Newsletter, January 2012

Dear Friends, I am working on the third CD for the Devotions on the Go series. From the response I have received, the stories are blessing people and that blesses me. My original art work is featured on each CD cover - a landscape in blues and greens with a stream on the first CD, a blue heron on the second, and a landscape with purple mountains, green grass and yellow flowers on the third. ~~~# 1 of Set 1~~~THE DUCK WHO THOUGHT HE WAS A CHICKEN~~~ One summer when I was young, my family raised chickens. We also had one duckling. I believe we had won him at a carnival. We put the duckling in with the chickens, and put a shallow pan of water out for the duck, but he would have nothing to do with it. When the duck was full grown, we picked him up and carried him to a large pond and threw him in. He was furious! He began to loudly quack his displeasure and paddled quickly to the edge, got out and waddled as fast as he could back to join the chickens. As far as he was concerned, he was a chicken. He was not a duck. No amount of persuasion could convince the duck he was a duck! There are times when a person can feel like “a duck out of water” - completely out of place. There are other times when fears of the unknown keep us from being all that God has intended us to be. Some people are afraid to become Christians because it is foreign to them. Jesus said, “I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10b. But like the duck who refused the joys of padding around on the water, we can refuse the gifts of God here, and the gift of eternity simply because of our fears and because of the comfort we find in remaining like the chickens we hang around with. ~~~#4 of Set 1~~~ THE BALD EAGLE~~~ There are 48 varieties of eagles in the world, but bald eagles exist only in America. They live for about 20 to 30 years, and they mate for life, returning to the same nest year after year. The nest enlarges each year as the eagles add new material to it, and a well-used nest might be 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Eagles build their nests high in a tree top or on a high cliff. Young bald eagles are often mistaken for golden eagles because it is not until they are about 3 years old that they grow white feathers on their head and tail. Eagles have very keen eyesight. They can spot a fish in a lake five miles away. There is something absolutely magnificent in the way an eagle soars through the air. I had desired for a long time to see a bald eagle in the wild. I finally asked God for that privilege, and several years later that prayer was answered in Glacier National Park in Montana. The bald eagles had come salmon fishing. As we walked across a bridge to position ourselves for the viewing, I spotted one beautiful eagle perched on a branch. He sat there for some time, and then it was as if God said, “Ok...now!” The eagle rose up, gave two flaps of his wings and soared overhead and down the river. He put on a wonderful show. Isaiah 40:31 says, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint. When we walk and live for His purposes, our strength will be renewed. What a delight to soar above the earthly problems with keen eyesight to see beyond what the natural eye beholds, to see with spiritual eyes, to feel that power that raises us up when we are exhausted, to be lifted up into the heavenly places. ~~~#20 of Set 2~~~MOSS~~~ It was a wonderful retreat in the redwoods. Rain had recently fallen - the trees were beautiful and the moss hanging off the branches looked so fashionable, as only moss can do. I picked up a moss-covered branch that had fallen to the ground. I realized that although it looked lovely, even romantic, the moss was really chocking the life out of the tree. It made me think of things we hang on our lives because we think they look good, or make us more attractive, or more important. Which of these might really be draining the life out of us? Maybe our branches are draped with a little bitterness or resentfulness that’s slowly choking the life out of us. Of course, we can’t get that moss off by ourselves. The only way to get it off and keep it off is to keep our relationship right with Jesus Christ. So have a moss check-up. Devotions on the Go Set #1 & Set 2 are available for $5 each. They made nice gifts. ~~~Praise & Prayer~~~ Please keep us covered in your prayers. The Board of A Woman’s Special Touch would like us to expand this year. We have had many stations contacting us. There are two that stand out – Southern California and Milwaukee. We will not commit until the Lord provides. Please pray. We have over 500 wonderful programs in our archives. ~~~All contributions are tax deductible~~~ The radio program airs - KCBC 770-AM at 5:45 a.m. & 10 p.m. Mon-Fri, 5p.m. on Sat, and 10 a.m. Sun. in Calif. ~~~ KFNX-1100 Tues. 8:30 p.m. in Phoenix, AZ. ~~~ World Harvest Radio Sat. & Sun ~~~ North America, Europe, Russia, Africa, Middle East, India, China, N.& S. Korea/Japan, Australia, The South Pacific.~~~ Check the schedule at whr.org. ~~~ The TV program can be seen on WVCY-TV 30 Milwaukee. ~~~ If you are unable to hear the radio broadcast where you live, but you do have the Internet, you can listen on KCBC at 5:45 am and again at 10 pm. M-F and 5 pm Sat. 10 am. Sun. on the Internet. In His bonds, Norma Bonds