Author: StephanieBBlake

I love to help others focus on the one thing that's most important in life through my ministry, teaching and writing. As Vice President of Xtend Ministries International - www.xtendinternational.com, I travel extensively with my husband. I maintain two websites: www.onefocusministries.com and stretchmoney.wordpress.com. On the One Focus site, you can find free Bible studies, devotionals and information about my first book, "The Prayer Driven Life". My book, "Money: How to Be Rich Without It and How to Stretch It Using Ten Hints from the Past and the Technology of Today" was the inspiration for stretchmoney.wordpress.com. Money saving hints are contained throughout the book and this site was created to continue to give helpful hints on stretching money or having the proper view toward money.
Reflective Focus

Our Father Knows Best

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Our Father Knows Best

 

“your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).

The Television Series 

In the last six years of the 1950’s, a hit television series portrayed a middle class American family – father, mother and three children. “Father Knows Best” became so popular that even when Robert Young left the series in 1960 and production stopped, reruns continued for another three years. The Anderson family was described as “truly an idealized family, the sort that viewers could relate to and emulate.”*

It is hard to imagine “Father Knows Best” would be as popular now. There is no longer an idealized family. The word family itself has been redefined. In a comedy series, which “Father Knows Best” was, viewers often laugh with the characters because they do relate to them. It is more likely that a series of this type would now be laughed at, not with. To keep in step with the changes, television is producing far different family comedy series.

 

Although some fathers are selfish, disinterested and even cruel toward their families, there are still many fathers who believe that responsibility for taking care of their families is of utmost importance. There are still families that can relate and fathers who emulate Jim Anderson.

 

Jim was a dad his family could trust. His wife and kids could talk to him. He was there when they needed him. He did what he could to provide for them.

The official “Father Knows Best” website cites occasions when he took over the paper route for his son when his son was sick and chose to see his daughter in a school play rather than attend an important meeting. Those were just a couple of examples of times that Jim Anderson put his family first. Jim Anderson did not claim to be perfect, just involved in a family he loved.

*Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present (Twentieth Anniversary ed.). New York: Ballantine Books, p. 338.

The Highest Example of a Father

Those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord become part of God’s family. God is then not only our Creator, but our Father as well. Jesus, His Son, revealed His Father to the world. In what has been called the model prayer, He also gives us understanding of why He is the Father we can trust above all other fathers. God truly loves His family. He is intimately involved with each child. He is perfect – the highest example of a father who knows best.

Our Father is all Powerful

 “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).

Jesus made a distinction between God, the Father and every other father when He said, “pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven.” God’s name is holy. Heaven is His home, earth is His footstool, and He is totally in charge.

Children naturally trust their fathers. Until and unless the dad proves himself untrustworthy, a child thinks his dad is the best, the bravest and the biggest. If a child has climbed to the top of a tree, gets stuck and scared, he calls for his dad. If his dad says, “jump”, the child must trust his dad to catch him.

We may find ourselves out on a limb. Sometimes we know exactly why we are there. We climbed up on our own. Occasionally we wonder how we got there. No matter how we came to be in a situation in which we need to be rescued, we can be sure He is there and powerful enough to catch us. He can, and has, performed miracles to get some of His children out of these kinds of situations although His will may be accomplished by demonstrating His power in another way. He may climb up with us and lead us down by His hand.

However He does it, His power is limitless and we can trust Him.

Our Father Provides

“Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:11-12)

Unlike our dads, our Father in heaven doesn’t have to go to work every day to provide for our needs. He doesn’t have to open a savings account for our college fund. He doesn’t have to nervously watch the stock market to make sure his money is safe. He doesn’t have to worry about losing our homes to foreclosure.

Our Father in heaven made everything and everything is at His disposal. He wants us to recognize that fact, ask Him for what we need, and thank Him for the provision.

Our Father Protects

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13)

One of the most important things we need from our Father is protection. Children are helpless. This is different than the out on the limb scenario. We need Him to go before us and prevent us from giving in to Satan’s temptations to be out of God’s will and out of HIs fellowship. That’s why He sent His Son – to deliver us.

God, our Father, never changes. He has and always will have our best interests in mind. Whatever circumstance a child of God finds himself in, he can be sure that his Father knows best.

© Stephanie B. Blake

May 2013

Download Our Father Knows Best

 

One Focus Blog

What Do You Do?

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450px-Clerk_inventoryOften right after meeting someone new, the first question is “What do you do?” That is meant to spark conversation and it often does. The answers are as varied as the people answering the question. “I am a doctor…a teacher… an accountant…a musician…a writer, etc.

I remember answering that question when my sons were growing up. I was a stay-at-home mom. Sometimes that did not seem like a good answer, but it was the best one I had. I was doing what I was called to do, what I wanted to do, but some did not recognize that as a job. I worked. I just didn’t have a vocation. Some people confuse the two.

Many people who have lost their jobs for one reason or another feel like they have lost their identity. They really don’t know who they are outside of their job. Since “What do you do?” follows right on the heels of “How do you do?” we are often tricked into thinking that our professions define us. They do not. They are only one aspect of who we are.

The Bible has a lot to say about how we approach work. It talks about being diligent and productive. In the book of Proverbs, for instance, there are (what I think are amusing) comparisons between ants and slugs. God advises us to be productive like the ants.

800px-TeacherIt never, however, implied that your worth or your identity is tied to employment. Whatever a Christian does, he should do well, for he serves the Lord Jesus. If you do have a job, you should be the best employee that your company has. A job is only one part of your life, however. Your work – what God’s purpose is for you – encompasses not only your profession but also every part of your life.

...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it…We are God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field, you are God’s building (Philippians 1:6, 1 Corinthians 3:9).

One Focus Blog

Reflections and Images

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On a calm day by a riverside, I snapped an extraordinary picture. Since I am not a good photographer, this was a total surprise. I didn’t see the beauty of the picture until after I had taken it.

Camera(9)I didn’t take this picture with a normal camera. It was taken with my Kindle Fire, which means I actually took it backwards (the Kindle Fire’s camera is a front facing camera designed for the user to take a picture of himself). I was just playing around with the Kindle Fire and wanted to take a picture of the skyline in front of me.

Instead, I got much more than I imagined. Although clouds were casting a shadow on the landscape, the sun peeking through the clouds and branches made it possible not only to capture the skyline, but also its reflection.

On another day, I was experimenting again with the camera feature on my MacBook Air. The camera works the same way as the Kindle Fire’s camera. This time, I took a self-portrait facing my computer with my back to a mirror, making an interesting picture.

Photo on 2013-04-21 at 09.10This double image got me thinking. I did some research on how mirrors are made. With the help of a chemical process, a sheet of glass is coated with silver or aluminum. What is important is to make sure it is polished to perfection, removing any impurity. If any dip or impurity is not polished out, there will be distortions in the mirror.

Jesus the Image of God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15).

Jesus came so that we might see God the Father. He is not a reflection of God. He is God. When we see Jesus, we see God. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Any picture of Jesus includes an image of the invisible God – a little like my self-portrait. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men (John 1:1, 4).

Like the sun shining through the clouds to reveal the reflection of the skyline, Jesus, the Light of the world, shines through our dark clouds of sin. The resulting reflection exposes our sin nature. Those of us who see ourselves as God sees us, ask Him for forgiveness and trust Him as Savior.

Just as the impurities left in the glass distorts the mirror, sin in a Christian’s life distorts the image of Christ. God is constantly working on polishing out those impurities so that His Son can be seen … but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

God reveals Himself to a lost world through His children. for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (Ephesians 5:8) A little like the double image in my picture, when the world looks at a committed Christian, they should see the reflection of Christ in him. Others should be able to see Him by our lives and the love we express.

For those He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

One Focus Blog

Glimpse of a Future Reality

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Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary – a nonprofit dedicated to caring for abused and neglected animals – houses over one thousand rescued animals on their 250 acres in Locust Grove (just south of Atlanta), Georgia. Among them is a trio who has garnered such attention their story appeared on world news.

In 2001, a lion, tiger and bear were rescued from an abusive environment in a drug dealer’s basement in Atlanta. The staff at the sanctuary tended to the wounds of these three and in time, they were completely healed.

600154_10152690792345088_493856144_nKnowing that each one of these animals is a predator and could easily do harm to the others, the attempt was made to separate them for their own safety. The staff was not successful at that attempt. Leo the lion, Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear would not be separated. So they have lived together for twelve years. They suffered together, they came to the sanctuary together and together they will stay. An unlikely friendship, to be sure, but a foretaste of what God has planned for the future.

God gave the prophet Isaiah a vision of a time when that kind of friendship will be routine – when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign forever on His earth. As an animal lover – but realistically cautious when it comes to dangerous animals – I am eagerly looking forward to that day.

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isaiah 11:6-7).

One Focus Blog

New Life from What Seems to be Dead Wood

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I am always amazed at what nature does during spring.

Camera(3)I often see trees and bushes during the winter I think should be cut down because they look really dead to me, but when spring rolls around, voila – new life appears on those branches.

The trees and bushes are still the same ones that were planted years ago, but there is a dramatic change in spring. Spindly sticks on dormant bushes are fed by water, sun and nourishment in the soil and come to life.

The ground that is totally brown during winter starts to green up in spring. Even some weeds are really pretty – clover, wildflowers, etc. There are times I am reluctant to mow my grass because I know I am going to mow over something beautiful (like bluebonnets in Texas).

Gardens lighten the spirit and bring beauty to the world. When the drab, brown ground of winter is refreshed by the new green of spring, it seems all things are possible.

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We are somewhat like those dead branches. We need Someone to give us life. Without Him, we would stay in the dark throes of winter forever. Reborn, renewed and refreshed by His Spirit, we can blossom and produce fruit.

Camera(29)With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26 NASB). But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV). Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB). “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NASB).

One Focus Blog

The End of the Journey

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Camera(15)My favorite way to travel in Europe is by train. It is vastly more comfortable, less complicated and in some cases actually shorter than air travel. With no security lines, you simply arrive at the train station a few minutes before departure, find the proper platform, look for the your car (the number of the car is on your ticket), get on with your luggage, find your assigned seat, place your luggage in the overhead, get settled and in due time a ticket agent comes round to verify and stamp your ticket. Seats are comfortable, there is plenty of legroom and you can get up and walk around.

Not only is the process of boarding a train more pleasurable than an airplane, so is departure. Arriving at your destination, you simply gather your belongings and get off. That’s it. No hassle either way.

Camera(14)European railroads, placed strategically throughout beautiful countryside, enable you to enjoy incredible views. You can easily track where you are as stations are clearly marked. Your forward journey leads from one station to another  – straight ahead – until your final destination is announced.

I believe life is somewhat like my train trips. As my husband said in a sermon, we often view our lives in a cyclical movement like a watch – where time goes round and round and round again – with the possibility of repetition. Actually it is more like a cord that stretches out from birth to death. As each precious moment passes, a little of our time line is cut off so there is considerably less of the cord ahead of us than there is behind us.

Similar to traveling by train, life’s time line moves straight ahead – station by station. Each station I leave behind – childhood, teenage years, young adult and so on – makes me realize how short life is. I will never repeat those years. They are all behind me.

As I continue to bury my loved ones, the reality of this hits hard. Tombstones record two dates: a birthdate and the day of death. Just like my train rides, their lives on earth have come to an end. Thankfully, I can say their destination has been Heaven.

I am still on my journey, but someday it will be over. Like those who have gone before me, God will choose my time of departure.

My prayer is that, like Paul, when I greet the Lord I will have some fruit to give Him in gratitude that this life’s journey is not all there is. As a believer, the end of my journey is the beginning of eternal life with Him.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me…. (Philippians 1:21-22).

Reflective Focus

Prepare to Be Surprised

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The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.” Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied,” There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left” (2 Kings 4: 1-7 NIV).

Notice that when Elisha told the widow to ask her neighbors for empty jars, he said, “don’t ask for just a few.” What happened next was a surprise. It was something only God could do. If this widow had known how God was going to bless her, would she have asked for even more jugs?

Elisha’s mentor Elijah had a similar experience with the widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17: 7-16). As she was preparing what she believed to be her last meal for her and her son, Elijah approached her. All she had left was a handful of flour and a little olive oil in a jug. Elijah asked her to prepare something for him first and then for herself and her son. Although the drought in the land lasted for years, Elijah promised that the food would not run out until the day the Lord sent rain on the land.

These women were destitute because they had lost their husbands and thus their support. One went to a man of God hoping for help. The other was not even aware help was available. Neither of them could have imagined how their circumstances could have turned out well. They were surprised by God’s miraculous provision for them.

In each case, God called upon His servants to use what little the widows had to bring about the blessing. A little oil filled all the jugs the widow had collected. Only then did it stop. A little flour and a little oil were not depleted until the rain came.

Jesus surprised more than one tremendous crowd by feeding them from a tiny supply of bread and fish. In these circumstances, not only was there enough for the people, but an abundant supply remained. Jesus had these gathered up so there would be no waste.

Similar stories of provision can be found all over the world today. No story is identical to another, but one thing is clear. God loves to surprise His children. He knows our special wants and needs and delights in arranging surprises for us.

Sometimes we miss out on the best of God’s surprises because we are not prepared to receive them. How can we prepare ourselves for the surprises God has for us? Simply by living expectantly in faith that what God allows in our lives is best for us. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the certainty of things not seen…Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:1,6).

Some people would like to believe that God promises blessings because we deserve it. These are those who would preach and teach that Christians should never be ill or poor. That is not the teaching of the Bible. Story after story proves that God blesses and provides for His people in adverse circumstances.

If what we hope for is to honor God – loving, obeying and trusting Him – His rewards will be both temporal and eternal.

Daniel remained untouched by the lions when he was thrown into their den. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not even singed when they were thrown into the fire, but the men who tossed them in burned to death. Stephen – in the midst of being stoned for proclaiming Jesus – saw Him standing at the right hand of God. Paul and Silas – jailed for preaching Jesus – sang and prayed and then the angels opened the doors of the prison.

In “Making Each Moment Count: 21 Reflections on a Fulfilled Life”, Anne Bryan Smolin says in a chapter entitled “Expect Surprises”:

What surprises are waiting for me today? What graces will come my way? Who will carry the message? What will it be and how will it be packaged? Will I recognize it as gift?

Instead of deciding what my day will be like and what needs to happen, let me live this next 24 hours with abandon, open to the possibilities that dangle before me.

Anne has a good point. We often expect nothing or too little from God. We ask for small blessings when he desires to pour out His richest blessings upon us. Our God is not just a big God. He has no limitations. He delights in blessing His children who can give the glory to Him and who can in turn bless others.

George Mueller, a great man of prayer whom God supplied with the means – daily – for running the orphanages He had led him to establish, said, “Why should we limit either the goodness or power of God by our own knowledge of what we call the law of nature?” George Mueller lived expectantly and was accustomed to seeing God’s miracles on a daily basis.

Squire Parsons, a very gifted gospel artist, in his song “He will” expresses this idea perfectly.

“I don’t how He’s gonna make this trial a blessing…. I don’t know how He’s gonna do it, but I know He will.”

Wake each morning with eager anticipation. Have faith in God and be prepared for His abundant surprises. Give Him what you have and He will multiply it or give you something even better.

Stephanie B. Blake

April 2013

 Download Prepare to Be Surprised

One Focus Blog

Physical and Spiritual Hearing Loss

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Flying is in my family’s blood. My husband’s father was a pilot. My husband is a pilot. My sons are pilots. The joys of that profession or sport have a price, though, and that is hearing loss.

Dad, Early Army AviationEar protection was non-existent during my father-in-law’s day. He flew and instructed students by shouting over the airplane engine. My husband did the same. Later, small foam earplugs cushioned some of the noise, but could not and cannot prevent all damage. Headsets do a much better job of protection now, but constant exposure to airplanes ultimately damages one’s hearing.

Consequently, my husband has suffered considerable hearing loss. It happened over many years and actually snuck up on him. As his personality leans toward enjoying quiet anyway (to him, silence is truly golden), it took him a long time to notice he could not hear certain things. It was slow and gradual, but now it is undeniable. And even though he still enjoys silence, not being able to hear in many situations is a disadvantage.

Cessna 195, N4454CHearing loss is not the only thing that can creep up on us. We tend to ignore those little warning signals God sends us about areas of our lives that are not pleasing to Him. Each time we do, it becomes easier the next time and before we realize it, we have allowed a temptation to sin to grow into sin itself.

Jesus, when confronted with temptation, had a ready response for the devil – the word of God. He did not ponder on the temptation. His response was immediate.

It is the responsibility of my husband and sons to use ear protection when flying. They do it because they know its value and have developed that habit.

God promises protection, but we have to avail ourselves of it.  It takes constant vigilance to realize we are in danger of losing our spiritual hearing – developing ears that cannot hear God’s nudging.

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear (Matthew 13:16). No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You (Psalm 119:11 NAS)

One Focus Blog

Three Seemingly Unrelated Stories

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Within a twenty-four hour period, three stories caught my attention. The people were not connected in any way – different times, nationalities and circumstances made the likelihood of them meeting each other next to nil. All of the stories were true, but none of them were related – or so it seemed.

The first was in a book about a German Air Force pilot who, during WWII, helped the crew of a crippled American B-17 fly over German territory. That remarkable event was the reason for the book. Later when he was injured and assigned to spend the rest of the war in comfort at a resort facility – with good food, a soft bed and relative safety – that same pilot attempted to hide his injury and instead reentered the war effort. This was not the first time I became aware of men in wartime refusing to leave their comrades.

Mansion_bahjiNext I read of a young American entrepreneur who became enormously successful, took advantage of his newfound fortune by purchasing everything his heart could desire, and then discovered he had trapped himself into a life of maintenance of the things he had acquired. With that realization, he downsized completely declaring that he was now happier with less – much less. The one thing he would not change about that period in his life was spending time abroad with a girlfriend who had shown him how to live very simply and happily.

The last story was of a poor woman from a country rampant with poverty. She lived in a hut with no floor or ceiling. Her daughter, who lived in America, enlisted the aid of a compassionate American Christian who became her mother’s sponsor and brought her to the U.S. There, she lived in relative comfort without having to work or struggle to provide for herself or others. She couldn’t take it. She was miserable, crying to be with the friends she had left behind. She returned home to poverty and the life she knew so well.

These are just three examples of a little known truth. Contentment does not come from comfort or things, but from relationships. That is how God made us. We are meant to be with and care about others. Choosing relationships over things may involve abandoning personal comfort or a rich lifestyle, but the rewards of that choice far outweigh anything that was given up.

Jesus, the Son of God, set the example for this way of living when He became the Son of Man. He gave up, for a time, all the riches of heaven so that He might provide salvation for those who would believe in Him.

Paul, one of His apostles, did the same thing. When he met Jesus, he left behind a life of privilege, but never looked back. His relationship to God and his concern for his brothers and sisters was the source of his contentment.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction (Philippians 4:11-14 NAS).

One Focus Blog

Functionality

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1603214443_189d05554b_bAs soon as my husband and I had a house with a yard, we purchased our first lawn mower. It cost $60 from TG&Y and lasted for about twelve to fifteen years. There was nothing fancy about it. The only thing I ever remember us having to do to that mower was sharpen the blade.

When we got rid of it, the mower was still working. By that time, I had finally convinced my husband I enjoyed doing yard work. He decided to buy me a new self-propelled mower to make that job easier. Since then we have run through six or seven of those shiny, fancy mowers with all the bells and whistles. Every few years, we have to buy another one.

All I really need or want is a mower that works. I have found myself truly missing that first ugly, functional mower. Although it was an inanimate object, I felt like it obeyed my commands. Unlike those other mowers that I could never sweet talk to finish the job, that simple mower did what it was designed to do. It would cut through anything. All I had to do was push.

Just like my mowers, appearances can be deceiving in people. Some of the most unassuming men and women I have known are the hardest workers. They simply get the job done. Others appear to be in charge and successful on the outside, but they are not very productive at all – it is mostly for show.

God knows the difference. He knows those who really trust Him will obey Him and do what He asks.

God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart….”What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (1 Samuel 16:7, John 6:28-29 NAS).