Tag: faith

Angels Watching Over Me

On By jenniferaufrechtLeave a comment

I just got home from praying over a sweet couple with Randy, Pastor Melli and his wife, Misty. It was such a beautiful way to start the week! As we were talking about God’s goodness and being vulnerable with our spouses, Pastor Melli shared some thoughts from 2 Kings 5 and 6. One passage in particular was a confirmation of an experience I had many years ago that I’ll share with you!

2 Kings 6:15-17 says, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet (Elisha) answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’  And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (Bible gateway passage: 2 Kings 6 – NIV).

On Tuesday, July 20, 1999, I was at work as a Teller at the bank in my small town. I was the only one working with walk-up customers; the manager and assistant manager were both working with customers at their desks. The customer in front of me was taking a little longer than normal, and I noticed the man next in line was getting impatient as he sighed and paced back and forth. As I finished with my customer, he walked up to my window, and I braced myself in case he was angry or unpleasant. He very slowly unwrapped a crumpled up transfer slip as I thought to myself, “Why did you have to crumple it up? It won’t run through my scanner like that!” He slid it across the counter to me. The world came to a standstill as I read the words on the crumpled paper:

This is a robbery. There is a gun. 20s, 50s, & 100s.

For a brief moment, I just stood there frozen, thinking, “Please don’t shoot me. I have little kids at home.” He said to me “No alarms” as I turned to my money drawer and grabbed some bills while also pulling the bait money that set off the alarm. I had recently had a merchant stop in, but I had locked up all of the excess cash in the cart in the back, so my cash drawer held very little cash. I handed it to him and told him it was all I had. He wrapped it up in a plastic wrapper from a case of water and left the bank. I quietly told the customers waiting next to stay where they were while trying to find my voice to call out to Robin, our branch manager. After calling across the room that I was just robbed, everything both stood still and jumped into action at the same time. The branch doors were locked and police were on their way. None of the customers, even the ones with the little baby, were allowed to leave until police had gotten statements from everyone.

The rest of the day was filled with forms to fill out (I jokingly asked where the resignation form was), phone calls with bank security and the FBI, and a ride in the police car (the officer was a friend from high school) to identify the suspect who was caught in a bar down the street trying to pay for a ride to a neighboring town. I remember doing my best to keep things light-hearted, even joking and laughing at times throughout the day. But when I got home, things didn’t feel funny anymore.

The following days were difficult. My mom took me to a nursery nearby to look at plants, but the man behind me in line who was impatient and pacing just like the bank robber, made me feel panicky and I got out of line. All week, the entire scenario played through my mind, over and over and over again.

Sunday morning we went to church. As I sat there waiting for the service to begin, my mind continued to run the scene on repeat. I was getting so tired of seeing it all happen again and again. Suddenly, the scene began to play from a different perspective, and I found myself watching it take place from the top corner of the room. I could see everyone in the room, including me, as the scene unfolded. Only this time, there were two large angels standing guard on each side of me. I remember thinking, “What just happened?”

The message that morning was on Phillipians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I spoke with my pastor afterward and asked, “How do I think on these things when I have something so traumatic running through my mind?” His response has stuck with me ever since. He said, “God gave you a vision to give you comfort. Whenever the scene runs through your mind, turn it to praise.” So powerful!

I bet Elisha’s servant saw all those horses and chariots of fire surrounding them in his mind until the day he died. I still see those angels standing guard beside me. I wish I could print out a picture to show you how majestic and comforting that vision was. I have often pondered that they didn’t stop the robbery from happening. I think it was because I learned so much about God through that trauma. I have shared this story many times to illustrate the faithfulness of God in difficult times. Sometimes people have shared scarier stories that made me feel like mine was nothing to feel traumatized about. However, this I know. It was traumatic for me. But God was right there by my side and never left me alone during or after the robbery and gave me an incredible gift in the vision of angels protecting me.

Whatever you are going through, my friend, God is with you. Psalm 91:11-12 says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Think on these things.

Photo credit: Image by SaludyVi from Pixabay

A Testimony of God’s Timing

On By jenniferaufrechtLeave a comment

We have been in a sermon series at church called “The Cross and the Crown.” It has been so impactful to me. God has brought me through so many things in my life, and I have a responsibility to be a witness for the incredible things God has done. It has always been my desire to use my writing gift to disciple others into a stronger relationship with Jesus. I need to get busy!

In August 2010, Randy was laid off from his job. By the end of the month, he had a job in San Dimas, California, and we moved away from everything we had ever known with two high schoolers in tow. Oddly enough, they both embraced the move (this is another story for another blog post…stay tuned. I told you I have a lot of stories to tell!)

This story is about the sale of our home in Duvall, Washington. In case you don’t know or don’t remember, 2010 was in the midst of the economic downturn and the plunge of housing prices across the country. As it turned out, we owed more on our house than it was currently worth. One realtor came into our home and told us the only way out of the situation was to stop making payments on our house and short-sale it. I literally cried while sitting at the table with him, but we boldly told him that we would not do that. We ushered him out of our home and began looking for alternative plans.

I called Bank of America to see if there was a way to convert my home equity line of credit to a personal loan instead so I could continue making payments on it. They said “No,” and when I asked if they would rather have me default on the loan than pay it off, they actually told me “Yes.” We continued to pursue ways to honor God with our finances in this situation.

We listed our home for sale and waited. Randy moved to California while the kids and I stayed behind to sell the house, but we finally moved at Thanksgiving while leaving our home for sale. We rented a house in Glendora and began to settle into our new church, school, and community. There were many days that I doubted God in this season. I was unable to find a job and spent a lot of time at home alone, feeling that God had forgotten about me.

When calling to add renter’s insurance to our policy, the agent asked me about our home in Washington. I told him it was for sale. He told me that the insurance company would cancel our homeowner’s insurance if they knew the house was unoccupied. Then he said, “Here’s what I am going to do. I am going to pretend we never had this conversation. You have until May 28, 2011 when the policy renews before the insurance company will know you moved and will cancel the polcy.” While we had been praying for our house to sell, we now had a specific request: “Lord, please sell our house by May 28!”

One Friday near the end of April 2011, I decided that I would spend the day in prayer and fasting until I picked up the kids from school. I honestly don’t remember what I prayed or read that day. I went to Walmart to pick up a few things we needed on the way to get the kids. I continued my conversation with God while I walked through the store. I very specifically remember seeing the Golden Arches across the store and asking God, “Does it even matter that I’m hungry? Do you even care that I haven’t eaten today? I could go over there to McDonald’s and get some food and I don’t even know if it would matter. But, I committed to this fast, so I will honor it anyway.” I picked up the kids, went home, and broke my fast like I had planned.

Around 9:45 pm that evening, I got a phone call from my realtor. She said, “I just sent over an offer to your email. Go check it out!” I opened my email and opened up the offer. As I looked at the offer, my breath caught. The random closing date picked by the buyers didn’t mean anything to them. But, it was a very clear message from God that I mattered. “May 28” jumped off the page, and we knew this was the buyer.

We ended up cashing in our retirement account in order to make up the difference between what we owed and what we got from the sale. This is not what a financial advisor might have suggested, but we felt it honored God and that he would take care of us in the future. We were able to use the rest to purchase a house in LA County. I don’t think there would have been another time in history where we would have been able to buy a house in LA County, but God has been good to us. Now we own a second home in San Antonio.

Don’t give up on God. He’s never too late or too early; His timing is perfect. You may think He’s not listening to you, but He is. He is so so good, all the time. I honestly don’t know what would have happened if I had gotten McDonald’s that day. Would I still have gotten the offer that day? I don’t know. But God used the opportunity to show me just how much He loves me.

Shout out to my pastor, Dr. Ed Newton, for the incredible messages he has shared this month. God has been speaking to me! If you would like to listen, click here to be taken to website for the series!

Please do me a favor and help me get my blog out there! Share with your friends or on social media if you can. Thanks for your help with this! I have never liked “self promotion,” but these are God’s stories in my life, and they are meant to bring glory to Him.

God bless you.

Turmoil

On By jenniferaufrechtLeave a comment

When we moved to Texas a couple years ago, we sent our daughter-in-law to tour the house we ultimately ended up purchasing. We didn’t see it in person until a few weeks later, but as soon as she walked in the door with the video on, I knew it was “home.” It checked all the boxes on the “must have” list and even the boxes on the “wish list.” God provided and blessed in an amazing way for us.

There is just one thing I don’t like about my home. It is located smack in the middle of “Turmoil Curve.” Who in the world would name a street in a neighborhood “Turmoil Curve.” Whenever someone asks for my address, I get questions and comments. Yes, I live on Turmoil Curve. Not exactly an ideal street name. Who wants to live in or on Turmoil?

I think we can all agree that our world is in turmoil right now. We are in the middle of (well, prayerfully nearing the end of) the longest government shut down in our history, a political divide in our nation that feels wider than our country itself, wars around the world, increasing crime and cost of living. On a personal level, I’m sure we all have a list of tumultuous areas in our lives: paychecks that don’t quite stretch to the next one, doctor’s appointments and tests that are uncertain, caring for aging parents or our own precious babies who can’t tell us what’s wrong, difficult relationships with a spouse, friend, or co-worker. But if anyone happens to ask, we are “fine.”

God reminded me this week to take a look at my map. Out the back of my home is a beautiful greenbelt where deer come by periodically. There is something deeply spiritual about the deer that make me feel a greater connection to God. I think they are a reminder of the beauty of his creation, even on Turmoil Curve in the west side of San Antonio. And they fill my heart with gratitude to Jesus for his provision for me and my family.

If I back out of my driveway and turn right, I will run into “Peaceful Dell,” and if I back out of my driveway and turn left, I run into “Peaceful Glade.” No matter which way I go on Turmoil Curve, I end up on a peaceful street. When we follow God in the midst of our turmoil, He promises that we will find peace at the end of it.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27, NIV)

Never Too Early

On By jenniferaufrecht1 Comment

Last night my Daughter-in-Love came over with my precious grandbabies while my son worked late. We had dinner and a fun night playing. Toward the end of the evening, two-year-old “Sweets” asked me to play “Ring Around the Rosie” with her. I told her I would sing with her, but I didn’t want to go round and round or fall down because I had a headache. She replied, “Oh, you have a headache? Can I pray for you?” Of course you can pray for me! She came over, took my hand, and said, “Dear Jesus, Babble, babble, babble, babble, babble. In Jesus’ name, Amen”. She looked up at me and said, “Is your headache better? Can we play now?” She was so certain. We played “Ring Around the Rosie.”

It was the sweetest thing and made me teary-eyed. I didn’t understand a word she said. The funny thing is, “Sweets” is very verbal and never babbles. Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (NIV) Isn’t it amazing that the God of the Universe knew exactly what she was saying and the intent of her heart through the Holy Spirit? She prayed in her own little prayer language, and God knew what she said. Incredible.

Parents and grandparents, it’s never too early to begin teaching your babies to pray. Pray before meals and bedtime, but pray at other times as well. And pray when you don’t know how God’s going to answer. One night when my kids were little, Randy and my dad were trying to fix my car in the garage downstairs and were having trouble. I gathered the kids and my mom and said, “Let’s pray for the car.” As soon as we said “Amen,” we heard the engine roar to life! The kids (and adults) were so excited! Another time, we took our “new to us” trailer out for a weekend at a nearby campground with my parents. We were close enough to home that my dad and Randy were both working during the day. As is typical in Washington State, it started to pour down rain, and we quickly discovered a leak in the roof of the trailer. This was before the time of cell phones, so we couldn’t call to let the guys know that we had a leak. So, we prayed together for the rain to stop. Well, the rain didn’t stop, but soon after, my dad came driving up on his lunch break with a tarp. Not the expected answer, but an answer nonetheless!

There were countless other times where our prayers were not answered as quickly or in the way that we had hoped. But we learned together to trust God with the outcome. And now we continue to teach the next generation about the goodness and sovereignty of God. What an amazing thing. If you haven’t started praying with your kids yet, don’t miss out on the opportunity to watch God show up in awesome ways and see your kids learn about the goodness of God.

And thank you, “Sweets”, for praying for my headache last night. I feel better.

Thanks Charlie!

On By jenniferaufrecht1 Comment

Some of you may see the title of this post and decide to stop reading. But let me be clear….I don’t do political posts. Maybe I should, but that’s not my calling. I hate confrontation and will pretty much do whatever I can to avoid it in any way, shape or form.

As a Christ follower, it has been heart-breaking, scary, prophetic, and eye-opening, even shocking, to experience the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Jesus told us in John 15, verses 18-25, that the world would hate us, just as it hated him. I have had people in my life hate me for various reasons. I don’t like it, even a little bit. Of course we want to be liked, even loved, by everyone. But let me tell you, being loved by Jesus is enough. It’s more than enough; it is amazing! Even if everyone I knew were to suddenly hate me, the love of Jesus would still be enough. It would be sad here in this world, but still enough that I would get to be with Jesus and love by Him for eternity.

These past two weeks since Charlie’s assassination have drawn me to Jesus. My love for Jesus has been strengthened by the stories I have heard. More than anything though, Charlie showed me that confrontation isn’t a bad thing. He lived his life to meet people where they were and help them see Jesus. Maybe I need to be more willing, bolder, and more courageous to speak Jesus to strangers around me.

Dear Jesus, help me be like Charlie in this world. But more than that, I want to be like YOU. I want to love like you do and talk like you do. And thank you for Phil Wickham’s new album that has put so many of my thoughts and feelings into songs that I can sing to you.

Thank you, Charlie, for a legacy that will live on and for inspiring me to live more like Jesus.

Found

On By jenniferaufrecht1 Comment

January 22, 1982, late at night in the Cascade Mountains near Cle Elum, Washington, God found me. I wasn’t lost in the sense that no one knew where I was. I was lost in a religion that was what I did on Sunday, but God found me and drew me into a relationship that changed the course of my life.

I grew up in a beautiful Christian home with a family who loved me. As a child, my grandma, who so fondly called me “Jenny Wren”, told me that God had something special for me. She didn’t know what it was specifically, just that God would use me in ministry in some capacity in my life. I always felt important & valued when she told me that.

Sitting in my home far from Washington State this morning, what are my thoughts as I ponder the night that changed my life forty-three years ago?

I can still remember the incredible sense of peace that come over me in that moment. The worship leader at the youth retreat challenged us to think about all that God had done for us as we walked back to our cabins that night. In the middle of a bunch of loud and crazy students, I walked through the snowfall talking to God. It was just me and Him. Every time it snows (like it did in San Antonio this week, just for me), I am reminded of the incredible sense of peace that comes from knowing that I am loved, chosen, and known by God. He sees me every day, even the ones when I forget to see Him.

Now that I am a grandma, I often remember the role that my grandma played in my life. She loved Jesus, and her words spoke life to me. I think of my precious grandbabies and pray that my words will speak life to them, too. But not only my words, Lord Jesus. May my actions speak louder than my words. Whenever I change a diaper, make a peanut butter sandwich, sit on the floor to play, snuggle on the couch with a book, or giggle because that’s what we do, may my grandbabies feel, know and understand the love of Jesus.

Whether you are a parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle, youth leader, teacher, or family friend of a child or teenager, don’t underestimate the power of your words. They can change a day, a year, a lifetime. They might even change the world.

I am grateful for this life I live and have lived. Thank you, Jesus, for finding that lost girl walking through the snowfall and looking for You. I needed to be found by You.

But I Don’t Feel Like It

On By jenniferaufrechtLeave a comment

I woke up this morning and let myself linger in bed a bit longer instead of jumping up to tackle my mile long “to do” list for today. I thought to myself, “I haven’t really felt God this week.” The first response that popped into my mind was “Why hasn’t God been present?” And then I had to chuckle to myself. I just wrote a blog post last week about being Mary in this season of Merry. Of course the enemy is going to distract me from following my own words with a sense of apathy or one of failure. Either way, I decide I shouldn’t write what I can’t do myself, so I abandon the thought of a blog altogether. Nope. I’m not giving up that easily, satan!

And then I started thinking about feelings. Feelings are fickle and not dependable. How many times have I told married couples that “Love is not a feeling. It is a choice!”? If I only love my husband when I feel it, then I would be a terrible wife. When I am deep in thought with my “other job” working on spreadsheets and reconciling accounts, I don’t “feel” love for my husband. I choose to love him, whether I feel like it or not; whether I am thinking about him or not.

Forgiveness isn’t a feeling either; it is a choice I make every time I remember the offense that I thought I forgave long ago. I have to choose to forget it and to think about something else. Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (NIV). The God of the Universe, who knows everything, has not forgotten my sins. How could an omniscient God forget anything? He does not forget; he chooses not to remember.

So, if I am not “feeling” God today, it isn’t because He has left or changed. I need to choose to remember that God will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5, NIV). I am going to turn on some worship music and look for God in my day. He’s here. He’ll show me what I have been missing this week. It might be through a deer in my backyard, a heart-shaped rock or leaf, my granddaughter’s belly laugh, or a beautiful sunset. It might be a million little things that He does to show me His love for me throughout the day. And in the end, it might be a feeling of love. But if not, I know I am loved and not forgotten.