WRITE: Devotionals, Out of the Dust: Don’t Waste Your Pain
During the many hours I spent interviewing Avis as I prepared to write her story, she gave me many pieces of wise advice. One of the best was this one: Don’t waste your pain. Today’s devotional from our book, Out of the Dust, explains it. #5 Don’t Waste Your Pain Scripture Reading: Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5). Thought: God wants to use everything, even our pain, for our good and His glory. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: My dad, a World War II veteran, suffered from what we now know was Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although he loved his family, his condition made our lives different than those of most kids, moving to a different town every few months. Growing up with Dad made me realize that people can’t give you what they don’t have. His illness caused him to move in and out of a fantasy. Once I understood that, I could forgive him for all the jobs and moves. He gave us what he had – love, admiration, and a sense of family unity. When I think back, I remember his pride in our smallest accomplishments. He showed off my childish pictures even to strangers as though they were great works of art. He praised all of us kids for our accomplishments and instilled within us the confidence that we could do anything if only we tried. At a young age, my brother George showed great mechanical ability. At only about eight years old, he took a lawnmower engine apart and put it back together. Dad beamed with pride. “Can you believe that boy?” Today, there isn’t an engine George can’t diagnose and repair. He even serves in a ministry at his church that helps fix cars for widows and others who need help. Too often we demand what we want from people even when they don’t have it to give. But only Jesus can fulfill all our expectations. When we love without condition, we free ourselves as well as others. When I look back on my childhood, I remember the good. I love to tell people, “Don’t waste your pain.” God hasn’t wasted a single bit of mine. Everywhere I go, I meet people who have suffered some of the same hard things I did. They trust me because they know I understand. That opens the door for me to share the same good news that helped bring me out of the dust. (Chapter 5) Prayer: Savior, take the painful circumstances in my life and use them to shape my character. Make me more like you that I may love others with the love you have shown me. Do you have a question, comment, or prayer request? Feel free to share it below or email me through the link at the top of the page. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Purchase Out of the Dust on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or at ANEKO Press (release date 11/1/14). Download a free Kindle excerpt from Out of the Dust. Find Out of the Dust on Facebook. Read about Avis Goodhart and Go Ye Ministries....
read moreWRITE: Devotionals, Out of the Dust: The Miracle Tire
Long before she served him overseas, God was doing miracles in Avis Goodhart’s life. Today’s devotional from our book Out of the Dust shows His power in her family’s time of desperate need. #4 The Miracle Tire Scripture Reading: Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Thought: God can choose to show His grace through miracles because with Him, all things are possible. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: God sometimes shows His grace through miracles. Maybe you’ve experienced that, too even if you’ve never seen a miracle tire. One night on a twisty mountain road with all our belongings piled on top of the car as usual, a tire blew. Dad bumped to the side of the road to examine the flat. “It’s bad,” he reported. “All torn up and cut.” He jacked up the car, making sure we all stayed inside. “Elsie,” he told Mom, “Don’t let the kids out. They’ll get killed.” He took the tire and trudged down the hill, his pockets empty. As he left, all of us kids cried. I don’t remember if we prayed or not, but I do remember we all had a deep concern for Dad and our ruined tire. Dad went to the first garage he saw and showed the tire to the mechanic on duty. “Can you fix it?” he asked. The man looked at the tire. “It’s all chewed up,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s nothing I can do. Why don’t you check with the garage across the street?” Dad took their advice. Again, he asked for the mechanic and showed him the flat, ready to begin his spiel. But to his surprise, the tire now looked normal. No longer destroyed, it looked solid, whole, and ready to use again. God fixed the tire while Dad walked across the street. All the mechanic had to do was put it back on the rim. Dad came back and told us the story right away. “I can’t believe it. I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said, adding, “I didn’t have a cent. Only God could have healed that tire.” (Chapter 5) Prayer: Lord God, thank you that you have no problem invading the natural with the supernatural. Make me aware of your provision, no matter how it comes. Do you have a question, comment, or prayer request? Feel free to share it below or email me through the link at the top of the page. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Purchase Out of the Dust on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or at ANEKO Press (release date 11/1/14). Download a free Kindle excerpt from Out of the Dust. Find Out of the Dust on Facebook. Read about Avis Goodhart and Go Ye...
read moreWRITE: Devotionals, Out of the Dust: Unspeakable
When you look at Avis Goodhart’s life and ministry today, you might not guess that she, like many of the children she serves in Peru, has suffered the unspeakable. Here’s another in our continuing series of devotionals taken from Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary, which will release November 1. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the links at the end. Keep watching for other Out of the Dust devotions all month. Scripture Reading: Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8). Thought: Even when things seem hopeless, we can cry out to God, our refuge. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: During our early years, my sister Rada and I sometimes stayed with my maternal grandfather, two aunts, and an uncle. But for me, Pop’s comfortable home brought with it the unspeakable injury of sexual abuse. Christmas this year looked different than ever before. We helped decorate the sparkling tree in the living room. Our aunts took us shopping, urging, “Don’t peek” as they smuggled in all sorts of mysterious gifts. They also began talking about us staying to live with them full-time. “When we go to court, make sure to tell the judge you want to live here,” Aunt Ruth urged. I didn’t want to hurt her, but the terrible secret locked inside me refused to go away. One night during dinner, Uncle Jim looked at me, and I knew. No one else saw, no one else noticed – but I did. I couldn’t talk about it, didn’t know what to call it or why it was wrong, but I knew. Leaving my mashed potatoes and gravy to grow cold, I jumped up and ran out the door. Leaping over the ditch, I darted into the fields behind the barn. I ran, and ran, and ran, unaware that my frantic aunts and uncle were searching for me. The whole time I ran, I kept watching for Mom and Dad to come driving down the road. I know they’ll come. They’ll make everything all right. Instead, only Aunt Alice came after what seemed like hours. She found me lying in the weeds, exhausted and hopeless. “Avis! Why would you want to run away?” she puffed. “We’re giving you and your sister such a good home. Come with me right now!” When we got back to the house, all the adults seemed so upset. And they all had questions I couldn’t answer. All except Uncle Jim. He stayed quiet while the others talked to me about “responsibility” and “gratitude” and other big words I didn’t know. I still couldn’t answer their questions. I just felt sad all the time. (Chapter 4) Prayer: Jesus, we lift up the children today who are trapped in the unspeakable. Give them a safe person who will listen and act on their behalf. Make a way. Be their refuge. Do you have a question, comment, or prayer request? Feel free to share it below or email me through the link at the top of the page. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Purchase Out of the Dust on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or at ANEKO Press (release date 11/1/14). Download a free Kindle excerpt from Out of the...
read moreWRITE: Devotionals, Out of the Dust: True Compassion
Today, I’m continuing the series of devotionals taken from Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary (ANEKO Press, 2014), which will release November 1. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the links at the end. Keep watching for other Out of the Dust devotions all month. #2 True Compassion Scripture Reading: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Thought: When our desire to help flows from godly compassion, we will preserve others’ dignity while offering them assistance. Excerpt, Out of the Dust: When I was about nine years old, Mom and I were both hospitalized with hepatitis. Doctors feared I had permanent heart and liver damage, and the recovery took time. Right after the hospital released me, a television personality learned of our family’s plight. Dad hauled us up to the studio, certain we’d hit the big time. Not quite. The television people lined us up in birth order for an appeal: “If anyone has a job for this deserving veteran, call us at KLAC-13. We’ll put you in touch.” A huge car whisked us off after the interview to the mansion owned by one of the bigwig television producers. Realizing we were both the oddballs and the centerpiece of the evening, I didn’t like the situation one bit. “How old are you?” “Do you like living in a cabin?” “Since your mom is sick, do you handle the cooking?” The too-kind people in the too-fancy clothes spewed all these questions and more. Dad and the younger kids enjoyed the attention, but I recognized pity when I saw it. Mom’s right. It’s better to work hard than ask for handouts. But I’m not old enough to help. How can I make them understand? In despair, I crept down the carpeted hallway. Locking the bathroom door, I buried my head in the plush towel hanging from the rack. How can the world have so much and some people so little? By the time a kind lady found me, I was sitting on the floor, head in my hands. They don’t understand. We’re no different from rich kids. On the inside, we’re all the same. I hadn’t noticed, but I’d torn the towel rack right off the wall. (Chapter 3) Prayer: Holy Father, when we have the opportunity to help others, teach us to do it in a way that does not humiliate them. Use the hurts in our lives to give us hearts of compassion and kindness. Do you have a question, comment, or prayer request? Feel free to share it below or email me through the link at the top of the page. I’ll respond as soon as I can. Purchase Out of the Dust on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or at ANEKO Press (release date 11/1/14). Download a free Kindle excerpt from Out of the Dust. Find Out of the Dust on Facebook. Read about Avis Goodhart and Go Ye...
read moreWRITE: Devotionals, Out of the Dust: Obstacle Course
Although the overarching theme of this blog is “Read. Write. Pray,” missions and mission trips take a prominent place here. The necessity of taking the gospel to the nations has become my heartbeat, and I’ve been blessed to serve overseas as well as to help send many of my family members on mission trips across the world. This blog has gone silent for a while in part due to the pre-publication work on a book I wrote that will release November 1. Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary is already available for pre-order. (If you live in my area and want to buy a copy, let me know.) This book shares the amazing memoir of Avis Goodhart, servant of Jesus Christ and missionary to Peru. Everyone has a story, but not every story needs to become a book. Avis’s challenging, inspiring story did. For the next few weeks, this blog will feature devotionals that include excerpts from our book. These provide both what I hope will be a thoughtful read and an intriguing sample of a book you’ll want to own. Avis and I donate all the proceeds from Out of the Dust to her nonprofit, Go Ye Ministries. I encourage you to sign up for her mailing list here. After we finish the devotional series (and about the time of the book release), I’ll share more about Avis and her passion for the least of these. But for now, let the devotions begin. Out of the Dust Devotionals By Avis Goodhart with Marti Pieper All excerpts are taken from the book Out of the Dust by Avis Goodhart with Marti Pieper (ANEKO Press, 11/1/14). All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ #1 Obstacle Course Scripture Reading: While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20) Thought: Following God requires faith (and persistence). Excerpt, Out of the Dust: When I set out at the age of fifty to make my first international mission trip, I met some obstacles even before I landed in Honduras: “I’m sorry,” the man at the ticket counter said when we attempted to check our unusual baggage. “You can’t travel with all these. You’ll have to choose what to leave behind.” “But I called ahead,” I pushed back. “These are supplies for orphans in Honduras. What will the children do without them?” For all the good my questions did, I might as well have said the supplies were for aliens in outer space. So Tia and I did the only thing we knew: we prayed. Together, we gripped the stroller handle and marched back and forth near the ticket counter. The baby’s screams added to the overall chaos. “I’m not going without the tubs, you know,” I spoke out when the man from the airlines approached again. “I’ll pay...
read moreWelcome
I've asked God to use my writing and speaking to count for eternity. I'm passionate about relationships and creativity.
