From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:02:57 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:02:57 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-08-08 Big Idea #8 -- Psalm 103:5 Message-ID: <48C29BA1.8060408@dwightclough.com> /*[God] satisfies your desires with good things. -- Psalm 103:5*/ Big Idea #8. Every desire -- good, bad and ugly -- will take you to God if you allow it. What do you do with your evil desires? Take them to God! This is one of the most powerful lessons I have ever learned. All of us are tempted. We pray to avoid temptation, but when it comes, let it be an opportunity for God. God delights in satisfying our desires. Not to make us self-indulgent, spoiled little brats. Not at all. But rather so that we might drink deep the truth of His love for us. Now, obviously, He will not fulfill an evil desire in its evil form. But, He will take that desire and untangle all that is twisted in it, and satisfy the unspoken need behind it -- breaking forever the power of that evil desire. Which brings us to the reason God satisfies our desires. He satisfies them to make us whole again. Sometimes there is an element of delayed gratification. Yes, God gives us what we want, but not right away. And there is value to that. The person who can buy anything he wants has nothing of value -- everything is a trinket and a toy. But the person who sacrifices for what he wants learns to value the things that are important. If part of that sacrifice involves coming back to God day after day with what we desire, the fellowship with God will eventually eclipse the pursuit of the desire. Then we find that we have gained something far greater than we anything we knew how to ask for. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:03:29 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:03:29 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-09-08 Big Idea #9 -- Hebrews 4:13 Message-ID: <48C29BC1.6020005@dwightclough.com> /*Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. -- Hebrews 4:13*/ Big Idea #9. Be honest ... with yourself ... with God ... with your neighbor. I don't know if everybody needs to learn this the hard way, but I sure did. I wanted so badly to please God, just as a child I had wanted so badly to please my parents. But I believed, deep down, that God would only be pleased with me if I did everything right. Of course, I didn't know how to do everything right. I couldn't do everything right. Logically, there is a simple conclusion here: I must do everything right to please God. I can't do everything right. Therefore, I cannot please God. But emotionally and spiritually, it isn't that simple. To come to the conclusion that God would never be happy with me was too much to bear. So I needed to pretend. I needed to pretend to myself, to my world and to my God. I needed to put on a show. I needed to act spiritual even when I didn't feel spiritual inside. Of course, this is schizophrenic. It is widespread. It is commonly practiced among Christians. And it is schizophrenic. On one hand we have the illusion -- the saint who acts religious. On the other hand, we have the reality -- the sinner that we try to hide from others, from God and from ourselves. I don't remember what all brought me to the point of honesty. But I think part of it was learning that I couldn't hide even if I tried. If I was angry at God, He already knew. If I was thinking lustful thoughts, He already knew. If I didn't feel like witnessing or going to church or whatever, He already knew. So I decided to take the Big Risk. I decided to start telling God and myself the truth. I didn't know what would happen, but I thought I would risk it and find out. As you can see, I didn't get struck with lightning. I didn't get paddled for telling the truth. Instead, I ran into something I never expected. Unconditional love. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:13:33 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:13:33 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-10-08 Big Idea #10 -- John 11:44 Message-ID: <48C29E1D.6040209@dwightclough.com> "/*Loose him and let him go." -- John 11:44*/ Big Idea #10. God doesn't like a straight jacket any more than we do. One of the proudest moments of my life was in May of 1978 when I was chosen as the male graduating class speaker at Moody Bible Institute. This was my text: John 11:44. It was an ambitious text for a twenty-year old college about-to-be graduate -- ambitious because I didn't know what it meant, and I knew that I didn't know. But I spoke on it anyway and it has become a theme for my life. Loose him and let him go. I see now that deep inside I believed that there was something more to the Christian life than play-acting religion. I believed that if you somehow found out how to connect with God that you would be free -- really free inside. I didn't know back then what freedom would look like or taste like. I just knew that I wanted it, whatever it was. It seems hard to believe that thirty years have gone by since that day I stood at the podium in Torrey-Gray Auditorium. In these years that have gone by, I have visited many of the prisons inside my own soul -- prisons that kept me confined. And, just like with Peter, God has sent His angel to wake me up, to loose my chains, to open the door and to show me the way to freedom. But a funny thing happened here that I didn't expect. The more free God makes me, the more free God Himself is. Free to do what He wants. Free to do it the way He wants to. Free to change my paradigms and let me see things a different way. People call it taking God out of the box. Well, that can be a scary thing, until we experience the freeing presence of God. Then we discover that freedom -- true freedom -- is how we -- and God -- are meant to be. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:14:03 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:14:03 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-11-08 Life -- John 1:4 Message-ID: <48C29E3B.80808@dwightclough.com> /*In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. -- John 1:4*/ I've read several books on the Soviet Gulag. They aren't pleasant, but I read them because I want to know what went wrong with that culture so that I can think clearly about what kind of citizen I want to be. And, within that reason, I want to know the truth about my world so that my faith isn't candy-coated nonsense, but rather real. The truth is: We live in a messed up world. The reality is sometimes worse than our worst nightmares. Into this darkened world, Jesus was born. He grew up with hardship and Roman oppression. He tasted hunger, thirst, fatigue, weakness, pain, torture and death. He was somehow fragile and indestructible at the same time. He went ahead of us to show us that there is no place from which God cannot deliver us. When Jesus' battered body was laid in the cold grave, everything that we understood told us that His life was over. He was finished; a courageous man taken down by a world gone mad. But in Him was life, and no Roman cross could take that life away from Him. Now we look at the unstoppable life of God in Christ and we begin to see the truth: The world has been trying to crucify the Body of Christ for 2,000 years, but it will never succeed. His life is in us, and it will draw us out from the darkest hour into His everlasting joy. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:14:31 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:14:31 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-12-08 The secret of contentment -- Deuteronomy 5:21 Message-ID: <48C29E57.8040604@dwightclough.com> /*You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. -- Deuteronomy 5:21*/ What is the secret of contentment in marriage? I think my answer will surprise you. We need to receive love from outside the marriage. No, I'm not advocating an affair. Not at all! Instead, I am suggesting that working on our marriages is the wrong place to start if we want to be happily married. Rather, we need to work on opening our hearts to the Lord. I am married to a good woman. My wife is godly. She is patient. (She needs to be, living with me!) She is wise. (Every good idea I ever came up with was something Kim told me to do six months earlier.) She is a wonderful mother to our four children. She understands and cares about what is important. She's unpretentious. I could go on, but you get the idea. My wife is sort of like Mary Poppins: practically perfect in every way. But my wife does not have the power to prevent me from having an affair. Even if she were 100% perfect, she still couldn't stop me from desiring and pursuing someone else. This is where God comes in. A man who chases another woman is looking for a solution that only God can provide. If you are married, I don't know what your spouse is like. He or she might be great, and then again, there might be a great need for improvement. But your spouse cannot fulfill the great longings of your soul. And neither can anyone else. That's why adultery doesn't work. But Jesus does. Work on your marriage -- by all means, yes! But don't start or stop there. Open every hurt to the Lord. He will soothe. He will comfort. He will protect. And as His love is poured out in our hearts, we realize that we never really wanted the other woman (or man) -- it was Jesus we wanted all along. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:14:57 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:14:57 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-13-08 Giving thanks - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Message-ID: <48C29E71.9090603@dwightclough.com> /*... give thanks in all circumstances ... - 1 Thessalonians 5:18*/ I want to speak to those who are unhappy in their marriages. Kim and I have been married for 30 years, and we have gone through seasons of unhappiness. There have been times when I really didn't know what drug induced me to say, "I do." Jesus knows all about this, yet He says, "Give thanks." Why would He ask us to do such a thing? Is He trying to wring some last bit of holiness out of us even when He knows we are miserable? I don't think so. I think rather He is saying, "Yes, I know you are in the middle of a difficult time. But I want you to come up here, sit beside Me, and see things from My perspective for a while." And what is God's perspective? Eternity. God, who never wastes pain, sees an ocean of joy ahead, even when you are trudging through a desert of gloom. He has a plan for your spouse. And, more to the point, He has a plan for you. God is God. Some days He dances with you. Some days He puts His arm around your shoulders. Some days He steps back and gives you space to sort things out by yourself. And some days He carries you. All of this is part of God's eternal plan to bring you fully into the experience of your identity as His son or daughter. You are loved, and He will spare no expense to enable you to experience that love -- all the way to the core of your soul. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:30:54 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:30:54 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] A note to Discoveries readers Message-ID: <48CBB27E.8020205@dwightclough.com> Hi Everybody I would like to ask for your prayers for a financial breakthrough for us. Until the end of April, we had a janitorial contract that helped sustain us financially. That has ended and will not be renewed this fall. I write for clients. I do good work and my clients have been happy with my work. But despite concerted effort to locate new clients (hundreds and hundreds of contacts), I've had almost no work for several months, and although some major clients have talked about working with me, no action so far. I also create websites, but no activity there either. I'm seeking investors or grants for a Christian social networking website that I believe God wants us to start. It should be able to sustain us just fine, but will require about five months of additional start up work before we could expect to depend on it for a living. I've made many contacts, but no responses so far. (This is what I really want to do.) We started the summer with the expectation of selling our home and buying another in an arrangement that would have released enough money to give us a cushion for a while. Our buyers fell through, and we haven't been able to sell our home. Unexpected expenses have multiplied this summer. Although we receive (and greatly appreciate) some donations to our ministry, so far they pay expenses; we don't pull much, if any income from the ministry. All of this leaves us with our backs up against the wall (or the Red Sea, if you prefer). Of course, we have prayed. And we are doing our best to follow the instructions we believe the Lord is giving us, but we would appreciate your prayers as well. If you have considered sending a donation to our ministry, now would be a good time. If you have any leads for me in the areas mentioned above, please let me know. Thanks so much! Dwight Dwight Clough Ministries 1223 West Main Street Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 http://www.dwightclough.com/A-support.php -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 6 11:15:23 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:15:23 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-14-08 Taught by grace -- Titus 2:11-12 Message-ID: <48C29E8B.30601@dwightclough.com> /*For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age ... -- Titus 2:11-12*/ This is one of my favorite passages. I am encouraged, first of all, to know that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. I'm not sure, exactly, how that can be, but it tells me that God has a plan to reach every person who has ever drawn a breath of air. Yes, we get to partner with that - wow - what a privilege! Nobody is left out. No one is denied an opportunity to find the loving arms of Jesus. Again, I cannot tell you how, but when God says it is so, nothing in heaven or on earth can stand in His way. I am happy that the grace of God teaches us. We need to be taught. But how do we learn to say "no"? When the temptation loses its appeal. This is the work of the grace of God in our lives. It isn't a white-knuckled obedience where all enjoyment has been drained from our lives. But rather, it is a grace that fills our hearts with good things from God, so that the devil's dessert tray looks like donuts left in the middle of a busy intersection. We've been talking this week about faithfulness in marriage. Faithfulness is a joy when our hearts are open to receive every good and perfect gift that comes down from Above. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:26:25 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:26:25 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-15-08 Protection -- Acts 20:29 Message-ID: <48CBB171.9060908@dwightclough.com> /*"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock." -- Acts 20:29 */ I am amazed at the number of Christians with problems who are not part of a local church. I bring this up, because we are sheep, the Lord is our shepherd, and He is not stupid. He has placed under shepherds among the flock -- in plain language, pastors of local churches. Now, how do wolves operate? Do they take on the whole flock? No, they scatter. They divide. They seek out the straggler, the one separated from the flock, the one who is weak and all alone. Let's get real. It's just about impossible to be part of a local church for longer than a month, and not find something to complain about. Like Charlie Brown said, "I love humanity - it's people I can't stand." Pastors are human. They will disappoint you. Get used to it. And the rest of the church is just as imperfect as you and I are. Yet, somehow, in this jumbled up mess, there is strength. Even though we are all stumbling and bumbling at times, God puts us together in a local church, and there we find protection from temptations and troubles the enemy likes to bring. I know this passage is primarily about false teachers, false pastors, false prophets and the like. But it illustrates something about how the enemy operates. Divide and conquer. The devil is scared of Christian unity because He has no defense against it. We may see the problems with our church. But God sees the protection that it provides, and He wants that protection for each of us. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:31:33 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:31:33 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] =?windows-1252?q?09-16-08_A_note_to_pastors_=96_Eph?= =?windows-1252?q?esians_4=3A12?= Message-ID: <48CBB2A5.5090400@dwightclough.com> /*to prepare God's people for works of service ... -- Ephesians 4:12*/ I don't often do this, but today I would like to address pastors and leaders. Imagine this: Somewhere, locked up in your church, is a chest containing diamonds, rubies, gold coins, precious gems ? a treasure of incalculable value. Suppose the Lord said to you, ?I want you to find this treasure chest, and use its contents for the furtherance of My kingdom.? Imagine how excited you would be to find that chest, to open it, to get the best price for the treasure within, and to use that money to accomplish much good. Now I would like to suggest to you that the treasure chest does exist. It is hidden. It is locked up. But you have the key. The treasure chest, of course, is your people. And the jewels inside are their dreams. God puts within each Christian a unique desire to build His kingdom, to make this world a better place, to create a better tomorrow. Those dreams take many forms, but it is your privilege as a pastor or leader to mine those dreams, to cultivate them, to release them for the advancement of God's kingdom. I'm not a pastor, and probably never will be. But, if I were, I think the first thing I would do is sit down with each of my people and ask: What are your dreams? How do you want to make your world a better place? What can I do to help make that happen? I would seek to become a volunteer in their ministry before I asked them to become a volunteer in mine. For the past several months I've been working on a whole process to help pastors and churches do this ? and it will be a few months before these tools are ready. But, meanwhile, I do have a list of questions that I think would be helpful in identifying dreams and evaluating how ready someone is to move forward with those dreams. If you'd like, I'd be happy to send it to you. Just ask. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional ? Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:33:40 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:33:40 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-17-08 Stop and think about it -- Ephesians 4:11 Message-ID: <48CBB324.3060202@dwightclough.com> /*It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers ... -- Ephesians 4:11*/ God seems to specialize in using bungling human beings, individually and in groups, to accomplish His great purposes. Stop and think about it. What could be more precious than the little baby Jesus? Priceless is too cheap a word. He should have been surrounded by strong armed angels with great flaming swords at all times. Yet God gave baby Jesus with all his human vulnerability into the hands of a sixteen year old girl and a carpenter on a road trip. Thirty-three years later, Jesus steps off this planet with less than 1% of its inhabitants even knowing that He exists. Who does He trust to spread the word? A coward who runs at the first sign of trouble. A couple of fishermen who argue over who's the greatest. Eleven men who don't get it when He says He's going to rise from the dead. And when He wants to recruit more help, He goes for the biggest, meanest persecutor of all, Saul of Tarsus. I could go on and talk about scaredy-cat Moses and lying Abraham and conniving Jacob, but, ultimately, what we find here is ourselves. Why would God be so crazy as to tell us to assemble together. Nonsense! Why would God make us into apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers? Doesn't He know who He's dealing with? It blows my mind that God is so trusting. Is He crazy? Or is He really very, very smart? Stop and think about it. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:34:14 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:34:14 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-18-08 What we have in common -- John 8:7 Message-ID: <48CBB346.9030304@dwightclough.com> *"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." -- John 8:7* I come back to this passage, because I think we should understand that all of us face a choice: are we going to get our needs met in God, or in something else -- something like a second chocolate bar, or a promotion at work, or a few drinks at the bar, or church appointment, or a fling with someone we aren't married to. I don't know exactly why some people are wired to be susceptible to one temptation, while others are susceptible to other temptations. But I do know this: When we sin, we are most likely looking for some kind of solution. A while back, someone reluctantly admitted to me that he was entangled in an affair. After telling me, he cringed and said, "What do you think of me now?" I simply said, "I think you're a guy looking for a solution, just like all the rest of us." I say this not to minimize or excuse adultery. It is a terrible sin, disrupting lives and destroying marriages. But I say it so we can understand those who get caught in this trap. Inside, they are in pain, and they are looking frantically for a solution. When we begin to understand what we all have in common, then we can find a compassion that preserves respect for those who have stumbled. Yes, they have fallen, and so have we. We are all in this together. We all need the gracious hand of God. And He is here, ready to restore. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:34:44 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:34:44 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-19-08 Comfort and respect -- Matthew 5:32 Message-ID: <48CBB364.8050806@dwightclough.com> /*But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. -- Matthew 5:32 */ What about the wronged party? For the past several days we've been focusing on those who commit adultery. But what about those who have been sinned against? I have two words for those who have been sinned against. The first is comfort. God wants to comfort you. He wants to soothe the deep, deep hurt in your heart. He wants to take the anger, the confusion, the invalidation, the betrayal, the shock and replace it with peace. This is not something that just happens automatically. You have to take these broken places in your heart to Jesus. You probably will need help -- we all need each other, and this is one of those times when we need help. My second word is respect. We have already talked about compassion mingled with respect, but now I want to focus on respect for the one who has been sinned against. You are not a doormat. You are a holy son or daughter of Almighty God. The more you have peace in your heart, peace gained from the Lord, the more you will be able to understand where the boundaries need to be. Relationships are based on trust, and the one who has sinned needs to be on a program to regain your trust if the marriage is to survive. In this passage, the Lord points out that enough is enough. He set an escape clause for marriage, not because He wants marriages to fail, but because both parties must earn trust and respect for the marriage to succeed. If you have been struggling with the issues that we've talked about the last several days, please know that our prayers are with you. May the Lord encourage you, give you wisdom, and grant you peace. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:35:10 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:35:10 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-20-08 Older and wiser -- Revelation 4:4 Message-ID: <48CBB37E.20001@dwightclough.com> /*Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. -- Revelation 4:4*/ We don't know a whole lot about these twenty-four elders. Where did they come from? Are they some form of angels? How did they get here? What is their job? What are they thinking? What do they see? If we could spend a day with one of them, what would we learn? There's a lot going on that we don't know anything about. I am a half century old. Most of the human race on earth is younger than I am. But in real terms, we are only children. Last evening I walked downtown with our youngest child. As we crossed the street, I took her hand. That's how it is with us. Someone older and wiser is here; He sees things we don't; He knows things we don't. And when we need it, He takes our hand. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 13 08:35:37 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:35:37 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-21-08 Two servants -- 2 Kings 5:13,20 Message-ID: <48CBB399.4020406@dwightclough.com> /*Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" ... Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him." -- 2 Kings 5:13,20*/ Here we have two different kinds of servants. The servants of Naaman were bound to a pagan - an Aramean. They had probably lived all their lives in a pagan culture, far from the presence of God. But the servant of Elisha was employed by the shining star of righteousness in his generation, the godly prophet who was revered by kings and by common men. Which job would you rather have? But let's look at it a different way: Who brought about good and who brought about evil? The servants of the pagan brought the plan of God forward. The servant of the prophet brought harm to the work of God. The point? I'll quote Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. You might not be where you want to be. You might be in a lowly place of insignificance where nobody even knows your name, but from that small place, God will give you leverage to accomplish great good. Never underestimate the ability of God to put you where He wants you. In an unexpected moment, you could change history, and bring good into many lives. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 09:58:08 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:58:08 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-22-08 The wrong advertisement -- Galatians 2:17 Message-ID: <48D50170.4020703@dwightclough.com> /*If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! -- Galatians 2:17*/ I wish Christians were always a good advertisement for Christianity, but, as you and I both know, that is not the case. Gandhi was turned away from Christ by a man who was supposed to be an ambassador for Christ, but he was an ambassador for racial prejudice instead. Many evil things have been done in the name of Jesus -- I go through a catalog of stories in my mind -- things people have shared with me, things that have touched my life, things I have experienced -- I page through this, close the cover, and choose not to share any of these stories with you. You probably have your own catalog. In the middle of all the disgust, confusion, pain and disappointment that this causes is a simple invitation. It is found in Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that the LORD is good. Jesus will clear the confusion, ease the pain, heal the hurt. As He does, an amazing thing will happen. We will see these people who have done wrong in a whole new light, and discover Christ's love for them inside ourselves. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 09:58:44 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:58:44 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-23-08 Is God happy? -- Hebrews 12:2 Message-ID: <48D50194.6050907@dwightclough.com> /*Let us fix our eyes on Jesus ... who for the joy set before him endured the cross ... -- Hebrews 12:2*/ Is God happy? At the end of the movie, Schindler's List, Schindler looks around at his remaining possessions and suddenly realizes what they truly cost in terms of human life. He spent money on a car, for example, and, as a result, that money could not be used to ransom people from the Holocaust. We Christians struggle with the same feelings. No matter how much we give, no matter how much we serve, deeply hurting and desperately needy people remain. For a few more pennies we could buy an antibiotic injection and save a life somewhere. How do we cope with overwhelming pain all around us? To be honest, I think most of us have shut down our ability to feel the hurt of others -- that's our way of coping. But God doesn't shut down anything. His heart is wide open to feel the hurt and pain of a whole world. Not only does he feel our pain, but He experiences the pain of sin, of rejection, of eternal loss. He gave His best, only to see most people walk away. Broad is the road that leads to destruction. "Are you happy, God?" I asked Him. "Supremely happy," He seemed to say. How can that be possible? How can God feel so much pain, and yet be happy? ... continued tomorrow ... Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 09:59:15 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:59:15 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-24-08 Indestructible joy -- Hebrews 12:2 Message-ID: <48D501B3.3010600@dwightclough.com> /*Let us fix our eyes on Jesus ... who for the joy set before him endured the cross ... -- Hebrews 12:2*/ ... continued from yesterday ... Why is it that Richard Wurmbrand's prison cell would glitter to him like a thousand diamonds? Why would another brother who was tortured with boiling oil see the glory of God? Why was the broken, raspy voice of a fellow prisoner singing the most beautiful song in the world? Isn't it because in their pain they connected with the One who found joy? Jesus descended into pain, but rose into joy. And so, He holds joy as His eternal possession. My little pleasures can quickly and easily be taken away from me. But God's pleasure, God's happiness, is made out of stronger stuff. It stands up to abuse. It towers above all the suffering of all the ages. There is a King James Version scripture that reads: "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." At some point, we enter into the indestructible happiness of God. Heaven wouldn't be heaven if God wasn't happy. I talk about treasures in jars of clay. Well, this jar of clay has very little to offer those who are suffering. But the Treasure inside has everything to offer: Indestructible joy. ... a final thought tomorrow ... Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 09:59:48 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:59:48 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-25-08 Smaller hearts -- 1 John 3:17 Message-ID: <48D501D4.8000107@dwightclough.com> /*If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? -- 1 John 3:17*/ God knows that our hearts are smaller than His. He knows that there is only so much room for grief, for empathy, for love. And our money, which is really just an expression of our hearts, is also limited. That's why God speaks to us. Some of us cry for single moms, others cry for children who are abused, still others cry for the "people of heaven" who live and die in North Korea's slave labor camps. And our pocketbooks tend to follow our tears. It is no sin to be emotional. It just becomes a problem when we try to make the next person cry for the same things we do. God is the One who shares a portion of His heart with each one of us. A couple days ago I wrote about Schindler realizing the horrible cost of his material possessions. But I'd like to turn that around. Think about the great good God does every day through the pocketbooks of His people. There is a wonderful freedom in all of this. I am not the world's messiah. I just bring the Messiah to my little world. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 10:00:14 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:00:14 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-26-08 The role of the past -- Psalm 22:10 Message-ID: <48D501EE.7060609@dwightclough.com> /*From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God. -- Psalm 22:10*/ The past is part of you. If you've read my book, /The Gift of Transformation/, you know that I spent years trying to divorce myself from my past. I tried to ignore it, to overcome it, to forget it, to pretend it didn't happen. But none of those things worked. I finally realized the truth: You can try to forget the past, but the past doesn't forget you. You are that three year old, that sixteen year old. They are part of you. Everything in the present flows out of the past. Some people, driven by a faulty interpretation of Philippians 3:13, think we are to forget the hurts of the past. But this is not so. This verse refers to setting aside past self-righteous accomplishments so we can focus on something worthwhile: knowing Christ. What do we do with past hurts? For one thing, we are to forgive the offenses of the past. This, of course, is impossible, like everything else in the Christian life, and cannot be done without God's intervention. But, beyond that, on a grander scale, every one of those hurts becomes an opportunity to get to know Christ. Here's a place to start: Okay, it hurt then and it still hurts now, but what, Lord Jesus, do you want me to understand about You in this hurt? How do You want me to experience You here? God wants us whole, not split up into parts. Once I understood the connection between my past and the present, I started on a journey toward wholeness and into a discovery of a healing God. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 10:00:40 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:00:40 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-27-08 Make room -- 2 Kings 4:3 Message-ID: <48D50208.7070709@dwightclough.com> /*"Don't ask for just a few." -- 2 Kings 4:3*/ Did you ever stop to think of things from God's point of view. Here He is, limitless love, wanting to pour Himself out into our lives. There's only one problem: our limited capacity to receive. So what does God do? He increases our capacity. He wants to give us more. In this story, a woman was in a panic. Her sons were about to sold into slavery to cover her late husband's debt. She had nothing -- no money, no power, and very little hope. But God said, "I can turn this around for you and give you more than could ask or imagine. But, to do that, we need to increase your capacity to receive." (No, you won't find those words in this passage, but I'm reading between the lines.) The prophet told her to go and ask her neighbors for empty jars. She needed something to contain the miracle. A lot of something. This is what God does. He turns things around. And when He does, He does it in a big way. Make room for God's love -- make lots of room. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 20 10:01:15 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:01:15 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-28-08 Everything we want -- Psalm 63:1 Message-ID: <48D5022B.4050200@dwightclough.com> /*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*/ I've felt a bit intimidated by this passage, to tell you the truth. My desire for God seems pretty weak by comparison. How much energy do I put into seeking God? By comparison, I feel casual, almost shallow. The author, David, must be in a whole different league of spirituality than me. Or so I thought. What is the difference between the "spiritual" and the not so "spiritual"? In many ways, it boils down to this: God reveals to us what we're really hungry for. All of us are hungry. All of us are thirsty. All of us are longing. All of us desire deeply. But we don't always know what we want. Like Edmund of Narnia, we think it's Turkish Delight, until we wake up and discover that what this world offers doesn't nourish the longings of our soul. All our desires, even those that were corrupted, point heavenward. We are all hungry for God. This cry expresses everything we want. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:18:34 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:18:34 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-29-08 Song of contentment -- Psalm 63:5 Message-ID: <48DE4ECA.1000405@dwightclough.com> /*My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. -- Psalm 63:5*/ One of the delights of being a father is listening to my children sing. I'm not talking so much about scheduled song -- as in a church service. I'm talking about spontaneous expression of joy and peace and security. I don't know, exactly, how they learn it. They seem somehow to be born with it, because without any prompting on our part, sometimes they just sing, even when they are very small. It isn't a show. It isn't a performance. I don't suspect they are even aware than anyone is listening. It just wells up from a contented soul. Just as all our desires point heavenward, so also, God is the satisfaction that we seek. Everything we need, everything we want, everything we scarcely dare dream for is found in Him. I'm not sure what rises up from your soul when you are contented, when the Lord has met with you and given you peace. For me, not much of a singer, it's pure gratitude. That's my song. But whatever your song is, I know the Lord is listening with a smile. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:19:04 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:19:04 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 09-30-08 Making sense of God -- 1 Kings 20:35-36 Message-ID: <48DE4EE8.70409@dwightclough.com> /*By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, "Strike me with your weapon," but the man refused. So the prophet said, "Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him. -- 1 Kings 20:35-36*/ The man refused to obey. "No," he said, "clearly you are made in the image of God, and you have done nothing wrong, and I have no right to assault you, and my hands will not draw innocent blood." All of this was very true, very logical, very right for all of us, and very wrong for the man who disobeyed. The Bible says that the fool has said in his heart, "No, God." People say "no" to God because they think they know better than God what is right for them. I try to give my children the moral reason behind the instructions I give them. But sometimes, especially when they were young, I realized that they wouldn't understand the reason. I just had to say, "Daddy knows best." We are not more righteous than God. Every word from His mouth is like silver purified seven times in a furnace. Read the context of this passage. God had a purpose in this command. He was trying to get the attention of a wicked king, hoping to turn around an entire nation. God's words will always make sense in the end. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:19:38 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:19:38 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 10-01-08 God's first word -- Genesis 1:3, Matthew 3:15 Message-ID: <48DE4F0A.60205@dwightclough.com> /*And God said, "Let ..." -- Genesis 1:3*/ /*Jesus replied, "Let ..." -- Matthew 3:15*/ In the Bible, God's first word is "let." Permit. Allow. Give room for. Break free. God, the One who is so often characterized as the narrow-minded maker of restrictions, opens the universe with the word "let." God permits His plans to unfold. He allows His creation to take shape. He gives room for free moral agents to come into being, some to choose Him and others to reject Him forever. In the Bible, Jesus' first word is also "let." "Let it be so now ..." Allow things to unfold as God intends. Creator God speaks into empty darkness and light breaks free. God the Son speaks into the created order and begins the process of restoring all things to Himself. God is often measured by what He restricts, but I sense He also wants to be known by what He allows. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:20:06 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:20:06 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 10-02-08 Someone is praying for you -- Job 16:20 Message-ID: <48DE4F26.8050205@dwightclough.com> /*My intercessor is my friend. -- Job 16:20*/ To me, one of the most comforting promises in the Bible is that the Holy Spirit and Jesus pray for us (Romans 8:26-27, Hebrews 7:25). If you heard some of my prayers, you would know why that's a comfort! Many times I don't have a clue how to pray. I just know that the situation is beyond my ability to figure out or to do anything about it. But I rejoice that Someone knows how to pray for me and He knows how to pray for others who are in much bigger messes than I'm in. I count on that. That doesn't, of course, excuse me from praying. On the contrary, I can pray much more freely because my Intercessor is my Friend. He sees all the holes in my prayers and He plugs them with prayers of His own. When I ask for things that aren't good for me or good for others, He turns my foolish requests into requests for good things. Many people go to crusades to get big name evangelists to lay hands on them and pray for them. That isn't a bad thing, but we have something even better. The Spirit of God prays for us. How could God the Father possibly turn down a request from His Son? Jesus can ask for the nations and God will hand them over (Psalm 2:8). That same Jesus is praying for me. He's praying for you. And He likes us. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:20:35 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:20:35 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 10-03-08 Benefit to God -- Job 22:2 Message-ID: <48DE4F43.6090205@dwightclough.com> /*Can a man be of benefit to God? -- Job 22:2*/ Yes. The answer is yes. Eliphaz assumes the answer is no, and structures his argument around it. But he is wrong. As this conversation between Job and his three friends continues, they seem to become more and more disconnected with who Job really is and who God really is. Eliphaz paints a picture of a stern God aloof from human existence, intervening only to provide swift and terrible justice. Pastor Cho of South Korea said, "Most people think God has no needs. They are wrong. God is love. Because He is love, He has a tremendous need for fellowship." We can be of benefit to God. Not that He is somehow incomplete or inadequate without us. But rather, we each have a place in God's heart, and each of us adds a unique flavor to God's eternal celebration. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:21:00 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:21:00 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 10-04-08 The Father who wasn't listening -- Luke 15:22 The Message Message-ID: <48DE4F5C.9010509@dwightclough.com> /*But the father wasn't listening. -- Luke 15:22 The Message*/ To me, this is one of the most moving moments in all of scripture. The prodigal son had ruined his life. He was returning home, a failure for all to see. When he met his father, he was begging not for his rights as son to be restored -- he knew he could never dare ask for that -- but rather that he might be taken on as a hired hand. But the father wasn't listening. Eugene Peterson in his paraphrase /The Message/, captures the spirit of this verse so well with this phrase: "But the father wasn't listening." The Father had better plans, and, even today, He has better plans for you and for me. "Quick! Bring clean clothes. Bring the family ring. Identify this man as My son. Celebrate!" This is one of those great paradoxes in life. When we begin to see how unworthy we are, the Lord begins to show us how much He treasures us. It is true that we don't deserve, but all the while we tell the Father that, He isn't listening. Instead, He is calling for celebration. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From discoveries at dwightclough.com Sat Sep 27 11:21:29 2008 From: discoveries at dwightclough.com (Inspiration in Your Inbox) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:21:29 -0500 Subject: [Discoveries] 10-05-08 God will make it right -- Psalm 103:6 Message-ID: <48DE4F79.70908@dwightclough.com> /*The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. -- Psalm 103:6*/ We must understand that what is true in the short run can be, and often is, false in the long run. For example, many people are eager to teach their children that life isn't fair. This is a short term truth. Many times life isn't fair. Horrible things are done to people for no good reason. This is not fair. It is not good. It is not right. But I would like to suggest to you that life is fair because God will make it fair. There is no injustice that He will not make right. How does He do this? I don't know. When will He do this? I don't know. All I know is no one will be able to look God in the eye and say that the life He gave was unfair, because God will make it right. Be encouraged! Dwight What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the supernatural happens. You may freely post, reprint or redistribute this devotional provided a reference or link back to _DwightClough.com_ is included. Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc. 1223 West Main Street #228 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Dwight Clough Ministries is supported by your donations. Visit _www.DwightClough.com_ for more information. Change your subscription: _http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/discoveries_ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: