Take the Time

by Terri Webster

Sometimes you need to be alone. All alone. With Jesus.

I used to think I didn't have the time. I believed the misconception that being alone with Him was a luxury; a misuse of my time. Unproductive.

I would feel guilty if I drove to a nearby park to enjoy a walk or just sit in the quiet of my car and pray. 

Not anymore. 

When I need to be refreshed from within or I'm seeking direction about something, I can't afford NOT to take the time to be alone with Jesus. He's ready to provide the refreshment my soul longs for and guidance along the right path for me to take. 

What about you? Do you need a fresh touch? Are you wondering what path to take? I encourage you to take 10 minutes, 20 or more to be alone with Him. He will refresh your soul and guide you along the path that you should go, as promised in Psalm 23:3.

He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake.

This is how I stay the course, 

Terri

Green Space

by Terri Webster

Are you busy? Is this a good time to talk?

How many times have we asked a friend or family member either of those two questions?

What I’ve thought a lot about lately, though, is how I would respond if God asked me, “Hey, are you busy? Is this a good time for us to talk?”

I used to always be too busy.

It hurts my heart to think of all the times I’ve given Him my leftovers.

Today, I want to encourage you to take a little time out of your busyness and let the Lord give you what the world can’t.  

Pull off the main road on your way to work or on the way home, and sit in your car a few minutes. Or take a short walk somewhere. 

Shift your focus. Look up, instead of around. Sit with Him, talk to Him, give Him your cares.

Then think of one thing you can be thankful for. It could very well chart the course of your day. 

Stay the course with me,

Terri

When You Turn Out the Lights

During my early months as a single mom, I dreaded turning the lights out at night. 

I was a knee-knocking, fearful 27-year old in charge of the safety of my two children in the other bedroom.

I haven’t told many people this, but those first months I was alone, I slept with a knife hidden under my mattress. A big one.

I remember putting a chair at each door, tilted just under the doorknob to keep out danger.

We had a big dog too. Sheba slept outside in her cozy doghouse in our fenced-in yard, so I thought.

One night she erupted into an attack bark right under my bedroom window, followed by her galloping to the back corner of the yard. My feet hit the floor like bowling balls and kneeled to look out into the dark.

Minutes later, Sheba returned to her spot underneath my window and I went back to bed.

I told myself it was probably just a deer or other night animal.

What I didn’t know was she’d been sleeping under my window every night instead of in her doghouse. When I would turn out the lights, I could see her laying right there beneath my window.

I began to notice when I was in another part of the house, I could look out and there she’d be.

God used Sheba to remind me that He set His angles in place to guard over me.

For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11 

Eventually I put the knife back in the kitchen where it belonged and didn’t have Sheba anymore.

Over time, I realized my Protector was mightier than any physical weapon I had or Sheba. I wasn’t so afraid for our safety anymore.

The Lord used those single-mom years to teach me more than I would’ve learned had I not gone through those tough times.

Are you alone for the first time in many years, and dread turning out the lights at night? Are you going through some tough times right now and feel alone?

The Lord Jesus will use this time to make His presence known to you, as you set your thoughts on Him. He’s already thinking about you.

Indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 

Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than 

many sparrows. Luke 12:7

And when you fall asleep, you can have peace.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, 

Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Whatever tough times you’re experiencing, I can tell you this: Our Heavenly Father specializes in showing His faithfulness during tough times. 

He will use our struggles no matter how big or small to equip us for brighter days and use for His purposes.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

Today, trust Him as your Protector and faithful Deliverer. On the other side of your troubles, you will have no doubt that He is the One True God, 

Let's stay the course, by trusting Him in the tough times.

Terri

Stuck in the Muck

Welcome back and happy Monday everyone.

Are you stuck in the muck of life feeling you’ll never move forward again?

Do you feel circumstances beyond your control have rendered you immovable and stagnant?

Whether it’s work, home, in our relationships, or our relationship with the Lord, we can get stuck like a boat in deep mud, with no way out.

If this describes your current situation, I have some great news to share.

When I’ve been stuck in deep mud and mire, exhausted and frustrated, I eventually had to look to Almighty God to get me unstuck and where I could get moving again.

Sometimes it was due to other’s choices. Sometimes it was my own sinful heart and thoughts that left me stagnant.

I’ve had dreams before where I’m running as fast as I can, but getting nowhere. And whatever I was running from was catching up with me. Then I’d wake up, thankful it was only a dream.

Sometimes real life can make us feel like that dream.

No one likes feeling this way.

I want to share 10 steps that are tried and proven to loosen you from your current stuck-ness. It will take exercising your faith in God. Even if your faith is as tiny as a mustard seed, here’s what the Lord says about that:

…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, 

you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted 

in the sea, and it will obey you.’ Luke 17:6

10 Steps

Are you ready to get unstuck and moving forward again?

• Look up. Take your eyes off your surroundings.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

• Go to Him. 

Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, 
and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

• Learn from Him.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am 

gentle and humble in heart, and you will 

find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

• Call to Him.

Call to Me, and I will answer you and tell you great 

and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3  

• Let go of anxiety and pray.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

• Be thankful. 

If you’ve never made a gratitude list, now is the time. Begin with the small, everyday things. Once you start, more things to be thankful for will surface, and next thing you know you’re cup overflows.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28

• If you are a Believer in Christ, then you have a special assigned place with Him. Not only when you leave this earth, but right NOW! No one else can sit where you’re supposed to.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him 

in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1 

• Use what He’s given you…blessings and authority!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

• Stand firm.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. 

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

• Trust Him.  

…The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. Psalm 145:13

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…Proverbs 3:5 

If you whole-heartedly take each of these steps, you're sure to get unstuck and moving forward again.

Don’t give up! Stay the course!

Terri

Need to Detox?

I’d venture to say we’re all familiar with detox diets and cleanses that rid our bodies of toxins.

There are some who claim our bodies can eliminate toxins naturally and that they don’t build up in our organs, needing cleansing from time to time.

Then there are some who stress the importance of detoxifying and cleansing our bodies occasionally.

The market is saturated with various diets and natural solutions to assist with detoxing our bodies.

A lot of folks, me included, are so concerned about our physical health that we neglect another major component and one of our greatest needs. The core of who we are resides in the depth of our hearts where everything flows out of.  

Our physical heart pumps blood to keep us alive and we need to take care of it through diet and exercise. But the part of our heart where the life of our soul and emotions live, is also pumping out stuff. Sometimes vile stuff. Sometimes sweet. It depends on what we’re feeding it.

All our life’s decisions are an extension of what resides in our hearts. A skilled heart surgeon can’t see this part of our heart even while they explore its contents to unclog veins or do damage repair.

Isn’t it weird how our soul can’t be seen with the human eye, yet it is living proof of our existence?

What we feed our soul also has an enormous impact on our well-being. I know all too well of this fact more recently than I’d like to admit.

I began 2016 with a fresh determination to be more intentional in my relationship with Jesus, by digging deeper in His word and meeting with Him every morning. I had a plan, which I shared in a post several months ago. I follow The Planting Place Bible teaching blog at The Planting Place where we’re reading the Bible in three years with a deeper focus on who God is and responding to Him.

Things were going pretty well. I was excited to feed my hunger and thirst for growth and see some progress.

Then I hit a snag. It seemed little at first. One negative thought. I pulled at it and pulled at it, like a real snag on a shirt, and I began to unravel.

It was about something purely selfish. All about me. I stopped the unraveling before it got out of control. Because God’s word is active and alive, His gentle conviction led me to repentance over the situation.

I moved on until something interrupted my quiet time with the Lord one morning and I became highly agitated. Couldn’t they see that I was busy with the Lord, for goodness sakes!? 

I’ll spare you the embarrassing details. No one else had to know or see. But God did. He had to hear the conversations in my head and see the scum in my heart. It was not pretty.

Days and days the scum accumulated, clogging my fellowship with God because I became incredibly frustrated by others’ innocence. I fed my mind and heart full of all the reasons why I was justified to feel as I did.

The more I focused on my irritation the worse things became. Slowly, I realized my quest for spiritual growth and health was all about me. All. About. Me.

One morning I couldn’t stand myself any longer and laid open my self-righteous heart before God.

I needed a heart detox and soul cleansing!

I didn’t like it at first, but I felt incredible when it was over. 

Free and light-hearted.

A lot of gunk had accumulated in my heart over time. I’d allowed apathy and anger to set in. When I began meeting the Lord daily and reading His word (even though it was about me), He turned it around for good. It’s all good!

As an occasional physical detox can do a body good, so will regular heart detoxing cleanse the soul.

How about it? Do you need a heart (soul) detox?

Feel free to share below how God has cleansed and detoxed your heart. It might encourage another who has pulled a snag and is starting to unravel.

I’m sure I’ll be doing more detoxing in the future to cleanse my soul. After all it’s what keeps me on course.

Stay the course with me,

Terri

Standing at a Crossroads-Part 1

Are you at a crossroads? Big or small, not knowing what direction

to take can be over-whelming. How can you know which way you're to go?

Twenty-two years ago I stood at a major crossroads. Following ongoing confirmation through godly counsel, God’s word and circumstances, I made my decision. This led me into the most wonderful time of my life with the Lord.

A short time later I stood at yet another crossroads, with a second decision to make.

This is a two-part post. We’ll continue part 2 in next week's Monday Marker.

I’m sharing my story with the hope it will help, if you find yourself at a crossroads. The directional marker God staked down for me during this time changed my life. 

Twenty-two years down the road, that marker still affects how I make big decisions. I haven’t always adhered to it and regret when I’ve doubted, jumped ahead of God, and made decisions without seeking clear direction from Him. 

It all started at a Bible study I regularly attended. Two guests came to talk about their recent overseas, short-term mission project. They shared about the work and experiences they had during their trip.

Foreign missions had never been on my radar before. I was moved speechless by their stories, and saw many faces of hurting people in their pictures and slides that resonated deeply with me.

Several years prior, I’d gone through a horrific divorce. Through God’s mercy and grace, I’d found deep comfort and healing. I was drawn to helping others going through similar experiences. As I listened that night, I was surprisingly compelled with a desire to know more.

Through my church, I met a lot of missionaries and heard about short-term opportunities. Through these connections, God introduced me to Youth with a Mission (YWAM), an international organization that trains long and short-term missionaries, Christian leaders, pastors, etc.

YWAM training campuses are scattered all over the world. The

main campus is in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, called University of the Nations. Children attend Foundation School while their parents are in class. The classroom training is three months followed by a two-month field assignment on foreign soil.

For a struggling, single mom of two, this seemed a crazy, far-fetched notion. But I couldn’t ignore the deepening desire and ongoing confirmation. It took the Lord a year and a half to get us there. He provided miraculously through finances and support of those around us. This was the best time of my life and also the worst.

After my divorce, I endured emotional abuse and harassment from my ex-husband. I went to extremes to keep the peace while my fear of him grew. The insane events that often unfolded, reminded me of the TV show, COPS. His life was out of control and spilled onto the kids and me, even though we were divorced.

However, God continued pouring good things into my life. I truly was at a crossroads. It’s no coincidence that the training is called Crossroads Discipleship Training School. One day, while doing Bible study homework, I read this: 

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the 

ancient paths, ask where the good way is, 

and walk in it, and you will find 

rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

I asked, “God, is that You?”

For months I’d put these wild notions on the back burner, leaving it up to God if He wanted us to do something as outlandish as this.

I’d asked the Lord to fill my heart with His desires, replacing those that weren’t of Him. I also asked Him to show me in His word.

This was the push I needed to recklessly abandon myself to my new Husband, Jesus, and trust Him with my mustard seed faith. Doors opened with each step we took in preparations to go. 

If you’re at a crossroads and your decision isn’t life altering, take time to pray, seek godly wisdom and wait. I’ve learned the hard way to NOT force any doors open.

If your decision is life-altering, know that God will not put you in the position to make an overnight decision. Finding His direction isn’t a big mystery you’re burdened with to solve. He doesn’t play games with our head like that.

As you seek God’s direction, keep praying, stay in His word, seek godly wisdom and don’t make any decision based on your emotions.

I invite you to share below in the comments or email me a personal comment via the contact form on the right.

Until next Monday, stay the course.

Terri

Running with Purpose

Welcome to Women In Need WIN, formerly, Markers for Single Moms. I’m excited you’ve stopped by.

In my March 18, 2016, post titled, A New Name, I shared the reason for the name change and new look. You can access it in the blog archive on the right side of this page or simply scroll down.

I am a woman in need. Are you?

I once thought by the time I reached a certain age, I’d be wiser and walking by faith more consistently in every area of my life. Things haven’t always turned out quite as I’d planned. The good things God has done in and through my life are all His doing, DESPITE me.

I may have a tad more wisdom than in my earlier days, but the older…ahem…let’s say, the more mature I become, the clearer I see how desperately I need Jesus than ever before.

If the Lord waited until I had it together, full of wisdom and knowledge, and not so full of..…uh, me, to use my life, nothing would ever get done.

I’ve grieved lost ambitions, missed opportunities and deferred hopes because of doubts, fears and unbelief that once kept me from finding His direction.

Single mom, single again, married, married again, wherever you may be, we all have needs that only God can fill.

I believe the answers we’re hungry for, the healing we seek, and inner nagging for fulfillment we clamor for, are found in God’s word, the Bible, and the indwelling of His Spirit, through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Period.

Whatever our circumstances, marital status or stage in life, we were created to fulfill a unique purpose God has planned for each of us.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

How can I know His purpose and will for my life, you might ask?

In order to find God’s direction for our lives we have to know Him. I’m not talking about being a Christian and knowing Him as Your Savior. I’m talking about KNOWING Him. And to truly know Him, we must spend time with Him, alone.

If we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, then knowing Him should be our greatest passion. From that will flow the specific purposes He’s created us for. Isn’t that the key to fulfillment?

I don’t have all the answers, but I can point to the One who does. Perhaps together we can find community and encouragement here, squished between a million other blogs with promises of the next greatest gadget, weight-loss program or self-help model.

God has the best plan; better than anything I can devise. He uses markers in my life to keep me on course. Along with grieving lost hopes and opportunities, I’ve experienced sheer joy from following His direction in wonderful opportunities I would have otherwise missed. The most exciting, fulfilling times of my life have been when I stepped out in faith, and He swept me away into the unknown of His fabulous plans.

It’s my prayer that together we will discover God’s directional markers for our lives. Let’s share our joy and encouragement that will come from following the One who created us with His specific purposes in mind.

I am a woman in need with my own race to win. What about you? God has a race for you to run and WIN. I invite you to run with me.  

Join me this Monday, April 4, for Monday Markers.

Til then, stay the course.

Terri