25. June 2010 by Starr.

One very hot day a couple of weeks ago, we were driving through town and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man walking down the street. I just caught a fleeting glimpse. I kept driving.

I drove onward, but God stirred my heart. I could feel God saying in my spirit, “Go back and get him.” I felt an urgency right then.

I immediately turned into a parking lot. Those who were in the vehicle with me, said, “Where are we going? Why are you turning around?”

I simply answered,”I have to go get someone on that street.”

They asked,”Who?”

“I’m not sure,” was my answer.

I turned around and drove down the street until I found the man who was indeed, still walking down the road. He was walking with a purpose toward a specific house and carrying a plastic bag. I pulled up beside him, not quite sure what I was suppossed to say, but I was trusting God with this one.

“Hi, do you need a ride or something?” I said this, knowing full well that he could be an unsafe person, but, as I said, I was trusting that God would not lead me somewhere that His will would not protect me.

The man looked at me and said, “No, I’m going here to my cousin’s house. I just walked to the store. I’m just kind of down, I’ve been looking for a job.” He then started telling me about his job problem and his day. He just needed to talk about the fact that he was having a really bad day.  In his bag was a Gatorade and an Oatmeal Creme Pie. I couldn’t help but to grin at that, for this guy was a very large fellow, indeed. As my Aunt Joanna would say, “Ewes not fat, ewes fluffy.”

Anyway….it just so happened that at that very moment, someone was at my home doing some job training with some independent business owners with an in home business that I am a large part of. So, I asked “Ben,” I know of a great idea for you, if you’ve ever considered owning your own business. He said that he had, many times. Before I knew it, he hopped in the vehicle, and was riding home with me.

Since then, Ben has become a good friend of the family. He is as much a part of our lives as we are of his. He mentioned to us that he used to go to church when he was growing up, but walked away from God, somewhat. He has the best light in his eyes. He kind of reminds me of Santa…with a twinkle in his eye, kind of thing, going on about him, if you know what I mean. Ben is street-wise and smart, and has a heart of gold.

So, “Ben” now has a job, and is moving forward with his life and now doesn’t feel so downtrodden. He has made many changes in his life in just the last few weeks. He has big plans to make many more. He has plans to start going back to church and has a hope for his future. He has hope, now, and faith. That’s what makes all the difference.

“Ben”…AKA Buford T. Justice, Go with God and build that thing! Never stop. You are loved.     CSY

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25. June 2010 by Starr.

 Since the beginning of the Nightbell project, a specific woman I will call, “Anna,” kept coming into my mind. I began to pray for her more deligently than I had before. I looked back over my prayer journal and noticed that I had prayed for Anna now and then, but not on a regular basis. I made her a part of my regular prayers. I prayed for her salvation and I prayed for her deliverance. I wasn’t sure what I felt she needed deliverance from, however.

Anna lived in another part of the country and I didn’t see her, at all, however, she kept coming into my mind. I was aware of Anna’s predicament through a friend. Anna had financial burdens and emotional burdens and was having problems keeping her head above water. She often times didn’t have enough money to make it through the month, and it was a regular cycle in her home to have electricity shut-off notices and to run out of food before the food stamp card was recharged and etc.

I received a call from Anna. I honestly do not remember the entire phone conversation, to tell you the truth of it. But she asked me for money to pay her electric bill and she was asking for twenty dollars for food. I explained to her that even if I sent it, it would take two or three days to get to her, at least. To make a long story, short. I invited her to ride a train and come visit me. She did so.

Once she got to my home, I wasn’t sure where to start. She wasn’t sure where to start, so we just started from the beginning with normal life. The first time she had dinner with my family, she seemed a bit confused. After the dinner, she said to me, that she was shocked at the prayer that we said before the mealtime. She told me that she had never prayed before and that she had not grown up in a home where they had even eaten a meal around a table together. They had always taken their food into the living room and watch t.v. while they ate. She said to me, “That is the first time I have prayed. I’m not sure who you prayed to.”

I explained to her who we prayed to and what prayer was and walked her through the truth of Jesus Christ and who He is and the power of God’s love. Over the few short weeks that she visited with me, I learned about her mental illnesses and how they affected her life and the roots of her pain. But, I still didn’t know how to help Anna.

I will be honest, that I was worried and wondering how to help her. I knew God had placed Anna in my life for a reason. But, in truth, there were many frustrationss. Trying to help someone with mental illnesses is difficult at times. Sometimes it is a new world every day. I kept praying for God to show me the direction that I needed to use to guide her to Him. I knew that Isaiah 58:11 tells us that God will guide us continually.  I kept reminding myself of that.

When things got their darkest, Anna decided to give her heart to Jesus and she got saved in my den. When she said the sinner’s prayer, I could feel the change in her, as her entire body relaxed. She talked openly to God and surrendered her life and spirit to God with full commitment. She understood completely and was ready for a new life.

A few days later, I had an “aha” moment. I realized that many of her issues with daily life were that she just “couldn’t” do many things she was trying to accomplish in the world. Through a series of phone calls and events and a very large door that God opened up just for her, Anna will be going into a residential living center on the 30th of June that she is very excited about and that will be perfect for her needs. As a matter of fact, this center had one opening that opened up fifteen minutes before I called them.

God is a great God. He was waiting for Anna. He had a plan for her life. He had a place for her. She just needed to make the decision to get there.

Please be praying for Anna as she walks down her path as a new Christian in her new home.

I will keep you posted, of course, on how things go with Anna. If any of you feel led to help Anna, she desperately needs a Bible, clothing items and cards or letters of encouragement. Please email me or my website staff for her size information and we will make sure it gets to her.

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25. June 2010 by Starr.

It’s funny how God works, isn’t it? As I have been praying about “Those of the Night Bell” and how God wanted me to live and move and serve and help them…I was thinking that I would first recognize them clearly as night bell people and then after recognizing them clearly as such, I would take action as I felt led by  God to do.

Well, God surprised me in this and taught me an important lesson. The lesson is, that sometimes those who most need our help, are those who are most unexpected and who, we might be tempted by the enemy to see as a “problem.”

In truth, people are not our problem, but our purpose. Those of the Nightbell, can be those who are suffering darkness on the inside, not just those who suffer an outward physical predicament.

 At first I thought I would just find them stranded at night.  I envisioned them homeless, or poor, or lost. Being lost has many different implications. There are many different ways of being homeless.  There are many different variations of being poor, as well.

God bless those of the Nightbell.  God is with you wherever you are.

As I blog about my progress that I experience with God’s guidance, I will be changing the names of those I encounter, to protect their privacy. 

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24. June 2010 by Starr.

Dad & Papa 

Born: February 22, 1942

Promoted into Heaven: June 24, 2004

I’M FREE

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free.

I’m following the path God laid for me.

I took His hand when I heard Him call.

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way.

I found peace at the close of the day.

 If my parting has left a void,

Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh or kiss.

Ah, yes, these things I too, will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow;

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life’s been full, I savored much-

Good friends, good times

A loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my times seemed all too brief.

Don’t lengthen it now, with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me.

God wanted me now, He set me free.

Farewell my loving wife and family.

We will meet again.

Written by Gary E. Yarber~

Dad, you are loved and missed so very much. I will see you soon.   Starr~

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24. June 2010 by Starr.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 

 My favorite words in this verse are “always,” “triumphal,” and of course, the phrase, “procession in Christ.” My calling and my craft of writing is nothing without Him. I am nothing special without God. I am called according to His purpose, not my own. There are times when I sit down to write, the overwhelming reality of that fact, that I AM, in fact, nothing but dust without God, makes it difficult for me to write what I feel I wish to accomplish. But then, I call on Him to help me.

I simply try.  I simply ask. I simply look up.

My friend, God loves to use our weak efforts. He will bond with us and bond His power, grace and mercy to us, and through Him, we can do all things.

I am not a writer because I think I’m a good writer. I didn’t start this blog site because I think I have all the answers. I’m writing and I’m blogging in this little corner of the world to give God an opportunity to lead me in triumphal procession.

CSY

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19. June 2010 by Starr.

This is Father’s Day weekend, and for some, it isn’t an easy weekend, nor is this entire “father” thing an easy concept to grasp. If you’ve had a father in your life who supplied your needs without you having to coax them to provide you shoes, coats, food or provide for your emotional needs, then it’s much easier to have confidence in the truth of how our Heavenly Father provides for all of our needs. 

However, many who suffer the pain of abandonment, by fathers who fail to supply their children with their needs (and I’m not just talking about physical=  physical needs can be met, but if emotional and spiritual needs are left out of the picture, the physical needs feel empty, and the abandonment is still just as real) often marry partners who are abandoners also, in one form or another, and so the cycle continues.  Basically, if you are fatherless, you are abandoned, and if you are abandoned, you are widowed or a widower.

My friend….how did that feel to read that?  How did those words feel to your heart?  Did they ring true?  Did you feel…”Oh, yes, that’s me?!” 

Dear reader, that is NOT for you. You are NOT that.  You may have EXPERIENCED those occurrences in your lifetime, but that is NOT who you ARE.  You ARE a child of God. Period. You are not your experiences.

You have an Ultimate Father in Heaven who is the Father to the Fatherless and who will never abandon you.  Who will supply every single need that you have, if you only let Him.  Here’s a kicker….many people say that you also have to ask, or that you have to do your part and that He helps those who help themselves.   No.  God knows our needs before we know what our own needs are.  He knows His plan for our lives when we were created in the womb of our mothers.  He certainly doesn’t need us to ask, nor does He need us to do a thing.  I’m sure He loves us to ask.  (Matthew 7:11 says for us to ask) Yes.  But He doesn’t need us to, is my point.  Sometimes we can’t ask…..sometimes we don’t know what to do or what to ask for.  Know what I’m saying here?

God knows our needs and He will supply them according to His will.  We just need to believe Him.  We just need to believe not only IN Him…but BELIVE HIM. First, submit into His hands our lives…then believe Him to do HUGE things. 

This Father’s Day….Let Him be the Father of your world for all eternity.

 ”Father to the fatherless, defender of widows-this is God, whose dwelling is holy” (Psalm 68:5 NLT).

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

~You are welcome in this place, Mighty God.  You are welcome in this place, Abba Father.~

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12. June 2010 by Starr.

Imagine that you just purchased a new Maserati..  I’m sure there would be boundaries as to where you would drive it….and where you wouldn’t.  You may even have stipulations as to who would drive it and who wouldn’t. You may even have rules as to who would ride in your new car. You would want to protect that investment that you worked so hard to attain.  Driving a car along a highway, is not so different than leading a life.  

Consider this scenario:

So, we’re driving through life each day in our new Maserati.  As we go along, many people cross our paths. When that happens, we have a choice….and so do they.  T.S. Eliot once said, “In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.” 

It’s the same concept with people.  We are driving our life.

Question 1:  Who will we allow around our car, in our car, and who will we allow to drive that new car while we are driving around, in our life?  

Question 1 Echoed:  Who will we allow around our life, in our life, and who will we allow to drive our new life while we are driving around, in our life?

Get the picture?

Folks, have you ever invited friends or family to come on vacation with you?  Has any of them ever responded by, “Sure, we’ll come with you!”  Did you feel pleased when you looked in your rear-view mirror when you saw that small caravan behind you on the highway and noticed the group of people following you, supporting your plans?  These are the people along life’s highway who help drive your life.

Unfortunately, not everyone responds that way.  There are those people who will respond by saying something like, “That idea is ridiculous!  Don’t expect me to come along.”  Friends, beware of these types of statements.  People behind these statements are the ones along life’s highway who usually don’t only NOT need to be in the driver’s seat anywhere near your life, but they do not even need a seat in one of the cars.  These need to be left at home to mature a bit more as you pray for them with love and patience.

Then you have the types of people who just wander in to say, “Hey, I hear there’s a vacation.  Can I tag along?”  They aren’t really caring about your plans, or the trip, or the why of the thing…they’re just in it for the “What’s in it for me?” idea (and the free food).  They will get into a car with their rumpled clothes and a plastic bag with one outfit and floppy shoes with no socks, and no money to pitch in, expecting someone else to pay their way.  These types of people can’t drive their own cars because they have no drive at all of their own, so their only hope is to hop on someone elses caravan and go along for a free ride.  These folks need help, yes.  They need prayer, indeed.  They need structure, discipline, and lots of love.  But, enabling them won’t help them.  This situation needs to be assessed on a case by case basis.  I suggest you talk to God to ask for guidance with how to deal with the “no drivers” of the world.  God will prompt you with what to do.  But remember, sometimes when they get left behind, is when God teaches them the best lessons about “growing up.”

You can’t take everyone with you as you are driving your life. Not everyone is ready to get in the car with you…or get in one of the cars along with you or following you in encouragement and prayer, as you drive along.  

Get serious about who is and who isn’t ready for your life and draw boundaries.  Friends, get serious about YOUR own life.  Drive that thing like you mean business!  Get behind the wheel and pray.  Basically, protect your life, with your life.

Whoever you are reading this…..know that you are loved.

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2. June 2010 by Starr.

I recently had a conversation that went something like this:

“Starr, I keep thinking about a title of one of your blogs. I am a bit surprised, knowing you as I do, that it says in the title, “The Heart of Tears Doesn’t Always Begin with a Four Letter F-Word.”

I responded, “Well, I think Fear should be a bad word.”

My friend said, “I see what you mean, but not necessarily.  Certainly not always. Fear can be legitimate and healthy if it prevents arrogance and promotes a trust and reliance on God.”

There I had an “Aha moment!” My friend was right.  I had been wrong about fear being a Four Letter F-Word.

As humans, and yes, even Christian humans, sometimes we are high on the mountain top, and suddenly we find ourselves low in the bottom of the swamp, in the midst of trials, seeking peace.  Sometimes we get there by God’s own tests of our character by God’s will and sometimes we get there by our own disobedience and sins.  But that life in that swamp, that life where we just want peace, is not the life that God planned for His children at all.  He planned for a life of power high on that mountain of faith in Him, of love for Him and of rest in Him and of peace in Him. 

Therefore the key to peace…and here’s the Aha…is to fear NOT having peace and rest.  To know that we do not want to be in that swamp but we want to be on that mountain top and we want God and we want what God wants for us up there.  We will not know what His plans are for us until we get up there, either.  If you’re tired of not having peace and rest, then you know what I mean.

My friends, I stand corrected.  What have I learned in this?  Fear is only a Four Letter Word if we let it stand between us and God.  Fear can be a good thing, it is the beginning of wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” Ps. 111:10

If you are tired and weary, and seek rest…trust God with that.  Just lay it all down.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28

We have a promise in entering His rest.  Let us fear NOT having it…so we will strive to retain it.  Let the fear work for you, not against you.  Let it bring you closer to God and let it help you climb to your mountain top.

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it” Hebrews 4:1

Dear reader….do not let fear steal your faith, love and peace in God.

(Special thanks to my friend who taught me a very valuable lesson in a gentle way.  It’s funny how even with fear in the glass, it can still be half-full.  I thank God for you and all you have done for me and my ministry.  God bless you and keep you and watch over your goings in and comings out forever.)

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