Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life . “Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” –Corrie Ten Boom Will I have enough? Can I make the mortgage payment, cover medical expenses, save for retirement, pay down the loan, gas and repair the car, and still buy groceries? It’s a constant concern. Daily, the cost of living increases. Since the economic meltdown, few feel financially secure. What if I don’t have enough? Someone close to me lost her home through the economic crisis. Recently, she told me, “It felt like the end of the world. I couldn't imagine how we’d survive. I resented the small, cramped home we found to rent. Yet, here I am (a couple of years later). I survived. We (the family) are okay. I've adjusted. I don’t even mind living in our new place. I’m comfortable there. It’s home.” Now, she’s able to encourage others who are in danger of losing their homes. She’s my hero! Jesus told his disciples, “Don’t worry about your life,  what y...

Welcome to Real Life .  How do you respond when God calls you to do something far beyond your natural ability? A friend of mine texted me this morning asking for prayer. As she should. She’s about to embark on something that’s way out of her league. She does this for Jesus and for His people, especially those who feel most forsaken, who the world deems most filthy and most foul, but who are loved by God. They that are whole have no need of a physician; but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. –Jesus I text my friend: Just show up. God will do the rest . I tell her that because that’s what I've been told by other, wiser walkers before me; it’s what I tell myself when I’m about to step out onto the tightrope of faith and have no long stick, no net, just my empty palms held out and turned up. In some ways that’s freeing, that just showing up . But in other ways it’s the hardest part because working up the gumption to push against static frictio...

Welcome to Real Life. What is prayer? According to Webster, to pray is to implore, beseech, or ask earnestly. It’s a bitterly cold winter night. After a long work day, my husband is relaxing on the couch watching the news. The phone rings. It's our son, Calvin. He rents half a duplex and came home to a cold dwelling. The pilot light on the furnace went out. Cal can’t get it re-lit. Though my husband is tired, he pulls on his coat and drives off to assist his son. Just as a phone call moves an earthly father, prayer moves our heavenly Father. Four out of five adults in the U.S. pray. [1]  Why? It’s powerful. I've seen cancer cured, marriages restored, addicts freed, and lives transformed as the direct result of prayer. The power lies not in the words, but in the One we implore. In America, 83% of us believe God answers prayer. [2] “Lord, teach us to pray,” a disciple asked Jesus. Prayer had a radical impact on Jesus' life and ministry. His disciple noticed...