Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Greatest Man of the East

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. (Job 1:1-3)

It sounds to me like Job had quite a bit going for him!

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and satan also came with them. The Lord said to satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”

Then the Lord said to satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The Lord said to satan, Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Job’s oxen and donkeys were captured and the servants killed. Fire fell down from the sky and burned the sheep and the servants. The camel herd was carried off and the servants put to the sword. His children were feasting and drinking and a mighty wind swept in from the desert and the house collapsed.

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

I want to be like Job! One really cool thing that stands out to me in addition to his faith in God is that God knew he could handle the trials. I encourage you to read the rest of the book of Job and reflect on his loyalty to God and remember when your going through a tough time to praise the name of the Lord.

To contact Kristen, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com or send a letter to The Wellington Leader, Attn: Kristen’s Corner, Box 992, Wellington, TX 79095.

Happy Trails & God Bless!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

God works in amazing ways!

In 1 King 19 when Elijah is fleeing to Horeb he has an encounter with God.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broke down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.”


I recently finished the book “When God Winks at You” by Squire Rushnell and I highly recommend it. It includes powerful stories of moments and events in people’s lives where God was definitely present.

It reminded me that God doesn’t necessarily have to speak to us with crashes of thunder and lightning. Sometimes it’s a simple as seeing a picture, running into an old friend or just the peace in your heart knowing you made the right decision.

I would love to hear about a time you experienced a ‘God wink’. Maybe it was a time when you didn’t know how to move forward or a time in your life when God showed you the unexpected.

To contact Kristen, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com or send a letter to The Wellington Leader, Attn: Kristen’s Corner, Box 992, Wellington, TX 79095.

Happy Trails & God Bless!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Storms in Life

Matthew 14:30-31 says, “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith. Why did you doubt?”


How much like Peter are we? We see Jesus by going to church, reading and mediating on his word and surrounding ourselves with strong Christian friends. It builds our faith.

However, when we start to drift off from those things, when we take our eyes off of him, life seems to get a whole lot tougher. The waves and the wind begin to overtake us and we become overwhelmed.

Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
(Matthew 8: 24-27)

In David’s Song of Praise in 2 Samuel 22:5 & 17, the Bible says, “The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.”….. “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”

Waves and wind are part of life, but the choice to focus on them or God is ours.

Then we will not longer be infants, tossed back and fourth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joining and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Quit telling God how big your storm is and start telling your storm how big your God is.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com