HSBC Coffeebreak

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’
Jeremiah 29:11 NASB

Moving with my husband to Montana six years ago seemed like an adventurous idea. However, we both began to question its logistics when I was pregnant with our first child. If their grandparents were 1700 miles away, how would our kids have a relationship with them? How would we survive without our parents around to help us?

While these questions were hard ones, the one most pressing to me was how in the world was I going to bring our new baby home from the hospital without my mom’s help? How would I know what to do?

As my pregnancy went by, we began thinking of what date to book her plane ticket. Would I go into labor early? If we booked it too early and I went overdue, it was possible she could visit for a week before the baby even arrived! We drilled my midwife for her “best guess” and each time she said, “Every baby is different.” Finally, she gave us the last day she would let me go without inducing me – two weeks after my due date. Two months before I was due, we prayed for God to guide us as we bought a ticket for my mom to come the Saturday before the Monday I could be induced. At worst, we could hang out over the weekend before baby arrived.

Our God is faithful…and our little Lucy decided to enter the world the Thursday before my mom arrived. In fact, my mom flew in the morning I was dismissed from the hospital. She rode home with us! At the time, I was just excited that it had all worked out – but now, as I look back over the past two years at God’s timeliness, I see that as we were faithful to God in moving to Montana, He has been faithful to us. Lucy took her first steps while we were home visiting my husband’s parents. My mom flew in the night before I was dismissed from the hospital with our second daughter. He’s even provided “adopted grandparents” for our girls here in Helena and opportunities for time away with just my husband. All these blessings are teaching me that if I trust God with the big picture of my life, He promises to work out the details. My concerns over what He asks of us are creatively already taken care of by Him.

Lord, help me to always remember that You will not call me where you will not carry me. Thank you for blessing me and my family with rich relationships both near and far.

Written by
Holly Hauskins

HSBC Coffeebreak

We wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the wonderful new features of the Coffeebreak Devotional! When you receive your weekly devotional, click on the words HSBC Coffeebreak and you will immediately be taken to our official blog page.

From here, you will notice many wonderful features. One, you can click on the header and go to the website for Hannaford Street Bible Church. Along the right hand side, you can also quickly link yourself to the church's women's minstry page and other fun events happening at the church.

On our offical blog page, you will also be able to locate past devotionals. While they are not all on there yet, several are available to you. You can find them by author name or date of original post. Feel free to use these as a source of encouragement for friends and family...should someone (maybe even you) be in a challenging time, pass along a devotional to them!

Also, please note on the blog page that you are able to post a "comment." If a devotional has really touched you, please feel free to do so.

We pray that our new format is user-friendly and helpful to you! Thank you for being a part of this meaningful ministry.

HSBC Coffeebreak

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

If my sweetheart of a husband wrote me letter, I would read it and reread it and tuck the contents away in my heart, where I could recall it at will. How much more should I read and reread God’s love letter to me and hide His words in my heart where I can recall them when needed?

What a wonderful, loving and merciful God we serve! He looked down from His lofty home in heaven and had compassion on us who were lost in our sin and without hope or remedy. Because God is love, He provided salvation for us from the foundation of the world, through the life, death and resurrection of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

He not only provided salvation and a savior, but He wrote a love letter to us through His prophets! By getting familiar with the words He has written, we are taught how to live and love in this world. And, more importantly, by abiding in His Word (Love Letter), we can have the privilege of knowing this wonderful and powerful God intimately. His Son has opened the door for direct worship to the Father when we pray in His Name!

Written by
Estella Schmidt

HSBC Coffeebreak

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Sometimes I think I am a farmer at heart. Everywhere I have lived I find myself wanting to grow things. Generally my plants flourish with little effort. When we moved onto acreage in the country with little water and topsoil, I knew that I would have to set aside my passion for gardening until we were better established.

Before long, I was bringing in flowers that had their origin in the first home that my parents bought, and then it was yellow roses from Grandma’s yard, and more flower starts from our last yard. Mom helped me out by bringing a few trees from her yard and other plant starts. Oh, how delighted I was! Now I could be happy.

Morning after morning I discovered that my plants were being eaten, sometimes clear to the ground. Mule deer were the culprit, so I set out to find deer resistant plants. To my surprise, the mule deer that live in my neck of the woods eat anything and everything! They would even come during broad daylight when I was outside and start eating my plants. I threw rocks at them; I blew my gym whistle as loudly as I could to scare them away and they just stared at me. Knowing that more powerful artillery was needed, I purchased a BB gun. Not just any BB gun, but the pump kind that would shoot BBs farther and harder than the average one. I soon found out that hitting deer broadside with a BB hardly fazed them. My next purchase was pellets for this gun; surely that would sting enough to scare them away.

After much frustration and loss of plants, the only solution was to fence in all of our plants. My husband spent quite a bit of time getting all of my plant protection in place. I was so excited that spring and planted many new starts and even a few vegetables in between the flowers. I still didn’t have a full fledged garden, but I was rejoicing over what I had. Now, I could be happy and give thanks.

Lo and behold, my plant protection was not enough. The wild rabbit’s cute, little baby bunnies found ways to get through the fencing and enjoyed my fresh lettuce. Where the bunnies wouldn’t go, the chipmunks did! I hadn’t realized that spinach was a favorite of theirs.

I hated the frustration and the battle of finding ways to keep my plants. When I read I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I thought how can I give thanks when the animals are winning this battle and eating all the things that bring me pleasure? I was still waiting to have things my way, then I would be joyful and give thanks.

One evening while sitting at our picnic table enjoying a wonderful dinner with my husband, we watched many birds come to feed or bathe in the bird bath; we could see the baby bunny trying to find a new hole to get to the lettuce; behind us the chipmunk was checking out the flower boxes on his way to eat bird seeds that had fallen to the ground; a mule deer in velvet crept in to drink from the bird bath that was only a few feet away, following close behind was a doe. Recalling I Thess. 5:18, I was faced with a choice. Would I choose frustration because I couldn’t control all the circumstances in my yard, or would I see the beauty and wonder in these creations of God’s and choose to rejoice and give thanks?

As I chose to take my eyes off of myself and look to God, then around me, I was filled with awe at the beauty that surrounds me every day, the mountains, green trees, fresh air, singing birds and quiet critters. God had created a dinner ambiance far beyond anything I ever could. It was there for my taking if I would only choose it. I didn’t have to plant it, water it, weed it, or fence it in. God had done all of the work and would continue to sustain it.

When I choose to acknowledge that God is in control and choose to see the work of His hand around me, I can’t help but to rejoice and give thanks. Then I am truly happy.

Lord, life is always best when you are in control. – Amen

Written by
Liz Anderson

HSBC Coffeebreak

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6 NASB

It was Wednesday again. My schedule was packed and the phone wouldn't stop ringing at work. I was worried about my teenager flying alone across the country on her way to a mission trip that started in Miami. I didn't have time for prayer, let alone attending Moms in Touch, my small weekly prayer group.

Somehow I escaped from the office and drove to the church, where I felt impatient and irritated. But I was grimly obedient and began with praise to the Lord and soon, the worry and irritation fell away. I was focused on my Father and His perspective was so much bigger than my own. I began to relax and worship. I asked for His forgiveness on worry and busyness. I thanked Him for His goodness, specifically and with the help of my friends at the table.

I cried and then I laughed as I gave thanks for things that had gone right with my teenagers that week. And I let go and let God have the problems we had and my children. Right at the end, my cell phone rang. It was my traveling daughter's number and she was safe at the next airport. “What a fast answer to prayer!” I said, as I teased Aubrey and my friends. I left refreshed - the only time all week I spent more than five minutes in continuous prayer. I felt refocused on God's plan for the day.

I didn't have time for noontime prayer and I didn't have time to NOT do it.

Please join our Moms in Touch group at Hannaford Street Bible Church, beginning Monday October 15 at noon. We will meet each Monday to pray for our children. Feel free to contact me with any questions or if there's a better time for you.

Written by
Ellen Bush
rebush@bresnan.net