A Moment of Hope

by Marilynn Chadwick It's hard to be thankful for something you think you deserve. The world is full of people who believe their parents, their schools, or society owe them something. Such was not the case with my friend Becky. She was born with a birth defect that left her just under 4 feet tall. But I forgot about her disability the minute I met her. Becky's face was beautiful—but it was her reg...

by Marilynn Chadwick By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God  ( Philippians 4:6b NIV ). How often do you approach your prayer time with a thankful heart? If I'm honest with myself, I often lead with my list of needs without taking time to reflect on the many prayers God has already answered. Paul reminds us that our "prayers and petitions" go hand in hand with a tha...

by Marilynn Chadwick Willie Myrick is one of my heroes. When he was just ten, Willie was kidnapped by a knife-wielding assailant. The curious youngster had reached down to pick up a ten-dollar bill the kidnapper left as "bait," when suddenly, the man jumped from behind a tree and forced Willie into the car. Speeding across town, the man spewed profanity and threats. The frightened ten-year-old dec...

by Marilynn Chadwick Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful  ( Colossians 4:2 NIV ). Sometimes we move so fast, it's easy to blow past the ordinary blessings God sends each day. Who has time to drink in the magic of the blue sky? Or be thankful for the beauty all around us? And when was the last time you took an extra minute to look into the eyes of your spouse, or children, or f...

by Marilynn Chadwick I've learned that God often shows up strongest when I am weak or afraid. But if I will trust him and step out in faith, I'm likely to discover a new dimension of his goodness. Or as a friend of mine once said, we experience God's power when we step beyond our capacity and into our calling. On my first mission trip to Africa, God reminded me that he can be trusted to lead and g...

by Marilynn Chadwick We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do  ( Ephesians 2:10 NIV ). Do you hunger to make a difference in this world? Even children yearn to discover their purpose. My husband's father, the late Dr. Howard Chadwick, served God faithfully as a minister for over seventy years. He used to encourage our three chil...

by Marilynn Chadwick When Jesus saw their faith, he said,  "Friend, your sins are forgiven"  ( Luke 5:20 ). What does it look like to "always be ready" to bring a friend to Jesus? We all have times in life when we must lean on the help of our friends. It was one of those times for the paralytic in Luke 5. We don't know the man's ailment.  We do know he was helpless and unable to get to Jesus by hi...

I was in a hurry and needed to grab lunch before my next meeting. I passed a Burger King on a nearby corner. I had been trying to avoid fried foods and hadn't eaten fast-food in ages. Well, nothing like a Whopper and a Diet Coke! I got my order and pulled over to a shady area to quickly eat the burger before my meeting. That's when I saw her. A nicely dressed older woman shuffling slowly along the...

by Marilynn Chadwick Years ago, a conversation with a good friend challenged me to realize how complacent I'd become in sharing the Good News about Jesus. My friend and I happened to be talking about our involvement in church and how meaningful it was for us both. I shared how my current life was so different from those years when I had walked away from the Lord. As a bit of background, I had made...

by  Marilynn Chadwick Always be ready to give an account for the hope that is within you  ( 1 Peter 3:15 ). What does it mean to always be ready? During our nation's Revolutionary War, the Minutemen—highly disciplined militia forces made up of ordinary farmers—had to be dressed and ready for battle in less than  one minute . Thus, the name, "Minutemen." As believers, we're to be dressed and prepar...

We have taken this week to look at the importance of always being ready as followers of Jesus. The word "ready" is defined as "easily available or obtained; fully prepared; in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation." As representatives and ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven, we are to be fully prepared at any point to share the good news of Jesus with others. So far, I've talked...

We must always be ready to share the gospel.  2 Timothy 4:2a  says to  "be ready in season and out of season." We need to learn to hear the voice of God, pray for open doors, walk in discernment, and put on the shoes of peace! In Ephesians 6, Paul talks about the armor of God. He knew that this armor is an imperative part of learning to stand against the darkness of the evil one. Ephesians 6:15 sa...

Always be ready. It's one of the biblical mandates for God's people. This week we are looking at different ways to always be ready. First, we must learn to hear God's voice. Secondly, we must pray for open doors to share the Gospel and then partner with God to touch the world. Third, we must grow in our discernment. Learning to discern and distinguish good from evil is very important.  Isaiah 5:20...

We must always be ready. In fact,  2 Timothy 4:2  says,  "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." But how do we stay ready to share the gospel of Jesus and be available to whatever he needs us to do? We are taking this week to look at what we can do as followers of Jesus to always be ready. Yesterday we talked about...

Always be ready. Jesus is coming back for his bride. We do not know when he will return, but we are called to be ready for his return ( Mark 13:32 ). And as we wait, we are also to be ready each and every day to give a reason for the hope that we have found in Christ Jesus ( 1 Peter 3:15 ) – to share his gospel with the world. When I was playing basketball at UNC, we were taught to always stay rea...

by Marilynn Chadwick All three of our now grown children especially looked forward to the end of our Day Off, which they referred to as "Family Home Night." These were weekly times of shared togetherness at the close of Sabbath and included special movies, family prayers, Bible stories, and make-your-own-pizzas. The movies we selected didn't always have a spiritual message, but they helped reinfor...

by Marilynn Chadwick In addition to "not working" on the Sabbath, the observant Jew also practices "not worrying." Seriously. How does one "not worry?" Is that even possible? A friend coined this snappy little acronym:  W.O.R.R.Y:  " W orry  O nly  R obs  R est from  Y ou." It's true. Worrying is exhausting. I realize as believers in Jesus, we're not obligated to keep Sabbath according to any part...

by Marilynn Chadwick It's been said that Americans are the only people who worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship. Maybe that's why keeping Sabbath is so hard. Many of us enjoy feeling productive, and taking a day off seems to slow us down. The word Sabbath, or  sabat  in Hebrew, means "to cease, desist, rest." Put another way, Sabbath simply means to stop working. The very fi...

by Marilynn Chadwick I am reminded of the time David and I were invited to teach a marriage seminar to a large gathering of young couples. Wanting to focus on real life issues, we each made a separate list of our "Top Ten Marriage Tips." However, we decided not to reveal the results of our lists to one another until the moment we actually presented the message to our audience. It was fun to compar...

by Marilynn Chadwick Are you feeling tired today? Maybe you worked late, slept poorly, tried to juggle too many tasks, attempted to solve too many problems, took on too much responsibility for everything and everybody around you. It seems you're not alone. America is a nation obsessed with rest—or the lack of it. At my children's high school one year, teachers sent home a disturbing article about...

I am wrapping up two weeks of looking at lessons my dad taught me about life. The final one is this: leave a generational legacy. Deuteronomy 5 says that the sins of the father are passed down to the third and fourth generation. This should cause all dads to pause, as we realize that we need to be the ones who stop things from being passed down to our kids. And grandkids. And great grandkids. But ...

If the sun rises in the morning, there's always hope. Another lesson my dad taught me. Look outside for a moment. Did the sun come up today? If so, you are experiencing the mercies of God that are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness ( Lamentations 3:22-23 ). Sometimes life is really hard. Discouraging moments. Weary situations. Seemingly hopeless circumstances. But the Gospel gives us a d...

How many of you have ever hopped into the car to go on a journey and looked only in the rearview mirror to get where you are going? Of course you haven't! You wouldn't make it more than 5 feet before running off the road. My dad knew this truth and taught me this lesson from a very young age:  Don't drive your life's car looking into the rearview mirror. I alluded to this last week when we talked...

Presence over presents. Another short, pithy phrase my dad taught me. This tags along with yesterday's lesson about the way that kids spell love: T-I-M-E. Giving presents is fine, but they tend to bring momentary joy. Think about Christmas. Presents galore, usually unwrapped at a hurried speed. They are played with for a while, then discarded. The gift of presence, however, is lasting. It is what...

Last week, I shared five general lessons that my dad taught me. This week, I want to share five more. My hope is that these small life lessons will bring perspective, wisdom, and insight into how to live with purpose. Today's lesson pertains to leading and loving children. Whether or not you are fathering someone, this principle can apply to so many situations. We all need tools for how to capture...