Tag Archives: faith

Is There Power In the Cross or Not?

December 9, 2014 Sarah Jane Kellogg 2 Comments

“Oh yes, there is power in the cross,” we quickly say. “The blood of Jesus has saved me from my past sins and will take me to heaven when I die.”

Sound familiar? Why is it that we can so easily trust Jesus with our past sins and future sins, yet we have little or no confidence that He can save us from our present sins? Why do we remain in bondage to those pesky little habits that so easily beset us?¹ I fear we have somehow been tricked into thinking there is no hope for us in that area.

I am astounded at the power this message from Satan has over our lives. Why wouldn’t saving us from present sins be as easy for Jesus as saving us from past sins or future sins? Ponder that thought. Are we missing something here?

Jesus told the complaining crowd, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”²

The truth is that neither is hard for Jesus, the Healer, the Forgiver, the Deliverer, and the Savior! He can heal a paralytic as easy as He can save him from his sins. Likewise, He can save us from our present sins as easy as He can save us from our past or future sins.

I believe that we live in bondage to our present sins mostly because no one preaches the power of the cross anymore. We’ve failed in our attempts to improve our flesh so many times that we’ve given up, and even the preachers of today have failed so many times that they’ve given up too. They can tell us how to get to heaven, but they can’t tell us how to be saved from the bondage of present sins.

Part of the great announcement about the birth of the Messiah is that He would save His people from their sins.³ That includes us and that includes now! We can be free solely because Jesus did His part. He died to free us from all of our sins, and if we aren’t free it is because we do not know how to claim the victory that He won for us.

We must first begin to believe this victory applies not only to past and future sins, but also to these here and now sins from which we cannot shake free. If the Son sets us free, we will be free indeed!⁴This promise is for us, and we shall soon see how to claim it in the here and now.

Most assuredly, there is power in the cross! ~ Janie Kellogg

Key Quote: “Am I seeking to stop sinning or have I actually stopped? To be born of God means that I have His supernatural power to stop sinning.”⁵ ~ Oswald Chambers

For more Secret Place Secrets visit www.treasureinearthenvessels.net and follow the footprints.

¹Hebrews 12:1; ²Mark 2:9-10; ³Matthew 1:21; ⁴John 8:36; ⁵Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 15

Amazing People

The Man Who Taught Me Faith ~ A Tribute to Pastor Norman ‘Doc’ Shuman

December 4, 2014 Sarah Jane Kellogg 6 Comments

I have had the privilege of sitting under many great men of God in my lifetime, but none have impacted my life as much as Pastor Norman ‘Doc’ Shuman. I was 22 years old when I first stepped foot into the church he was pastoring. From that moment on, my life would never be the same.

Oh, it wasn’t a beautiful sanctuary with stained-glass windows and filled with hundreds of well-dressed people. No, it was a double-wide mobile home custom-built to serve as a place of worship for a congregation of 30 to 40, most of which were new Christians. Little did I know that it had a reputation as “one of those churches” that might not be preaching the truth of the gospel. I reckon folks didn’t understand church plantings back in those days.

I guess I either didn’t know or didn’t care, since I was spiritually starving and simply had to find some answers soon. I had walked the isle many times in various churches trying to find God so I could give my life to Him. I had visited one-on-one with preachers, Sunday School teachers, and a host of empathetic friends. When at last I had reached somewhat of a desperate state, the Spirit of God led a lady to call me and invite me to the church where Doc Shuman was preaching.

I will never forget that memorable night. I walked in the door of this makeshift church and was met by the dear lady who had invited me there. She slipped her arm around my waist and helped me find a seat. She never left my side. The pastor’s wife was playing the organ with an anointing that I had not heard since I was a child. Joyful sound and newness of life permeated the room. Tears began to flow down my face and I did not stop crying the entire service, feeling literally enveloped in the Presence of God.

And what did I hear from Pastor Shuman that night but faith—the very thing that had eluded me for years. I had done all the right things….taken all the necessary steps….prayed the correct religious words, but nothing ever happened in my heart. The Bible tells us clearly that “without faith it is impossible to please God.”¹ So no matter how many times I followed the instructions given to me, without faith new birth simply could not happen.

Within a few weeks of soaking up the rich messages of faith in Pastor Shuman’s sermons from God’s Word, I began to believe what I was hearing. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”² Bingo! It happened as naturally as breathing, and I graciously received God’s amazing gift of Salvation. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”³

For 12 years I sat under the life-giving teaching of Pastor Shuman. He taught me so much about the Word that my soul grew in unmeasurable portions. He taught me to worship to Lord unashamedly, as he himself danced before the Lord with great rejoicing. Having a great singing voice, he would break into song in the middle of his sermon. He was one-of-a-kind, and I expect there will never be another Doc Shuman.

He and wife, Betty, also known as “Sister Momma,” blessed my family in a thousand ways. Besides pastoring the church that grew to approximately 200 people, they also founded a Christian School. They taught our children to respect and honor God, home, and country. They not only taught it, they lived it before their very eyes.

Throughout the years of their ministry and even today in their 80’s, they have planted numerous churches, funded many a mission effort, and continued to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Always having a concern for kids, Pastor Shuman called only a few months ago to see if I still had some of the children’s church material I wrote 30 years ago.

Today, this humble and awesome man of God is being laid to rest. My heart is heavy with great sorrow, but my memories are priceless. I know that today he is dancing in the presence of the Blessed Savior that he loved so much.

My heart will forever be grateful for this dear man who taught me faith. ~Janie Kellogg

Additional Note: Perhaps sorrow has been added to sorrow, as today Pastor Shuman’s son-in-law, Johnny Quinn is being buried as well. While at the funeral home with family members to make arrangements for Pastor Shuman’s service, John suffered a massive brain aneurism. He was rushed to a major medical facility, but never regained consciousness. He died two days ago. It seems unimaginable that today this family is attending a double funeral service for their loved ones. A sweet family friend said it so well, “There just are no words.”

¹Hebrews 11:6; ²Romans 10:17; ³Ephesians 2:8

Holy Spirit

Thank God for the Remembrancer

June 3, 2014 Sarah Jane Kellogg 3 Comments

WOW! It’s already been a busy summer, and it isn’t even summer yet. But that is just life. We plan, work, do, go, play, celebrate, cook, clean up, buy, decorate, trim the yard, attend church, relax, and then do it all again next week. What that amounts to in my life is—little time for blogging!

However, I capture my thoughts along my busy pathways and keep them in a safe place until time allows me to sit in front of my computer for a few quiet minutes. One such thought that grabbed my attention last week was a comment by Andrew Murray, one of my favorite authors.

It was this: “The Holy Spirit is the remembrancer, the Spirit of recollection.¹” He reminds us (brings to our remembrance²) the things that are difficult for us humans, especially busy humans, to remember from day to day about key spiritual truths. The Bible tells us that “Life is full of trouble.³” Who among us hasn’t experienced that! Every day has enough trouble all of its own without borrowing trouble from the next one. It seems that Satan is always there, roaring about seeking whom he may devour,⁴ feeding us lies, deceiving us, and trying to pull us away from our faith in God. Even though he has no power over us whatsoever, he sure can make us think he does!

To help us combat the troubles of life, God gives to every Christian the Holy Remembrancer! That’s right, a built-in, personal Holy Spirit to help us remember the important information about our spiritual DNA—or you could say, our born-again believer status.

I watched a good Hallmark movie a few years ago titled “Remember Sunday,” in which a young man, named Gus, suffered an aneurism and could no longer remember anything once he went to sleep at night. He literally woke up in a new world every day—having totally forgotten who he was, what he knew, who he knew, or anything for that matter. It was a touching story about a girl who falls in love with Gus, but every day he had to get to know her all over again. Regardless of what they experienced in life on a particular day, he totally forgot it by the next morning. So much for making memories, right?

I think we might sometimes be like Gus—you know, waking up in a new spiritual world every day. We forget who we are, what we know, and Who we know! Even though we had a great spiritual experience the day before and won a glorious victory in our battle against sin and self, on this day we woke up with no recollection of it whatsoever. We act as though it never happened, as if we were not delivered and set free, healed and made whole, or washed and redeemed. Our victory speech has faded into complaints and grumbling. Our stalwart faith feels more like weak knees and hands that hang down. So what’s up with that!

But then we must take into consideration our Holy Remembrancer! He is there to remind us Who we belong to, what our Savior has done for us, and the promises and privileges that are afforded to us by our Heavenly Father. After all, “He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”⁵

Oh dear ones, what more could we ask for? How much more does God need to do to show us His eternal love for us? How much plainer must He make His plan to bless us now and take us to heaven later? What else will it take for God to establish and settle us until we count on Him to work and bring His promises to pass in our lives?

Let us right now thank God for our Holy Remembrancer! Let us embrace Him, believe Him, and trust Him to do His work in us. He is truly a blessing above all blessings! ~ Janie

¹Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ, Starling and Black Publications, 2013, Page 55

²John 14:26; ³Job 5:7; ⁴1 Peter 5:8; ⁵2 Corinthians1:22.

Faith

Rest ~ It can be yours for the right currency

May 13, 2014 Sarah Jane Kellogg Leave a comment

I think most all Christians believe that God intends for His children to be at rest—at least spiritually. We know we are called to work to spread the Gospel to all the world, to teach and train our children and new converts in the things of God, and certainly to wage war against the forces of evil; but spiritually, we believe that God wants us to be “at rest” in Him as our Heavenly Father.

As earthly parents, we do not want our children, especially small children, to be concerned about where their next meal is coming from, the growth of their college fund, the cost of their health insurance, or much of anything for that matter. We want them to be kids—to be light-hearted and carefree as they live life. After all, we are responsible for the big things, and there’s not much that kids can do about heavy issues anyway.

Why then do we think our Heavenly Father is any different? Did He not say that He clearly takes responsibility for what we eat, and drink, and wear? And what about tomorrow or the future? Didn’t He tell us not to worry about heavy issues like those? Isn’t He the only one who can do anything about those things anyway? Personally, I believe God says to us: “I’ll allow you to be human, if you’ll just allow me to be God!”

Recently, we talked about entering God’s rest from Hebrews Chapter 4—a chapter rich with nuggets of insight for us. Here are a few of them:

It is possible not to enter this rest.
Entering requires faith, not just knowledge.
God was angry with those who failed to enter.
Everything has already been accomplished for us to enter.
All who enter must cease from his own works as God ceased from His works.

We have read these truths over and over. We think we understand what they mean, but we continue to live otherwise. We continue “not” to believe God’s rest is for us. We continue to strive to please God with our human accomplishments. We continue to work to make God happy enough to let us enter there. Yet, based on these truths from Chapter 4, these things are simply not what is required.

Receiving things from God seems to trip us up. Just how do we get God to release His promises to us? I believe that God has a currency—a heavenly currency—that must be used in God’s economy. It is the one thing that God accepts when we come to get something from Him. That currency is FAITH! God has set in motion that everything that comes from Him can be obtained ONLY by using this currency. Scripture verifies my belief:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. (Hebrews 11:6)

When we come to God for rest and do not come with faith, but with complaining, or self-pity, or offering up our good deeds, we are attempting to use some other form of currency. And God says “I won’t accept that currency. You must enter my rest on my terms, and my terms are by faith!” Can we not hear Him saying to us “Take me at my Word! Stop doubting me! Stop trying to earn it! Stop trying to coerce me! Cease from your works and simply believe ME!”

Do you get it? God wants us to stop trying and start believing! We must repent for trying to get there any other way; for blaming God that it’s too hard; and for trusting in our own works. It’s time to humble ourselves, believe God, and approach the throne of God with FAITH in our hands and our hearts. Thank Him that He provided it free of charge to us—except to believe Him. Thank Him for doing all the work and letting us off the hook. Our works don’t look so great anyway.

If you’re broke—dead-broke with no faith in your pocket whatsoever—ask our generous God to give you some. He longs to do that for you. If you come before Him with FAITH to enter that rest, it’s a guarantee that He’ll receive it and you will at last GO IN! ~ Janie

Encouragement

A Message for Rock-Bottom Disciples

April 11, 2014 Sarah Jane Kellogg Leave a comment

Ever wonder why God lets us struggle? I certainly do. Maybe you think God has nothing to do with the struggle you’re in. Think again.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)

Yep, there it is—it is God’s doing. He lets us suffer or struggle on purpose. Why, sometimes He even lets us go all the way to the bottom. Yet, I believe He is up to something when He allows sharpening circumstances to impact our lives. Iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17) When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Isn’t that always the case? When life gets hard, we gain strength and resilience, and what once seemed hard no longer is. What is it about hitting bottom that does something in us?

The bottom—what does that mean in spiritual terms? Does it mean: we’ve tried all efforts and nothing has worked? We’ve exhausted all resources, and the problem remains unfixed? We’ve turned to every expert we know, yet we’re more perplexed than ever? How about—we’ve tried to find God, but He hasn’t shown up?

You might have said “yes” to all of those. I want to point you to a story in Luke Chapter 24 about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Perhaps they had tried all efforts to understand the crucifixion of Jesus. They had exhausted everything they had learned in the past three years. They had looked to others for answers, and I’m sure they had tried to get God’s attention. Yet, they remained perplexed, confused, and afraid. We might say they were at the bottom.

Then a stranger came along beside them as they traveled, and they poured out their sad story to him. “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Does that mean they had lost their hope? All hope? They continued with a hear-say story of some out-of-this-world notion that included visions and angels, but there was no proof for any of it. After all, they had watched Jesus die with their own eyes.

I can only imagine our Savior as he listened to their bewildering story. I can see a slight grin on Jesus’ face as He held His composure. Can’t you just hear Jesus ask, “Really?” And then He says to those two rock-bottom disciples: “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

Can you see what they were missing? Can you feel their grief and at the same time sense Jesus’ excitement knowing He would soon open their eyes to who He is? Why, He isn’t in the grave—He is right here talking to them!

This amazing story brightens my day today, as I think about all the times I have been a rock- bottom disciple. All the times I’ve looked, and longed, and searched for real answers, the right outcome, and the victory message behind my struggles. I think of all the years I have searched for the mysteries of God in His Word, the keys to the kingdom to unlock what I don’t understand. And all the while Jesus has been right here in my company, with the slight grin on His face, thinking “If only she knew what I know. If only she could see what I see. If only!”

Have you and I suffered a little while in our darkness, our perplexity, our out-of-this world stories that we can’t understand? Are we wondering when Jesus Himself is going to show up like He promised, to restore us, make us strong, firm and steadfast?

Just when is that going to happen? When we get to the bottom of our resources, our efforts, our attempts—that’s the very time Jesus has been waiting for! That’s the very position He longs for us to reach so He can tell us what was best described by Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story!”

“Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” Are we ready for Jesus, who is right here with us in our perplexing situations, to open our eyes and let us see Him? Are we ready to have Jesus explain from the beginning what’s been happening just as he did to those disciples who had reached the bottom of human explanation and human hope.

That’s what Jesus wants to do for us today. He wants to show us the meaning behind the struggle—the waiting before the Lord, the purpose of it all. He has some BIG NEWS for you and me. Are we ready to trust Him and believe His explanation? Are our hearts burning within us while He’s speaking and opening our eyes even now?

Don’t miss next week’s post “Seeing is Everything.” In the meantime, start looking up from your rock-bottom stance. Jesus has been right here all the time. ~ Janie Kellogg

Vision

Higher Ground ~ A Recipe for Joy

February 13, 2014 Sarah Jane Kellogg 3 Comments

Is it possible that our level of joy is a measuring stick for our faith in God? The more I see into the spiritual world, the more I trust the One who controls all things, and the more I trust the One who controls all things, the less I fret and worry about earthly things, and the less I fret and worry about earthly things, the more joy I have!

For those of us who like visuals, my theory looks something like this:

Spiritual sight = knowledge of God = faith in God = trust in God = less worry = more joy!

What we see of God could be the single most important factor in all of life. Our spiritual eye health should be of utmost concern to us. Without a healthy vision of God, we are stuck in the muck and mire of earthiness—yet with it, we can soar to levels high above our worldly existence. Unfortunately, if we never learn to soar, we will continue to dwell far below what Christ made available for believers.

Listen to how the Apostle Paul described what God has given to us: “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.”¹ Did you get that—blessed in the heavenly realms?

Look at another statement by Paul that describes where believers are: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus….”² Did you get that—seated in the heavenly realms?

What could this mean? Please understand that God is not teasing us here. It means we can live above the world—above our earthly circumstances. It means we are no longer held in a decaying flesh by sin’s dread sway. Our flesh must submit to our higher order of life.

What are we thinking? Why is it that we submit to our flesh and give it such allegiance when we don’t have to? Why do we allow depression to darken our days; anxiety to hijack our faith; worry to weigh us down with burdens we’re not meant to carry; or fear to stop us dead in our tracks? Why do we bow down to this fleshly nature as if we are frail, helpless creatures? We are not!

It could be time to start thinking out of the box or out of this world. We need only take our rightful position in the heavenly realms beside our Conquering King. And when the enemy of our soul says, “What do you think you’re doing UP there with Jesus?” look down into this earthly pool of accusation, doubt and discouragement, and reply, “I’m up here in the heavenly realms where God put me.”

That should make our joy barometer rise!

It has been said that many Christians live beneath their privileges. But why? I believe we live beneath our privileges, which includes a lack of joy, because we do not truly know our God. We do not know experientially where He has seated us, mostly because do we understand heavenly realms.

So where are you and I? Do we see and understand heavenly things from where we are now? Or is it time for us to reach for a higher spiritual plane where we can see more, understand more, believe more, trust more, and worry less? Is it time for you and me to have more joy?

The writer of the song “Higher Ground” got it right. Read these powerful words:

My heart has no desire to stay | where doubts arise and fears dismay;

‘Tho some may dwell where these abound | My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand | By faith on heaven’s table land;

A higher plane than I have found | Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.³

As for me, “I’m pressing on the upward way; new heights I’m gaining every day!” I hope you will come and go with me. ~ Janie Kellogg

¹Ephesians 1:3; ²Ephesians 2:6; Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Holidays

Our Non-traditional Thanksgiving Traditions

December 2, 2013 Sarah Jane Kellogg 8 Comments

On Thanksgiving Day, American families gathered together all across this great and diverse nation to share a meal and give tribute to the One who ultimately provided it. That is simply what we do on this day.

Like other American families, my family has our own Thanksgiving traditions. They are, however, what you might call non-traditional traditions. For more than 30 years, we have celebrated in a unique and personal style in setting, food, and dress.

When asked by strangers how my family celebrates Thanksgiving, I often struggle for words to explain what it is that we actually do. My story is generally met with amusement: “What! No turkey, no dressing, no cranberry sauce!”

It is true nonetheless. Five generations of non-traditionalists converge on the side of a mountain at a deer-hunters cabin in the pine-covered mountains of Southeast Oklahoma. We arrive on ATVs, Jeeps, and 4-wheel drive vehicles to share in the family fun on this day. We come decked out in camouflage and denim, and everyone who can grow a beard has one. The cabin’s open fireplace assures that everyone and everything will soon smell of smoke.

The food menu hasn’t changed in 33 years—venison, wild turkey, mashed potatoes, beans and cornbread—cooked by the hunters who have camped there for the entire week of deer season. Over the years the menu has grown to include a few traditional side items brought by those who don’t appreciate the non-traditional cuisine (like me); but regardless of what tops the home-built table covered with an orange Oklahoma State University Pistol Pete tablecloth, no one leaves hungry.

When my pastor-son was asked to bless the food, an immediate hush fell across the room. Whether it was kids running to and fro, age-old stories being told and retold, or last minute efforts to put the food on the table, it all ceased for the Thanksgiving prayer. I won’t soon forget my son’s words—they were a testimony of who we are.

In his prayer, my son gave thanks to God for all who had gathered there and for His many blessings to our family during the year. Then he said, “I thank You that someone in this family made the decision many years ago to live godly….” He finished his prayer, but my mind lingered long on the thought, “made the decision to live godly.”

This family was truly blessed to have godly grandparents who blazed the trail before us. They have long departed to heaven, and through the years other family members have joined them there as well. Yet every Thanksgiving, we meet once again to cherish those we can still hug, lavish love on the newest among us, and to remember those who left us this godly heritage.

So what does “live godly” mean anyway? Oh, don’t get me wrong—we are not a perfect family—by any stretch of the imagination. We have our faults, our failures, our sins, and our wounds. Being godly doesn’t mean that we haven’t sinned; it means that we know the Savior who takes away the sin of the world.¹ It doesn’t mean that we haven’t made mistakes; it means that we trust in the blood of the Lamb that washes white as snow.²

Deciding to live godly simply means choosing to be like God—

We choose to extend grace to undeserving people, because God extended grace to us when we were undeserving.

We choose to forgive those who have hurt us, because God forgave us when we were guilty of hurting others.

We choose to love the unlovable in the world, because God loved us when we were unlovely.

Perfect people—not by a long shot! But we are people who live by our faith in the God who forgives,³ whose mercies are new every morning,⁴ and who has promised to take us to heaven when we die.⁵

At the end of the day, a group of full and happy family members who smelled of smoke gathered into a huddle for the annual photo shoot. There we stood—five generations of imperfect godly people enjoying our non-traditional Thanksgiving traditions. ~Janie Kellogg

¹John 1:29; ²Isaiah 1:18; ³1 John 1:9; ⁴Lamentations 3:23; ⁵John 14:2-3

Encouragement

I’m no Elijah ~ or am I?

October 23, 2013 Sarah Jane Kellogg 6 Comments

What Christian wouldn’t like to be another Elijah—you know, the prophet who had a showdown with the false gods of his day? Remember that famous Bible story where Elijah set up a huge demonstration on Mount Carmel and called down fire from heaven onto altars that had been doused with barrels of water. When Elijah loudly proclaimed, “Will the real God please show up,” He did. God had orchestrated the entire event to prove to the wayward children of Israel that He alone is the one true God.¹

Don’t you wish an Elijah would show up today? I suspect some of us might have opportunities for an Elijah-size showdown with the false gods in our culture—if we were to look for them. But I think that many of us (me included) don’t look for those opportunities since the gods of our day are just too intimidating. Certainly a challenge against any one of them would be considered “politically incorrect.”

Personally, I am happier minding my own business. That kind of courage just isn’t my cup of tea. Such bold faith is surely reserved for the special servants of God. Actually, I am more like Elijah on the next day when he ran for his life, hid under a tree, and had a pity party praying that he could die.²

So what is the difference in the Elijah on Mount Carmel and the Elijah under the tree? I don’t know for sure, but it probably had something to do with his level of faith on those two separate days. On day 1 Elijah had been a man of courage. He clearly heard and obeyed the voice of the Lord. He boldly took a stand even though he was outnumbered 450 to 1. Elijah trusted that if he did his part, God would show up. I’ve had some days like that—well, maybe not exactly like that.

On day 2 Elijah must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed (or maybe he didn’t get up at all). He didn’t have clear direction about what the Lord wanted him to do like he did on day 1. He was on the defense running for his life, not on the offense and calling the shots like he was on day 1. Nor was he sure of the outcome of his circumstances as he had been on day 1. Elijah simply didn’t have the strength to be anything different than just who he was—on day 2. Now I’ve definitely had some days like that.

Come to think of it, I may be an Elijah after all. You see, God met Elijah wherever he was—on day 1 and on day 2. He was with Elijah when he had the faith to call down fire from heaven, and He was with Elijah when he felt “winky-wonky” and ran for his life. Winky-wonky was a term used by Grandmother Grace Kellogg when she didn’t feel quite up to par.

The fact is: God never changes!³ He is faithful and strong and loving and caring, and He meets me in my place of need wherever I find myself—on my own Mount Carmel standing up against false gods or hiding in the bushes until the threat against my life passes.

Do you feel bold today, perhaps able to tackle one of the many false gods in our culture? Or do you feel like staying in bed and pulling the covers over your head? Either way, our faithful God is with you and He will be with you tomorrow too. Bold or winky-wonky—God is with us for the long-haul. Jesus said it like this—I am with you always, even to the very end!⁴ ~ Janie Kellogg

¹1 Kings 18; ²1 Kings 19; ³James 1:17 (NLT); ⁴Matthew 28:20

Poetry

Where Was God?

September 11, 2013 Sarah Jane Kellogg 6 Comments

[In memory of September 11, 2001, I am posting a poem that I wrote a few days after the most horrific attack ever on American soil. I think the words of my poem will bring back many of the emotions we all felt that dreadful day. May we never forget.]

Where was God? The skeptics asked

Amid the terror, amid the blast

Does He not see? Does He not care?