Vonda Skelton - Christian Speaker, Author, and Funny Lady

Well, this is the fifth Tuesday of the month, so you know what that means–Guest Blogger Day! I'm thrilled to introduce you to writer and Christian Writer's Den reader, Jean Davis. Jean and I met several years ago when I was teaching at the Delaware Christian Writer's Conference. While we were getting to know each other, we discovered that both of us had stories about our dads in the anthology, Embrace of a Father. (How cool is that?) Jean's devotionals have been published in Devo’zine, The Upper Room, and Cup of Comfort Devotional for Women. She also has stories included in The Heart of A Mother and Whispering in God’s Ear. I hope you'll check out her blogs at and And if you'd like some copies of Embrace of a Father for Father's Day or for any man in your life, please visit my Bookstore! 😉

I know you're going to enjoy Jean's blog today. It's a message we all need to hear!

Fellowship with the Word
by Jean Davis

The last Delmarva Christian Writers Fellowship I attended, our leader, Candy Abbott, gave us a Scripture to consider and fifteen minutes to write. She e-mailed the verse to us ahead of time so we could meditate on it, but she wanted our writing that morning to be spontaneous. When time was up, each person had opportunity to read his work.

Poems, devotionals, and essays emerged during the allotted time. A few writings sounded like journal entries. Some authors skipped over the more personal parts.  Aware of our diverse backgrounds, we were still amazed to discover how remarkably different and how exceptional the pieces were.

After Ben read, someone asked, "You wrote that just now in fifteen minutes? Really? How did you do that?"

Ben's answer was immediate.  "I just said, ‘God, help me.'"

Oh. I see how this works. Ben cheated. He asked for and received some help as he wrote on assignment. He hooked up to the Helper, the Teacher, the Creator, the Author and Finisher of our faith. His writing was a collaborative effort. (Note to self: Memorize Ben's prayer.)

Betsy's composition touched something deep within me. I wanted my own copy so I could take time to study her words. I started to ask, but I don't know Betsy that well and didn't want to seem nervy.    

When Candy read her devotional, the young woman sitting next to her, Cathie, said she'd like to have a copy, especially for the prayer Candy included. "I'd like a copy, too," I said, "for my daughter." Then Leslie, fifty-something, asked Marshall, all of twelve years old, if he would write out his poem for her. She wanted to share it with her Bible study group the next evening. Who knows how far-reaching this endeavor will prove to be?
That afternoon when I got home, as soon as I took my coat off and checked e-mails, I heard a knock at the door. My neighbor Dena stood timidly on the porch. "Would you like to come in?" I asked. I felt a sense of urgency.

(Photos are of the Delmarva Christian Writers Fellowship)

We sat at the kitchen table.  Lord, give me the words. I reached my hands out toward her, palms up, hoping she'd put her hands in mine. I wasn't disappointed.
    
"Would it be okay if I prayed with you?" I asked. I'd wanted to pray with her rather than for her since we met more than two months earlier.

"Sure," she said. "I don't mind." As we talked later, we both got a little teary. She was able to share a difficult circumstance and her faith in God. I was able to share my love for her and God's faithfulness.

"I've been waiting for you all day," she said. "I just knew I had to come see you today."

After Dena left, I brought a load of clothes in from the laundry room and accidentally bumped a bookend on the filing cabinet with the laundry basket. Papers I needed to file hit the floor. When I stooped to pick them up, on top of the stack were some tracts I'd made eight years ago. I flipped through the titles: "Recognizing and Dealing With the Spirit of Fear," "All Is Well," "What Jesus Lives For," "When Life Seems Hard."  I'd written the last three. The first I'd prepared from transcribed notes from our pastor's sermon. Considering my earlier conversation with Dena, I knew these topics would be perfect for her.

Later, I thumbed through a book on my shelf, a devotional for women published in 2005. I had four devotionals included. More than eighty writers shared precious gems in that volume, all meditations on Scripture. I know! I thought. I'll give my extra copy to Dena.   

If we release the words God gives us, either through writing or speaking or through prayer, we can be assured they'll find their mark. After all, they are not our words. And if words previously published sit on a filing cabinet or book shelf for years while we wonder if their purpose is over, we might be surprised when opportunity to share them comes knocking at our door.

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Thank you, Jean, for sharing this message from your heart. I look forward to hearing more good things God is doing in your writing life!

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Remember–Book Give Away Winner to be Announced Next Week! Be sure to check back then.

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Focus

And this week, as I gaze over the vastness of the sea, I'm in awe of it all. The beauty…the power…the majesty of the One Who spoke it all into being.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

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(This is a picture of my mother, my sister, Laura, and my sister, Gail, taken at my mother's 75th birthday party.)

Do you remember the old hymn that includes a line about being happy all day long? The idea is that once we've accepted the Lord as our Savior, our lives will always be happy. And even though I understand the writer's intent, those words may be sending the wrong message. In our zeal to lead others to Christ, we sometimes inadvertently spread a lie–a lie that says the Christian life is always wonderful.

Are we telling the truth when we tell others about Jesus? Are we presenting Him as a mystical guru in the sky who waves his magic wand and makes everything okay? Are we like the false teachers who promise wealth, health, and happiness at the low, low price of a monthly donation?

If so, we're spreading a lie. Jesus never said the Christian life would be wonderful. As a matter of fact, He said the exact opposite. He said we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). He said the world hated Him, and it would hate us (John 15:18-19). He said to count the cost, because the cost would be high (Luke 14:28-30).

Reality is, good mothers don't always have good children. Husbands leave. Illness comes. The sickness, the betrayals, the rebellion, the failures–they all were born that day in the garden when Satan seduced Eve. Sin entered the world through the door of the Deceiver and we've been suffering the consequences ever since.

But that doesn't mean the Christian life doesn't work. It simply means we can't depend on this world for our happiness. Our satisfaction can only come in knowing Jesus. It can only come in knowing we have a future that overcomes the pain of the past . . . because He has a past that overcomes the pain of the future!

Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew what it meant to suffer. As a pregnant, unmarried teenager, she could have been stoned to death. And even though Joseph took her as his wife, the townspeople still knew. They could count the months. And I'm sure they did. Whispered accusations. Judging eyes. How hard that must have been for this virgin woman-child who simply wanted to please God and submit to His plan for her life.

But that was only the beginning. On the day Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the temple, a man named Simeon blessed them and then told Mary that her Son would "cause the falling and rising of many in Israel . . . And a sword will pierce your own soul, too." Luke 2:34-35. He told Mary she was going to suffer.

And she did.

She knew how it felt to lose a twelve-year-old child for three days (Luke 2:41-50) and to be ignored by her Son (Mark 3:31-35). Her other children rejected Jesus (John 7:5) and she was apparently widowed at a young age.

But the worst anguish of all was watching Jesus suffer at the hands of those He came to save. Not only was her innocent Son being put to death, but a guilty murderer was going free in His place!

Oh, how Mary's heart must have broken when she saw Him hanging on that cross! At that moment–in the midst of His suffering–what did she see? Did her mind replay His childhood? Did she see the mischievous smile of her little boy? Did she hear His giggles and feel His hugs and smell His sweaty hair?

Or did she see the blood of the Sacrifice, willingly given for her own sin, and the sin of the world?

Regardless of what she saw at that moment, I can assure you of one thing–Mary was not happy.

But Mary had hope, because she could look back and remember the day He spoke to her. The day she answered with, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38. She could look back at the day her suffering was foretold, and know God had a plan.

There's comfort in knowing that regardless what happens, He has a plan. His plan includes me, and it includes you. He doesn't tell us life will be wonderful, but He does tell us life will be worthwhile, that He can use us in the midst of our suffering.

Yes, we may be hard pressed on every side with struggles and trials. We may be perplexed and asking, "Why is this happening to me?" We may be persecuted, or even struck down. But praise God, we are not crushed! We're not in despair! And we will never be abandoned or destroyed! (See 2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

His Word tells us that when we join His family through the gift of salvation, we can look forward to spending eternity with Him. Oh, what a joy that will be!

No more bloating! No more cramps! No more pinto beans five nights a week!

No more cancer. No more SIDS. No more adultery. No more anger or abuse or fear.

No more death. 

Oh, dear ones, we have a blessed home waiting for us. A home where our loving Daddy is in control, where sin has no power, and Satan has no presence.

Yes, the truth is, it will be a wonderful life.

But it won't be here, and it won't be now. Our wonderful life awaits us . . . on the other side of the struggles . . . on the other side of the pain. 

My sister, Gail Skinner Phillips, knew what it meant to suffer. She knew the struggles of this life. But now she's living on the other side of the pain. Last Thursday, February 26, 2009, Gail went home to her Savior, Jesus Christ. And regardless of her hardships on this earth, she now knows the truth…that God had a plan all along.

And that's the news we need to spread. The Good News of salvation. The Truth of Jesus. The promise of eternal life.

Thank you for your prayers, calls, and notes. We were both encouraged by your love.

I hope you'll join me as we look forward to eternity on the other side.

(Burning sky photo courtesy of )

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Congratulations to…
Cindy Rooy! Cindy is the winner of Dianne Neal Matthews' book, The One Year Women of the Bible. Cindy, be sure to contact me with your mailing address so Dianne can get this book right out to you!

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Have you been published or received a contract or signed with an agent?
Then I need to hear from you! Next Tuesday is our Kudos day and we want to celebrate with you! Please email me with your good news, including your name, the state you live in, your good news (including date or issue), and a link or jpg cover file, if applicable. Your success will be an encouragement to us all!
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I leave you with these words from the Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda    

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