During the Revolutionary War, the fight between Patriots and Loyalists raged near the South Carolina home of eighteen-year-old Emily Geiger. Both Emily and her father ardently supported the Patriot cause. One day, Emily overheard her disabled father lamenting that General Nathanael Greene desperately needed a courier to reach General Thomas Sumter for reinforcements. Her father longed to volunteer, but his failing health made the perilous ride impossible.
Without waiting for permission, Emily rode straight to General Greene’s camp. She knew the backroads and river crossings, and she offered to carry the dispatch.
Two days into her journey, British scouts captured Emily and brought her to Lord Rawdon’s encampment. Suspicious of the young girl by herself, Rawdon locked her in a room while he sent for a local woman to conduct a thorough search. Emily knew that if the letter were discovered, she would be hanged as a spy. Acting quickly while left alone, she memorized Greene’s dispatch, tore the paper into small pieces, and swallowed them.
When the search yielded no evidence, Lord Rawdon released her. Emily pressed on and delivered the verbal message to General Sumter.
Like Emily Geiger, we face choices every day. Our daily decisions may not involve dodging enemy patrols, but our obedience still carries lasting weight. Eternity itself can be shaped by how you choose to serve today.
“…Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness…” -Romans 6:13 (NASB)
August is a month of fresh starts. Classrooms fill with eager students, calendars become busy again, ministries resume, and many families settle into new routines. As one season gives way to another, it’s the perfect time to ask, “Lord, how can I serve You faithfully in this new season?”
The early church faced a similar opportunity—not because life became easier, but because difficult circumstances revealed the power of Christ’s love.
During the second century, a devastating plague swept through the Roman Empire. Fear gripped entire cities. Many fled, leaving even family members behind. Yet followers of Jesus became known for something remarkable: they stayed.
Rather than running from danger, Christians cared for the sick, fed the hungry, comforted the grieving, and gave dignity to those who had been forgotten. Their courage wasn’t rooted in fearlessness—it was rooted in the hope of Christ.
Their quiet acts of compassion became a powerful testimony. In a world consumed by fear, believers reflected the love of the Savior who had first loved them.
As August ushers us into fresh routines and new opportunities, God invites us to live with that same spirit of faithful service. We may not be called to face a plague, but every day we encounter people who need hope, kindness, encouragement, and the love of Jesus.
This month, don’t simply fill your calendar—fill your days with purpose. Ask God to help you notice the person who needs a listening ear, an encouraging word, or a simple act of kindness. History reminds us that lives are often changed not through grand gestures, but through ordinary believers who faithfully say “yes” to God.
May this August be more than the start of another busy season. May it be the beginning of a deeper commitment to reflect Christ wherever He leads.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” -Isaiah 43:19
Do you struggle with stress? Maybe you have suffered a trauma.
The world we live in is broken, and God designed us to live in a perfect world.
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only they but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
I love mysteries, and I recall reading about Lord Peter Wimsey, a Character in Dorothy Sayers books. He fought in World War 1 and experienced what they called shell shock. Doctors believed the exploding bombs created damage to the nervous system creating a panicky feeling, heart racing, trouble breathing, trembling, anxiety, and inability to focus.
This trauma associated with the military also had other names, Nostalgia, soldier’s heart, irritable heart, battle fatigue. It was also called railway spine since many soldiers traveled on the railroad.
Now we understand that anyone subjected to trauma can exhibit these symptoms.
There is a story about the last wife of Henry VIII of England. He was known for divorcing or beheading his wives. When Katheryn Parr learned he had ordered her arrest, she assumed she was headed for the execution.She was so terrified, that she hid.
Even today our complex world stress creates issues for all of us. My guest today is Dr. Laurel Shaler. She has just written about overcoming stress and trauma.
