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.
One Focus Blog

Observing God in the Everyday Affairs of Life

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This is post #100 on this blog. I have never had to look far to realize the benefit of having one focus – being focused on God.

Seeing God’s hand in the everyday affairs of my life is easy. He has always been there for me and He always will be. He cares about the small events of my life as well as the large ones because He is my loving Heavenly Father. If something concerns me, it concerns Him.

Even when I don’t understand what is going on, I know He does. Whether circumstances are pleasant, comfortable, difficult, confusing or painful, I know that He has a purpose for it all.

In these posts, I have observed His hand and have heard His voice

as I read the Bible
as I read other literature – fiction and non-fiction
as I cooked
as I walked, hiked or ran
as I gardened
as I traveled
as I reflected on my family.

The following is from my very first post in May 2011:

“It is so easy for life to get in the way of Life. So many things can occupy our time and thinking that we are tempted to have no focus at all. We just flit from circumstance to circumstance, or thought to thought or day to day, never really being grounded in the reality of the Truth.

One Focus – the only way I can handle all the changes going on in this world is to keep my feet firmly planted on the one foundation that I know is unshakeable and never changes. The love of God is expressed through the person of Jesus Christ, His Son. That Truth is my reality and I hope and pray that it is yours.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV).”

One Focus Blog

Orphans No More

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Have you ever noticed once something becomes part of your life that you start observing others with similar things or relationships?

When we had children, I started noticing other mothers with children, strollers and diaper bags – more than I had ever done before. Years ago we bought a black truck. As soon as we bought that truck, I started seeing black trucks everywhere – many of them just like mine. Now that I have an adopted granddaughter, I keep discovering someone who has an adopted family member or someone who is considering adoption – or is involved in a ministry involving orphans.

Practically everyone has a soft spot for orphans. It is heart wrenching to imagine a child who has lost both parents or who has been abandoned by her parents. Orphans have a life, but not a home. They may live in an orphanage with other children, but they need a family to call their own.

The fortunate children in such a situation are adopted. A family who wants a child is matched with a child that needs a home. God did not ask my husband and me to adopt a child, but I praise Him that He did ask my son, his wife and their two sons to do so. All of our lives have been incredibly enriched.

God is the creator of all men and He gave them life. However, He created mankind with the ability to choose. Adam and Eve chose to sin. Death and separation from God was the result of their choice. We are no different. Our sin separates us from an intimate relationship with God.

The concept of adoption originated with God. Jesus Christ paid for our sin. Those who accept His gift of grace are adopted by God the Father. He has provided an eternal home for His adopted children. We are orphans no more.

550064_4430184631865_1206575027_102619605_219230144_nI have been adopted by God. I am part of His family. My granddaughter has been adopted by my son’s family. She is part of my family. These facts have created in me a new understanding and urgency for evangelism.

I now see spiritual orphans everywhere – people who live but do not yet have an eternal home with God. Those who refuse the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ will forever be separated from Him. They will remain orphans – existing outside of God’s family and His home.

I pray that as God gives me opportunity, I will pay the price to introduce those who do not yet know Christ as Savior – the orphans of the world – to my Father and my family.

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also” (John 14: 16-19).

Reflective Focus

A Personal Prayer Pilgrimage

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My own personal prayer pilgrimage began fifty years ago when I told the Lord, “Yes, I do believe.” Having been clearly presented with the love of Christ and His sacrifice on my behalf, that first prayer sprang forth straight from my heart. I am not sure I knew it was a prayer. I just knew I was speaking to God. I needed Him and I told Him so.

Since then, especially in the last few years, I have been on a quest to know more about prayer. I have prayed about prayer, asking God exactly what prayer is and how He wants me to pray. I have studied the subject of prayer in the Bible, even writing a book about the prayers of the apostle Paul. I have read everything I can find written on the subject of prayer. I collect quotes on prayer. I read autobiographies of great prayer warriors. I continue to search the Bible for every clue about the wonderful, mysterious gift of prayer.

Here are some things about prayer I know to be true.

  • Authentic prayer is not complicated. It is a two-way conversation between God and His people. He speaks and I listen. I talk to Him and He hears me.
  • Unless prayer is rooted in a relationship with God through His Son Christ Jesus, it is not true prayer. It is pretense.
  • As my Creator, God already knows everything there is to know about me. He designed prayer as a means for me to get to know Him.
  • Since God is not limited by time or space, He is always accessible. I can talk to Him any time, anywhere in any circumstance.
  • I don’t have to say anything. I can pray silently in my mind, out loud or even in writing. That’s why we have the prayers of the great men of faith in the Bible. God, by whatever means He communicated with them, told them to write their prayers down.
  • Prayer is easier when my focus is on God. Whenever I catch myself thinking, “I wish I had prayed about that,” I realize I have taken my focus off of Him.
  • I have a hard time hearing Him speak when I am disobedient or stubbornly resisting His will. Recognizing His sovereignty is a prerequisite to being able to hear Him when He speaks. Jesus called this having ears to hear.
  • Prayer should be the first thing I do, not the last.
  • When I try to do something by myself, in my own strength, He lets me do it, but I often regret it. The best way to live my life is to talk to Him about everything.
  •  If there is ever a temporary loss of communication, it is not on His part. It is on mine.
  • Jesus taught us to pray to our Father. It helps me to know that He is my Father and there is nothing too small or too big to talk to Him about. I am His child. If it concerns me, it concerns Him.
  • Taking part in corporate prayer – prayer with others – is a privilege and honors God. He calls the place where His people gather a house of prayer.
  • Most of my prayer life is extremely personal. There is no need for pretense with God and no excuse for ignoring Him. I can disappoint Him, but I can never surprise Him. He knows me too well.
  • He delights in hearing from me, just as He does each one of His children.

God can do anything and does what is necessary to bring glory to Himself, but inexplicably (this is part of the mystery), He often choses to act on the prayers of His people. More than once, He said He searched for someone to pray for others – to stand in the gap – and found no one. He wants us to pray not only for ourselves, but for others as well.

He proved that He would listen to His people who did stand in the gap – who pled with Him on the behalf of others: Abraham for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses for the sins of the Israelites, Stephen for those who were stoning him, Paul who prayed specific prayers for the churches and people he knew and loved. God justly punishes those who do not trust Him, but He allows His children to stand in the gap for those who have yet to do so and to stand in the gap for brothers and sisters who are disobedient.

As I pray, I continue to discover new truths about God. I often wish I could hear Him speak clearly and instantly about a certain matter, but know that if there is a delay in an answer, He has a good reason. He sees things from an eternal perspective. Often the delay is a timing issue concerning other people or circumstances.

Some prayers do have immediate answers. I pray about a range of small things during the day and see Him directing as I face the day, look for a bargain while shopping, protection while I run errands, write a blog post, prepare a meal, make or receive a telephone call, write a letter or answer an email.

While I am waiting for specific direction about a very important decision – sometimes life changing ones – these are the things I can count on.

  • I can trust Him. He knows best and if I am truly seeking His will, He will not let me stumble.
  • This life is not all there is. What I am asking for may not be the best thing ultimately for me or for my family. I can’t see what God can see. I don’t know what He knows.
  • His plan is best. It may differ from my idea, but He will change my desires if what I want is not best.
  • God and I have a relationship – a history. When I am faced with a major decision, I reflect on what He has done in the past and thank Him for His gentle direction.

In my own personal prayer pilgrimage, I have discovered that the closer I get to God – the better I know Him – the less formal my prayers are. With utmost respect, I talk to Him like I would my daddy. I find myself saying “thank you” all day long for things I did not even know to pray about. He was looking out for me all along.

God knows me so well that the life verse He gave me helps still my nerves and stop my panic while I am waiting for His answer and watching Him work. I need Him. I tell Him so.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

© Stephanie B. Blake

March 2013

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One Focus Blog

The Language Protein

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My husband and I had a bit of a laugh at a discovery revealed by scientists that explain why women talk more than men. Apparently there is a good reason. Women possess higher levels of a language protein in their brains than men do.

We already knew women talk more – about three times more. Previous research tallied about 20,000 words a day for a woman compared to about 7,000 for a man.

I didn’t need the discovery of a language protein to know that when I visit with a girlfriend, she is not as aware of my superfluous descriptions as my husband is. In fact, some friends and I can visit for hours on end without realizing it. That would never happen with my husband.

I find this interesting, not only because I have to work hard at toning down my chatter, for God must have had a plan when He created us all this way. Men, who long for peace and quiet, are attracted to women who long for someone to listen.

712px-Conversation_intimeA public domain picture (ca. 1892) illustrates the point. The French artist, Evariste Carpentier, entitled his work Conversation Intime. The picture illustrates a young man listening to a young woman. Maybe Mr. Carpentier did not realize that he was illustrating what is common between men and women, but I suspect he might have.

Thankfully, I know that the God who created me does not tire of my conversations with Him. In fact, I think He is pleased. I find I talk to Him all through the day and hear Him through many means – His written word – the Bible – and the Living Word – His Son – whose Spirit speaks to mine throughout the day. The Bible calls this prayer. I call it comfort. I can talk to Him about anything, anywhere, anytime without interrupting His thoughts. The one who gave me more language protein than my husband actually wants me to talk to Him constantly.


Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

One Focus Blog

The Contents of the Cloud

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The internet and the world wide web are here to stay. Life is so much easier because of the ability to get information within seconds of a query. I am, however, always learning something new. Since I travel a great deal, I know how important it is to know the local language and how handicapped one can be when you don’t know the language.

The same is true with computer language. I have barely gotten to the point where I know what a hard drive is on my laptop, why it is important to have certain software and how to check a URL to make sure it is legitimate. When I see a word related to the internet that I don’t know, I just google it for a definition. None of these words are in the old Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary on my shelf. They are too new.

Sometimes computer language uses an old word in a new way. In that big old dictionary of mine, cloud is defined – among other things – as a visible mass of vapor, especially one suspended in the sky. The newest definitions of cloud refer to cloud computing and cloud storage. Most Kindle Fires only have 8 GB of memory because Amazon offers free cloud storage for their products.

The kicker is that using cloud storage also means you need a WIFI connection in order to stream the content from Amazon’s cloud. If you want to read something on your Kindle Fire when a WIFI connection is not possible (like I do), you need to download the book, magazine, document, etc. onto your device.

Perhaps the oldest use of the word cloud comes from God’s word. That “visible mass of vapor, especially one suspended in the sky” was part of God’s creation, recorded in Genesis. When He led the children of Israel out of Egypt to the promised land, He used His cloud to guide them. As His chosen people, He had a special connection with them.

Nubes_movimientoI, too, have a special connection with God. I am one of His children. I need His guidance and when He is leading forward, I should proceed. Unless He leads, I should wait for Him to say, “go.”

In that day, the cloud symbolized God’s presence and guidance. As Christians, we have the inner guidance of His Holy Spirit. His people still need to follow Him, wherever and however He leads.



Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up…. the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel (Exodus 40: 34-38).

One Focus Blog

Rising Light and Clearing Fog

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I am a fair weather driver. In fact, I am not a very good driver. I am not confident driving in any condition except a perfect day. I would rather walk and do walk when it is possible to do so. It is necessary, however, to drive in America and so I must take on the challenge.

I am especially uncomfortable driving in the dark. My night vision is not good and the lights of oncoming vehicles are quite a distraction. I have a special pair of glasses just for night driving.

Once I needed to take my husband to the airport fairly early in the morning. Not only was it dark but there was also a fairly dense fog. He drove to the airport, but I had to make the hour’s drive home. Our airport is in a very large city, so the traffic and construction on the highway was also a factor.

You can imagine my delight when, after dropping my husband off, I experienced an amazing change. Daylight had come and even though the fog was still evident, it was as if it was lifted in my sphere of vision.

The way was clear for me all the way home even though the fog was all around me. I remember thinking, “God, thank you for the light and for lifting the fog!”

PeasoupfogThere is a real correlation between what I experienced in this driving experience and how spiritual things we don’t understand now will become clear someday to those who know the Lord. As Jesus is the Light of the World, He is the light leading us to reconciliation with God. He experienced darkness on the cross so that we might know light in our lives.

I know there are some things today that are beyond my understanding. I can’t see things from God’s perspective. His promise is that someday the fog will clear and everything will be made clear. I am looking forward to that day.

For now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT).

Reflective Focus

Your Money and Your Life

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Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle (Proverbs 23:4-5 NLT).

Like most everyone else, I have been paying close attention to the headlines about the worldwide economic situation. What is happening today will not only affect me now and in coming years, but will potentially affect every member of my family – including my grandchildren.

Debt that is being incurred now will be born by those tomorrow. Reading articles like “The Next Generation’s Debt Burden” on gop.gov and staring a few moments at usdebtclock.org can be very depressing. Ignoring the reality, however, will not make this money problem go away.

News from other countries is now instantaneous. Bloggers and tweeters share opinions immediately. A crisis in one part of the world – no matter what it is, economic, war, weather, political unrest, etc. – is felt around the world. The domino effect of this financial crisis has shown us that we are all part of a global community.  It is truly worldwide.

Recent research done by Britain’s University of Cambridge has revealed that the suicide rate in the United States more than quadrupled between 2008 and 2010. Aaron Reeves, who led the research, submitted his results to the Lancet Medical Journal. Obtaining his data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his analysis showed that around 1500 more people in the U. S. committed suicide compared to what would have been expected or forecast if trends from 1997 to 2007 had continued.

Rising unemployment was blamed for at least one quarter of the rise in suicides in the U.S. since the beginning of the Great Recession.  Greece, Spain, Britain and other countries with similar rises in unemployment have also produced a similar increase in their suicide rates.

Before this report was released, The American Journal of Health reported that the largest increase of suicides occurred during the Great Depression. Obviously money woes  – or more accurately, how you deal with money issues – can have a disastrous effect on your health and your life.

This problem seems to be predominately in affluent cultures. Luxuries are considered necessities. Where abundance is available, it comes to be expected and missed more sorely if it becomes scarce or disappears.

Helen Steiner Rice, a well-known poet, married Franklin Rice in 1929. Franklin, a wealthy man, was so confident that the nation’s problems were short-term and would recover from the economic downturn that he invested even more heavily in the stock market. Shortly after losing his fortune due to that unfortunate decision, Helen discovered that he had killed himself, leaving her this note:

“Darling, the only thing I’m sorry about is that I never could give you all the things I meant to. I hope you believe that I really wanted to give them to you, and I could have given them to you before everything went….Keep the picture of me in my uniform and think of me once in a while…You’ll get along fine, I know. You’ll always go on. I only knew one world. I just can’t go down and become a bum–I have to go out with the band playing.”

Of course, what Franklin did caused Helen much more pain than the loss of any material things. She not only no longer had her husband by her side, but after the estate was auctioned off to pay creditors, she had to go back to work. A strong Christian woman, Helen never remarried, but recovered from her loss by seeking God’s direction in her life.

As a missionary, I am privileged to have friends around the world who are extremely happy without any possessions to speak of. Some of them have never known the kind of luxuries that many in the developed western world have become accustomed to. Often they don’t have enough to eat, but that doesn’t stop them from loving God and others. It is not that they are unaware of their lack. It’s just that their perspective is on the eternal, not the temporal. Just like Jesus, doing the will of God is their food. Even though there may be instances of suicides in these places, I am unaware of any. My friends are too busy being productive in God’s work to worry about what they don’t have.

Helen Steiner Rice says,

“Our greatest comfort is to know that ‘the same God who helped us before is ready and willing to help us once more.” All God asks of us is that we believe, and we must believe enough and have enough faith in Him that we will refuse to let anything shut Him out of our lives.

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,

Laughter and teardrops, pleasure and pain –

Low tides and high tides, mountains and plains,

Triumphs, defeats and losses and gains –

But there never was a cloud that the SUN didn’t SHINE THROUGH

And there’s nothing that’s IMPOSSIBLE for Jesus Christ to do!”

© Stephanie B. Blake

February 2013

* Quote and poem taken from In the Vineyard of the Lord: Lights and Shadows from the Life of Helen Steiner Rice, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1979, p. 112, 113

Download Your Money and Your Life

 

One Focus Blog

Family Trees

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Although friends and relatives have done extensive research on their family trees, I did not develop a desire of my own until a series of events happened.

Frank Ballard, WWII photoMy interest started when I realized stories my father was telling me about World War II would be lost unless I had him write them down. Thankfully, before he died, he prepared a notebook for me of his war experiences including his honorable discharge papers, pictures and a few memorabilia.

Then my father-in-law passed away. He was our last living parent. He, too, served in WWII. I am extremely proud of both of these men and the contribution they made to my life, their Christian influence and their service to our country.

I helped my husband settle Pop’s affairs by going through his house, sorting through pictures, cards and newspaper clippings and putting them in four separate piles – one for each of the four sons that he had.

Although it took me a very long time, I was glad that he and Mom – or his mother – never threw any picture or card away. Some of the things we discovered in his collection of pictures, etc. were surprises. We must dig to find out who some people in pictures are and are discovering connections we didn’t know we had.

Ernest and Sunshine BlakeThere is still much research to be done to answer some of the questions that have developed, but if we don’t do it now, that information will be lost for the next generation and the next.

This experience has put a new light on some biblical passages that I used to read through hurriedly or sometimes pass over altogether. God evidently thinks family connections are important. I will never again read through the genealogies in His word the same way. What is important to Him should be important to me – and it is.

Now there were twelve sons of Jacob – the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 35:22b-24). Now these are the records of the generations of Esau (Genesis 36:1). The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

One Focus Blog

Things and People

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I have heard of families squabbling over possessions when a family member died. Perhaps family members are upset when there is a large estate and their expectations of inheriting something are dashed. It always makes me sad to hear of those cases and wonder what the deceased loved one would think if he heard the dispute.

Thankfully, that has not been the case when my parents or my husband’s parents passed away. The estates were small and there were not many things of monetary value but we each wanted some mementos of their lives.

When my husband’s grandmother died, I got a set of her dishes – incomplete, but I was thrilled to have them – and her button collection. When my own grandmother died, my father gave me a platter and serving bowl that matched the set I had received from my husband’s grandmother.

Photo on 2013-01-23 at 13.42 #2When my dad died, my sister (actually my stepsister but we claimed each other as sisters) and I had no issues at all. She wanted photo albums and a few items of her mother’s. I wanted some things that actually belonged to her side of the family if she didn’t want them. She graciously let me have the hand crocheted bedspreads her grandmother made and the few pieces of silverware that did not go with her set. I have my father’s typewriter and some other memorabilia. These remind me of times I saw each of them use those items.

When my father-in-law died, his four sons were very thoughtful. They were hesitant to speak up about something they might treasure for fear that someone else might want it. In the end, though, I think everyone came away with reminders of Mom and Pop they most wanted.

The important thing was that some of these belongings stayed in the family. At the estate sale, I especially hated the thought of my husband’s grandmother’s cedar wardrobe being sold, especially after learning it had been given to her on her wedding day in 1920. Having no place for it in my home, I still wanted to take it if no one else would. I was thrilled when my brother-in-law said he wanted it. I think his grandmother would be pleased.

Each of the items that were brought home from our parents’ house was not worth much to anyone except us. It was the reminder of time spent with a loved one or their contribution to our lives that gave the item such value.

I often look about and think of how I enjoy the good gifts of life. This includes many things: sunrise and sunset, moon and the stars, a butterfly, hummingbirds, a piece of furniture that is well made because God gave someone that creative gift, a painting done by a friend, things my husband purchased for me that make my life easier, gifts from my children and grandchildren that make my smile when I use them and many more.

Every gift ultimately comes from God. The things He gives contribute to our enjoyment of life, but they are mere representatives of His presence. I am well aware that I am not taking anything with me when I meet Him at the end of my life. The pleasure they bring me today is a reminder of Him – the Creator and Gift Giver of all.

O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions (Psalm 104:24 NAS). Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17 NET).

One Focus Blog

If You Write It, They Will Know

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Since the passing of my father, my husband’s grandmother and his parents, I have discovered a lot of things about them through their writing: their notes, their cards written to each other, notations made on pictures and newspaper clippings as well as longer writings, such as wills and books.

My father wrote a book in his late 80’s on eschatology and was working on another book. He kept many notebooks of his Bible lessons and had scores of notes in the Bibles he left behind. Tears came to my eyes as I read his note on the bottom of one of my letters: “my blessing from the Lord.” At my request, he prepared a notebook of his World War II experiences. Dad and I had a great relationship. It is richer still because of his writings.

Sunshine Blake, May 1951My husband’s grandmother wrote a manuscript which I had yet to read, but am looking forward to it. It was found among pictures and cards in her footlocker after her son passed away. She was the most dedicated Christian witness I have ever known. Her last will and testament revealed that focus in her life. She had few material possessions. She specified that everything she had was to be divided equally between her sons after five hundred dollars (a significant sum for her) was given to the World Literature Crusade “for giving the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to one million people each day.” Then, after her signature on her handwritten will, she stated, “May they and all my relatives meet me in Heaven.”

These discoveries sealed my conviction that what you write down will reveal a lot to your loved ones. I attended a writer’s conference a few years back and still have stamped in my memory a comment by one of the leaders. Asked by a participant if he kept a diary, he said, “I have not always kept a diary, but I do now. After my wife died, I discovered a diary I didn’t know she had. I discovered things about her I didn’t know before and would not give anything for that diary.”

God operates by that principle. What He said in His word many years ago reveals who He is. It is truly a treasure of knowledge about the One who loves us so much that He gave His Son for our salvation. I am thrilled to have His words in print as well as the writings of the loved ones He put in my life.


But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31). But the word of the Lord lasts forever. Now this word is the good news that was announced by you (1 Peter 1:25 HCSB).