there is hope for the hurting through the love of Jesus Christ. No matter what adversities and hardships we endure, God can bring salvation, healing, and spiritual growth out of the ashes of our lives. Today Helen, in her mid 80's is one of the most joyful, on fire Christians that I have ever met. Her energy, compassion, and willingness to carry out God's will is extraordinary. Her many descendants are not Buddhists, but rather born again Christians. The Lord has birthed a new spiritual bloodline through this woman. When she was in the camp, Helen had no Jesus and consequently she had no hope. Later, after receiving Christ and following Him, she has "joy unspeakable and full of glory." So lets take heart from Helen's testimony and trust the Lord to renew, repair, and restore when we go through any type of tribulation in this world!

By Cathy Friberg

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   Christian Humor for a Laugh Today   

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Prayers are lifted up daily for 

you by the Devotional Writers 

and the Monthly Writing Staff

of Women's Focus Ministries.

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