Nancy Holte

Encouraging women to grab hold of God's plan for their lives

Nancy

What Makes a Veteran?

As you are no doubt aware, today is Veteran’s Day. Yesterday at church our pastor asked every veteran in attendance to please stand to be honored for their service. We do this at our church on every holiday designed to honor those who have served their country. And every time John stands up but does so with a bit of hesitation. John served in the Navy as an optometrist after graduating from his doctorate program. The U.S. Navy funded the last two years of his education in exchange for two years of his service.

You have to know that John LOVES being an optometrist. So, doing eye exams all day, every weekday for two years didn’t feel like a sacrifice to him. He met some interesting people, got to work doing a job that he loves, and got paid for it. We are both well aware that when he stands alongside the other veterans in the crowd, that some of them are veterans of foreign war and he is not. So, he feels a little funny about standing up for applause and honor for doing something he actually enjoys.

But yesterday, when he stood up, I realized something. Wars are not just won on the battlefield; every person who makes it easier for another service man or woman to do their job is actually aiding in the protection of our country. I mean you can’t send a soldier into combat if he can’t see where to point his weapon, right? That would just be dangerous.

What made me think of this is that on Saturday night we were at a banquet for some missionaries we support. And while, our financial support doesn’t completely fund their mission, without it, and without the support of others like us, they wouldn’t be able to go to the mission field at all. It’s no different than what military optometrists, dentists, office workers, etc. are doing; allowing others to do the job to which they’ve been called.

There is a story in 1 Samuel 30 that talks about this very thing. David and his men had been out of town for a few days. (Read 1 Samuel 26-29 for the the back story.) When they returned to their city they found that the Amalekites had snuck in while they were gone and stolen their possesions, as well as their wives and children. They wept until they were exhausted, then David prayed, and after getting confimation from the Lord, they set off to recover their families and their possessions.

On their way to fight the Amalekites, 200 of the men were too exhausted to travel on. So, they stayed where the were while the rest of the men cotinued on with their quest. Fast forward to their triumphant return when those who had fought in the battle with the Amalekites didn’t want to share their plunder with the men who had stayed behind. In verse 24 David responds to their selfishness with, “Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”

What I take from this story is that when we support missionaries, we share in the blessing of their work. The people who are saved in foreign lands by missionaries we support may never know our names, but God will know, and God will reward us accordingly.

In the same way, the service men and women who do jobs that don’t involve going into battle, still deserve honor for their part in keeping our country free.

So today I say thank you, to every person who serves our country, be it in battle, in a clinic, or in an office. Thank you for serving. Thank you for being a veteran. I honor you today.

Cover photo by Jim Stapleton on Unsplash

A Truth to Shout About

Do you have days when you wonder where God is or if he’s working in your life? Let’s face it, sometimes it feels as though God is 100 miles away paying no attention whatsoever to what is happening in our lives. But the truth is he IS paying attention.

God tells us in his word, “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:8

But, our feelings lie to us.

Sometimes even though we know the truth about God our feelings lie to us and tell us something different. The truth doesn’t change, only our feelings do. I once heard it described like this. If someone handed you a $20 bill as a gift and you stuck it in your pocket, you’d remember for a while that it was in your pocket. You might even pull it out now and again and look at it. But, over time you’d forget about that $20. This is why we find money in our coat pockets every year at the beginning of winter. We stash money in our coat sometime in the spring but then pack it away with out cleaning out said pockets.

But, the money is still there!

Just because we’ve forgotten about the money doesn’t change the truth that there’s $20 hanging out in our pocket. It only changes what we remember about the truth. The same is true about God. Whether we think He’s there or not, the truth hasn’t changed—He’s still God, He’s still in charge, and He still loves you!

Recently I decided to write down a list of everything I know to be true about God. It’s a long list so I’ll only share a few things with you.

The Lord is:

  • Holy
  • Righteous
  • My Savior
  • My Redeemer
  • A Promise Keeper
  • A Light in the Darkness
  • My Provider
  • My Protector
  • My Strength
  • Victorious
  • Steadfast
  • Able
  • Loving
  • Worthy
  • My Hope

The Joy!

If you’ve ever done what I talked about and discovered money in your coat pocket after it’s been in hiding for the past six months you know how exciting that is. When I stick my hand in my pocket and pull out money that I’d forgotten about I practically shout out an announcement. “Look what I found in my pocket!” I exclaim. It could be a bill as small as a dollar but the excitement level is pretty much the same.

What if you wrote your own list about God?

If you had a list of your own proclaiming the truth about God, you could pull it out on those days when you wonder if he’s deserted you. You’d have a ready reminder so you could see the truth in your own handwriting. Once you read it you might even want to shout out, “Look what I’ve found to be true!”

Why not start working on your list today?

My list now fills almost an entire page, but when I first started it, it wasn’t that long. Sometimes when I’m reading my Bible, or some other Christian book, another truth about whom God is might pop out at me and I add it to my list. Here are some verses to help you get started on your list.

“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” – Psalm 147:5

“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” Malachi 3:6

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” Psalm 24:8

If you need more help try doing an Internet search for “Attributes of God.” I hope you find it to be an amazing treasure trove of truth—a truth to shout about!

Cover photo by Ryan Moreno on Unsplash

Super Sleuth Wanna Be

The problem with reading mysteries, or watching crime dramas, is that sometimes I get the notion that I’m a lot stronger than I actually am.  For instance when a man sneaks up behind a woman in a dark alley and she gives him the one-two punch, knocking him to the ground as he begs for mercy, I think I can do that. Mind you, I’m fully aware that I can’t but trust me, should the occasion arise don’t think I won’t at least try.

You’ve heard of the neighborhood watch program? I practically invented it. Well, if I were to be totally honest here, my mother invented it. I watched her stand by the window assessing a stranger in the neighborhood more times than I can count. It wasn’t always a stranger, of course. Sometimes I’d notice her looking out the window when I came home from a date. If she wasn’t watching, Mrs. Padia, who lived across the street, or Mrs. Marshall, who lived next door would faithfully pick up the baton on her behalf. It was like they had a rotating date night observation team. Let’s just say, it was a SAFE neighborhood.

I’ve been able to use the expertise I learned at my mother’s side in our own neighborhood. We live on a dead-end road so it’s pretty obvious when a stranger is in the area. If a car drives up and hangs around, I might casually sit on the couch and pretend to read a magazine while I scope things out. I’m sure they don’t suspect a thing as I occasionally peer out the giant picture window I’m hiding behind.

Thankfully, I’ve never had to put this “super sleuth strength” of mine to the test, and hopefully I never will, but that doesn’t keep me from doing my part.

One day, probably twenty years ago now, I was out shopping in a department store. I noticed a man walking around with a little girl and he was saying, “It’s okay, come with me and I’ll help you find your mommy.” All kinds of suspicious, right? So, I followed him—at a distance mind you, but I was ready to jump in and rescue the child had he tried to exit the store with her. I probably followed the two of them around for about five minutes when it occurred to me I really needed to go home and thus had to come up with an alternate plan. I headed to the checkout counter and surreptitiously pointed the obvious child snatcher out to the clerk. She looked at him, then back at me with a sweet smile and said, “He’s our security guard.”

I had just spent five minutes following a SECURITY GUARD!

Maybe I should take up watching comedies and reading romance novels. At least then, the security guards of the world wouldn’t have to worry about the strange woman following them around.

Cover photo courtesy of Jason Briscoe on Unsplash.

The Greatest Challenge

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” Luke 6:31

I don’t know about you but I remember hearing that verse frequently as a kid, usually, I suppose, when I wasn’t being nice to a friend. Quite frankly, I only remember one instance of being mean (it’s entirely possible that my memory is just poor) and I still feel horrible about it. I have even heard this verse used in a teaching about how we need to love ourselves also. Obviously, if we’re going to act loving toward others we have to be able to love ourselves, too.

Let’s Be Real

Seriously, though, loving people (and even ourselves) SOUNDS easy enough but in reality it’s super hard. I remember reading Bob Goff’s books Everybody Always and Love Does thinking how inspiring they were. “It’s not hard to love people,” I reasoned, “I should make that a constant habit.” And then, with all the love in my heart I’d leave home and undoubtedly run into someone who was just plain mean. And man it’s hard to love mean people!

The verses that precede Luke 6:31 spell out the command “But to you who are wiling to listen I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

That is some command!

It’s challenging to act loving and kind to someone who is hurling insults at you, or perhaps tells you what an idiot you are for believing the things you believe. Our natural instinct is to retaliate. If someone is unkind towards me, it’s not a big leap for me to want to be unkind towards them. But instead I’m supposed to pray for them? And do good towards them? Surely God jests!

But this wasn’t new information when Jesus spoke it in Luke 6. Proverbs 25:21 says, “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.” I think the Message Version sums up the intent of the whole “burning coals” analogy. “Your generosity will surprise him with goodness, and God will look after you.” Basically, the hater will be so astonished by the behavior of the loving person that he’ll be ashamed of his own behavior.

So, how can we love others?

I’m pretty sure God knows our natural instinct isn’t to love people who hurt or annoy us. That’s probably why Jesus spelled it out so clearly. But I don’t think God intends for us to do it alone. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with to help me through the times when I just want to punch someone (which probably wouldn’t hurt them anyway because I’m not very strong.)

  1. Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to walk closely beside me and guard my lips and my mind.
  2. Remember that hurting people hurt people. When people are mean to me, it’s most likely because of something going on in their lives that has nothing to do with me.  
  3. Forgive. Forgiving a person who hurts me is hard but the truth is, if I don’t forgive him/her it’ll affect me far more than it affects him/her. I recently heard Lysa TerKeurst say that when she needed to forgive her husband for his unfaithfulness she would write down what he’d done on a piece of paper, cover it with a red cloth, and say, “I forgive _____for _____and whatever my feelings will not yet allow the blood of Jesus will surely cover.”
  4. Remember that your actions can escalate or deescalate a situation.

Who has God called you to love today?

God wants to help us love others. All we need to do is ask for his help . . . again and again.

Cover photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

What Does God Think of You?

I recently read Emily P. Freeman’s book The Next Right Thing and at one point in the book she asks, “What does God look like to you?” Have you ever asked yourself that question?

I have to admit that as I thought about it, I was a bit surprised with the thoughts roaming around in my brain. Sometimes I think God isn’t very pleased with me, and like a man who is angry whenever I screw up, which is plenty often, thank you very much.

Am I Right? ?

After I wrote down how I see God, I decided that I needed to look in my Bible to see if my view of Him is correct, or a big, fat lie. But then, I got sidetracked and put down my journal, and forgot to look for verses, which right away made me feel, once again, that God was horribly disappointed in me.  

A day or two later John and I decided to go see the movie Overcomer, which, by the way I highly recommend. During that movie, the principal of the high school challenges one of her students to read Ephesians 1-2 and write down everything God says about her. I figured it might be good advice for me, too.

What Does God Say About Me? ?

Here are just a few of the things I wrote down: 

  • I am loved.
  • I am chosen.
  • I am forgiven.
  • I am saved.
  • It gave God great pleasure to adopt me.
  • I am God’s masterpiece.

Wow!

Once I had a clear view in my mind of how God sees me, it was much easier to change my perception of Him.

God is so good! Right when He knew I was struggling He orchestrated a way to tell me how much He loves and cares for me. I would encourage you today to read through Ephesians 1-2 and write down what you see God telling you in these verses. There’s so much more there.

And, if you happen to struggle with your view of God, or His view of you, you might want to write down what you read in Ephesians 1-2 and post it on your bathroom mirror. That way, you’ll have a reminder to read every single day.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:15-19

Cover photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Too Much Junk!

There are books and more books about organizing and tidying. There are people you can hire to come to your house and help you organize, sort, tidy, etc. Clearly, I’m not the only one in America with too much stuff! But, I’ve tried all those methods of sorting and organizing, well maybe not ALL of them, but a lot of them, and it hasn’t really worked out for me. I secretly believe that those books about organizing are for people who already lean that direction anyway.

I’ve determined that the real issue is not that I’m so disorganized, it’s that I have too much junk. How did this happen? I mean, I’m not a hoarder, though I do sometimes look at something I haven’t used in 10 years and think, “Well, I might need it someday.” I’m fairly certain there’s a pair of bright pink polyester pants (that are two sizes too big) on the top shelf of my closet that I’ve saved for at least 15 years in case I ever need them for painting. But here’s the thing, I haven’t picked up a paintbrush for at least 10 years so why do I continue to keep those pants? Plus, painting with one hand while I use the other to hold my pants on is probably not going to work.

WHAT TO DO?

Obviously, I need a solution—one that will work long term.  If I’m going to be totally honest here, I no longer have the energy level of a 30-year-old, thus spending many hours a day organizing just isn’t going to happen. So, I’ve determined that I’m simply going to get rid of one thing every single day. Sometimes I end up ditching more than one item because junk tends to live together in little groups, but I shoot for at least one thing a day. At the end of the year, I will have 365 less items in my house. It might not be noticeable, but then again, maybe it’ll help. It can’t hurt.

This past week when I was going through some sewing stuff to get rid of, I came upon a box of—wait for it—RECIPES! Seriously! An entire 9″ by 13” plastic container with recipes: some cut out of newspapers and magazines, and others that I’ve been given by friends dating back to when I first got married. Why were these in my sewing room, you ask? Because a couple years ago, when I was rearranging the kitchen cupboard, I grabbed the box and stuck it under the sewing table until I had time to deal with it. Are you starting to see the problem?

THERE’S AN ENTERTAINMENT VALUE IN JUNK

Finding this box slowed down my daily ditch considerably because I had to stop and look through the box, should there happen to be any recipes in it I still need. Well, obviously I don’t need them if I’ve gotten along for two years without them! But still, there’s some entertainment value in a box of old recipes. For instance, I found three cookie recipes written on the back of computer cards. I don’t even remember what they used these cards for, but I’m 99% certain it had something to do with computers.

There are some recipes that you know who they’re from the minute you look at them. My friend, Angie used to collect cows so the minute I saw this recipe I thought of Angie.

There were also recipes from people I can’t remember, like the Honey Graham Special from Miriam. I can’t recall ever knowing anyone named Miriam, but the recipe looked interesting.

And then there is my puppy chow recipe that had gone rogue. It’s not the kind of puppy chow you feed to your dog but the yummy, fattening kind made with Crispix. It has been missing for, well, obviously at least two years! I was excited to find it, but as you can see the measurements for some of the ingredients are missing from this very well used, spilled on card. I’m fairly certain it’s 1 cup of each of the top three ingredients should you want to try it.

The Moral of the Story

If you’re at all like me, and you decide to start purging, you may very well run across some funny finds of your own. My advice: enjoy the laugh and then GET RID OF THAT JUNK!

Cover photo by tamara garcevic on Unsplash