Author: Susan Panzica

Leaves and Light

Posted on by Susan Panzica


Oh, how I LOVE autumn. Such a spectacular display of God’s design. When driving around, I can get so distracted by the vast array and brilliant colors.

“Autumn is spring where every leaf is a flower.”

But oh, how I HATE the leaves all over the ground! Augh! We have an abundance of leaves that cover the ground like a slippery carpet! My son has his work cut out for him 🙂 And the trees are looking so bare now.

Except one tree! There’s a tree right next to a streetlight. The bottom and left side of the tree are bare, but the upper right side has lots of leaves left, and many are still green! That’s because the streetlight is right there. As long as the leaves are near the light, they are vibrant and alive.

What a beautiful reminder to me to remain near the Light of the world! Jesus is the Light of the world. He makes us vibrant and alive. And yet He said that WE are also the Light of the world! We are not to hide under a bushel, but are to let our light (which is His light in us) shine before all, glorifying our Father. We are to walk in the light, surrounded by His light, radiating His light from within.
“If we walk in the light, as His is in the light, we will have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, will purify us from all sin.”
How wonderful when we are bathed in His light. But what about those times when it seems dark or cloudy? Stay tuned for the next post!!
Susan

Betrothed

Posted on by Susan Panzica

All over the country, men and women have just been elected to national, state, county and local government positions. However, none of these newly elected officials will take office for 2 – 3 months. They are legally committed to their new position, but are not officially serving in that office yet.

In the Bible, there was a betrothal period in which the bride and groom had made a binding legal commitment to each other, but were not officially married yet. This is why the Bible says that Joseph considered quietly “divorcing” Mary when she was found to be miraculously pregnant, even though the formal wedding had not yet occurred.

When we become Christians, we are in a betrothal period with our Bridegroom. We are committed to Him, bound to Him, serving Him until such time as our formal wedding to Him takes place. We represent Him here on earth. We are cared for by Him and are under His protection. One day, we will be completely united with Him in glory, but until that time we live this life with Him as our Bridegroom.

Let us keep Him in our thoughts throughout our day, each and every day. Let us experience Him beside us and inside us. Let us live with the joyous expectancy a bride feels as her wedding day approaches. It’s a time of preparation and work, but always keeping our focus on the joy set before us.


Susan

Election Day

Posted on by Susan Panzica

This message came from Harvest Christian Fellowship:

Today’s Featured Pastor/Teacher: Greg Laurie

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

I believe that as a Christian, I should vote. I believe that as a Christian, I should find out where candidates stand and vote for those whose views are closest to the biblical positions. I believe that as a Christian, I should do what I can to have a positive impact on my society. But I also see the great limitations of politics. I see that the only real hope for our nation is a change of heart.

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to give the invocation at a meeting where a number of local politicians were gathered to hear a well-known congressman speak. I don’t remember the exact content of my prayer that day, but it went something like along these lines: “Lord, we know that America cannot be great unless it is good. We cannot be good as a nation unless we are good as individual men and women. We cannot be good if we do not know You. You have told us in Your Word that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to the people. Lord, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us and to shed His blood for us. Only through Him can we be forgiven of our sins. That is what will change the direction of our country. Amen.”

I don’t know whether they liked that prayer. But I came representing another kingdom. These other pursuits have their place, but they are secondary. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And what is the main thing? The main thing is knowing God and making Him known.

Susan

Stand Up!

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Today, my pastor’s message inspired us to stand up strong for what we believe.

In the book of Daniel, we saw 3 friends, believers in God, refuse to bow down to an idol. They were consequently thrown into the fiery furnace, a fire so hot it killed the soldiers who brought Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to it.

In the book of Acts, we saw that Peter and John were thrown into jail for sharing about Jesus and healing a man in Jesus’ name. Instructed by the rulers and elders to keep quiet about the name of Jesus upon their release, they refused to remain silent.

This, in itself, is inspiring, but I believe the key is this: in both cases, these men had experienced the very presence of God in their lives. When observers looked into the fiery furnace, they saw not 3, but 4 men walking around! And that 4th man is described by the king as looking like the “son of god”. And the observers of Peter and John said that “when they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” When we follow their example, we will stand because we stand with Jesus. We will fall if we stand in our own strength.

In our service today, we were encouraged to stand up for our faith. There will come a time when it will be at great sacrifice for us to do so. The church is growing most rapidly in countries where Christians suffer persecution, and the early church grew and spread because of persecution in Jerusalem. I pray that we will stand strong long before we are faced with formidable opposition, but sadly, history indicates that persecution is an effective means of growing the church.

Now, I do not mean that we are to behave in an assertive or aggressive manner. I don’t believe that we should trample unbelievers with our demands. What I do believe is that we must be salt and light in a dark world. We should appear to have been with Jesus. This means that His grace, peace and love are apparent in how we relate to others, but we will refuse to compromise that which dishonors God. And if we fall, if we should miss an opportunity to stand strong, remember our story about Peter. Previously, on 3 occasions, he had denied that he knew Jesus, yet God used him repeatedly in mighty ways after that.

Our service concluded rocking to that old Tom Petty song, “I Won’t Back Down”:

Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down
You could stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won’t back down
Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down
Hey, there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down
Well I know what’s right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down
Susan

Guidance

Posted on by Susan Panzica

This is from an email I received years ago that is so special to me. My daughter, Lauren, is a gifted dancer who uses her gift to teach and inspire others. May this post inspire you today to allow the Lord to be your partner, to lead and guide you in His song for you.

Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing “dance” at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn’t flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw “G”: I thought of God, followed by “u” and “i”.
“God, “u” and “i” dance.”
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God’s blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
Susan

The Inscription

Posted on by Susan Panzica

As an artist always autographs his work, so God too has placed His autograph on us. But not only is His image carved in us, we are carved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). In Isaiah 49, the Israelites are wondering if God had forgotten them. He assures them that He could never forget them, they are written on His hand. Many of us have scribbled on our hand something we want to remember, whether it be a name or number or other information. Isaiah 49:16 is an assurance from God that we are inscribed, carved permanently, on His hand. He will never, ever forget us. When we mistakenly think that God has moved away from us, we must remember these words from Scripture, and ask ourselves the question, “If God feels far away, who moved?” As many steps as we might have taken away from God, it is only one step back. He never, ever forgets us.

Susan

Trust

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Once, there was a woman who asked God for a flower…
… and a butterfly.

But instead God gave her a cactus…

… and a caterpillar.

The woman was sad; she didn’t understand why her request was mistaken.
Then she thought: Oh, well, maybe God has too many people to care for…
maybe He doesn’t understand my needs…
She decided not to question.
After some time,

the woman went to check up on her request that she had left forgotten.
To her surprise, from the thorny and ugly cactus a beautiful flower had grown.

And the unsightly caterpillar had been transformed into the most beautiful butterfly.


God always does things right!

His way is ALWAYS the best way, even if to us it seems all wrong.
If you asked God for one thing & received another, TRUST.

You can be sure that He will always give you what you need at the appropriate time.

Today’s THORN…
Is tomorrow’s flower!

God gives the very best to those who leave the choices up to Him.

“… my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD‘s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore, I will wait for Him.”
Jeremiah 3:22-24

Cinderella Man

Posted on by Susan Panzica

As I’ve shared before, although I have grown to love it, there usually isn’t too much excitement in my son’s best sport, cross-country running. That is, until this year’s league championship race. With only one loss each, our team was tied with another team entering the race. There was much tension in the air to see who would end up as the League Champs. The gun sounded, the runners took off into woods, around the lake, back to the woods, and to thefinish line. One by one they came in, sweating, panting, exhausted. Which school would win the title? Unbelievable! The most unusual finish possible! It was a tie!

Now this sport has a unique method of scoring. Only a team’s first 5 runners to cross the finish line are counted for the team score. These are the runners whose names are recorded in the scorebooks and listed in the newspapers. But there are other runners on the teams who run just to finish (which is it’s own accomplishment!). Some aspire to break into the top 5, but often, their goal is just to improve their performance time. These runners rarely, if ever, are counted in the team score. That is, unless there is a tie!! Then the judges look to see where the 6th man on each team placed.

So the league championship title depended upon our 6th man, Jon. As usual, he finished near the end of the entire race. But he finished just ahead of our rival team’s 6th man!! A senior, Jon never received any public acclaim throughout his running career, but today, he was the hero!

As captain and 1st runner, my son, AJ, has had his name listed in the papers before. Today, he was quoted and had a whole paragraph, not for his own accomplishment but for the purpose of giving Jon the praise. This young man trained daily with his team. He ran a race to the best of his ability. He did it not for praise, but simply because it was what he was called to do. He never expected any reward other than the satisfaction of a job well done.

You and I run through our day, without any recognition most of the time. Yet if we are not distracted, if we keep our eye on the prize set before us, for a crown that will last forever, that is all the reward we need. One day, we will stand before the Judge who will say “Well done!”

1 Cor. 9:25-27 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Susan

Thankful Thursday

Posted on by Susan Panzica

First of all, let me express my thanks to you for sharing your precious time with me here at Eternity Cafe, for your encouragement and your support over this past week & a half. It’s a whole new world, this blogosphere!! And since I’m trying to write a book, I worried that this blog might become a burden. Instead, it has sparked my creative juices, and helped to focus me on my project!

I plan to use some Thursdays as an opportunity for you and me to express thanks! As Paul wrote in 1 Thess. 5:18, “Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.” Did you ever wonder – what is God’s will for me? Well, here it is! Giving thanks in all circumstances! (Not FOR all your circumstances, but IN all circumstances. And sometimes, it may be in spite of your circumstances. There’s always something to be thankful for.) When he wrote about prayer and peace in his letter to the Phillipians, Paul says that “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…” Then that incomprehensible peace of God with stand guard over your heart and your mind. Do you want the peace of God? When you pray, be sure to include thanksgiving.
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I’m so thankful to God for the peace He alone can give. For loving me when I was (and am) unlovely. For His great sacrifice – giving me new life. I’m thankful for the other loves of my life – my wonderful family. God knew what He was doing when He gave me my husband and kids. I’m so proud of them, and I am a better person because they are in my life. And I couldn’t ask for a better church family!
Won’t you take a moment now to think of what you are thankful for?
Will you share a comment so that we can all be blessed?
THANK YOU!!!
Susan

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I received this as an email – so worth sharing!!
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say ‘Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.’

You may do much for others, yet think that no one ever sees. Each of us (parent, grandparent, spouse, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend) influences the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today?
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.