Ship's Log  05.31.2015



Ahoy Mateys! I pray that these devotions bless ye in a big way!

SONday Devotions

Pearls From The Sea

Wrestling with God (Our Anchor in the Storm)

By MaryLu Tyndall

   Remember the story in Genesis 32 where Jacob spends the night wrestling with God? What a fascinating story! I've always wondered what started this holy wrestling match. Did the Lord appear and Jacob started arguing with Him? Did he challenge God? Did he ask for something God refused to give him? Who jumped on whom first? And why? Surely God could just have said a word and Jacob would have been frozen in place or disabled. Why would the Lord spend an entire night wrestling with one of His creations? Absolutely fascinating.

   Yet...

   During your prayer time or Bible reading, have you ever felt as though you were wrestling? I have. Sometimes I feel as though I'm fighting my way through a massive wave crashing over my ship, or worse, my ship has capsized and I'm under water and the sea is muddling my words to God and His to me. I realize most of that opposition is the Enemy, for in Ephesians 6, Paul tells us that we wrestle "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

   But what if during some of these moments, it isn't the Enemy, but God who is wrestling with us as He did with Jacob? He's not answering. He's not blessing us. He's opposing us. But why? I contend that it's for the same reason He wrestled with Jacob: to find out just how serious we are about our walk with Him. If our prayers aren't answered right away or if we feel Heaven is silent, are we just going to walk away? Or is God important enough to us that we will persevere, sacrifice even to the point of pain, just to know Him, to win His favor?

   For Jacob, to know God and receive His blessing meant everything. We already know he held God's birthright in high esteem because he tricked his elder brother into giving it to him at the cost of his life. Now, here in Genesis 32, Jacob loses a night's sleep, exerts himself to the fullest of his strength, and even after he is injured, he is not willing to let go of God until he receives all God came to give him.

   This is why God chose Jacob over Esau, and this is why we see his story written for so many generations to read. 

   How about you? Where is your heart? How much are you willing to sacrifice; how hard are you willing to struggle? How important is knowing God and receiving His favor to you? Are you willing to go through the storm to reach the horizon?

   Don't let go of God, our anchor in the storm.

Heaven's Rain

By Debbie Mitchell

   You are standing on the deck of your ship and the rain is gently falling upon your face, offering you such a refreshing reprieve, especially on this hot, sweltering day. But then that rain starts to pour down, pounding against the deck, stinging your skin, and flooding down the hatches. Next thing you know, your peaceful moment has passed, and you're frantically racing around trying to stop the rain from causing any more damage than it already has. After fighting the rain for hours, you may feel as though all is lost, that you might as well just let the ship sink. But hang in there, all is not lost.

                                        ************************************************

   My son loves to listen to Michael W. Smith. I was listening to one of his CDs, and one song stood out for me. It is titled "Healing Rain." In one portion of the song it states how healing rain comes like fire, how you shouldn't be afraid to let it wash over you and take you higher and higher.

   This song rang so true to me. Whenever I need a special touch from the Lord, I know that He will be there for me. 

   We all need healing at times, whether it be from sickness, sorrow, hurt feelings, stress, worry....It's like that pouring rain that pounds the deck of the ship.

   But before we can receive His "healing rain," we first have to believe that He can heal us, and then we need to go to Him and ask for His healing.

   Faith is the key:

   Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment(Matthew 9:22 NIV).

   This woman believed that she would be healed just by touching the hem of Christ's clothing, and look what happened!

   In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk(Acts 14:8-10 NIV).

   This man had faith, and look what happened to him!

   Like the song says, we should not be afraid to come before God. He loves us and wants what is best for us. The more we have faith, the higher we rise and the closer we get to Him.

   ...for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29 NIV)

                                 *********************************************************

   Fire burns off all impurities.

   God will cleanse us and heal us.

   Do you want to be washed in Heaven's rain?

Believe and ask.

Have a blessed SONday, Mateys!!!!

Ship's Log  05.24.2015



Ahoy Mateys! I pray that these devotions bless ye in a big way!

SONday Devotions

Pearls From The Sea

The Rainbow after the Storm--God's Covenant

By MaryLu Tyndall

   All of us deal with storms in life. However, have you ever considered the storms that God has to deal with? He has an entire planet full of rebellious children who are wreaking all kinds of havoc, mayhem, and destruction. I imagine, like any Father, He is terrible grieved by what He sees, perhaps even to the point of wanting to wipe out His creation and start over again. He did just that in Genesis.

   Yet after Noah and his family survive the flood and walk out of the ark on dry land, God makes a covenant with them, as well as with every living creature:

   I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with ever living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth (Genesis 9:10-11 NIV).

   Now, a covenant is a promise, a vow or a pledge, sort of like a legal binding contract, and it's important to note that God never breaks His covenant.

   God also uses symbols as signs of His covenants with man, Circumcision symbolizes the covenant God made with the Israelites. Water baptism symbolizes the death of sin and the resurrection to new life for all who believe in Jesus. In God's covenant with Noah, he uses a rainbow. 

   Now, here's the interesting part: "Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind."

   I always thought the rainbow was placed in the sky for us to remember God's promise, but in truth, God says it's so He will remember! But why would God need to remember anything? He's God, after all. I believe it's because God knew that in the future, He would once again look upon the earth and see nothing but violence and evil and be sorry for what He had made. And when in His anguish He would desire to wipe us all out with a flood, He would pull the contrct He made with Noah from the heavenly files and fling it into the sky so that He wouldn't follow through with His desire.

   So, the next time you see a rainbow, don't just stop and admire its beauty, stop and give praise to God for withholding His hand of judgment and instead, extending His hand of love, patience and mercy to a wicked world--because I have a feeling things are far worse today than they were in Noah's day.

Captains Courageous

By Debbie Mitchell

   Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV).

   Christ will return one day, and we need to be prepared. Our faith needs to be strong enough to withstand any and all attacks. To be brave and strong not only means that we need to be physically fit, it also means that we need to be mature in our walk with God. The more we study God's Word, the braver and stronger we will become.

   Verse 14 says to "Do everything in love." Which means, no matter what life throws your way, never let your anger speak for you.

   But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44 NIV).

   But knowledge puffs up while love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1 NIV).

   If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV).

   Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8 NIV).

   ...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,...(Ephesians 3:17 NIV).

   These verses show how important 1 Corinthians 16:14 truly is to God.

   Can you show love, no matter what?

   Are you courageous enough to stand until the Lord returns?

   Are you one of God's "Captains Courageous"?

Have a blessed SONday, Mateys!!!!

Wordless Wednesday With A Twist

Ship's Log   05.20.2015

It be time fer me Wordless Wednesday With A Twist, Mateys!

Caption this:

What say you? How would ye caption this picture, Mateys?

Thanks fer comin' aboard, Mateys! Hugs and God bless.

Wordless Wednesday With A Twist

Ship's Log   05.13.2015

Ye know what to do, Mateys!

Caption this:

What say you? How would ye caption this picture?

Thanks fer comin' aboard and playin'. God bless.

Madcap Monday

Ship's Log   05.11.2015

It be time fer me Madcap Monday, Mateys! Enjoy!

The Ultimate Selfie!

Hugs and God bless.

Wordless Wednesday With A Twist

Ship's Log  05.06.2015

Ye know what to do, Mateys!

Caption this:

What say you? How would ye caption this picture?

Thanks fer comin' aboard, Mateys! God bless.

Madcap Monday

Ship's Log  05.04.2015

It be time fer me Madcap Monday, Mateys! Enjoy!

Hugs and God bless.

SONday Devotions

Ship's Log  05.03.2015



Ahoy Mateys! I pray that these devotions bless ye in a big way!

SONday Devotions

Pearls From The Sea

Don't Give Up the Ship!

By MaryLu Tyndall

   Don't give up the ship. Not while God is the captain, for no matter how rough the storm, He won't lose anyone on board!

   Most of us have at least one family member who doesn't know the Lord. One person we cry out to God day and night to save. As the years go by and nothing seems to happen, it can be heartbreaking. But God's Word has much to say about lost loved ones.

   Consider the story of Noah in Genesis 6. God looked down upon the earth and found nothing but wickedness and violence, and He was grieved that He had made man. Yet, the next verse states that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord, only Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth....The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation."

   Why did the Lord allow Noah's entire family to be saved even though only Noah was righteous? I believe it's because God is a God of families. He created families. He is the ultimate Father. He understands the intense love that exists in families. He saves entire families! So, are members of a family automatically saved by the belief of one member? No, of course not. However, Scripture confirms that if one member is a Christian who loves the Lord, who serves the Lord and who is fervently praying for his or her family to be saved, they will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at some point in their lives. The Bible is filled with passages about God saving families because of one righteous member. 

   Consider Lot, who was not all that righteous. Over and over, God rescued him for Abraham's sake.

   So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived (Genesis 19:29 NIV)

   In Joshua, the prostitute Rahab was saved along with her entire family because of her faith in God. 

   And don't forget the jailer who, after Peter was miraculously delivered out of prison, asked: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

   So, Don't be disheartened. Search the Scriptures for other instances where God saves families and descendants of the righteous. And pray and fast for your lost loved ones. Don't give up the ship. God is a Father, and He understands your love and your fears for your family. He will calm the waters and rescue your lost ones!

Beaten, Stoned and Shipwrecked

By Debbie Mitchell

   Have you ever boasted about your suffering?

Seems absurd, doesn't it? Yet, that is exactly what we should be doing. Paul suffered so much in his walk with God. Among other things, he was beaten, stoned and shipwrecked. He was constantly in danger from strangers and from his own countrymen. In all this, he chose to boast about his sufferings. He refused to boast in any of his good fortune, only in his suffering.

   If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV).

   When things are going smoothly in our lives, we have no problem boasting about our success. But when we face any kind of suffering, we complain about it. What we need to realize is that the Enemy hates it when we live our lives for God. So, he brings suffering to us, to try and make us complain about it. When we complain, we make Satan stronger: we make him smile. Yet, when we boast about those same sufferings, we wound Satan. No smile there!

   We need to see suffering as a blessing. If we suffer, it means Satan sees us as a threat. Therefore if we are suffering, we must be doing something right. So, let's take Paul's lead and start boasting about our sufferings. Let's Beat, Stone and Shipwreck Satan!

   Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 5:8-11 NASB).

Have a blessed SONday, Mateys!!!!