"O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1

In 1941, war was raging and the Jewish population of Europe and Asia were hunted down and killed in one atrocious way        or another.  Once upon a time in this country, slavery ran rampant - and it's still happening all over the world.

Last night, Ronnie and I watched the movie "Defiance", and it left images I shall never forget.  I told someone the other day that whenever I get angry or frustrated, I think about or read Job in the Bible.  To me, one should be able to look in the dictionary and find Job's picture by 'steadfast' - faith in God, of never wondering why or wandering away from his belief - basically that God knows what He's doing, and He's in control, and with that faith, we are able to overcome adversity.

Have you ever been so angry that you just wanted to throw something?  I have (and it's hard to confess that).  That's when  we need to take a deep breath and turn it over to God, whatever it is that is causing one so much grief.  I know you've heard the saying about having one's back, thus being protected on all sides.  Jesus 'has our back', and He is there for us 24/7.

Hope you have a great afternoon and evening, and write as often as you can.  I love hearing from you.  Maggie 
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Coffee Break

As a young teen I used to like to go for long walks in the woods in the deep snow of western Illinois. Sometimes I would actually set out running just to see how far I could go with heavy boots and snow as my two main adversaries.

One wintry day I set out on a long walk to just see where I would end up. For the life of me, I have no idea what I thought I was going to do when I got "there" or how I was going to get back. As I headed south, I tried to keep a straight path. Over the next couple of hours, I slowly drifted off course. When I finally realized where I was, I had drifted a good half-mile to the west of my supposedly straight south walk.

When things don't go well it is human nature to drift in our walk of faith. When faced with trials it is easy to drift toward blaming God, forgetting that He is the giver of all things good.

James saw this drift as a basic struggle for believers, so he wrote, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away (drifts) and enticed by his own lust." (James 1:13 –14)

If I'd had a compass on my little trek, I would have known of my drifting. Our spiritual compass is the Word of God. You should apply it with our eyes fixed on the Son. Doing so will help keep you from drifting toward blaming God.

~ from Michael Ullrich

The Circuit 'Riter

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