Guest Post with Staci Stallings

What Are Faithful Friends Worth?

The Gospel reading last week was about the paralytic man who was carried by his friends to Jesus.  I love the spin our pastor put on the story.  “What is a faithful friend worth?”

Wow.  Good question.

Here is this man who literally cannot help himself.  Now, note, his friends are working on the situation.  They are not back home feeling sorry for their friend.  They are ACTIVELY trying to find a solution.  Plus, there’s more than one of them.  His friends hear that Jesus is in town, and they pick the man up on his mat to carry him to Jesus.

Do you have friends like that?  Do you have friends who will carry you to Jesus in faith?  Do you have friends who ACTIVELY look for ways to help you?

If you do, then you know the worth of those friends.

As Mastercard would say they are… Priceless.

You cannot put a price on faithful friends.  You really cannot because what they give you, no money can buy.

They give you hope when things look the bleakest.  They give you words of peace and comfort in times of trouble and strife.  They are faithful when everyone else has gone.  They are ACTIVE in your life.  Not just when things are going good, but even when you’re hopeless lying on a mat!

I also love that they worked together.  Notice this didn’t devolve into fights about how to proceed or what to do.  They saw the problem and the solution, and they teamed up to make it happen.

I think often there are stories in the Old Testament that parallel stories in the New.  The parallel for this story is the story of Job and his friends.

Note the difference.

Job’s friends tried to talk him OUT of loving and serving God.  They told Job that obviously it was some sin he had committed that heaped the condemnation and punishment on him.  In short, they were the antithesis of these faithful friends.  The faithful friends did not look at the cause, but for the solution.  They didn’t condemn the man.  They helped him.  They didn’t sit on the trash heap with him and commiserate about the hopelessness of the situation.  They picked him up and carried him to God.

The amazing thing is what happened once they got to Jesus.

See, I think some of us would be friends like this if it was easy to be so.  If all we had to do was say a few prayers or a few good words, we could probably be that kind of friend.  But what happens when we get them to Jesus and there is a barrier?  What happens when getting our friend to Jesus is not easy?

Do we say, “Well, we tried.  Good luck”?

Or are we, like the faithful friends, willing to go to all lengths to get our friend to the feet of Jesus?  No matter what.  Think about climbing that roof, and figuring out how to cut that hole, cutting the hole, lowering the friend down… These friends were COMMITTED friends!

Do you have faithful, committed friends?

Are you a faithful and committed friend?

Both are great questions and both are important to work toward.  After all, friends like that are priceless!

Copyright Staci Stallings, 2012
Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a #1 Best Selling author and the co-founder CrossReads.com a new website that gives Christian readers and authors a place to meet and fellowship. With a newsletter, a blog, a forum, and other exciting, inspiring areas to visit, CrossReads visitors can find fabulous Christian books they never knew existed.

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Real Faith – Guest Post by Staci Stallings

I’m so pleased to have Staci Stallings as a guest on my blog today.

Staci Stallings is a Contemporary Christian author and the founder of Grace & Faith Author Connection. You can check out one of Staci’s Best-Selling Christian Romances…

White Knight
~ The Courage Series~
Book 2

“Expect the unexpected…”

“Through a series of entertaining twists and turns and a lot of suspense, two very unlikely people find in each other a reason to laugh and love and live.”

–Amazon Reviewer, Myrna Brorman

The hardest part is losing the person someone else loves… 

Buy your copy today for:

Kindle Ebook: http://ow.ly/ckyuq

B&N Nook: http://ow.ly/ckyMh

Real Faith

by Staci Stallings

Faith is the bedrock of being a Christian. Few people would argue that fact.  However, I recently read something that caused me to go, “Hmm… I never thought about it like that.”

The author of the piece pointed out that faith no longer seems to mean what it once did.  It, like so many other things and words in our society today, has been cheapened.  That cheapening affects not just our understanding of the word but also how we put it into practice in our lives.

There are five definitions for faith on Dictionary.com.  They are:

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing

2. belief that is not based on proof

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit

5. a system of religious belief

Our basic problem in Christianity stems from the fact that the world has, in the minds of many, replaced the first definition with the second.

The first definition speaks about “trust.”  The second only speaks about believing in something you cannot see.

Now don’t misunderstand me.  The second is important.  The problem is when we completely supplant it for the first.

Let me offer it this way:  I can believe in God–i.e. believe He exists without trusting Him.

Merely believing that He exists gets us no farther on our faith walk than believing another person exists gets us married.  Yes, that belief in His existence is important, but you can believe God and Christ exist and not experience what Christian living is all about.

Why?

Because the belief in their existence is not what changes your life.  It is only in experiencing and living the first definition of faith that real Christianity and real faith begin to be manifested.

Once I clear the first hurdle of believing in God, the next leap of faith–trusting Him must be made or “Christian life” will feel exactly as “non-Christian life” felt.  It will still be all up to me.  I will continue to try to self-effort myself through life.

You see these types of Christians all the time.  They work and they do and they serve.  They are in the choir and on the finance counsel.  They run from church meeting to church meeting.  If they aren’t exhausted yet, they soon will be.

I know.  I was one of those Christians.

It was only when God allowed my self-effort to prove to me how futile it was that I went seeking for another answer, and the Answer I found was in the first definition–in fully trusting God.  It was only when I began to fully trust God and Christ and stop relying on myself that I found what I had been searching for the whole time:  A victorious Christian walk etched in grace and forgiveness and love.

When I put that first definition into practice, I found that it really is as easy as just letting God love me and then giving that love to others.

It was only when I found real faith, rooted in the FIRST definition of faith that my life began to have meaning and peace and hope.  I believe that life is offered to everyone, just don’t fall for the trap that believing in God’s existence is enough.  You must take that second (albeit scary) step of fully trusting Him in every aspect of your life to experience the incredible freedom that God can in your spirit, your world, and your life.

Copyright Staci Stallings, 2012

Ask, Seek, Knock, guest post by Staci Stallings

Ask, Seek, Knock

by

Staci Stallings

There are lessons that I love, and then there are lessons that I really love. This one is in the later category. It is an extrapolation on a sermon from my hometown priest. It goes like this.

You have no doubt heard, “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open… but do you understand how those three commands work together?”

First, notice that they are in fact commands. Jesus didn’t say, “It is all right to ask.” No. He said. “Ask.” Simple. To the point. Unambiguous. Ask.

Ask the Father for what you need, for things and lessons and understanding to come into your life. You see, things are okay, but understanding and learning to live better, to be better is so much more extraordinary as to not have words to describe it adequately. So ask.

When you ask, Jesus says, “You will receive.” Not “you might. Not if God’s having a good day, He’ll think about it.” But you will receive. You will receive an answer to your request. So then, why does it seem like He doesn’t answer? What about those times when you ask and you ask, and you get no reply?

That’s where Asking and Receiving begins to twine with Seeking and Finding. “Seek and you will find.” This is not a separate command. It is intimately entwined with the first command.

See, sometimes God gives you the answer. You ask, He gives the answer, but it is not in big neon letters. Sometimes you have to Seek to understand the answer He’s giving you. I think those answers for which we have to seek are some of the most important.

Some will ask, “But how do I seek? I don’t know what that means exactly.” Here’s a simple interpretation. “Pay attention.” Pay attention to the songs that come your way, the people who happen upon your path, the a-ha moments that too often pass without notice. Start noticing what God puts in your path.

“I want to spread Your love, God.”

“Okay, here’s the janitor. Say, ‘Hi.’ Ask how he’s doing and really stop and listen to the answer.”

“No, I don’t think You understand what I wanted. I want something big, something dramatic, a spot on the board of directors, somewhere that I can really spread Your love.”

How sad that we miss so many answers God sends our way.

So it’s important to keep your eyes, ears, and heart open. Seek His answers, and you will find them. Trust me on this one. You WILL find them. Not might. Will. They may not be what you expect. They may not even be something you like, but you will find His answers. And once you get in your heart that His answers are always your best answer, you can let go of judging His answers and begin to accept them.

When you do that, you are not free to just sit back and absorb like a sponge. What does Jesus say next? “Knock.” Translated. “Do something about the answer you’ve been given.” Put forth the effort God is asking you to expend.

“I want to spread Your love, Lord.”

“Okay. See this child who has chaos all around. Be a friend to this one.”

“But God, that’s going to take time, and I just don’t have the time.”

You have to knock. YOU have to knock. This isn’t one you can delegate. You have to put in the moments and the effort to make what He thinks is important, important in your life. So knock, and the door to the Kingdom, to God’s world will be open to you.

“Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open unto you.”

See, they all work together, hand in glove, a perfect mesh. Must be God because that’s how He works. Absolute perfection in under 20 words!

Copyright Staci Stallings, 2007

Staci Stallings has written over 10 novels in several genres. She’s just released a new YA novel. If you own a Nook, own this today:

News From Nashville & Beyond by Staci Stallings

Here’s something I haven’t done before, have a guest blogger share a character interview–very fun. Staci Stallings is an excellent and versatile writer.

You’ll find more info about Staci at the end of the character interview. I hope you enjoy!

News From Nashville & Beyond

(Transcribed from a television interview with “The Music Plays… World Tour” featuring opening solo artist Kalin Lane and headliner Ashton Raines, both accompanied by their wives, Beth Raines and Danae Lane.)

NFNB: First of all, welcome to you all. Thanks for sitting down with us.

Ashton: Thank you for having us.

NFNB: Let’s start with what it’s like to be on a world tour. What cities? What are the crowds like?

Kalin: Well, for me it’s been an absolute dream come true. I mean, getting invited to be here with Ashton who, let’s face it is the King of Country music right now. Standing on that stage every night, hearing the fans singing my songs, cheering, in all these different countries…. it’s truly amazing.

Ashton: I have to agree. I stand down there as Kalin’s playing, and there’s just this incredible energy that sweeps through the whole place, no matter if we’re playing for 20,000 or 60,000. To hear those fans, to get to connect with them. It’s what I came here to do, it’s why I started singing in the first place, and to get to do it night after night has been such a blessing.

NFNB: How’s it been working together? The two of you play country music, but it’s really not quite the same kind of country.

Ashton (laughing): Yeah. I could never pull off the hair! (Reaches over and ruffles Kalin’s famously stringy blond mane then shrugs.) But it works, you know? I play the more traditional stuff, Kalin rocks the house, it works.

Kalin: I have to agree. I think it has really come together because we’re not two performers who happen to get on the same stage every night. We really understand each other and respect each other for what life has thrown at us and the hard knocks it’s taken us to be able to play from the heart so to speak. So it doesn’t matter that he plays the acoustic and piano, and I’ve got more electric and keyboards to my style of music because I think deep down we both really see that we’re doing what we love to do, making the kind of music we love to make. When you do that, somehow the synthesis of what comes out of it just works even if on the outside it doesn’t look like it should.

NFNB: You mentioned what life has thrown at you. Would you call the road to get here bumpy or smooth?

(Ashton looks to Beth who smiles back, and Kalin grins at Danae who brushes her brown locks from her forehead and shakes her head with a soft laugh.)

All: Bumpy.

(Laughter)

Ashton: Definitely bumpy. (Beth nods, her eyes filled with respect and love as she looks at her husband, and the two of them share a moment. When he turns back to the camera, Ashton seems to drift into another world.) After my first wife died of cancer, there was a long stretch in there that honestly I didn’t even want to be here. I mean here as in making music here, but even here as in on the planet. Then one night I wound up in this little diner in the middle of nowhere (He looks over to Beth.) And an angel from Heaven pulled me back and gave me a reason to keep on living. (As if no one else is watching, he leans over and kisses.) Thank you, babe (he whispers so the camera barely catches the words. Then he turns back.) To be real honest, I’m not even sure I’d be here without her.

NFNB: So Beth, what was it like? I mean, he is Ashton Raines. It’s like every girl’s dream to have the king of music to walk in and sweep you off your feet. That must have been surreal.

(They glance at each other.)

Beth: Well, to be honest with you, I didn’t even know who he was that night.

NFNB: You didn’t?

Beth: No, really I didn’t. It’s a long story, but let’s just say I fell in love with a man, not a music star.

NFNB: Okay. Well… (Turning to the other couple.) Kalin, you also said bumpy. Now we know a little about your career’s early fits and starts what with having to go back to your home country the first time around. What was that like?

Kalin: Rough. Really, really rough. To be honest with you, that first time I let the fame and the money and the adulation of all the people around me go straight to my head. I fell in with a lifestyle I thought was great at first, but it caught up with me real fast. When I lost everything–the dream, my meal ticket in Nashville and almost my life–I thought it was all over, you know? Back then, there was no way I could have seen the amazing grace God was waiting to give me and the joy and the mercy and the grace He gives me every day now. Getting to be here now, like this, with the Raines family, and my beautiful wife. (He turns to Danae and smiles. She smiles back.) I’m telling you it’s more than a dream come true. In fact, it’s the reason I sing “Lucky” every night out there on stage.

That line about, “And it’s not fate, it’s not luck, it’s a gift from God above, that I found you, you found me, and we found love”? Those aren’t just nice, pretty words. I really believe that, you know? Because if it was not for God and the love of this wonderful, strong woman sitting next to me, I can almost guarantee I would not be sitting here today. It’s more grace and love than I’ve ever deserved or imagined, I’ll tell you that.

NFNB: Well, it’s almost time to wrap this up. Closing thoughts, anyone?

Ashton: The tour’s been amazing. The fans, the cities, the experiences. All out amazing.

Kalin: Come out and see the show!

NFNB: That’s it for now from News from Nashville & Beyond. Now back to you in the studio.

Read more about Ashton and Beth’s story in “Cowboy” (http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-The-Harmony-Series-ebook/dp/B0049B2E82/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2) available now for only $0.99. Cowboy is Book 1 of The Harmony Series by Staci Stallings.)

Kalin and Danae are featured in “Lucky” — Book 2 of the Harmony Series.

Look for The Harmony Series by Staci Stallings on Kindle and Nook!

A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Although she lives in Amarillo, Texas and her main career right now is her family, Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including:

Books In Print, Kindle, & FREE on Spirit Light Works:

http://stacistallings.wordpress.com/

 Spirit Light Books–The Blog: http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com/

 And… Staci’s website http://www.stacistallings.com Come on over for a visit…

 You’ll feel better for the experience!