Ann Farabee

By Ann Farabee

In the courtroom, those words bring silence. Voices stop mid-sentence. Everyone stands. Why? It is out of respect for the judge and the court. Often, those standing feel fear or face uncertainty. The judge is the authority – and the verdict is coming.

At night, we go to sleep. We become disengaged from our surroundings. Energy is restored, muscles relax, tissue growth and repair takes place, and our immune system is supported. Our problems are on hold as our bodies and minds rest.

Morning comes. We all rise.

To rise means to move vertically, while increasing in intensity, at a smooth, consistent pace. It means to go from a lower position to a higher position. It means to succeed in not being limited or constrained by our environment or situation.

What does the Bible say about rising?

Rise when we fall. Micah 7:8 says for the enemy not to rejoice over us when we fall, because we WILL rise. Even when we sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to us.

Rise and build. In Nehemiah 2:18, when the walls needed to be rebuilt, the people responded, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they strengthened their hands to do the good work.

Rise and pray. In Luke 22:45-46, Jesus rose from prayer to go tell his disciples to rise and pray.

Rise and praise. Psalm 113:3 says that from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same, the Lord’s name is to be praised.

A verdict in the courtroom can be life changing – sometimes for the good – but often for what feels like the really bad.

They are told to rise as they face being sent to prison, as their marriage is dissolved, as the custody of their children is settled, as the bankruptcy becomes a reality, or as a sentence is read that would have once seemed unimaginable.

But, whether we are told to rise in the courtroom to hear the potentially life-changing verdict, or whether we are rising to face a new day, God is always present. He helps us rise when we fall. He will be with us as we rise to build – or rebuild. And our greatest weapons in each day – no matter the situation – are to rise and pray – and rise and praise.

Can we do it?

Yes. We can do all things through Christ, who gives us strength.

• What? Are you too tired to rise?
• There are 365 days in a year.

* The word rise is in the Bible 345 times.

* Does that leave us with 20 days a year we do NOT have to rise?

• It does not.
• 24. 7.
• Rise and shine. Give God the glory.

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.comhttp://annfarabee.com

By Ann Farabee

Need time to pray? Take it.

Go to that place.

It is the place where you pray – by yourself.

It is the place where you pray – with your family.

It is the place where you pray – with your church congregation.

It is the place where you pray – with anyone who wants to pray.

It is our altar.

Leviticus 7:29-30 teaches that we are to bring our offerings personally to the Lord – no matter where we are – and to not just rely on others to pray for us. We need to personally pray.

In Biblical times, there were some directions for building altars. They were built in a raised place, by the hands of the people, with broken rocks, and dirt from the earth. No tools were used.

Ezra 3 tells of the Jews setting up an altar showing their commitment to stay close to God – because they knew staying close to God mattered. They learned to obey God from the heart – not from habit. Their altar continually burned.

Leviticus 6:13 says, “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” That is the fire of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. God started the fire – we did not.

The altar is the center of worship, a place of covenant, a place of prayer, and a place of personal encounter with God. The altar would stay in place for years – as a reminder of God’s protection and God’s promises.

At our personal altar, we surrender. We die to ourselves. We cry out to God. We bring our sins, our brokenness, our sickness, our fears, our needs, and our hopes. It is a place of breakthrough.

Where is our altar?

*In our heart – our central and innermost part of our being – where the Holy Spirit resides. Our heart is where God and man meet.

*In our home – and is built by the work of our own hands, guided by the Heavenly Father. Within the altar of our home lies our heritage.

*In our house of worship – which is defined as a place where a congregation gathers for prayer – at an altar.

We look up to the Lord – His ways are higher than ours. We come empty-handed. We build our altars with our own hands. We only have pieces of broken rocks and dirt of the earth. We have no tools. We have nothing to offer.

But we surrender to the Lord, because we know. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end – Who is – and was – and is to come.

We surrender to the Lord, because of the truth we know in our hearts – the flame shall forever be burning on the altar – it will never go out.

Genesis 8:20 – Noah built an altar unto the Lord.

Genesis 8:21 – And the Lord smelled a sweet savor.

Let’s build our altar.

And…may it be a sweet savor to our Savior.

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

By Ann Farabee

*In the darkness of the night, the baby cries. You walk in the nursery and whisper, “Shh…it’s okay.” You give them a gentle pat of encouragement. Comfort comes.

*The doorbell rings. It’s a friend – with a meal and a hug. They knew you were hurting. Comfort comes.

*A co-worker stops you at work. They know you are embroiled in a daunting storm in your life. They pray with you. They offer help. Comfort comes.

*You are not even sure if you sat down at all today. You work as hard as you can, feel overwhelmed, and get weary. But then, someone speaks kind words of affirmation into your life. Comfort comes.

*As you begin to wake up, you know you will still be facing the huge battle in your life that you faced the day before. Fear momentarily fills your heart. You open your Bible and your eyes land on a verse that seems to be there just for you. Comfort comes.

*Why is the world still going on while you are grieving? Hopelessness overtakes you. But, through the prayers of others – even when you are too disheartened to pray for yourself – one day the sun begins to shine again. Comfort comes.

*A loved one is on their deathbed. It seems as if they are waiting on something – or someone – before they slip away into eternity. That visitor arrives to say good-bye. Comfort comes.

Each of these circumstances have happened in my life – and some of them have probably happened in yours, as well.

To comfort means to strengthen in spirit and body, to encourage, to console, to support, to refresh, or to free from distress.

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our advocate, our helper:

*John 14:16 – I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.

*John 14:18 – I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.

Not only does the Holy Spirit comfort us, but we are to comfort others:

*Isaiah 40:1 – Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2 Corinthians 1:4 – God, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort that we ourselves are comforted of God.

Does the comfort brought by others take away our times of adversity? No.
Does the comfort brought by others ease our adversity? Yes.
And… it can give us renewed strength to do what we need to do.

*And…as our day draws to a close, we slip into bed, pull the comforter up over us and wrap ourselves in it, allowing our bodies, minds, and spirits to rest.

And…the real Comforter covers us – and comforts us – that blanket of protection over our lives, reminding us to rest in Him.
He was with us today and He will be with us tomorrow.

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

By Ann Farabee

It could have become a big problem. Two of my 6th grade students were on the playground pushing and shoving. As I approached them, they wrestled each other to the ground and appeared ready to throw a few punches. Students gathered around – to watch – and provoke – the fight. One bystander yelled out a reminder, “You can’t let him say that about you!”

As I pushed through the crowd to try to break it up, the boy that was on top began screaming, “TAKE IT BACK!”

The boy on the ground hesitated, gritted his teeth, pulled himself up on his knees, and then softly said, “I take it back.”

The words had been taken back. The fight was over.

They got up.They shook on it. They ran off to play.

Problem solved. All was well. Life was good again.

Can it be that simple? Can we really take our words back?

*Ecclesiastes 5:2 says for us to let our words be few.

*Ephesians 4:29 says that we should use our communication to build others up.

*Proverbs 21:23 advises us to guard our tongues to keep ourselves from calamity.

And…calamity means causing great – and often sudden – damage, distress, or disaster.

That seems to indicate that perhaps the old adage, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me,’ may not hold true. Words can hurt – a lot.

The two 12 year olds had not wanted to fight – and they were miserable doing so.

They actually were great friends – and had put their friendship in jeopardy – because of words. Words had gotten in the way. And as we all know, friendship is more than just words.

The boy on the bottom, groveling in the dirt – was eating his words for sure. He wanted to take them back – so he did.

The boy on top had initiated the pathway for ‘taking it back’ to happen.

His friend took the words back – and all was forgiven – and forgotten.

(Well, maybe not forgotten, since I remembered it 30 years later.)

So, how can we take it back?

*Decide what we need to take back.

*Decide how to take it back.

*Then – TAKE IT BACK!

*No, I would not recommend the fight – but I would recommend the friendship.

*Ready? Set? Take it back!

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

By Ann Farabee

Jeremiah 3:15 says, “I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

Sometimes, I literally shake my head in amazement at how God sent just the right pastors into my life at exactly the right time – and in the right season of my life.

It could only have been perfectly orchestrated by God, because as each pastor was sowing into my life in one way, they were surely also sowing into the lives of others in the church in completely different ways at the exact same time.

Who’s my pastor?

Pastor Victor Trivette – taught me when I was 13 years old about being saved by grace. I accepted Christ and was baptized. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Garland Faw – taught me what living a life for Christ looked like – Believing. Praying. Worshiping. Submitting to God. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Terry Brown – taught me about serving with my heart, letting the Spirit lead, and stretching myself beyond what I thought were my capabilities, as I grew in love for Christ. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Chad Miller – taught me to thirst and hunger after God, to spend more time in God’s Word, and to look to Jesus completely. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Beaver Hammond – taught me that when God leads, I need to say YES. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Marty Payton – taught me the importance of missions outside the church, and about discipling others. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Brian Rabon – leads by example – which makes it easy to desire to go to a deeper spiritual place in my life. He is seemingly tireless as he reaches out to those in need, prays, preaches, teaches, serves, mentors, and disciples, in an authentic, loving, and encouraging way. It is exactly what I need.

To my pastors:

Thank you.

As 1 Thessalonians 5:13 says – I esteem you highly.

As 1 Timothy 5:17 says – I give you double honor.

Thank you for feeding me with knowledge and understanding.

Thank you for giving to the Lord – I am a life that was changed.

Who’s your pastor? How has their leadership impacted you? Be sure to let them know – October is Pastor Appreciation Month.

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

By Ann Farabee

Every student in school was crammed into the gym for the presentation of the shiny brand new bike that would go to the winner of the grand prize in our fundraiser. Yes, ONE randomly drawn lucky winner!

Estimated 400 students. As a teacher, I prepared myself for the sadness of the 399.

I was a little surprised when the representative yelled to the kids, “WHO WANTS THE BIKE?”

Hysterical children began jumping up and down, climbing on each other, running around in circles, and screaming the same 3 frantic words: ME! ME! ME!

Teachers began to corral the students and get them back to their ‘spot’ on the floor where they had been sitting, as the lone bike awaited its owner.

It became even more difficult when the representative’s microphone once again boomed, “ARE YOU READY?” This was followed by renewed jumping, screaming, and more boisterous shouts begging for the bike, while crying out, “ME! ME! ME!”

Finally, the winner’s name was read! Dead silence. Sighs. Moans. Even tears and some shouts of “Boo! Boo!” This was not going well. Finally, a tiny first grade girl hesitantly went up to accept the huge bike, but not until she whispered into the microphone that she did not know how to ride a bike. She received the free gift, anyway.

400 students? 399 unhappy. Students exited.

While walking back to our classroom, one of my students, who had been particularly expressive in his jumping and screaming, said, “I did everything I could think of to win the bike, but I just couldn’t make it happen!”

Nothing had worked to improve their chances of winning:

*Drawing attention to themselves to be noticed.

*Being quiet to be noticed.

*Working hard to be noticed.

*Not working at all to be noticed.

*Boasting of their biking skills to be noticed.

*Totally lacking biking skills.

None of that mattered. It was a gift. For one.

As I tried to comfort the student as we walked, I kept thinking about those hundreds of screams of, “ME! ME! ME!” and I realized that I often may do the very same thing. No, I may not yell out, “ME! ME! ME!” but I feel sure I sometimes point to myself – even if in my mind – feeling like the more I do, the better my chances are of winning.

God’s Word points out two clear-cut (and totally different) examples of those choruses of ‘ME!’ as being a problem:

*Acts 5:1-11 tells where Ananias and Sapphira died for lying to God and to God’s people by trying to make themselves seem more generous than they actually were. (This is not one of my favorite Bible stories.)

*Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are we saved through faith; not of ourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We are saved by grace through faith – not by works. Acts 16:31 says if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be saved.

The good news is that there is a bike for everyone – not just for one!

Oh wait! I mean – there is salvation for everyone – not just for one!

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com 

By Ann Farabee

Laptop, notebook, snacks, clothes, and an excess of needed items from home. One backpack and three additional bags – filled. I was set to spend the day at the hospital with my son, who was scheduled for surgery.

6am. Arrived in parking deck. Too much concrete and darkness in there for me.

I hurriedly grabbed my ‘stuff’ and my journey began. Goodness, what a heavy load I was carrying! I was not sure I could make it!

The first part of the trek was slightly uphill. I whispered my most often said prayer, “Lord, help me.” It all felt so hopeless – maybe I should turn around and leave some ‘stuff’ in the car.

But, I saw the entrance up ahead. There was no reason to turn back. I had come too far to stop now…

When I got inside the hospital, I put my bags down and began struggling to re-adjust my backpack. As I fumbled with it, someone stopped to help me lift it to a better carrying position on my back. It was still a heavy load, but felt much better! I grabbed my other bags, and continued, while still wondering if I could make it to the elevator.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with the load – and the day ahead – I looked down as someone passed me from the opposite direction. Even though I wasn’t looking at them, they cheerfully called out, “Good morning.” I felt obligated to look up from my heaviness – and respond.

Then, I guess I decided to keep looking up – and I started to notice all that was around me.

A bouquet of flowers on a table.

How pretty!

Artwork on the walls.

How beautiful!

A row of rocking chairs.

How comforting!

People smiling – and saying hello.

How nice of them!

A little girl in a frilly pink dress, speaking excitedly in Spanish, while carrying a vase with the biggest sunflower ever!

I had to smile… in spite of my heavy load.

As I stepped onto the elevator, there was a lady with some bags that appeared even more cumbersome than mine. We both laughed, as she said, “Looks like we are having a contest to see who can carry the most stuff!”

That is when I realized that somewhere along the way, my load had begun to feel lighter.

How was the rest of my day? The surgery was cancelled. The doctor decided it was not needed.

As I gathered up my ‘stuff’ to head home later, my son said, “How did you carry that heavy load in here by yourself?”

I looked around to see if God was in the room, putting those words into his mouth, because they were so perfect.

“I wasn’t by myself,” I responded. “Not by myself at all.”

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or https://www.annfarabee.com/

By Ann Farabee

It was quite a nice conversation we had going on as a family. I had just told them my favorite Bible verse, when my then 8 year old grandson said, “My favorite Bible verse is Genesis 1:1. Just the first 3 words.” We all looked at him, nodded, and kept nodding, since no one had to open our Bible to look that verse up. I was thinking maybe it was the only verse he knew. But, he awaited our response, and then felt the need to explain, “Because that is where it all began – in the beginning – and without the beginning, there would be nothing. God is where everything starts.”

We were pleased hearing his explanation of the scripture, but even more pleased when he said, “But when you add in the 4th word and then it says, In the beginning God, that says it all, because without God there would have been no beginning. God is where it all started.”

Somehow, the simplicity of that comment seemed to carry great wisdom in it.

In the beginning God…

What a beautiful four words to hang our hats on – I mean – to hang our hopes on.

We have a lot of beginnings, don’t we? Beginnings are defined as the point in time or space where something starts. The beginning of a new job, beginning a new school year, beginning a family, beginning a diet, beginning a savings account, beginning to build a new home, beginning to heal, beginning a new commitment… the list is full of promise. Because…the beginning is where it all starts.

Think for a minute about a beginning in your life. Or in the life of a loved one.

Got it in your mind? See if this is some of your experience:

*God was there in the beginning. And… God is there in our beginning. He would not have brought us to it, if He could not bring us through it.

*Our present circumstances do not determine where we go – they only determine where we start.

*We had to do as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

*What sometimes may have seemed like the end was really just a new beginning.

Facing a new beginning?

You can do it.

God is in our beginnings.

Ready? Set? Begin…

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

By Ann Farabee

So funny. I was in the grocery store and there was a man standing at the back of the store – with maybe 5 items in his buggy. He was talking on the phone. As I walked by, I heard him say in an irritated voice, “I’m IN the checkout line right now, but I will get OUT of line and go back and get IT for you!” (You can hear that tone of voice as you read, can’t you?)

Now, the man was nowhere near the checkout line and he knew I heard him, but all I got when we made eye contact was an irritated look to go along with the irritated voice. I, however, smiled brightly, and came very close to laughing. Oh, the wife (my assumption) was going to receive the item she had called him about, but he WAS going to make sure that she knew that he did NOT want to go ALL THE WAY to the other side of the store to get it. This is not what I would describe as a LABOR OF LOVE. Yes, he was willing to labor, but he was not showing the love.

The reality of my grocery store visit insight was that it brought me to a place where I examined my labor. Is it a labor of love or is it just labor? Does my conversation and demeanor show that I am laboring in love? Or, does my conversation and demeanor show that- yes, I labor for others, but I want to be sure they know how hard it is for me? Good question.

Where can we show our labor of love? Children, spouse, family, friends, the workplace, home, community, organizations, the church… In general, it is anywhere that we spend our time. Labor can be done with a spirit of love and purpose, or it can be done with a spirit of negativity. (Yes, ‘negativity’ is exemplified by the guy in the grocery store.) And, those we labor for can usually discern the spirit that we labor in….

God’s Word gives us great insight about our labor:

*Power of Labor- Ephesians 4:28 – Let him labor, work with his hands the thing which is good,   that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Yes, our labor helps us help others.)

*Promise of Labor- 1 Thessalonians 1:3 – Remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love. Matthew 11:28 – Come unto me all that labor and I will give you rest. (Yes, our labor of love will be remembered and God will give us rest.)

*Profit in Labor- Proverbs 14:23 – In all labor, there is profit. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – If a man will not work, he shall not eat. (These two verses are pretty clear.)

*Prayer is Labor- Colossians 4:12 – Epaphras always labored fervently in prayer for others. (Let’s not forget to labor in prayer.)

I love the story where a little boy was carrying a heavy load of books. When the load became too heavy, he dropped them. His dad reached down, picked the books up, and put them back in his son’s arms. He then picked up his son and carried him. That is the same way God works in our lives as we labor. We may become weak, but that is when He actually makes us strong.

No, the ‘wife’ did not know that her husband was not already in the checkout line when she called, but she did know that he was not happy about having to pick up an additional grocery item for her. Dear man in the grocery store, here is a better response: “Yes, I’ll get it.” Translation: I love you, and I will show it- as I labor in love for you.

Now that I think about it, do we even need to call it labor? Let’s just call it love.

By Ann Farabee

I got my permit! Those four words may very well be the most exciting words a 15 year old will ever say to their friends.

A permit is defined as the official documentation or authorization to do something.

But… the emotion that goes along with that permit, may pale in comparison to how the parent feels about relinquishing the driving of their 3000 pound vehicle to them while they practice.

And it does not get any easier when they are allowed to practice at night.

However, even though my preferred bedtime is 9:30, I willingly got in the car and traveled on the passenger side to purchase a much-needed milkshake at 10:00, because my 15 year old wanted to practice driving in the dark.

I reported to my passenger seat duty – ready to alert him to any – and all – pending obstacles.

The first comment he made after driving a few minutes was, “Look how the light lets you only see what is right in front of you. We are completely surrounded by darkness everywhere else.”

I felt a ‘God moment’ may have come, so I dared to shift my line of vision from the road in front of us and took a look around me.

He was right. We were enveloped by darkness – except for the light shining out from our vehicle.

I think I actually felt the darkness. To the right. To the left. Above. Behind. It was everywhere. Except in that one place – the direction we were heading – where it gave us all the light we needed to see the way.

Then, a few seconds later, a car was coming from the opposite direction without their lights on, and it honestly seemed a little scary for us both. That was when my 15 year old asked this wise question, “Why would they do that?”

I responded, “They failed to turn their lights on, and they probably do not even realize they don’t have light. They will figure it out before it’s too late, I hope.”

As I said those words, I instantly became a distracted supervising driver, because that was when I remembered a Bible verse I had read that morning: Isaiah 45:7 – I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the LORD, do all these things.

That Bible verse that had seemed unusual that morning sure was making sense on the dark road that night. It enveloped me – hovered sweetly in my mind – letting me know that my God created the darkness, but He also formed the light – and He watches over us in both darkness and light.

We may prefer to drive through life in the times of light, but we experience both light and darkness, don’t we?

And…both can help us to learn to be the person who God intends for us to be – and to serve the purpose that God intends for us to serve.

*And we do not have to be afraid of the dark because even when it seems to surround us, the light still shows us the way.

*So, I guess we all have our permit – if we know God – because He is the only documentation and authorization we will ever need. He is in control of it all!

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com