When God Calls the Heart E-Book

Brian Bird

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: When God Calls the Heart
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 155

Beschreibung

Follow Your Heart to Hope Valley Inspired by best-selling author Janette Oke and the Hallmark Channel original TV series When Calls the Heart, these forty devotions from Hope Valley are about finding moments of grace, joy, and beauty amid the unexpected circumstances of life. In this collection, Brian Bird, executive producer and co-creator of When Calls the Heart, and Michelle Cox illuminate the "God-moments" from the fictional, 1910 mining town of Hope Valley. The stories of faith, hope, and love from each episode will inspire and encourage you with wonderful virtues and relatable life lessons. Each chapter contains a quote from one of your favorite citizens, a Scripture verse, a devotional reflection, a prayer, and questions to help you think a little deeper about what's on your own heart. As Elizabeth Thatcher learned when she headed West to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, when God calls the heart, you can expect an adventure!

Leseprobe

The great virtues and enduring promises in Scripture are what Hope Valley and When Calls the Heart are all about. Brian Bird and Michelle Cox are now sharing those “God moments” with all of us in When God Calls the Heart. I love this devotional!

—LEE STROBEL, best-selling author of The Case for Christ

I am a devoted fan of the television series When Calls the Heart, so I know for a fact that anyone who loves this series as much as I do will want this exceptional book for their personal collection. It offers not only daily inspiration but poignant moments to ponder as well as sweet reminders of favorite scenes from a beloved cast of characters.

—BEVERLY LEWIS, New York Times best-selling author

So proud of my partner Brian Bird and coauthor Michelle Cox for these beautiful little booster shots of hope in When God Calls the Heart. If you’re feeling cynical about the world right now, this book will cure you!

—MICHAEL LANDON JR., executive producer and cocreator of When Calls the Heart and the Love Comes Softly series

A lovely devotional. The perfect companion for the many fans of When Calls the Heart.

—FRANCINE RIVERS, New York Times best-selling author

Hearties are going to find encouragement and inspiration tucked away in the pages of this Hope Valley treasure!

—TODD STARNES, best-selling author and host of The Todd Starnes Show on Fox News Radio

This book of devotionals is a delight. Brian Bird and Michelle Cox have succeeded in capturing the spirit that resonates through all of Janette Oke’s stories. The thoughtful and caring nature that impacts readers around the globe shines from these pages. Highly recommended.

—DAVIS BUNN, internationally best-selling author

I hadn’t quite jumped on the bandwagon when everyone around me started celebrating the television series When Calls the Heart. And I admit that in spite of the fact that Brian Bird is one of the folks I’m proud to call friend. Then, one day I tuned in to season 1, episode 1. Several episodes later, I penned a quick note to Brian that roughly said, I’m hooked, and I may never get back to work. Now, another dear friend, Michelle Cox, has joined forces with Brian to write this book of devotions. The words are beautifully penned, and the messages are clear and poignant. Even not-yet-Hearties will want this book as an addition to their daily reading.

—EVA MARIE EVERSON, award-winning speaker and best-selling author, including The One True Love of Alice-Ann

A growing army of fans—the Hearties—have come to love the world of When Calls the Heart. Now let the show’s cocreator, Brian Bird, along with inspirational writer Michelle Cox, introduce you to a spiritual world behind the TV series. Their daily readings will remind you to slow down, look up, and reach out to the One who gave us our hearts in the first place—and who wants to keep them close to His.

—MARK MITTELBERG, best-selling author of Confident Faith and The Case for Christ Devotional (with Lee Strobel)

The art of storytelling, when used for the purpose of revealing timeless and life-changing truths, brings an effortless and welcomed transformation that both realigns and reinvigorates the soul. It’s like a melody specifically honed for readers, as if they are the only ones meant to be touched. Such is what I have found in When God Calls the Heart.

—CAMY “CAMERON” ARNETT, minister and entrepreneur, and cohost and producer of The Christian View;CamyArnett.com

If you consider yourself a “Heartie” or not, When God Calls the Heart is an exquisitely crafted devotional that will bring out the rich resolve in each of us. Brian Bird and my dear friend Michelle Cox have extracted the very best out of this well-loved story and have written a devotional that will transport you right to the heart of Hope Valley. You will renew your warm friendship with Elizabeth, learn from the wisdom of Abigail Stanton, long to be a mother to little Cody, and laugh in good-natured frustration at Rosemary Coulter. When God Calls the Heart is a devotional that makes time travel possible, prayer more meaningful, and the principles of God jump right off the page.

—CAROL MCLEOD, best-selling author and speaker; author of Let There Be Joy!

We all have favorite settings and characters that remain in our hearts even after the stories are finished. With this book, we don’t have to say goodbye to the gentle wisdom and heartfelt faith that makes When Calls the Heart such an amazing phenomenon. The applications found in this devotional are rock solid and the takeaways profound.

—EDIE MELSON, award-winning author and blogger, director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference

When God Calls the Heart is an invitation for God to open your heart and your eyes to how He works in the everyday and to be filled with excitement for when, where, and how He is using you!

—ERICA WIGGENHORN, speaker and author of An Unexplainable Life: Recovering the Wonder and Devotion of the Early Church and The Unexplainable Church: Rediscovering the Mission of the Early Believers

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

WHEN GOD CALLS THE HEART:DEVOTIONS FROM HOPE VALLEY

Copyright © 2018 Brian Bird and Michelle Cox

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5606-9 (hardcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5607-6 (e-book)

Images from the When Calls the Heart series: Copyright © 2018 by Crown Media Networks, LLC, and used by permission.

Other images by Jordan Blackstone (including painting used for the front cover): Copyright © 2018 Jordan Blackstone and used by permission.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,19 63,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Cover design by Garborg Design and based on a painting by Jordan Blackstone.

Typesetting by Katherine Lloyd at theDESKonline.com.

Printed in China

18 19 20 21 22  5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to the Hearties—

the best fan community in all the world.

“You will seek me

and find me

when you seek me

with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13

CONTENTS

Foreword by Janette Oke

1

Dream Big … Expect Surprises

2

Eviction Notices

3

From Guilt to Grace

4

A Whale of a Problem

5

Life Goes On

6

Love Is Tricky

7

If You Bake It, They Will Come

8

You Are More Than Enough

9

Clear as Mud

10

Regret Me Not

11

Proceed with Caution

12

Large and in Charge

13

The Cure for Everything

14

If the Lace-Up Boot Fits

15

Not the Last Resort

16

Let Go of the Tree Trunk

17

Take No for an Answer

18

Spiritual Tooth Decay

19

Welcome to the Human Race

20

Just Ask

21

“Auld Lang Syne”

22

Not If … But When

23

Wanted

24

Be Someone’s Hero

25

Loving the Unlovely

26

Your One Thing

27

The Better Yes

28

Heavenly Salve

29

The Best Place to Be

30

The Perfect Medicine

31

Getting Past the Past

32

Become a Champion to Someone

33

The Most Dangerous Prayer

34

Adversity Doesn’t Define Us

35

Honey, Not Vinegar

36

Take a Walk with Me

37

Be the Miracle

38

Sorry Is the Hardest Word

39

Less Stressed, More Blessed

40

The Two Greatest Virtues

Parting Words

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

FOREWORD BY JANETTE OKE

Actually, the only way I could look was up. However, “looking up” hardly described my present attitude.

I had taken a tumble on a small patch of ice and was now in an emergency room, flat on my back, waiting for an ambulance trip to the city hospital where I would undergo hip surgery. The medication had barely taken the sharp edge off the pain as I lay staring at the colorless ceiling above me. This had not been in my Sunday morning plans.

My best option was prayer. “Lord, what is this all about? What do you want to accomplish through this little mishap? Help me not to miss it.”

Life is filled with bumps. We all experience them. Some are mere inconveniences, others are life-changing. It is so easy to say that God allows them to build our faith—to make us stronger—to show others that God really can and does see us through the tough spots. All the statements are true, but a little hard to keep in mind when we are in the midst of a bump-time.

In the writer’s world, we are advised to “write what you know.” I’ve had enough bumps along the way to know something about them. I’ve also observed the bumps others have received. It seems few, if any of us, are bump-free. I kept that in mind as I wrote my stories of the pioneer people. It seemed that everything about their daily lives was bundled in difficulty. I also remembered the many joys, the blessings, and the treasures that life brings through family and friends, and the answered prayers. The producers of the much-loved films also have “real life” in mind as they guide the able portrayers of the story characters through carefully orchestrated scenes to give us, not just the words, but the faces, the actions, the emotional struggles and tensions of the people of Hope Valley.

As I visited the Town, a privilege for which I am deeply grateful, I thought, Wow! I never knew it took so many, many people to produce a film. They were everywhere, busily looking after their given assignments. A wonderful team had been brought together to use their various talents to help us share the lives of ordinary people in ordinary circumstances but with extra-ordinary faith and endurance. Talents come in various sizes, shapes, and intensities. When they are all working toward the same goal, we have “magic.” Add the wonderful Hearties fans and you could have a small city. An exciting city. They can get rather boisterous in their enthusiasm. Bless them! They push the whole process forward.

And now, a Hope Valley devotional. One more way to add talent to talent—all to the glory of God. We may see ourselves on one or more pages. Thankfully, the authors do not just speak of the bumps, but lead us to explore the best way to deal with them. And we get to share some heart-warming victories too. Thank you, Brian and Michelle.

Though I treasure the entire Scriptures, there are cherished verses that I have carried for many years, not just in my head, but in my heart. They apply to each of us. One of them is Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (NKJV). Translated into my own words—needed because I am still working to practice them—I hear this: really and totally trust God who has proven over and over that He is more than adequate to handle every situation, and don’t even bother to try to muddle through situations in your own limited wisdom or ability. In everything, recognize and admit that He is God—all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, and gracious—and only He knows what is best for you, and He will lead you if you let go and put your unwavering faith in Him.

—Janette Oke

1

DREAM BIG … EXPECT SURPRISES

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.”

JEREMIAH 29:11

“I can do this.

We can do whatever God calls us to do—with His help.”

—Elizabeth Thatcher

Elizabeth Thatcher beamed as she watched the passing beauty of the countryside out the window of her stage coach west. She had big dreams for her future. She couldn’t wait to get to her new classroom in Coal Valley and to meet her new students. Elizabeth knew she would have to make some adjustments from her life of privilege back home in the big city, but she planned to face this adventure with courage and dignity.

Lost in her thoughts, she visualized the Coal Valley townspeople welcoming her with excitement, and the children waiting eagerly in their seats in the schoolhouse. The day couldn’t get here soon enough.

But in that way that dreams sometimes unravel like yarn from a knitting needle, it didn’t happen exactly like that. Elizabeth didn’t envision a band of thieves waiting around the next bend for her. She didn’t realize they would rob her of everything she had brought west. And instead of her triumphant entry into Coal Valley, she arrived limping, dirty, and bedraggled, hitching a ride in the back of a wagon. The thieves had stolen her dignity as well as her belongings.

Her welcome to Coal Valley wasn’t what she’d imagined either. Instead of open arms and excitement, she was greeted with looks of skepticism and comments of derision. Coal Valley was no place for a princess. This was a hard luck town beset by tragedy—a coal mine accident that resulted in many of the children becoming fatherless, and a church fire that left the saloon as the only place to hold school.

And Elizabeth soon discovered that she wasn’t prepared for the primitive living conditions in Coal Valley. An outhouse and wood-burning stove in the little teacherage she was meant to live in would mean an uncomfortable new lifestyle. None of it was what she’d expected when she set out to fulfill the big dreams God had put on her heart.

It’s that way for all of us, isn’t it? Do you have a big dream for your life? A giant goal? A worthy aspiration? Perhaps even something you believe God is calling you to do? It’s all very exciting as you begin the journey—but it’s easy to forget that life can sometimes derail your dreams or delay your timelines.

As Elizabeth learned, people can discourage us and circumstances can temporarily defeat us, but God never wants us to give up on the dreams He has for us. There is no such thing as being uncalled. We don’t get to un-ring that bell—even when the world puts thieves and outhouses in our path.

Persistence always beats resistance.

Prayer from the Heart

Father, I’m grateful for the big plans you’ve given me, but sometimes the waiting seems so hard. The bumps of life and hardships I face are discouraging. If I’m honest, there are days when I’m ready to quit … to say that it’s too hard … to say that it isn’t worth it. Remind me that even though I can’t see what you’re doing behind the scenes, you are in charge, you have my future in your hands, and you will equip me with everything I need to achieve what you have put in front of me. Thank you for entrusting me with this big dream. Help me to be faithful to your call.

What’s on Your Heart Today?

• Why do you have trouble trusting God with the big plans He gives you?

• Why is it important to remain faithful, even when things become tough?

• How can you recognize if your big dreams are from God, or if they are just your own desires?

2

EVICTION NOTICES

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

ECCLESIASTES 4:12

“You have every right to be afraid. We all do. But we mustn’t lose hope. I believe that there’s a reason for every fear we face and every hardship we suffer—and it’s to make us all stronger people.”

—Elizabeth Thatcher

Times were difficult for the widows of Coal Valley. They were still grieving the loss of their husbands and sons in the coal mine accident. All the responsibilities of life now fell on their shoulders, and the load was heavy. But then another lace-up boot dropped.

The widows discovered “Notice to Quit Premises” nailed to the doors of their company houses. Abigail Stanton and the others understood the company needed to make room for new miners who could clear the mine and rebuild, but how were the women going to move their families in two weeks’ time, and where would they go? Coal Valley was their home.

With no time or money to hire a lawyer, Elizabeth Thatcher and her students searched for a legal way for the women to keep their homes, but their efforts fell short. Some of the widows wanted to give up and move on. Others wanted to fight to keep what they had. They loved their community and didn’t want to lose the only homes their children had ever known. But Abigail had another idea: What if the women went to work clearing the shafts themselves?