Month: February 2009

Tennessee Farm Kid

Posted on by Susan Panzica
This was sent to me from my husband’s cousin, Denise. Keep smiling to the end.
Susan
Tennessee FARM KID
(NOW AT San Diego MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING)

Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there’s warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, bacon, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you until noon when you get fed again. It’s no wonder these city boys can’t walk much.

We go on ‘route marches,’ which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it’s not my place to tell him different. A ‘route march’ is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sorefeet and we all ride back in trucks.

The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and Colonels just ride around and frown. They don’t bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don’t know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don’t move, and it ain’t shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don’t even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain’t like fighting with that ole bull at home. I’m about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake… I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I’m only 5’6′ and 130 pounds and he’s 6’8′ and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter,
Alice

Are you a Secret Service Agent?

Posted on by Susan Panzica

My adult Sunday School class has been discussing spiritual gifting and serving the Lord. This week’s lesson was about serving in the mundane. When we are involved in serving the Lord, do we seek attention or admiration for ourselves? Jesus said that we are to let our light shine before men, so that may see your good deeds and praise who? Not you! … so that they may praise your Father in heaven! We were challenged to perform secret acts of service, so that we would experience the joy of serving the Lord for the sheer joy of serving, expecting no reward, acclaim, attention or even appreciation. “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men..” Col. 3:23
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As class was ending, Brad brought up a great illustration. In the CIA and other clandestine government organizations, many deeds that benefit our country are done completely in secret. Rewards for a job well done are presented secretly. No publicity. No one knows the risks taken, dangers faced, sacrifices made on our behalf. These men and women perform acts of service knowing that their actions are for the benefit of those who will never know about them, and thus will never be able to express their appreciation.
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Compare that to the Academy Awards on Sunday night. People spending thousands of dollars to dress up and parade in front of an admiring crowd. What did these celebrities do to earn such acclaim?
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Jesus said that if we receive a reward here on earth, that’s all we get. But if we serve without seeking any reward, our reward in heaven will be great and will be eternal. That’s the prize I desire! How about you? Won’t you join me as a Secret Service agent of the kingdom of heaven?
Susan

Alex

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Many thanks to Carol for sharing this wonderful story:

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it. The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ‘Good morning Alex.’

‘Good morning Pastor,’ he replied, still focused on the plaque. ‘Pastor, what is this? ‘
The pastor said, ‘Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.’

Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque. Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked,

‘Which service, the 8:30 or the 10:30?’

Susan

Fear Not!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I recently joined an online writer’s group where the moderators ask a question, and members email their responses to each other. I read and I learn, but I don’t usually share anything because I am so new to this writing “gig” that I feel I don’t have something worthy to share. This week’s question, though, was one in which I (unfortunately) have a great deal of experience: “What are you afraid of?” The question, of course, related to the field of writing, but I felt led to share what I will now share with you as well.

Since I will be speaking at a Ladies Tea in June on the subject of fear, I have had this on my mind. If you are coming to the Tea and want to be surprised, stop reading here. But this is a preview of what I’ll be sharing.

****

Fear has been a constant companion all my life. One of my biggest fears has always been the fear of public speaking. I’ve heard that the fear of public speaking is the #1 fear in this country. The #2 fear is death. That means that at a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy! Jerry Seinfeld said that, and it’s the only punchline I can ever remember, probably because it hits so close to home.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there is only one fear we ought to have – the fear of the Lord. There is nothing else to fear. I’ve heard that “fear not” appears 365 times in the Word. This means that there is a “fear not” for every single day! Fear has served a purpose in my life. It keeps me on my knees. I know God can supernaturally remove it, and He has done so on occasion. But, if He doesn’t, I understand that it causes me to go to Him.

Despite my fears, I have been a speaker for years, but writing is a new endeavor for me. I struggle with whether I am good enough and how much there is to learn about this craft and this industry, but I do not want to be like the servant who buried his talent. We have to give an account someday of what we’ve been entrusted with, and I want to be found faithful.

To me, fear is like the threshold found in a doorway. It prevents me from going further. When I was little, I remember being afraid of participating in a pillow fight my dad was having with my sister. I stood silently at the entrance to the room, even after they invited me to join them. I still find that fear prevents me from moving forward. BUT, as the bride of Christ, I daily choose to allow my Bridegroom to carry me over that threshold, past that fear, leave it behind and enter into a place of peace, free of fear.

These verses have ministered greatly to me:
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:4
Susan

Indecision???

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Today on the radio, I heard the following statement: “Indecision may or may not be my problem.” I laughed out loud! That hit close to home!

Indecision has frequently caused me to procrastinate. I have a “to-do” pile that is expanding because I’m not sure what action to take. I’ll think that perhaps this might be the way to go, only to rethink that decision, and ultimately, I end up taking no action at all.

But there is one decision that I made almost 30 years ago that I will never rethink. I made the choice to accept the gift of salvation that God so generously offered. Moses told the Israelites, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. … Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendents might live! Choose to love the LORD your God and obey Him and commit yourself to Him, for He is your life.” (Deut. 30:19-20) I chose life on Sept. 9, 1979.

But I find that I must choose every day to walk according to that life. Joshua said, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” Each day presents itself with new challenges that test my decision of 30 years ago. According to a footnote in my Bible, “The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven His trustworthiness. … It’s easy to slip into a quiet rebellion – going about life in your own way. But the time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you? The choice is yours. Will it be God, your own limited personality, or another imperfect substitute? Once you have chosen to be controlled by God’s Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day.”

Have you reaffirmed your choice to serve the Lord today? As Bob Dylan sang, “You gotta serve somebody.” So, if you find that you’re not serving the Lord, who are you serving? Have you been going your own way? Has a minor incident caused a major disconnect with God? Remember that as many steps as you may have taken away from God, it’s only just one step back – back into fellowship with Him and the blessings that accompany that relationship.

Susan

God is my Pilot – and Donna’s too!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

My friend, Donna, had a traumatic experience the other day, and shared this testimony. Be sure to read to the end!
Susan


Brothers and sisters,
I want to share something. I had a harrowing experience this morning — a near crash that could have been disastrous. The only explanation I can give for the many factors that came together to save me was that Jesus was in that car with me.


I was coming down a short stretch of Route 23 South that I take most mornings. I am only on the highway for less than 1/4 mile. I get on Route 23 at the West Belt service road just before the interchange with Routes 46 and 80, and I immediately exit for Route 46 West/Route 23 South. The exit ramp merges down from two lanes into one. I was in the left, merging into the right. I was conscious of there being unusually little traffic.


Suddenly, to my left, I saw a gray pick-up truck crossing the median and coming toward me. It was one of those low medians — all cement and about 6-7 inches high, but about 15 feet wide. He was crossing from the right lane on the other side of the median that would have taken him to Route 46 East, and he was coming straight for me on my driver’s side. Since I knew he was crossing the median, and he was aiming right for me, I assumed he had lost control of his vehicle. I hardly had anywhere to go. To my right was another cement median, about the width of a sidewalk and also about 6-7 inches high. On the other side of that median, traffic merges onto the same ramp that I was on, and I didn’t even have time to look to see whether any cars were coming.


The truck was running me to my right. I could see him so close — I kept waiting for the impact. He was coming, coming…I had no choice…my right tires went up on the median. Before I knew it, I was straddling the median with my tires on either side of it. I kept waiting for the impact, but then the pick-up driver finally saw me and got back in his lane. Fortunately, my median ended there, and there was no one in the lane to the right of me, so I was back on solid ground in the right lane. However, I had heard that horrible scraping sound of the metal under my car as I had coasted over the median.


By this time, the truck had gotten ahead of me and was continuing toward Route 46 West, and it did not appear that he was going to stop. I kept following him and got close enough to memorize his license plate. When I realized he might not even be stopping, I began to flash my lights at him. I was actually successful in pulling him over! He pulled into a strip mall parking lot, and I stopped alongside him. I was shaking, but I got out of the car and looked at him and said, “What on earth happened?”


He said, “I’m running late for work. I looked and didn’t see anything coming. I thought it would be all right. I just didn’t even see you.” He had deliberately made that decision to cross the median to save time! Can you imagine???


He was shaken, too, and he kept apologizing profusely. He said the only reason we didn’t crash was because I did some amazingly good driving there. (Well, thanks a lot, buddy — but during the moments of crisis, I wasn’t exactly driving…I was just reacting.) He didn’t see me until the last minute — when I was already on the median.


Then he realized what he had done. I told him, “You know, the only reason we didn’t crash was because God was with us. It is only by the grace of God that you are going to get to work today at all, let alone late. It is a miracle we are both alive and uninjured, and that our cars never even touched.” He acknowledged that and kept apologizing. I told him that I wanted all his information in case the bottom of my car was damaged. He didn’t hesitate to give it to me. In fact, he crawled under my car and looked — said he didn’t see any damage, but I wouldn’t have counted on it. But he kept saying, “I have to get to work.” I finally suggested, “Can’t you call work and tell them what happened and that you’ll be late?” He said, “No. I can’t. I just can’t be late.” He was very anxious about it.


After I took all his info, and he was on his way, I called my boss and explained what happened. I told her that I was going straight to our son-in-law Mario’s shop (our mechanic) to have him look under the car and see if there was any damage. Mario put it up on the lift and could see the white marks on my tires where I had jumped the curb onto the median and the fresh scrapes underneath, but incredulously, all the scrapes were on the major support rails of the car. They were not serious, nothing was punctured or broken, no parts had been hit, no hoses ripped, the alignment looked good and my tires were fine. Even Mario said it was a miracle.


When I left Mario’s, I took the same route back to work to see exactly where all of this had transpired and what the conditions were. Just a few feet before the spot where that guy was coming at me fast, the median to my right had been a two-foot high concrete divider! It graduated down to a low curb-high type median almost exactly at the spot I jumped it. The place where the truck had crossed his wider median on the left came just before a two-foot high median began on the left side of the left lane. If he had hit me and bounced back, he’d have hit that median. Or if he’d have hit the median and bounced back, he might have hit me. So many things could have happened. There could have been a car in the right lane where I ended up. I could have flipped over when I went up the median. I could have lost control of my car. I shudder to think.


But I am absolutely fine, and so is the other driver. In the end, I have the perfect peace of God, KNOWING that He was there with me. There is NO WAY we didn’t crash except for God’s intervention. Jesus was driving my car today.


Now why did this happen to me today? I prayed this morning for God to give me an opportunity to witness to someone today. [Don’t you love God’s faithfulness?] Well, since I arrived at the office this morning, I have already had more than ample opportunites to share the miracle of God’s delivera nce with my coworkers. But there’s more to it, I think. There was something about this young man in the truck. He was desperate about being late for work. Obviously, his job is at risk if he is late. Here is a man who was driven by desperation to do something life-threatening. And God spared him from disaster as well. He could have been very badly hurt. He could have killed me. He could have incurred very expensive damage to both of our vehicles. He was definitely guilty of reckless endangerment. I think God wants me to write him a letter and let him know that, by God’s grace, he was saved from calamity today. I want to encourage him to thank God and walk with Him because his life can be much better and much easier. [Funny how God provided me with his address.]


I am praying for the right words to say.


And I will thank God all day long for his mercy and protection on me.


I have passed this sign on a church message board on Alps Road in Wayne more than once this week. It says, “If God is your co-pilot, swap seats.” Praise God, He is my pilot every day, and He proved it today.

Find rest my soul, in Christ alone; know His power, in quietness and trust.When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with You above the storm,Father, You are King over the flood; I will be still and know You are God.(“Still” by Reuben Morgan, Hillsong Publishing)

Calling All Girls!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Girls, Ladies, Women…
Please join me at the PVCA Annual Ladies Retreat at beautiful Harvey Cedars Bible Conference Center at the Jersey shore! The retreat is March 13-15, 2009, and registration is filling up. I will be speaking on the theme, “What’s In A Name?” As many of you know, this is the topic of my book, and we will be exploring our identity in Christ. Here’s the “blurb”:
“What’s In A Name?”

“You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.” Isaiah 62:2b

People everywhere are struggling with questions of identity and purpose in their lives, all asking the question “Who Am I?” Our true identity is based upon who God says we are. Throughout Scripture, we see names, titles, occupations, callings that God has placed on the lives of His people. We are fearfully and wonderfully made with a God-ordained purpose, and yet we are just a vapor, a microscopic part of God’s eternal plan. As we explore the names that God applies to us, names like friend, child, bride, sheep, soldier, runner, instrument, and more, we will be encouraged and strengthened to live, love and serve with fullness and purpose.
The weekend is a special time of fellowship, worship, small groups, teaching and lots of fun. I hope you and a friend can join us. To sign up or get more information, please contact Nancy Lightbody at: 973-464-5461 or nanlight@yahoo.com as soon as possible.
Susan

Hungry

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Tonight I had the privilege of serving the Lord by serving 10 homeless men. Several of us prepared and served the meal while others washed sheets, slept over, shared music and the Word, or drove the men to and from the shelter and the church where they stay for the night because the shelter is over-crowded.

One man asked for prayer for a job interview he has tomorrow at 1 pm. During the course of our conversation, he also asked for prayer for his sister who has been in a coma for 4 months. She suffered with a form of muscular dystrophy all her life, and now is on life support with no brain activity. He hasn’t seen her in over 4 years because he was incarcerated. His request? For God’s will to be done.

Hearing these stories and many others like them help put things in perspective. Somehow, issues like laundry problems (my daughter at college), car problems (my son’s leaks oil requiring major repair), relationship problems, financial problems, and so on, seem to be less consequential by comparison. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend comparison which causes all sorts of dilemmas, including envy, self-consciousness, and feelings of inferiority, to name a few. But in this case, seeing how men who own just a duffle bag’s worth of belongings are praising God, asking for prayer, seeking His will, humbles me. It puts things in perspective.

When I got home, I was going through some of my papers that had been put in a box several years ago and forgotten. I came across the following paragraph that talks about being hungry -hungry for God.

The strongest, most mature Christians I have ever met are the most hungry for God. It might seem that those who eat the most would be the least hungry. But that’s not the way it works with an inexhaustible fountain, and an infinite feast and a glorious Lord. When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only become more hungry for God. – John Piper

Wow! That is so true. I find that the more I get into the Word – the more I want to get into it more! Follow me? Does that make sense? The more time I spend getting to know God and getting to know more about God makes me want to know Him more and know more about Him.
Conversely, if I neglect time with God, I get into a pattern where I find myself going through the motions and living far too shallow an existence. Oh, that you and I would get our fill, and then fill up some more from that “inexhaustible fountain and infinite feast”.

Paul said, “I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:11-13,19 NLT

May you hunger only for more of Him, and may He satisfy you completely.
Susan

ps – Hi, Maria! Thanks for your encouragement tonight. Hope you enjoy reading this in the morning!

Satan-proofing

Posted on by Susan Panzica

After writing about responding well to irritations, don’t you just know that I spent too much time yesterday feeling quite irritated and responding poorly!! Oh Lord, help me to apply what I know to be true! Help me to see people and situations with Your eyes! Help these irritations to smooth away whatever in me doesn’t look like you. James says, “Consider it joy when you suffer trials…” The Phillips translation of this verse says, “Welcome your trials as friends…” Wow! That’s a challenge, but I can welcome trials if I recognize that God is using them to produce Christ-likeness in me. Please, oh please, help me to be swift to respond as You would have me.

I received this email from Ron Hutchcraft ministries. It is so worth sharing! Enjoy!

Whenever we’ve had a young grandchild come over to our house, it was almost all good news. The reason I say almost is because of the preparations we have to fly into to get ready for the arrival of like a two-year old. Yes, I said two-year old. That’s two as in “super inquisitive.” See, our little grandchildren have had a way of exploring, experimenting with every object within their reach. There are two kinds of things that need to quickly disappear before a young grandchild starts his little adventure at Grandma and Granddad’s house. Things that can damage either the child or that he could damage. So as we joyfully anticipate a little one being with us, we also fly into a frenzied little exercise called baby-proofing our house.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Satan-Proofing.”

It’s a good idea to remove anything that our grandson can make a mess with. It’s a whole lot better than cleaning up the mess or repairing the damage.

There’s someone who pays regular visits to your life and mine who is not an angel like our grandson. It’s your enemy, the devil himself. He can do a lot of damage unless you anticipate his coming, look around your life, and remove the things that he could use to mess things up. It is called Satan-proofing your life.

In our word for today from the Word of God, Paul talks about playing defense against our enemy’s attempts to bring us down. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, he says we take precautions “in order that Satan might not outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes.” Okay, eyes wide open, looking around our lives for what our enemy might use to sink us, and getting it out of the way – Satan-proofing your day.

In the instance Paul is talking about here in this verse, there is an issue of a man who did a lot of damage in the church; a man Paul says they need to be sure that they have forgiven. Why? Because a grudge, un-forgiveness toward someone is something the devil will grab at his first opportunity and he will use it to poison you and everyone around you. But Paul identifies the area that needs to be dealt with “in order that Satan might not outwit us.”

Here’s a sentence for you to complete. It will help you defend yourself against the tactics that Satan’s used over and over to bring you down. Finish this: “The devil brings me down whenever I ___________.” What goes in that blank is what needs to go. In a sense, you’re analyzing your past defeats so you can remove what your enemy has used to beat you in the past.

So, Satan-proofing your life today might mean praying for someone you’ve had hard feelings toward, asking God to remove your bitterness and replace it with His love. It might mean staying away from negative people who make you negative, from friends who lead you where you should never go, or staying away from the music, or the Internet garbage, or the TV shows that wear you down morally, or turning your fears, or your worries totally over to God so the devil can’t use them again to discourage or depress you.

When a baby’s coming, you baby-proof to avoid damage. When Satan’s coming, and he will, you Satan-proof to avoid the damage he wants to do to your life. There have been enough times you’ve left out the very things that he’s used over and over to bring you down. You’re not “unaware of his schemes.” So start fighting back so that when the devil comes prowling around your life today, he will find that what he usually uses to make a mess, you have put way out of his reach, because you’ve given it to Jesus.

Susan

The Hammer, The File and The Furnace

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Yesterday’s post has a followup that has ministered to me greatly over the years. In his book, “Encourage Me”, Chuck Swindoll related the story of “The Hammer, The File and The Furnace”. Here is an excerpt from that tale:

The hammer is a useful and handy instrument. It is an essential and helpful tool, if nails are ever to be driven into place. Each blow forces them to bite deeper as the hammer’s head pounds and pounds. But if the nail had feelings and intelligence, it would give us another side of the story. To the nail, the hammer is a brutal, relentless master – an enemy who loves to beat it into submission. That is the nail’s view of the hammer. It is correct. Except for one thing. The nail tends to forget that both it and the hammer are held by the same workman. The workman decides whose “head” will be pounded out of sight…and which hammer will be used to do the job. This decision is the sovereign right of the carpenter. Let the nail but remember that it and the hammer are held by the same workman…and its resentments will fade as it yields to the carpenter without complaint.

The same analogy holds true for the metal that endures the rasp of the file and the blast of the furnace. If the metal forgets that it and the tolls are objects of the same craftsman’s care, it will build up hatred and resentment. The metal must keep in mind that the craftsman knows what he’s doing … and is doing what is best.

Heartaches and disappointments are like the hammer, the file and the furnace. … As difficult as it may be for you to believe this today, the Master knows what He’s doing. Your Savior knows your breaking point. That bruising and crushing and melting process is designed to reshape you, not ruin you. Your value is increasing the longer He lingers over you.

May you be willing to yield to His plan, knowing that He can be trusted and that He has your best interests at heart.

Susan