Stephanie Shott

Let me begin by saying I'm truly sorry for abandoning my post. (Now, you know that's a funny play on words :-)) It really wasn't my intention, but you know how life can get so chaotic and in the busyness of it all, some things just fall through the proverbial crack. And so it has been with my blog for the last week.

I sincerely want you to know that I wasn't abandoning you. I just had to put a few things in proper perspective, take care of a few people in my life and get several things on my anxiously awaiting "to do list" done before I could manage praying and thinking through a new post.

But the truth is, we all feel abandoned at some time or another. We all feel neglected and even invisible at times. People's lives collide with reality and we get lost in the process. It's happened to me many times. I'm also guilty of losing a few people in the midst of the demands of my dailies.

Friends and family let us down. Sometimes they even leave us alone.

At times, you may even feel as though God is far from you...like He is completely uninterested in your life...like He doesn't care...like He's abandoned you.

Yet, our Heavenly Father has given us the precious and priceless promise of His abiding presence. We may not always feel it, but He is with us...at all times...in all places...in all circumstances. He sees every tear we cry; every burden we bear; every trial we go through; every time we're forsaken by a friend; every hurtful word spoken to us; every battle that defeats us and every victory we walk through.

He sees the things we say and do for His glory; our labor of love for the sake of the Savior; the burdens we carry for others; the prayers we pray for those in need; how we weary ourselves in service for the King of kings and Lord of lords.

He sees it all, dear one! He has not abandoned you. You are not alone.

Today I want to share with you some sweet, comforting and unshakeable truths spoken directly to you and me from the heart of God.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)

"For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath." Deuteronomy 4:31 (NIV)

"Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you." Isaiah 44:21 (NIV)

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Do you see His precious promises are for you, dear one? Do you know that He is with you regardless of what you are feeling?

Today, tell God you trust His presence, even if you don't feel it.

I may have abandoned my post, but God will never abandon His. He is forever faithful, He is forever good, He is forever God. And you can trust Him!

If today's post touched your heart, spoke to you in your circumstances or caused you to see God more clearly, please leave a comment and share that with me.

Also, if you have a prayer request, I would count it a privilege to pray for you.

For those of you who subscribe, please know that you are the object of many of my prayers. I may not even know you by name, but I am praying for you, my friends.

I'd love to share a little of each week with you. Please click here to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look much like your own.

OK girls, the countdown is on and I'm working on crunch time as I prepare to attend She Speaks in 10 days. (Did I just write 10 days?) Yes, I'm feeling a little frantic and frazzled here. Fortunately, my attempts to maintain my composure often mask my harried heart.

Today's blog is not going to be the normal devotion/teaching style post. No, I'm a girl in need of prayer and so I'm putting a little cyberspace shout out to all willing and able girlfriends who will lift my heart and life up to the Living God.

I've got two books that I'm working on and am in the process of developing a proposal for each. I wish I could share more details with you, but one project was birthed from my heart for mothers and the other from my heart for the church.

I believe in prayer! I believe God's heart is moved by the prayers of His people...I believe that apart from Christ, I can accomplish nothing, but through Christ, there's nothing I can't accomplish. Yes, I believe that the fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) avails much!

So, I'm going to cut to the chase and ask you to pray for me in some very specific ways.

1. God's Will - Above all, beyond all and inspite of all things I want God's will to be done. I don't want to walk down any other path than the one God chooses for me. I trust Him, therefore, I trust His ways. Philippians 2:13, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

2. God's Hand - As God's hand was with Judah in 2 Chronicles 30:12, with Ezra in Ezra 7:7, with those who worship Him in Ezra 8:22 and with His people in Isaiah 62:3, please pray God's hand will be upon me as well.

3. God's Favor - This is a prayer I continually pray for me and for those I know. It's found in Psalm 90:17. "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands."

4. God's Protection - Without God's shield of protection, you and I are open game for the enemy. We need protection from the Most High God...the Lord of all creation...the Savior of our souls, our Shield and our Defense. "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah" Psalm 32:7

SO. That's my shout out for prayer. I'm forever desperate for the Living God, but the upcoming conference brings me face to face with my frailties and flaws. I know I have nothing to offer apart from Jesus Christ. Not one word, not one opportunity, not one open door comes without His will, His hand, His favor and His protection.

Thanks in advance for praying me through this. But I want you to know that prayer is a mutual thing. So, as I ask you to pray, I'm also asking you to allow me the privilege of praying for you, as well.

Share your needs and concerns and know that I will sincerely lift them before the throne of God in intercession for you. Also...if you feel as though you could take a few minutes to pray for me, I ask you to please just pop in to the comments section and let me know you're praying.

I'd also love to share a bit of my week with you. Click here to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look very much like your own.

"Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100:3 (Amplified)

If you've ever received a letter from me, you know that I sign my name,

Eternally His,
Stephanie Shott
Phil 3:7-14

I began doing that one day after reading a few letters that I noticed were signed, Love in Christ, In His Service, Til the Whole World Knows and some other very obviously thought out signature lines. That got me thinking about what I wanted to really say when I signed my own name to something. How do I really want to label myself?

I couldn't help but think about what the other ones said and that the only reason I can love like Christ, serve Him and have a heart to reach people for Christ is because I'm His in the first place. Eternally His.

That really just about sums it up. He created me...He saved me...He continues to work in my life. It's not a temporary relationship. It's one He secured with His own blood. And so, I am eternally His.

How about you...do you know you are eternally His? Do you want to know how you can know? How would you label yourself? Have you thought about the way you sign off on things? Does it really matter?

I'd love to share part of my week with you. Click here to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look much like your own.

On my recent post, How Much Time Is Enough, I mentioned some advice I had received in the early days of my Christian walk. A sweet man of God told me, "Stephanie, there's a difference between reading God's Word and studying it...and you need to try to do both every day." That advice has been my quiet time filter for over 20 years.

With the exception of a few things, my quiet time hasn't really changed much. Some of the seasons of my life have caused me to juggle my schedule and change my routine, but the key ingredients have virtually remained the same. I may have juggled the order in which they fall-I may have grown along the way, but there are five elements that have remained a constant in my quiet time over the years.

STUDY - This is my "must do" of the day. I'm a "word" girl, so I love to study the original meaning of things and expand my understanding of God's Word. That probably explains why I love the Amplified version and why I love study books. I study words, topics, books of the Bible and characters. Most of the time I just get out my Bible, my Bible study books (some of my favorites are on an older post entitled, Finding What I'm Looking For) and just dig in, but other times I use a workbook. Right now, I'm going through A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George.

My study time also goes hand in hand with what I'm writing about, so while I'm going through "A Woman After God's Own Heart" - I'm also studying the New Testament church, character studies of moms of the Bible and the book of Philippians.

READ - I like to read through the Bible every year. I confess that I've never purchased a One Year Bible before, but that's a personal preference. When I read through the Bible, I want to be able to make notes of how God speaks to me or write a prayer beside a promise and date it. I want to leave a trail in my Bible of where I've been and where God has led me.

I also confess that when life gets complicated and I'm on overload that the "Reading" time is the one that gets set aside for a season. Don't get me wrong, I continue to spend time studying the Word, but when I can't fit it all in, I set aside my reading until my life gets back on an even keel.

JOURNAL - Although I'm not really into "diary-style" journaling, I love to journal my journey through the Word. This helps me be attentive when I'm in the Word...looking for nuggets of truth and listening for His still small voice.

Each page of my journal normally contains two titles. THE WORD. PRAYER.

The Word - is where I write down insights in His Word, places where He has spoken to me, promises I'm claiming, wisdom I'm seeking, direction I'm in need of, correction I'm also in need of and moments where He has clearly made Himself known to me.

Prayer - is where I write those things that I was prompted to pray for as I was reading. Where I pray in reference to something I had just read in Scripture. Where I list a promise I'm clinging to or a praise for speaking to my heart.

PRAYER - I use a list I use for daily prayer. I've changed this up over the years as to the way I keep track of it, but I have to have a list or things fall through the crack of things "I meant to pray." I make a list with headings like, Family, Friends, Church, Nation, Costa Rica & Panama, Pastors, Missionaries & the Persecuted Church.

DEVOTIONAL - I love to read short, challenging and encouraging devotionals. My all time favorite is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I also like Streams in the Desert, The Daily Bread and many blogs that I subscribe to for daily devotionals. Ann Graham Lotz has a great one, as well.

Please click here to read the rest of today's post at Scripture Dig

Tell me about your quiet time victories and struggles.

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I did my first radio interview for my new book today via the telephone. It was recorded, so they'll be able to mix, master and edit it. That helped alleviate some of the pressure, but to be honest I was completely out of my comfort zone.

I've been speaking in front of people for about 20 years and although there's always an element of nervousness every time I step behind the mic, there's also a sense of belonging.

So, I decided to try to figure out why these two speaking venues seemed so different for me and I came up with a few things that helped me figure myself out and be better prepared for the next one.

Speaking in front of an audience:

1. I pray for the people who will be there and I generally have a list of names that has been provided or at least an idea of what type of audience will be there.

2. An event often defines who will attend, so after seeking God's face for the wisdom and the words to know what to speak on, I'm able to think in terms of topic and theme.

3. Faces. I see faces of women who laugh and smile and shed tears along the way. These are the women I diligently prayed for - that although I don't know what they're going through or what they need to hear - that God would use me to speak from His heart to theirs. Seeing their faces makes all the difference in the world.

4. I'm familiar with at least a few of the women that are attending a speaking engagement. I may not have met them in person, but at least I've talked to them on the phone for some time - got to know them a little - have been praying for them by name - have talked about the needs and the topics. So, I feel as though I know them at least a little bit.

Radio Interview:

1. I've never met or talked to the person before and my first contact is the phone call of the interview. I was blessed to have a very nice and informative man walk me through the process and ease my heart before the actual interview. But I still didn't know him. My only communication until the time of the interview was by email. I realize that's the way many radio interviews are done and many people do them very well, but this little girl was definitely out of her comfort zone!

2. Unexpected questions. Let's face it...if you're a speaker, you know what you're going to say. You've prayed about it, you've reviewed it a million times and then prayed some more. No one is going to stop you midstream and ask you an unexpected question. A radio interview means you have to be able to think quickly and expect the unexpected. I confess I'm not so good at the "thinking quickly" thing which makes it a little more difficult to feel at ease during the interview.

3. Not seeing your audience. That really was the biggest nerve prompter for me. Whether you're in the studio or on the phone when you conduct a radio interview, you don't have the luxury of seeing who you're talking to or really knowing who will be listening. I don't know if it's because I've been speaking for so long in front of people or what, but the invisible audience freaked me out a little bit.

4. The clock is ticking. Whether you're speaking before a group of people or doing a television or radio interview, you always have to be cognizant of the time. But there's a little more leeway when you're at a conference. Radio and television shows are on a strict stopwatch. One or two minutes really does make a difference, so you have to keep in mind the clock is ticking.

I have to say that I really enjoyed my interview and I was blessed to have Don be the first host to do a radio interview with me. He certainly did a good job of putting my mind at ease, but I was still out of my comfort zone and I knew it.

That said...it's good for each of us to be stretched beyond the walls of our own comfort. To grow, serve and minister in areas that are beyond our personal concept of the norm.

God has a way of expanding our ministry boarders as He stretches us to do things that are beyond our natural abilities and places us in the need of Divine intervention.

I was the most unlikely person to speak in public, but God stretched me beyond that which I was able to do in the natural and gave me the supernatural ability to do what I never thought was possible...what I never wanted to do in the first place. Now it's where I feel His pleasure most.

The same is true for you.

I loved sharing my heart about my new ladies Bible study on Ecclesiastes which is scheduled for release in August or September. It reminded me of how God led me to write a book that I didn't even know I was writing. How He confirmed that what I was writing was for more than my own personal study. It was a sweet reminder of the fact that Understanding What Matters Most is a direct result of God stretching me way beyond my own capablities.

What is God prompting you to do today that will take faith to accomplish? What doors is He opening for you that will stretch you beyond your own abilities? Have you come to a place in your walk with the Lord that you are willing to be stretched anywhere, anyhow and anytime He chooses for His glory and your good?

I'd love to share a part of each week with you. Click to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look very much like your own.

Today's post is back by popular demand. For those of you who need a laugh and a lesson in life...ENJOY!

I often tell my friends I'm here for their entertainment. I'm either doing something goofy that cracks them up or I'm just entertaining myself and cracking myself up. The story you're about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent-except for mine and my husband's. :-)

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and we were making our annual trip to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Undaunted by our inability to find a tree that could rival the Griswald's, we made our way to Lowe's and began to survey the award-winning selection. And there it was! Glowing. As if angels were singing and a halo of light displayed it's glistening beauty. "Yes sir, we'll take that one!"

Donald had to stay to assure the tree would be properly trimmed, bagged and prepared for the truck. My job was to take the price tag to the cashier and pay for our prized possession. As I stood there talking to the cashier as if I had just had dinner with her family last week, I began to notice she was staring at me with the strangest look on her face. She was visibly confused and I didn't have a clue why. All of a sudden she spouted... "Is that a fok on yo jacket?" Now I was confused. All I could say was, "What?" The sweet lady behind the cash register began laughing, then blurted out, "There's a fork on your jacket...You got a fork on your jacket!"



O.K., now I know I'm a little slow, but all I could think of was, "Did she just say I have a fork on my jacket?" Of course, Curious to see what she was talking about, I glanced down and found a shiny silver fork stuck to the magnets on the front of my jacket. Yes...there was a fork on my jacket. That sweet cashier and I began laughing uncontrollably in a moment of bonding that can only take place when you realize you're too goofy to retain any semblance of pride.

I can't remember how many places we had been before someone was willing to tell me there was a fork on my jacket, but I was thankful she did. As I walked away that night I was reminded that there are times when we walk through this life with moods, attitudes and even sin sticking out like a fork on our jacket. Maybe we don't even know it, but it's very obvious to others.

How many times have I walked around with anger, impatience, frustration or pride exposed for the world to see? How do I respond when someone points out my prominent problems...sins stuck on my soul...shining brightly, but not so beautifully?

I've learned a lot of lessons from that silly fork. Serious lessons from a hilarious situation.

1. Don't walk around like I've got it all together. (We are all flawed people in need of a flawless God)

2. Check myself out Examine myself, my moods, my attitudes and my heart.

3. Deal with my issues privately before I go out in public and make a fool of myself.

4. Listen to others when they're willing to point out issues I need to deal with that I may have been blinded to.

5. Get over it. When I fail, get it right and then get over it. Don't carry yesterday's failure into today's potential.

How about you? How do you deal with the spiritual forks on your jacket? What other lessons can we learn from that silly fork on my jacket?

I'd love to share part of my day with you. Click here to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look much like your own.

Yesterday, our pastor (Eric Jaffe) preached an awesome message entitled, "A Call to Fall" and it challenged me big time! I've always struggled with the balance between proclaiming Christ and being politically involved. I never want any other message I share to be louder than His. It's not a conviction of what's right or wrong for anyone else, but it's been a personal struggle for me.

But, yesterday, Eric made a statement that perhaps "our passivity is one of our greatest sins." Could that be true? Has our passivity become one of our worst sins? Are we watching our Christian heritage be cleverly replaced with secular humanism while we stand by and merely complain about how terrible it is? Are we hiding behind our Christianity while we make excuses for our lack of involvement?

For years I've heard that Christians really shouldn't get involved in politics. Really? Is that true? Is that Biblical?

Because, when I look at Scripture, I see men and women of God strongly involved in various roles in the local and national governments. In fact, God called His chosen people a "nation" birthed by Abraham's faith and sustained by God's sovereign hand over the leaders and governmental officials he placed in charge.

Here are a few biblical examples of godly governmental leaders:

Joseph - Slave who became 2nd in command of the nation & wisely led the country through years of famine
Deborah - She judged Israel and led Barak to believe God for the victory He had already promised in a war Barak was afraid to wage.
David- King, military leader, soldier. Yet, no one told him, "No way, you can't be a king - you're a believer!"
Solomon - David's son. King. Wisest human being to ever live
Hezekiah - King who served God and did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord
Mordecai - Blue collar worker who became legislator

The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Romans 13:1 says, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." It goes on to say in verse 4, "For he is God's minister to you for good."

God places people over us. Some of them good, some of them, not-so-much. We are blessed with godly leaders when God's people chose God's ways and seek to live out God's principles in a way that declares that nation is fully God's. ("Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Pslam 33:12)

What if George Washington said, "There is no way I'm going to run for office. That would send a confusing message to those who know I'm a Christian."

Did you know that George Washington said:
“The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.”

Did you know that John Adams made the following statements:
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

“We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!”

What about Thomas Jefferson? Did you know he said:
“The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart.”

“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

And look at this surprisingly relevant quote by Abraham Lincoln:
“We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

Today, we live in a culture that is bent on rewriting history. They are feverishly working to warp the minds of our children and erase the reality of our Christian heritage. Are we really going to sit by and do nothing? Is it possible for us to use our Christianity as an excuse for our passivity and let the next generation find themselves in the grip of a completely controlling and anti-Christian government? Will the next generation know that the words "the separation of church and state" are not even in the Constitution?

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired of sitting back and complaining about that which I've done little to change. I can't let our children fall prey to a humanistic, socialistic mind-set that is pervading our society. As Pastor Eric so clearly said, "Not on my watch!" Not if we have anything to do with it. My voice may be small...but if I don't use it, it's silent. My vote may be one...but if I don't exercise my right to vote, I have nothing to say about the direction our country is taking.

If you're still not stirred to get busy and be involved, read what the pilgrims wrote when they landed at Plymouth Rock. Their vision for the establishment of a new land is undeniably Christian. Here are the words of the Mayflower Compact.

"In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620"

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We are a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles, established by men who called themselves Christians and expected us to conduct our rules of order as such. We can not sit idly by while the voice of the minority dictate the establishment of laws that will greatly impact our freedoms and rewrite our heritage. Not on our watch...not on our watch!

O.K., so I've done it. I've let my political cat out of the bag. For those of you who are used to seeing devotions on my page, I just had to speak up and encourage you to not allow your children to be lost to those who are trying to erase our Christian heritage. Much like Joshua did when he crossed the Jordan, our forefathers left stones of remembrance with every bill they wrote, every declaration they made and every battle they fought. We should honor them with the courage to stand up for what they fought so hard to establish.

If you'd like more information about our Godly Heritage, you can find a plethora of truths about our historical heritage at WallBuilders.

Today, I'm asking you...what are you going to do this year to stand up for our Christian heritage of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Do you struggle with the balance between politics and religion?

Maybe you're already involved and have some advice for those who want to be. Please share your story with us.

I'd love to share part of my day with you. You can click here to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look much lie your own.