Connecting the Dots: Connecting Everyday Life Experiences to Spiritual Truths

By Rev. Deanna Young

Sometimes life appears to be a series of unconnected, unrelated events. We may wonder about God’s plan for our lives when it seems to be so random and we can’t see the big picture.

But God is creating His beautiful masterpiece in you. As you connect your life events, the “dots,” through these daily devotionals, a gl

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outreach, Inc (DBA Equip Press)
• Release date: Dec 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781946453075

Book preview

Introduction

Iwasn’t always a Christian—or should I say a faithful Christian. Growing up Catholic, just like many others, somewhere during my twenties and thirties I was so focused on navigating my life in my own way, not much thought was given to God, church, or my need for Jesus. To most looking from the outside, my life would be called good. It wasn’t without its struggles, but nothing that seemed to require Godly intervention . . . or so I thought. My loving husband, Scott, and I got engaged at seventeen and married at nineteen. Yes, we are still married to each other and couldn’t imagine it any other way. We have three children, Scott III, Cheryl (married to Jason), and Victoria (married to Erik) and ten grandchildren. Scott always had a good job, which enabled me to stay home and raise our children. Finally, when they all got into school, I returned to college and got a BS in Biology from Sam Houston State University. During that time, I was working as a Director of Health and Wellness at the YMCA and helping people take care of themselves physically. My children were growing up and getting ready to have children so I decided it was time to work less and be with family more. As my children were having children, I slowed down my busyness to a point that I actually heard, in my heart, Go to church! while driving down the road one day. No one was with me and somehow I knew this was from God. I went home and told Scott that we needed to play golf on a day other than Sunday and explained why. So, we started going to church—a Methodist church. It felt right and it felt like home. I had no idea what I had been missing. We began going every Sunday. Then I felt the pull to go to a Bible study, bought a Bible, and attended. Before long, they had me facilitating studies. My hunger was so great to not only know about God, but to know God, that I couldn’t get enough. I served in various capacities and began volunteering at my church. I became unpaid staff as Coordinator of Spiritual Formation and was able to help people take care of themselves spiritually. Then it happened. God called me into ordained ministry. Funny thing was that while reaching completion of my undergraduate degree, I cried and said never again to school. Well, God had another idea. In order to become ordained as an Elder in the church, a Master of Divinity from a seminary was required. My call into ministry came in March 2005, and I registered and began attending Perkins School of Theology at SMU in August 2005. With the full support of my sweet husband, we began a journey of seven years to ordination. During that journey, my daddy, Scott’s mom, Scott’s sister, my brother, and my mamma died. Dealing with gut-wrenching grief, God ministered to me in powerful and inspirational ways and He gave me the strength and endurance to keep pushing forward to His desire for my life. From this time in my life, I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13) became my favorite Scripture—my mantra. In 2007 I became a Licensed Local Pastor while in seminary, was commissioned as an Elder in 2010 when graduating with my Masters, and was ordained in 2012. I served at my home church, Christ Church United Methodist, as an Associate Pastor during that time. The people of Christ Church were amazingly encouraging and supportive as I grew and transformed. Eventually I was called to serve at Fairbanks United Methodist Church as the only Pastor—now Senior Pastor. Again, these saints of Fairbanks are wonderfully supportive and we, together, have weathered the storms of change as the church responds to the call to be love in this world.

Though this is the first book I am publishing, I have written much over the years. I have written Bible studies on Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Philippians, Ephesians, James, and Revelation, and am presently working on the book of Acts. I have written and led various retreats and I continue to write devotions every week.

The devotions in this book, I began writing for my sisters: Wanda, Sandy (my sister-in-love), Kathy, and Laura. After both of our parents had passed from this life into the next, we began texting each other a lot. When I say a lot, I mean sometimes fifty to seventy group texts a night (now it can be upward of 200!). It’s fun and it keeps us connected and closer to one another even though we live hundreds of miles apart. These texts are really good for us as we discuss all kinds of things. They keep us connected until we are able to gather for sister-time!

Then God placed it on my heart to do a little more with the texting. He wanted me to help lead them into study and solitude with Him. I didn’t ask if they already read His Holy Word, and strangely enough I didn’t know, but I just started writing. I sent them the first text devotion on January 1, 2013, and told them that I was going to continue unless they didn’t want me to . . . and they all wanted me to continue. This blessed my heart. I began writing, not thinking about whether I would write for a week, a month, or a year. I simply wrote. Each morning, except for Sunday, I would get up, get my coffee, and sit down at my iPad and wait for direction as to what to write. Some days I had to wait longer than others, but the words always came. Eventually, my sisters would say, Deanna, you can write a devotion (or a sermon) about anything! My response was that it was because I could connect the dots from our lives to God—I could see how our life experiences are beautiful examples for teaching about God and God’s love for us.

Eventually, others discovered I was writing these daily devotions and asked me to send the devotions to them as well. So I did. I texted, emailed, posted on Facebook, and eventually uploaded to our church webpage. (Please note that though the majority of these devotions were written during the year 2013, I have added the Sunday devotions from those written after that even up to the present time.)

It has been my prayer that God’s Holy Spirit would guide me in writing and that these devotions will help others connect the dots from life experiences to spiritual truths—from creation to Creator.

Don’t know what connecting the dots means? When I was kid, there were Connect the Dots books (like coloring books). I still see these books every now and again. These books have pages with dots and numbers on them and you connect the dots by drawing a line from one number to the next. Then Aha! a picture comes into full view and you know what you are supposed to see. I pray that this book of devotions helps you to do the same with your life experiences and teaches you how they are beautiful examples for learning about God and God’s love for you.

I invite you to have your Bible ready to read the Scriptures included. It is important to learn how to find relevant Scriptures and to be familiar with using your Bible. Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to you through your quiet time, reading, and listening. Then read the devotions. Don’t be afraid to write on the pages of this book. Write what comes to mind as you read—words, ideas, experiences—and connect the dots from your own life experiences to these spiritual truths. May God bless your time connecting the dots!

January 1:

Resolutions And Revolutions!

Clean slate, new beginning, do over, fresh start—these are opportunities we seize as we begin a new year. How many of us think about New Year’s resolutions—at least for a few minutes? Lose weight, stop smoking, stop drinking, stop something, start going to church regularly, start reading the Bible every day, start exercising, start something—which one is it for you? All of these things I’ve listed speak of living a healthier (both spiritually and physically) life. One of my favorite Scriptures is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. This Scripture defines both why we should live spiritually and physically healthier lives and how we can succeed. The why is simple—we are not our own; we belong to God. As such, we should seek to live in ways that glorify Him. The how is not quite as simple, but we actually are given the power to succeed. The how is the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit can empower each of us to success if we allow the Spirit to work. If we resolve to allow the Spirit to empower us to success in glorifying God in our bodies, then we will experience a revolution of our hearts and habits. I can hear many of you now: But I’ve tried to be healthier and fail every time. My response is, Don’t look back to your past regrets, look forward to your future success.

January 2:

What’s Your Word?

I’m sure we’ve all been thinking about this new year ahead. Many people choose a word for the year—a word that the individual will try to live into; a word that hopefully will guide their actions. It could be joy, or wisdom, or it’s time! I know that’s more than one word. But, here’s the deal—whatever it is that you feel God has called you to, that’s it! My words for this year are Make it count! It’s not original—I read it somewhere—but I choose those words. I pray that I will make whatever I do count for God’s Kingdom. Whether it’s in my personal or professional life, I will work toward making it count. Making it count requires me to be still, listen, discern, pray, and take action. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that we should do all things, or whatever we do, to the glory of God. In other words, Make it count! Have you chosen your word? Take some time to prayerfully consider what your word(s) for this year might be. Then commit! I cannot wait to see what glorious things God can do through His people this year. We are in this together my friends, for good and forever!

January 3:

Blank Canvas

Read Genesis 6:1–8:18. On the back porch of Legacy Ranch (our retreat home) I have set up my easel and have set a large blank canvas upon it. I look at it and think of the possibilities that this blank canvas presents. I can paint anything I want upon it. I can use any medium I choose to use. It can be a landscape or a still life. The possibilities are endless. This is a new year and the possibilities are endless. Our lives are like that blank canvas and we can paint them however we choose. I find this very exciting. Noah had the same opportunity. Genesis 8:13 says that it was on the first day of the first month of the 600th year that the waters dried up from the earth and Noah removed the covering from the ark. Can you imagine what that felt like to him—knowing that all but what was on the ark had perished in this great flood? It was up to him and his family to reestablish humankind—to lay the foundation and set the course as desired by God. God had saved Noah and his family because of Noah’s righteousness. Imagine that you have just stepped off the ark and the world has been washed clean and you can begin again like Noah and his family. Or imagine that this new year is like that blank canvas and you can paint it with a righteous life lived in the shadow of your Savior. What is your first move?

January 4:

Do Not Worry

Read Matthew 6:25-34. Worry is an incessant little beast. It works its way into our world. It gets hold of us and it is difficult for us to break free. Then it seems to take control of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I will NOT give that beast power over my life. Only one has power over my life and that is the Almighty God. I submit to His will today and every day. Now that doesn’t mean that the beast of worry doesn’t try to work his way in—he certainly does. Then, I remember this Scripture and how we are told quite often in Scripture Do not worry, Do not fear, Be not afraid, or some other form of encouragement to help us navigate life when worry is knocking at the door. Do not worry because God is with you—remember Psalm 23!

January 5:

Details . . .

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was once again struck with the detailed descriptions that are given to God’s people. Think of the instructions for building the tabernacle as the perfect example—every measurement, every material, every color, and even which tribe will be doing what job in the building are given by God. I think that we often forget that God does care about the details. How we get things done is as important as getting them done. Let’s think about the details of our prayer lives. First, do we have one? If the answer is Yes, then let’s consider the details. For instance, do you have a dedicated prayer time? Where do you pray? Is your prayer only filled with a laundry list of requests and/or instructions of what you want God to do for you? Does your prayer include gratitude? Does your prayer give God honor, glory, and praise? Do you only pray when you are in trouble or need God’s help? Do you pray into each day? Do you pray before you sleep? Do you only pray for others, but never for yourself? The questions about the details of your prayers are too numerous to mention all of them. I think you get the idea. Let me just say, God hears every prayer, spoken, unspoken, with or without praise, no matter where you are or how you pray. God can handle anything we bring His way. Nothing is too trivial to pray for and nothing is too great. Every time we pray, we are acknowledging God’s existence and our relationship with Him. But here’s the thing, my friends—have you ever had that friend who calls you and they only talk about himself or herself? They never acknowledge your needs/life/emotions. How does this person make you feel? I know it makes me feel like they don’t care about me! I don’t want to do that to God, do you? Have you ever prayed and just thanked Him for who He is? Have you ever prayed and just given Him all glory, honor, and praise? Do you ask God what you may do for Him? The details are important to God and they should be important to us. The Lord’s Prayer is the perfect example of prayer—it has all the details—adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication (asking). Of course it is the perfect example of prayer—it came from the perfect Jesus! Let us each evaluate our prayer life. Consider the details and imagine as all of our prayers are placed upon the altar of God.

January 6:

Forgetfulness

This morning I was reading in the book of Judges about the forgetfulness of the Israelites. After Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, he died. The generation of people who witnessed what the Lord had done for them while Joshua led died as well. Even the next generation died. The Scripture reads, Another generation grew up after them, who did not know the L ORD or the work that he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10). How is this possible? Did the Israelites forget to share the story of their salvation? Or is it that these people did not know the Lord for themselves? Either way it seems that maybe a generation of people failed to tell of the great things the Lord had done for them. They forgot to tell their story. Tomorrow I am teaching the second session of a class that is exactly about that—storytelling (and I don’t mean fabricating a story to tell)! This class is designed to help people tell their stories in ways that are relatable, relational, and engaging so that the story becomes a part of who the hearer is. If we don’t tell our stories about our lives with God, who will? You might say, But that’s your job, pastor! It’s your job too, my beloved. If we don’t tell others about the great things the Lord has done for us, will we raise a generation of people who forget who God is and what He’s done? Telling our story is one of the best ways for us to evangelize. Now I’m not saying for us to go up to strangers on the street and say, Let me tell you a story. However, our lives interact with many every day. How we speak about our lives and our God is very important. How we act day in and day out tells a story. Think about it. What story does your life tell? What story do your words tell? Spend some time today thinking about this. Make adjustments if necessary. Because remember, your story is God’s story. Our stories cannot be re-written, so let’s get it right the first time.

January 7:

Missing Pieces

Read Ephesians 3:14-20. One year I was given a puzzle for Christmas, and while I was on holiday break I decided to try and put it together. So I began gathering the end pieces and connecting them and I almost had the frame of the puzzle done, but I discovered I didn’t have all the end pieces. I went through the box again, thinking, How can I even continue if I can’t find the end pieces? Life is like that puzzle. We try so hard to figure it out—what are we supposed to do when, where are we supposed to go, how do we get from here to there, and I thought I was supposed to do this but it’s not working out. We try to piece our life puzzle together on our own. We think we know what our lives are supposed to look like and we try to force the pieces together. In reality, God is the One who has the proverbial puzzle box top and knows what He wants our lives to be. When we make decisions without prayer, often it’s like us trying to figure out the puzzle without the top of the box. When we prayerfully consider our options, God can help us fit the pieces together. When we feel like there are pieces missing and we just can’t figure out what our next step should be, we need to go to God in prayer and ask the One who pieced this amazing world together to help piece our lives together. God is able to do more than you could ever ask or imagine . . . so ask.

January 8:

I’ll Do It Myself

Read John 3:16. Do you remember that moment when you finally realized that Jesus died on that cross for you? It’s a realization that even if you were the onlyone in the world, He would have still suffered the cross. Then you think about why He did it—why? God tried to teach us in a variety of ways how to live. He spoke through the prophets—we didn’t listen. He gave us the Ten Commandments—if we follow them at all, we do so without heart. He empowered kings—and they couldn’t faithfully stay the course without sinning against Him. There was a canyon that existed between God and us—the Grand Canyon of sin and selfishness. We might think, Well, God had to do something. But He really didn’t. He could have left us to our own devices. He could have said there is nothing worth redeeming. But He didn’t leave us as we were and He didn’t tell us, Just try harder and it will work out. He loves us so much that He gave it one more try. He sent Jesus Christ to bridge the gap of the Grand Canyon—that canyon that keeps us from holiness, right living, and salvation. God tried and tried and tried again to tell us how to live—then He decided to show us! He clothed Himself in humanity and came down to earth to live and die for us. I wonder if God thought, I guess I had just better do it myself. So He did. Glory alleluia. He did this for me and He did this for you. It’s an amazing thing. It’s amazing grace!!!

January 9:

God’s Timing

Ihear people say (and I’ve said it to others) that God’s timing is perfect. Sometimes we want to respond, Perfect for whom—because it sure is inconvenient for me. Whether it is planning a retreat and thinking it is all coming together only to have a monkey wrench thrown right in the middle and having to change the date, or working long, hard hours for years waiting for the big break in your career and it comes when you least expect it, we continue to tell ourselves, God’s timing is perfect, all the while wishing He’d get on our timetable. You know what I am talking about—a wayward child, an illness that won’t go away, family that is far away, waiting to meet that perfect person, and so on and so on. Sometimes the best way for us to see God’s perfect timing is after the fact. You’ve heard the saying that hindsight is twenty-twenty—that’s what I’m talking about. You look back and recognize that if you’d gotten that big break when you wanted it you weren’t ready for it. Maybe throughout that illness you touched many lives and God’s story of giving you strength, patience, and endurance will have more far-reaching effects than if you had gotten over it quickly. Maybe that child needs to experience the world as it really is in order to appreciate the love and care you have given her. We could justify God’s timing till the cows come home. But the bottom line is this: no matter what, God’s timing is perfect because He is God. Psalm 37:7 reads, Be still before the L ORD , and wait patiently for him. In the waiting, allow God to change your perspective on the situation. Allow God to infiltrate every fiber of your being such that even if nothing ever happens in that particular situation, you will still know God’s loving presence in your life. And that, my beloved, is worth waiting for. Maybe that’s what the wait is all about. Think about it. God’s perfect timing.

January 10:

It’s Free

Read Ephesians 2:8. While spending time with family this weekend, I heard a story of how my cousin and her husband went to a dollar store to shop. While there, the husband would pick up an item and say, I wonder how much this is. My cousin would say, It’s a dollar. Then he’d pick up another item and ask the same question and it was answered the same way. Finally my cousin said, Listen to me, everything in the store is one dollar. Maybe it was hard for him to believe that everything was only a dollar. How could everything cost so little? Surely not everything is a dollar??? This is the kind of disbelief people have when they hear that our salvation costs us nothing. I can hear the conversation:

How much does salvation cost me?

Salvation costs you nothing, Jesus paid the price.

Surely, I must have to work for it.

Nope, you are saved by grace through faith alone.

But I’m a sinner.

That’s why you need Jesus. There’s nothing you can do to save yourself.

Nothing?

No, nothing. It is a gift from God.

How can I repay Him?

This is where it gets really complicated for most people. We are to live good, faithful lives. We are to be obedient to God’s call on our lives. However, without truly believing that God’s Holy Spirit lives within us, living as Jesus would have us live is impossible. We cannot do this in our own power—only in His power. The whole idea of the Holy Spirit is difficult to understand. However, my beloved, we do not have to understand, we need to believe and let the Spirit work. Do you believe?

January 11:

Stuck?

When Wee, my granddaughter, was almost two years old, if she was where she didn’t want to be, or being held by someone she didn’t want to hold her, she said, Stuck, Mamma, stuck. It actually sounded like Duck Mamma duck, but her mom assured me she wanted to get out of the situation she found herself in. She knew that when she said this, her mamma would help her out. How many times do we find ourselves in situations we don’t want to be in or being held hostage by habits or desires that are not good for us? Psalm 121 reminds us that we too can say, Stuck, God, stuck, and He will help us in our time of trouble. The psalmist asks and answers the question From where will my help come? It may be that he is reassuring himself that My help comes from the L ORD , who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2). Surely the Maker of heaven and earth can guard, guide, and defend my life. When we ask for help, however, we must consider how we got to where we are; what’s our responsibility in the matter; what will we learn; and how will we be changed because of our struggle? Nothing in life is wasted if we keep our eyes upon the Lord. He can use every experience to mold us into the people He desires us to be. I love knowing that not one of my struggles in life is wasted . . . each one has drawn me closer to my Lord and helped me to know my purpose as His disciple. Do you feel stuck? Cry out, Stuck, Lord, stuck, and know that He hears and He will respond.

January 12:

That’s Why It’s Called Amazing!

Iserved God one weekend by speaking at a women’s retreat in Louisiana. It took us a while to figure out a date that would work for their church, the praise band, and for me. Sandy, my sister, and I had been talking about it for about a year. But we finally picked a date and things began to fall into place—really fall into place. This church had never had a retreat before, yet they pulled together a retreat team and got a band that would serve for free and the women signed up—many women signed up to attend. As if all of this was not amazing enough, God amazed me by providing for our journal making time. Let me explain. I had asked for the supplies for each woman to create her own journal. Among the supplies needed were magazines so we could tear out pictures to mod podge onto the journals. Much to my surprise, there was a lady that had been cutting pictures out of magazines, categorizing them, and placing each category in a plastic bag. She had boxes of these cut-outs. She had no particular purpose for these cut-outs and I have no idea how long she was cutting them out. But we had more than enough for about fifty women to decorate their journals. You see, the amazing thing is that God knew long ago that we would need these cut-outs for our retreat. Long before He placed the call on my heart to do this retreat, He was preparing for the retreat. Through the obedience of the woman cutting magazines, Sandy stoking the desire in her church to do the retreat, those serving on the retreat team, the praise band, and all those women who attended, God pulled it off. It was a wonderful time of praise, learning, revelation, creating, listening, writing, and walking with God. God knew what we needed and He provided. He provided MORE than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). That’s our God. Why am I always surprised by His amazing grace? I praythat you too are surprised by God’s grace in your life. Look for His grace—it’s there—always.

January 13:

Claim It and Change It

" C reate in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.