Mission Impact

Hebrews 12:1-3New Life Version (NLV)

12 All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. 2 Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.

3 Sinful men spoke words of hate against Christ. He was willing to take such shame from sinners. Think of this so you will not get tired and give up.

Life is a mission field.  You don’t have to go to another country to do mission work, you are doing mission work daily by just getting up and living life.  God can work with anything and anyone.  You don’t have to be fluent in your words, have a doctrine, or even educated at all.  God put us here to be His reflection unto others regardless of our professions.  So what stops us from spreading His love?  Our worst enemy…ourselves.  We become weak in a split second and start thinking.  Thinking that the lady at the corner asking for money is not truly needing assistance.  Thinking of what others will think if we do the action He has called us to do.  Thinking of what our ‘wants’ are instead of sacrificing for Him.  

At a women’s conference this weekend, I heard something that really resonated with me.  God put us here to make an impact NOT an impression.  Once we are gone, did we leave an impact on others.  Do those that we impact, want to go out and continue on with our legacy of doing for others, being more for others?  If we just made an impression, it will fade quickly.  Who has made an impact on your life?  Who have been your mentors and teachers been in your life?  Reach out to them and let them know that you were impacted by them.   What are you doing to make an impact?  Don’t just go out and do something to do it, pray first.  Ask God to guide you actions.  We can’t change the world, but we can make a difference one person at a time.  We can call out the world that seems dead and call them to rise.  

Enjoy Lauren Dangle’s song “Dry Bones” 

Click Here to learn about the story behind the song. 

Be Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5New Life Version (NLV)

5 For you are children of the light and of the day. We are not of darkness or of night. 6 Keep awake! Do not sleep like others. Watch and keep your minds awake to what is happening.

8 Because we are men of the day, let us keep our minds awake. Let us cover our chests with faith and love. Let us cover our heads with the hope of being saved.

11 So comfort each other and make each other strong as you are already doing.

12 We ask you, Christian brothers, to respect those who work among you. The Lord has placed them over you and they are your teachers. 13 You must think much of them and love them because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

14 We ask you, Christian brothers, speak to those who do not want to work. Comfort those who feel they cannot keep going on. Help the weak. Understand and be willing to wait for all men. 15 Do not let anyone pay back for the bad he received. But look for ways to do good to each other and to all people.

4 The One Who called you is faithful and will do what He promised. 

Each day is a blessing, and what we do with it is our choice.  God put us on this earth to do His will and reflect His love.  He put us here to make each other strong, not to tear each other down.  He wants love to be spread through kind gestures.  Gestures that are not thrown out there to be recognized, but small acts of kindness.

How come it is so hard to do this on a daily basis?  Seasons in our lives come and go, but for some, life is not easy.  My sister is a prime example of God’s love and supernatural strength.  She is currently down for the week with my 2 nephews and my mom.  One of my nephews is severely handicapped.  He is constantly full of life and curiosity.  When I say constant, I mean every moment you have to keep your eyes open and watch him.  He is 12, and he is her forever child.   Her life is not easy.  However, she has found God’s peace and runs with it daily.  God gives her the strength to be the mom she needs to be for Him, but through His amazing works she has found a way to make a difference in a world for others.  She was given the vision of starting a monthly “Special Day for Special Kids”.  What started out as something small has turned into a huge production that brings families of special needs kids together.  Those families need community and Sara is providing that for them.  

So whatever you may be faced with, look at your blessings.  Lift your worries to God.  Go out and be a light into this dark world.  It is not easy, but having God on our side we can do anything.

Be Blessed!

Living Amongst...the World

Matthew 9:11-13 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.[a] For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”[b]

Romans 10:14-17The Message (MSG)

14-17 But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,

A sight to take your breath away!

Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!

But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.

Recently, I have had a few discussions that have made me really stop and think.  Also, something hit me a little differently this past Sunday.  So…now to piece it all together as HE wants me too, for you.  

God placed us in this world to always have an urge to seek.  He also placed us in this world to live life abundantly.  However, in a culture full of sin, it is hard not to want to hide in a shell to stay away from sin.  Sin will find us, but will it win us over?  That is up to you.

I’m known, to my husband, as a dreamer.  (I proudly get that from my Daddy.)  I achieve a goal and then I look for the next best thing.  This can be a double edged sword.  God put that urge inside of us so that we would crave Him and want more of Him.  Find pleasure in Him, not Earthly pleasures and treasures.  However, we get so easily distracted.  He wants us to stay focused on Him and live amongst the sinners.  He wants us to be aware of the culture around us, but help those around us to trust us and our ways.  Once they trust us, they will listen and want more of what we have, His love.  Once they are ready to listen, we share.  Share our grace story, our love for Him.  We explain why our hearts are desiring more of what He has to give us.  

So, is it bad to go into social situations and be apart of them?  No.  If we are grounded in HIM, as we walk into those situations, we will know what to do and He will guide our hearts.  Is it easy?  Heck, no!  We are human and it is never easy.  That is why He provides us with Grace.  Thank goodness for grace.  We, as believers, are the PROCESSIONS OF PEOPLE, ready to share the gospel once we are trusted by those who surround us.  

Our mission, stay grounded in Him and let His light shine in and through you.  Because a light in a dark world goes a long way.  

Enjoy Matthew West’s - Do Something:

Be Blessed!

The Road Map

Proverbs 3:5-6New Life Version (NLV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. 6 Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.

Psalm 37:23-24New Life Version (NLV)

23 The steps of a good man are led by the Lord. And He is happy in his way. 24 When he falls, he will not be thrown down, because the Lord holds his hand.

Psalm 25:9New Life Version (NLV)

9 He leads those without pride into what is right, and teaches them His way.

Proverbs 22:6New Life Version (NLV)

6 Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it.

Yesterday, while driving to the gym, I was listening to K-Love.  Someone was talking about their grandchild and that they did not know how to give her directions.  Directions can be so simple to give, but you have to think and sometimes use a map.  We have become so dependent on our phones and/or GPS.  If this younger generation loses their phones, they will loose their sense of direction.  

Now, think of the fact that we have access to a road map to our lives.  I love that the Bible is now just a  tap of a button on our phones, but nothing will ever replace those fine, opaque papers bound together in one book.  If you flip through my Bible, it looks like a road map within itself.  That is because it is MY ROAD MAP.   Daily I rely on this book to lay out the destinations of my heart.  I can constantly rattle thoughts and questions in my head.  

“Am I molding my children to be a reflection of HIM unto others?” 

“Am I being the wife I need to be for my husband?”  

“Why do I feel so overwhelmed and worried?”  

“What can I do to help that friend?  I don’t have the words to replace the hurt.”

The list can go on and on and on….  May we never forget that we have a road map that we need to rely on daily.  Have faith and know that HE will lead us in the right direction, even when we feel like we are blind folded.  There is not a day that HE has not laid out for us that HE has not planned.  

Enjoy Lauren Daigle “Trust in You”

Be Blessed!

Walking the Tight Rope

Hebrews 10:23New Life Version (NLV)

23 Let us hold on to the hope we say we have and not be changed. We can trust God that He will do what He promised.

Hebrews 11:1New Life Version (NLV)

Faith

11 Now faith is being sure we will get what we hope for. It is being sure of what we cannot see.

Hebrews 12:2New Life Version (NLV)

2 Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.

Walking in faith is in comparison to walking on a tight rope.  We don’t need to look down, up, or even behind us.  We have to keep our eyes on the step in front of us.  

Hunter and I are reading a book right now titled Prince Warriors by Priscilla Shirer.  This book is a fictional book about some kids who are put in another world and given armor to fight with the enemy.  The armor is not normal armor, but armor that you have to trust will protect you.  In the chapter we read tonight, the kids were on a journey to rescue a fallen warrior.  In this particular moment, the kids had to cross a ravine.  However, they did not have a bridge.  They had been told to trust their armor.  In that moment they had to trust their shoes.  They put one foot in front of the other and kept their eyes on the light ahead of them.  Each step was firm and steady until the enemy started attacking.  The moment the kids took their eyes off of the light in front of them, is the moment they would begin to slip.  They had to refocus and stay focused on that one spot, trusting that the enemy would not attack.  They made it across and were able to celebrate their victory.  

Life is a faith walk.  A walk that can be very slippery and ugly at times.  If we don’t keep our eyes on Him, we will slip and fall.  Putting our full focus on HIS LIGHT, is the only way to cross the deep ravines in our lives.  

Enjoy Sovereign (lyrics) 2013 Chris Tomlin

Be Blessed and have FAITH!