Making Choices for the Right Reason

I have a thing about some one or some thing who appears to be an under-dog, or under-chicken in the case of what goes on in my back yard. Many of you know I have numerous critters around the place, to include my dogs, my cats with a new addition, Ben, my ducks, and all my chickens, and of course my husband.

Unfortunately, although not planned this way, I ended up with too many roosters when Tom and I purchased our day-old babies at the feed store a few months back.

I wanted 8 chicks, one rooster included. I ended up with four little cockerels and 4 pullets. Woops. That may sound like an even swap across the board, but it doesn’t work that way in chicken technology. For roosters, when they come of age, usually decide they are ladies men, and that being the case, will never give the poor girls any moment of rest, nor any excuse for a headache. ‘Tis not a good thing if you are hoping for a big fat egg in the box on egg day from an energetic young lady.

What we did a few weeks ago is let one of our boys go, that was Louie, the guy with the white feathers all over his crop. He looked kind of like a skinny Einstein, well kind of.

That narrowed the field down to 3 roosters and 5 hens. Good.

But woops, not for long. For then our very fat Solomon in his suave sort of way, began drawing his harem in. My black “Rose” fell in love, my brown “Dusty” fell in love and both girls followed him around the whole place. My two little chickens, Lola and Lyle began discussing their own future, both being of the same grain of chicken, and planned Christian chicken parenthood is underway in their domain. That works.

Bad situation came with Mo, our beautiful Spitzhauben rooster. (I will include a photo.) He got left in the background with no bride-to-be since Solomon was busy gathering his lady lucks in.

A possibility would have been Violet for Mo but she was lost to a coon a while back, and Phyllis our sweet and very gentle blue polish, who is blind as a bat, is not in the mood EVER. She is so scared of MO. My heart goes out to her.

But this makes MO desperate, and every night, he runs around the place, chasing Phyllis as fast as he can go, trying to get her to submit to only him before she discovers Solomon. He is not loving at all. He is not suave. He is rude and angry.

Solomon tries to watch over them all and it turns out no one is comfortable with MO and his macho ways. It just isn’t Christian if you know what I mean.

In the meantime, my heart goes out to my dear little Phyllis, who just wants to be left alone till she is old enough and ready to be betrothed. Tonight I had to go out with a couple of rocks and chase old MO away from her as he wasn’t dancing around her, he was bulldozing her. You should have heard the ruckus!!

IT makes me think of how God watches over us when we are being taken advantage of. He has his rocks, and he is the only one who cast them at those things that come against us.

Do you ever feel like the underdog in situations where you become frightened, even terrified, or disillusioned or maybe disappointed? There is only one answer. When we call out to our great master he will come running (gently) and will take care of us in the way only he knows how and in the best way for us. Isn’t it great that we have him! He is merciful; he is considerate of our troubles; he is there to help us in our adversities.

I have to be there in mercy, consideration, and with assistance for my little Phyllis. She needs me. I know the answer. Mo must go. He may be a beautiful young rooster, but there is a time when we have to make choices for the best thing and the best way.

"I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities." Psalm 31:7

Oh, by the way, I am looking for a home for my beautiful Swedish Spitzhauben. Give me a ring if you are interested.

The Amazing Things That God Does
By Debbie Reed
(Hearts for Christ Team Member)

I grew up in a non-Christian home. My dad was an alcoholic, verbally abusive to my mom. There was always a lot of tension and friction in our home. At the age of seven, I was sexually abused by a brother-in-law that went on for years. I also witnessed physical abuse mostly by another brother-in-law to my other sister. My one sister (the one that would get beat up all the time) used to give me pills to make me "feel good" - "feel light-headed” and I got to really liking that. At the same time, my mom and one of my sisters and I were into things like Wuiji Boards, tarot cards, mediums.

I was always very lonely, had numerous fears, very frightened of men, and I suffered with depression due to rejection from people that I really cared about. I did not like myself very much.

At age 18 I began working where my boss was a Christian. He really didn't say much but I knew he was different. He was one of the kindest, most thoughtful, gentlest people that I had ever known. For a couple of years I watched him then started to ask questions. This was when he then shared his faith in the Lord with me. I was fascinated and wanted to know more. He bought me a Bible, and told me to start reading in the book of John. So, I did. I could not get enough! I just kept wanting to know more. I can't really remember how long it was, but, I remember sitting in a chair on our porch, reading the bible and suddenly this "feeling" that I had never known or experienced before came upon me. It was just so very beautiful! I remember it as much today as if it were yesterday. I felt so much peace and contentment within. For the first time I felt loved and I suddenly didn't feel all of the pain, all the hurts, all the rejections.

I stopped doing all the Wuiji boards, tarot cards, mediums, anything of that nature. I watched God give me the strength and power/courage to put an end to the sexual abuse and stalking by my brother-in-law. I was set free from that bondage I was in.

My boss also attended the Men's BSF program and asked me if I would be interested in doing the Young Adults BSF program. When I said yes, he found out the dates and time for me so I went and attended the whole 5 year program (Bible Study Fellowship.) After that I met my husband on a mixed bowling league. We dated for awhile then were married. Our first couple of years of marriage were great! We both had our own daily prayer and bible reading time and we also had a daily prayer time together. Then we had our first child, our son Major.

Before I really knew what was happening I found that our daily prayer time together was not as "daily". As more time went on it ended all together. It was the same thing with my own personal daily time with the Lord. Being a mother just seemed to take up too much of my time with a lack of sleep, and a time of being overwhelmed. Soon I found myself not reading or praying at all.

As years went on our marriage grew more and more apart. My husband became very critical. I could never do anything right. When he was mad he would swear at me and call me names. Our son had (still does) major behavioral problems because of it I found myself drawing money out from our credit cards to buy food, then pay bills, then cover checks that had been written all the time doing this without telling my husband what I was doing. I was afraid to tell him what I was doing. I thought I could handle it. I soon found myself in so much debt that I did not know if I was coming or going! We got behind in everything; our bills, the house payments, checks were bouncing, phone calls were coming, threatening letters were coming, all still without my husband knowing.

I became a prisoner in my own home afraid to go out of the house for fear that the phone would ring. I MADE sure that I was the one to always get the mail. This went on and on.

I was so miserable it all just seemed so terribly hopeless and I was just so trapped! I walked around with this black cloud hanging over me all the time, and this horrible heaviness. By this point, I was terrified to tell my husband. And the thoughts that were constantly going thru my mind in desperation was that death was the only way out. Then, our second child came, our daughter Feather. I had a family I figured who could take care of my children so I started to "make plans".

One day I found this flyer on my door from a church that was just down a few blocks from our house. It was for a Women’s Bible Study called "Spice of Life." It said that they met once a week in the mornings and they had childcare. Our son was in morning kindergarten, our daughter was just a few months old. But the flyer said that they provided child care for all ages, even infants. I decided to try it out. The ladies were so nice going out of their way to welcome me and making me feel comfortable. I kept going back. Each week that I went, there were horrible thoughts going thru my head that I didn’t belong there, that I was not like these people, that I had no business being there. But I kept going back week after week. Something kept drawing me back. The more I went, the more people I began to meet. I started to attend their Sunday morning service causing great grief with my husband! I attended other things as well.

The minister brought out this book called "Victory over the Darkness" by Neil T. Anderson. It was like reading about me! It was about Christians who falter in their faith and satan attacks them. How satan can destroy you without you even knowing it. I then went on to read Neil's second book....."The Bondage Breaker". I knew I had to go thru the steps to freedom. I confessed all my sins, thoughts, actions, feelings. I forgave a lot of people, including myself. I renounced satan from my life. When it was over I knew I had been forgiven and cleansed by Christ. I had a renewed relationship with my Lord, fellowship with Him was restored. The day was December 18, 1992.

I still had to go home to the same life. There was still the issue of the credit cards, our financial state, my deceiving my husband. I knew I had to tell John but I just could not. One week later my sister was murdered. But Somehow God filled me with a sense of calmness.

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
Philippians 4:7

In the days and months to follow it was not easy. It was real hard. But, I was no longer alone, Jesus was with me all the way. I finally was able to tell my husband of the financial situation and we got help for that. It was along road back to recovery in our marriage. I asked his forgiveness and it took a long time but he has forgiven me now.

Our son is now 17 years old, our daughter 13. In 2000, John gave his life to the Lord. God has restored our marriage. We now have open communication with each other, bills and everything are out in the open as we make decisions together. He is a different person now no longer critical of me and involved with all of our family affairs. He is a father to our children. He is continually growing in the Lord. Our son gave his life to the Lord a couple of months ago. Our daughter at a young age gave her heart to the Lord. I Thank and Praise the Lord for what He has done in our lives, and is continuing to do!

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen" 1 Peter 4:11

"RECIPE SHARING"

From the Kitchen of Becky...

The other day I was pondering what I wanted to eat with my chili beans. Well, I didn't really want plain toast, but I didn't want toasted cheese either. Then I remembered that we had some pita pockets in the fridge, so I got out two pita halves. While in the fridge, I remembered we had fat free slices of swiss cheese and slices of 2% pepper jack cheese. So I decided to throw those things together to go with my beans. Here's what I came up with:

**If you can't find the pre-sliced pita pockets, buy the whole pita pockets and slice them yourself. Pita pockets come in a variety of flavors like whole wheat, white, onion, etc. They can be found at almost any grocery store. I found these at Kroger.

**These cheese melts are great with chili beans, but would be equally as tasty with soups, salads, or just as a snack! The pepper jack cheese is a bit on the warm side, but pairing it with the swiss tames it down a lot. The peppers in the pepper jack cheese are just warm enough to help warm you up from the inside out on a chilly day!

GOD BLESS! Enjoy!!

Love and Blessings!
Becky

Do you have a RECIPE that you would enjoy sharing? Send it to us here in the Hearts for Christ Ministries Comments Section or e-mail direct: info@heartsforchrist.org. We will be thrilled to pass it along to our readers.

Sharing Hearts One with Another... The following letters are excerpts from the correspondence Hearts for Christ Ministries has been receiving. We hope you will write in as well. Our Dear Hearts Counselor, Victoria will quickly respond as will other women in ministry on this team. Thank you all and God bless you. Dear Hearts For Christ: We have had deaths, job losses, health and peace concerns. We so much need your help through prayer. Please, please pray for pd and family for financial, prosperity, good health, peace and protection for a long, long time. Please, please your prayers are the hope we have. Pd and Family Dear Pd and Family, We are so sorry to hear of the extreme losses and struggles your family has felt recently. It is hard to keep trusting Him and keep our hope alive when we are faced with so many difficulties in our lives, yet as we face those difficulties we are drawn closer to the Lord. Our prayer for you and your family will be that as you walk through these various trials, may you find great comfort from the Lord, as He draws you near. 2 Corinthians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort." May you find an inner strength in knowing that "...Underneath are the Everlasting Arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27). Keep looking to the Lord, He will see you through and He does hear the prayers of His children. Isaiah 65:24 "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear." He is faithful, Hearts for Christ Ministry Team Dear Hearts for Christ, Being truthful here friends, How can I continue to lead people to false hope Jesus? Lead them to disappointment, rejection, etc. How feel like I've lead many to false hope through the year. I must stop doing this I feel. Heidi Dear Heidi, Please know dear sister, there is no "false hope" in Jesus. In the fifth chapter of Romans it talks about "hope that does not disappoint": Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Whatever you have been going through that you are discouraged or feel that you have not been the example you have desired to be toward others, the Lord can still work through all of those things to bring someone to a saving knowledge of Him. When we are discouraged, the Lord will be there with us as we look to Him for our strength. In those difficult moments, leaning upon Him is the only way to get through. 1 Chronicles 16:11 "Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!" 1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you." As far as sharing your personal requests, we have appreciated the updates from you. That is so wonderful when the Lord begins to answer our prayers! You may have noticed that we have created several sections on the HFC website to post the various needs of our visitors. If you haven't visited a prayer page lately, please feel free to do so, your prayer intercession for them would be wonderful. Keep looking to Jesus, Hearts for Christ Ministry Team

Are You Ready to Share with Us? What is the Lord doing in your life today? Do you have a question, an experience, or a victory in trial you would enjoy sharing in a future newsletter? Send your comments and inquiries to "Dear Hearts for Christ." Article Submissions and Testimonies should be sent to Shirley@heartsforchrist.org. No names will be included without permission, and the editor reserves the right to edit submissions.