I left my brain back in Bavaria.

Or, maybe young motherhood and sleep deprivation is taking a toll on my memory.

I don’t really know.

What I do know is that we were late to Bible study yesterday, and it was this mama’s fault.

 

The morning started off wonderful. I woke up earlier than usual. I prayed with passion. I actually showered, fixed my hair, and applied makeup to my smiling face. I fed and dressed my wiggly, giggly children with ease and grace. I filled and labeled their clean Sippy cups. I divided their fish crackers into equal amounts and lovingly placed them into the designated Ziploc baggies (which were also labeled).

I remembered to pack extra outfits, diapers, baby wipes, Jackson’s favorite cars and Katie’s princess blanket. My Bible, keys, cell phone, garage door opener, purse, and caffeinated beverage were easily located, organized and carried out to the car.

We were ready to go 30 minutes before we needed to leave.

Yep, I was feeling pretty awesome.

 

 

When it was time to leave, I calmly loaded Jack and Katie into their car seats and patiently fastened all 500 belts and latches on their beloved child safety seats. I hopped into the driver’s seat and began to dig in my purse for my sunglasses. THIS is when I noticed something.

My billfold containing my driver’s license and military ID (which allows me back on base and into our home) was gone.

I immediately began to, well… freak out internally:

Where did I last see my billfold?

What am I going to do?

I am Type-A and Type-A people don’t lose things!

Why couldn’t I have discovered this 30 minutes ago?

Maybe I shouldn’t go to Bible study now because I am going to be late…

God, how could I do this? Please help me! I am so angry and frustrated with myself… 

 

Perhaps you can relate. Some days are like this, aren’t they? We plan, prepare, and execute with ease and grace. We have life under control.

And then we mess up.

 

 

A One Degree Moment

Here is what the Holy Spirit revealed to me through the missing billfold fiasco:

I do not like being human all the time.

I do not enjoy being human all the time because it’s means I am going to tire, hurt, lose my patience, worry, and misplace things. Being human means I do not know all the answers.

Being human means that when my plans fail I will naturally question and put myself down. I will naturally feel confused, frustrated, or hopeless.  I will naturally want to turn around and go home because I am too embarrassed or ashamed to attend Bible study.

I am tired of doing life naturally.

I want to “do” life  supernaturally.

The only way I can do this is to yield to the Holy Spirit’s direction as He changes me one degree at a time (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 ESV). If He sees fit to use a missing billfold to accomplish this, then I will trust Him.

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I left my billfold in Chad’s car. He also reminded me that the world would not end if I walked into the study 20 minutes late. He gave me the strength to turn around and say, “Oops, mommy messed up” to my kids with a smile on my face.

I learned to show myself grace, to keep life in perspective, and to remain composed in front of my children. Jackson and Katie witnessed life lived supernaturally.

So friends, I pray that you are encouraged. You are not the only one who messes up. You and I are human. It is important for us to remind each other of this, and to cheer each other on as we live life ”supernaturally” for the glory of God. Despite our mess ups, we are loved by our Abba Father.

Hold on loosely to your plans and hold on tightly to your God. All is not lost, even if you walk into Bible study late…

 

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”

~Proverbs 19:21 ESV

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~by Chad and Tracy Steel

 

In the years following WWI, the German people were hopeless, hurting, and hungry. The economic promises, patriotism, and propaganda of Hitler and the Nazi party promised prosperity to the people.

The German people were persuaded. Those who protested or fell under the crosshairs of Nazi prejudice were silenced.

Before we visited Germany, the Holocaust only existed in the history books of our minds. Now the reality of what happened in Nazi Germany is forever etched in our hearts.

May the following account of our tour through the Dachau concentration camp remind you that

Evil exists…

 

 

 

A somber mood fell over us as we strolled down the gravel road towards the entrance of the camp. When we arrived, we stared at the main entrance gate in hushed silence. The words Arbeit Macht Frei were wrought in iron at the top of the gate. As the prisoners entered the camp, their hearts consumed a cruel lie, for Arbeit Macht Frei means “Work sets you free.”

41,500 prisoners were never set free from Dachau, despite how hard they worked. They were shot, hanged, experimented on, or they died of starvation, exposure, and disease instead.

41,500 prisoners.

Evil lies…

 

 

 

We entered the main yard where roll call for the prisoners was held two times a day, for hours at a time, in the scorching heat or freezing snow. Heinrich Himmler, the sinister leader of the SS and Gestapo, once walked where we were standing.

We walked the path of those who delighted in torturing and murdering:

• Christian and political opponents (from Germany, Austria, and the Czech)
• Professional criminals
• Emigrants
• Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Homosexuals
• Asocials (beggars, alcoholics, prostitutes)
• Gypsies
• Jews

Evil intimidates and terrifies…

 

 

 

The barracks were un-insulated and cold. The beds reminded us that these were not instruments of rest. They existed only as a place to hold the prisoners until their next work shift. Hopeless eyes once stared out the windows of the barracks like ours did, fixed upon a long building where the cynical motto of the camp was written across the roof: “There is one path to freedom. Its milestones are: obedience, honesty, cleanliness, sobriety, diligence, orderliness, sacrifice, truthfulness, love of the fatherland.”

We continued down the tree lined path through the rows of barracks in utter shock and silence (One barrack at Dachau was built to accommodate 200 prisoners. When the camp was liberated in 1945, each barrack was overcrowded with up to 2,000 prisoners).

We felt cut off from hope and from the rest of the world. The atmosphere frequently pierced with screams and gunshots, was thick with silence.

Evil isolates…

 

 

 

 

 

 

To our left, an open gate caught our attention. Cold, concrete posts held the barbed wire fences in place on either side of the gate. This same barbed wire once sent electricity through the prisoners that ran into them- voluntarily embracing their chance at final freedom.

As we walked through the gate, birds chirped in the distance, and a small brook gently flowed a few feet from the barbed wire. I (Tracy) paused to remember this rare glimpse of beauty in this place of concentrated evil.

 

 

 

A menacing solemnness hung in the cool air. We quickly discovered why this part of the camp “felt” this way…

A couple of steps beyond the brook were a row of trees. A brick chimney loomed beyond the trees. It was the crematorium.

Evil kills…

 

 

 

 

The ovens lay open before us, testifying in silence as to the hidden crimes conducted here. Most chilling was the “shower room” to the left of the oven room. Human beings actually built this room to convince other human beings to take a “shower”, albeit a final shower of gas. Although never operationally used in Dachau, the Nazis still built it. (Historians are at a loss as to why they never used it.)

You could almost hear demonic laughs echo in the concrete rooms in the crematorium.

 

This is what the absence of God must feel like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evil exists. Evil lies. Evil intimidates and terrifies. Evil isolates. Evil kills. Throughout history evil has caused unfathomable pain and suffering. Evil continues to destroy human lives today.

However…

 

 

Evil will lose. Evil will cease.

The Prince of Peace is coming.

Righteousness will reign.

 

 

Come Lord Jesus, come…

 

 

 

We dedicate this post to the victims of the Holocaust. May generations to come retell your stories and remember your sufferings. We honor you in our hearts and mourn the loss of your loved ones…

 

 

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Rejection and heartbreak~ how I know them well.

 

Why didn’t this guy fall in love with me?

Why did she stop calling me since she promised to always ”be there” for me?

Why am I suddenly jealous over his new girlfriend? I mean, I think of him as only a friend. Maybe guys and girls cannot be “just friends” after all…

 

Boy, have I been there and thought these things.

 

In her recently released e-book, Loves Me Not, Renee Fisher addresses how to heal from breakups and broken relationships God’s way. I admire Renee for how open and honest she is about the heartbreak she’s experienced. Renee is an overcomer, and shares the lessons that God has taught her in a gracious, concise, and applicable manner. I highly recommend Loves Me Not, and I am honored to have Renee share her heart with you today.

So here’s Renee…

 

 

 

Breakups really hurt because our hearts were never meant to experience heartbreak.

 

“The tree Adam and Eve ate from is called The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:5). It’s interesting that it wasn’t enough for them to know; they had to taste and experience this (good versus evil).” I got this idea from Ray Bentley, my pastor, who shared recently just how crafty the enemy was. He chose his words carefully while deceiving Adam and Eve (who took the first bite).

 

They already knew God.

 

It was through this close and personal fellowship with God that they talked about all things. Even evil. But it wasn’t enough for Adam and Eve to talk about the meaning of evil with God. They had to experience it for themselves.

 

That’s when sin entered the world.

 

It didn’t take long for heartbreak (sin) to take effect.

 

Soon Adam and Eve experienced loss. Cain, their first-born son, murdered their second-born son, Abel. Can you imagine the guilt they must have felt for disobeying God, yet also the experience of grace when Eve gave birth to Seth, their third child (Genesis 4:25)?

 

As you navigate the realm of relationships in your own life, I encourage you to ask God to give you the wisdom to choose each relationship wisely.

 

Proverbs 12:26 (NIV) says, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” The hard part is letting God determine who is good.

 

That means no rebounds.

 

No one-night stands.

 

No more hiding.

 

Pursuing relationships peacefully and cautiously is a mandate designed by God for our protection. The proverb above doesn’t say you should only be cautious with opposite sex friendships—it’s both. Boundaries should be important with same-sex friendships too.

 

“The ultimate test of friendship—male or female—is time, which is why I believe it’s important to be cautious. Instead of jumping from one relationship into another, choose your friends wisely—even the ones who help you overcome heartbreak” (Loves Me Not, 2013).

 

Be encouraged friends!

God never wastes a step on the journey of love.

 

 

 

I recently wrote a book entitled Loves Me Not, and I’m so honored to share about it with you all today.

 

I wanted to focus solely on heartbreak and how to find healing God’s way. Isn’t it crazy to note that we were never meant to experience heartbreak? That’s what makes redemption so much more meaningful. Every tear I’ve cried over a boy. Every broken relationship I’ve experienced–God knows and He cares.

 

Here are a few benefits you will gain from reading this book:

 

+ Why Guarding Your Heart Isn’t Enough

+ Can Men and Women Be “Just Friends”?

+ Desperate Singles

+ Breaking Up With “The One”

+ Why Changing Your Significant Other Won’t Work

+ The Right Way To Breakup

+ How To Handle A Breakup

+ How To Be Your Own (Single) Person

+ Why Breakups Are Hard

+ He (Jesus) Loves You!

 

Relationships are very important to me.

 

God had me wait over twelve years to meet my husband. It’s probably because God knew how long it would take to become the person He wanted me to be–instead of the person I thought I wanted to be.

 

I can’t wait for you to read it and be encouraged.

 

Thank you Renee for sharing with us! If you or anyone you know is currently experiencing a broken relationship or a breakup–I encourage you to pick up the eBook for only $2.99. You can purchase the book here, on Amazon. 

 

IT’S ALSO TIME FOR ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!!!

 

 

I came across this beautiful necklace in a local bookstore, and was touched by the necklace’s message “Wonderfully Made” (from Psalm 139:14). This 24″ charm necklace also comes with an adorable storage bag (pictured). I would love to bless one of you with this necklace! You can enter to win it by:

1) Purchasing a copy of Renee’s e-book mentioned above (it’s only $2.99 on Amazon-what a deal!) and email your proof of purchase to: tracy@onedegreeministries.com

2) leaving a comment below

Additional entries can be earned by subscribing to the blog (scroll to the bottom of the page where you can sign up via email), or by connecting with me via Twitter or Facebook.

 

I will announce the winner on Wednesday, June 12th. Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Renee Fisher, the Devotional Diva®, is the spirited speaker and author of Faithbook of Jesus, Not Another Dating Book, Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me, and Loves Me Not. A graduate of Biola University, Renee’s mission in life is to “spur others forward” (Hebrews 10:24) using the lessons learned from her own trials to encourage others in their walk with God. She and her husband, Marc, live in California with their dog, Star. Learn more about Renee at www.devotionaldiva.com.

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Hi friends~ I made it back from vacationing in Germany, Austria, and Italy. As my eyes feasted on the beauty of the Alps, I felt the urge to twirl around like Julie Andrews in the opening scene of The Sound of Music…

 

 

 

 

 

Look at God showing off. He did a fantastic job didn’t He?

 

Not only was the scenery a delight to behold, but the food was a delight to inhale. I could survive off German pastries, pretzels, and spaetzle!

 

 

 

This trip was also educational. I learned that:

• sitting in the backseat while two Air Force pilots with the “need for speed”***  drive on the Autobahn is quite… thrilling.
• the toilet seat in a German gas station WILL ROTATE around and around as a little machine cleans it. It’s pretty trippy to look down and see the rim rotating if you do not expect it to move. You do NOT want to be seated on the toilet when you flush it.
• I need to watch out for frogs on the road while driving through Bavaria. Apparently, they are rather large and have caused accidents and fatalities. So beware of the frogs.
• chocolate Haagen Dazs stains white shirts.
• tourists should pay attention to signage and never assume anything. Do not assume that you know how to enter the looming castle right in front of you. Do not assume when you have 10 minutes to meet your tour guide, and the distance from the bus stop to the castle entrance is a 15 minute walk…

 

 

Ok, allow me to expound on my last point~ I promise you that I saw the castle sign. I just didn’t pay attention to the direction of the arrow below the castle symbol. Sheer panic and adrenaline caused me to ignore the blessed arrow.

Several precious minutes later, Chad noticed that we were sprinting the wrong way, causing additional panic to overwhelm us. Thankfully, we DID make it in time (with 4 minutes to spare before our tickets expired) for our tour due to the grace of God and our frantic sprinting. After the tour, we had a hearty laugh over my astute leadership skills, and figured we photo bombed several tourists’ pictures with our frantic American faces as we raced by their camera lenses. Sigh.

 

 

 

 

On a more reflective note…

As I ponder the last couple of weeks, I remember stepping onto the airplane worn out and weary. The last year has been a tough one, so I prayed for my spirit to be refreshed during our time abroad.

 

“…Be still, and know that I am God… ”

~Psalm 46:10a NIV

 

Enjoying the beauty of the mountains and Bavarian countryside returned my spirit to a state of awe. Everyday distractions and responsibilities often squeeze the awe out of me. All I had to do, all that I needed to do, was to stand and behold the glorious handiwork of God.

So I did.

I became still.

 

“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”

~Proverbs 15:13 NIV

 

As we landed in Berlin, my spirit felt crushed. I believe that God used the threat of ginormous frogs, rotating toilet seats, a chocolate Haagen Dazs stain, and a caged plastic pig to change the countenance of my heart and face. They caused me to do something I hadn’t done, or allowed myself to do in a really long time- laugh.

So I did.

I laughed a lot.

 

 

God did not bombard my mind with a flood of Scriptures or some great Theological truth on this trip. God used awe and laughter to remove my weary. He allowed me to leave routine and responsibility. He helped me become still and to know His beauty and majesty. He taught me how to laugh again and how to enjoy life. He rescued this weary and crushed spirit.

And though God blessed me with a brief stay in Bavaria, He hasn’t called me to remain there.

So I am back in my living room, twirling my toddlers around and singing “the hills are alive” just like Julie Andrews. (All right… I sort of sing like Julie Andrews. Ok, my singing skills are severely lacking!)

I have more awe and laughter in my heart than I’ve had in a long time.

 

“Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.”
~Isaiah 40: 28 NIV

 

My travel tip for you:

God never needs to “get away.” He has never and will never grow weary.

So fellow traveler, it does not matter if you drive to the city pool or fly over an ocean this summer, God is with you. He sees your weary. He hears your requests. When God calls you “away” from routine and responsibility, He will bring you back changed, for your good and His glory.

So enjoy wherever your summer plans take you. May you experience awe, laughter, and some delicious Haagen Dazs.

Just remember that chocolate Haagen Dazs will stain your white shirt… beware of phantom drops!

 

***this is a line from the movie Top Gun. I am not referring to the drug known as “speed” here, so do not worry about Chad. He’s doing good and handsome as ever!

 

 

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It is finally here! Chad and I are leaving on a jet plane…

 

 

Dearest Readers~

I will be vacationing in Europe over the next couple of weeks. Chad and I are seizing the day, and look forward to spending time away together to recharge our weary batteries. {Prayers are welcome for the amazing grandparents who will be watching our wee ones while we are away!}

I will resume the blog once we return with a story or two (or ten?) to share with you, so stay tuned

Until then, continue to seek God with your whole heart. He is always with us, changing us one degree at a time…

Praise Him!

 

*image courtesy of “Phaitoon”/freedigitalphotos.net

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