365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 181 & 182

We had family in town yesterday so I wasn’t able to use my computer in the morning as usual. We went to church together and both my hubbie and I were delighted with the topic being “encouragement”. Some people just have a negative attitude and are critical about everything. They tend to say negative things that really don’t need to be said at all. The sermon was about encouragement and how we should go and encourage others. I especially loved the story our pastor told about another pastor who was working at starting up a church in a 3^rd world country. For two years, he prepared sermons for each Sunday and nobody came. But every Sunday, he would look up the hill and would see a cross at the top of the hill. This cross helped sustain him through these two years. He decided to climb the hill to the top. At the top, he found a hotel and the cross was on top of one of the buildings. He went inside to talk with the manager. Let’s just say the manager was not in a very good mood. “What do you want?” he asked gruffly of the pastor. The pastor told him about his trying to start a church and preaching every Sunday with no one showing up and that the cross on the top of the hotel helped him. The manager broke into tears and told the pastor he had in the time since he put up the cross always received negative comments about it and this was the first time he had received a positive one. The pastor ended up preaching at the hotel and his ministry flourished. He was in need of encouragement himself but gave encouragement to this manager and God blessed his ministry. Some people have the gift of encouragement but all of us are capable of sharing encouragement with others. So go encourage someone today with your smile, hug and kind words.

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 332

Yesterday, I went to a church training workshop about Special Needs families. It has been on my heart since a discussion with my sister-in-law about how parents with special needs children are struggling and how the church in a lot of cases isn’t doing anything probably because they just don’t know what to do and take the easier road of doing nothing. But Jesus calls us to help the hurting. It turns out Woodman Valley Chapel has successfully implemented a program to help special needs families so they are able to come to worship and start participating in other church ministries. The head of the program came and spoke to a room full of volunteers who are willing to give their time into helping with this kind of ministry. I am praising God for this ministry and asking for prayers for this new ministry at our church to blossom and grow and be able to help lots of area families so they can connect with Christ and his body of believers. If you know of a family in the Front Range area that is struggling and needs to get connected, please invite them to a workshop on November 3^rd called There’s a Person in There. It is from 8:30-12:15 at First Presbyterian Church 219 E Bijou St, Colorado Springs. To learn more about the workshop go to www.first-pres.org and click on the Caring tab and There’s a Person in There in the drop-down menu.

2 Samuel 22:29-31 You are my lamp, O Lord;  the Lord turns my darkness into light.  With your help I can advance against a troop;  with my God I can scale a wall.  As for God, his way is perfect;  the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 290

Our sermon yesterday was about God's calling for us. The "us" is all of us, not just pastors, deacons or teachers but everyone. God calls us each of us to specific tasks. For some it will be as a prayer warrior, for others it will be adminstration and like me it will be to help the hurting. I have been wavering with my own lack of confidence in who I am and my skills to be a Christian counselor and thankfully have always come back to the same conclusion it is my calling. I have been focusing too much on what I lack instead of on the Lord and what he can equip me with. This is his call, not mine. It is bigger than me. Jesus started his ministry with the calling of two simple fisherman, Simon and Andrew who the bible says dropped their nets and followed him. They may have had their doubts along the way to becoming the disciples Jesus called them to be but with his help they got past their doubts and fears and just took on the job they were called for. I got home and was thoroughlly energized and motivated with creativity and put this faithbook page together. The photo is of me but created with a patchwork filter to send the message that the focus isn't on ourselves but on the big umbrella covering the whole universe that is God and his plan and purpose. Thanks be to God for helping me see the bigger picture and taking on the job the Lord is calling me for.
Mark 1: 16-18  As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew Casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman. "Come, follow me, " Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 195

It's been on my mind and heart where this ministry is going as you already know. After lots of thought and prayer and discussing this with my hubbie, I am at peace with what I now know is the correct mindset. I joined the business mastermind group in January to be in a group that would be helpful in giving me ideas, encouragement and guidance. It did do that but I have also found that it made me think of this ministry more as a business and how to generate money. I have looked at it from all angles and find it's just not possible to do enough workshops to make the kind of money I am making at my current job. My dream of doing my scrapbooking as a business and having it be my full-time job is not feasible. This is a ministry to help women and that's what it will be. Where God takes it, I will follow. Thanks to the Lord for giving my husband the words of encouragement, wisdom and guidance that I needed to steer my course where God wants it to be.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 163

Nothing really ever goes as you plan it. Our hike yeterday got postponed to another time due to the looming dark clouds but we did take the kids to a park and tried to get in some walking around the playground to burn off all the calories we just ate from our mexican feast. As I was talking my my sister-in-law around the playground about my ministry and where it could go, she said something that really stood out to me and, of course, my memory won't serve me correctly so this is not a direct quote, "there are lots of hurting people out there that could benefit greatly by experiencing sitting down with others going through the sames kinds of issues and creating scrapbook pages that reflect these issues". The key part of this was the "hurting people". My original ministry idea was to bring believers together so they could study together and create faithbooking pages that will create a legacy of their faith and help in their growth process along the way. I am now seeing how this ministry could reach out to the hurting in the world. The plans for this ministry are not mine, they are God's so I will continue to pray, research and keep my eyes, ears and heart open to all the possiblities that God will bring my way to take this ministry. Thank you Lord for my sister-in-law and speaking through her!
Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 159

My latest assignment for my mastermind group has been to write down my dreams for this ministry in detail for what it will look like in 5 years. I have to say I have struggled with this greatly. A little piece of me started doubting it all and yet another piece of me thought maybe I need to go to seminary and go that route. Another piece of me has been contemplating the idea of writing my own faithbooking bible studies. I also just got an email from my sister-in-law about doing what I do for a treatment school for mentally ill children. I am realizing there are many roads I can take with this ministry so when asked where do I see it in 5 years, I would like to being doing 2 workshops with at least 10 participants a week, make connections in 20 more churches, teach 10 women how to become FTLC workshop leaders at their church along with pursuing these other avenues and helping others connect their faith to their life. I see the title picture on my blog of the road heading toward the snow capped mountain and think my dream is to do God's will and let him take me and this ministry wherever he wants it to go. I am thanking God for the lightbulb idea for the topic of my first faithbooking bible study I will write that came to me in the shower yesterday morning and for these other ministry avenues that you will bring my way. My 5 year plan is to do God's will and follow what's in my heart to do as God reveals it to me.
Proverbs 23:18 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 119

Excitement is running through my veins. I have my first outside workshop set up for April 15th. It's a one-time kind of workshop based on John 16:33. The photos used for this workshop can be of your Easter celebration. God has even provided a great song to go along with the workshop by Jeremy Camp. My dream is becoming a reality! God is so good. Anyone can attend these workshops so if you are here in town, you are welcome to join us on April 15th. I will post more details on my calendar of events page or you can email me. This isn't the most optimal photo of the project but you get the idea. The photos in the project are only temporary until we go through Easter and I can add my Easter photos. I have other paper options to suit your tastes as well. I am praising God for his continual guidance and faithfulness as I go along this journey with this ministry.
John 16:33 "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 112

I have been putting together my three designs for a workshop about the body of Christ. Being in fellowship with other believers is one of the great ways that God works in our lives through these wonderful people. We get new incites, see things from another’s perspective, get great ideas and resources, are inspired, encouraged, supported and cared for. We are loved through the body of Christ. I attended my mastermind group last night and our focus was on obstacles that are getting in our way of progressing with our dreams and goals. I have had to re-evaluate my goal of connecting with 5 churches to three simply because I don’t have the time to commit to 5 churches. My full-time job is an obstacle and my dream is to being doing my ministry full-time. So, I have to start the process of evaluating how much money is needed to off-set not having a full-time job. The group already provided the idea of doing an engagement scrapbooking party where the guests come and using kits, put together a scrapbook ready for the bride and groom to fill with photos from their courtship through their honeymoon. It would be another avenue to help me earn the income I need so that I can keep pursuing my dreams. So, I am thankful for the body of Christ and being among them and praising God for providing us with all we need.
Romans 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have all the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 66

You know the games of connecting the dots. I am starting to feel like this ministry is part of a large connect-the-dots game. This is not in a funny way but in a very cool way. I was talking with a customer of mine last night that I hadn't talked with in quite some time. She's never been to any of my events so getting face to face time with her has been minimal. But for whatever reason, last night we really connected on the phone. We talked for an hour and a half which is like unheard of in my house, because I am not a phone person. I learned so much more about this wonderful lady last night in our conversation and discovered she is a Christian. But the real dot-to-dot connection came when I asked her what church she goes to. Radiant. My eyes went wide with wonder. I started researching on the internet for non-demononational churches this last week to find contact information and Radiant was one of two churches I looked at. It was mentioned in my master mind group that having a connection with a church might help get me in the door to having a face to face with the right people. So I found myself in awe of God and how he is steadily been giving me those little things I need to continue to build this ministry. He's connecting the dots. Wow, I wonder what the full connected dot picture will look like? So thank you Father for the little mile marker posts like this you have been giving me that are letting me know I am on the right path. You are amazing! Do you see God at work in your life connecting the dots?
Psalm 24: 3-5 Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.
Psalm

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 51

God has been really speaking to me lately about foundations. I think we always want to be at our destination long before we ever are. I have been like a child asking God over and over again "are we there yet?" But everything is in God's timing is a lesson that I am trying to swallow everyday. My goal of a successful faithbooking ministry isn't going to happen overnight. Like any good business it really needs a good foundation to build on so I have been keeping that thought more and more in my mind, meditating or as our pastor described meditating recently "chewing on it" like a cow chews on cud. Foundation. Foundation... What is needed to build up a good foundation? Being in the Word and praying everyday is a very good start and I am sure God will lead me and open the doors when it's in His time. So today I am thanking God for patience in the work he wants me to do with this ministry. It's all in his hands and his plan and I am sure he is shaping and molding me as I persevere through the discouraging times and the disappointment. Keep at it he has been telling me. So, I will keep at it and keep praying and hoping that this ministry will in His time blossom into something wonderful.
Col 1:10-12 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and my please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 32

My praise is for clarity! A lot of my answers and guidance from God comes to me early in the morning when I awaken, perhaps it comes in a dream or maybe my mind needs to rest through the night to mull things over and get the clarity. In any case, my best ideas, thoughts and guidance comes in the morning. My letter for the last couple weeks has been "P". The word that most comes to my mind has been "prepare". So, with January 15th looming over me for the first introductory crop, I realize that my preparation for this is far from complete. God took us through all the old testament times before he had Jesus born to us on Earth to save us. He was preparing the way for Jesus and he did it in his own time. I realized that I am running on "my timing" and I have concluded finally in my mind that that won't do. To be successful with this ministry, it has to be about God's timing and being prepared. Like any good business, the planning is the most important part to it's success and though I have had plenty of thoughts on this ministry I haven't yet really layed down the plans. God has put it on my heart that this is more than a one-person ministry. It will need to be a team effort to be successful so my first step in planning is to build up a body of Christ for this ministry. Each of us has gifts and this ministry will need more than what my gifts are in creativity. Do you have some spiritual gifts that can help this ministry? Do you have friends either in town or far away that may be able to not only participate but be a part of the team. This is a call to action to not only participate in this minsitry but become an integral part of it's success in reaching out to everyone for Christ.
Ephesians 4:12 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

In the beginning..

God created the heavens and the earth. God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. I am starting off my journey with this ministry because light is not only very necessary for life but also without light we have no visual, we would not be able to see anything and certainly would not be able to capture anything on film. God gave us this blessing of light and being able to see his creation with all the wonderful colors and textures and he gave us the ablility to capture it on film. Our memories are a huge part of ourselves and the photos of those memeries gives us a visual we can go back to again and again. The visuals in our minds fade away and become gray and distant. So, our photos give us back a connection to where we have come from, where we have been and can perhaps give us a glimpse to where we are going. I have a strong desire to find deeper and deeper connections to my Lord and King. Being a scrapbooker for almost 15 years, I have delved a little bit into tapping into how the Word of God connects with my life through scrapbooking and the day has come to really committ to digging into this and helping others connect to the Lord through this meduim and connecting to other believers. I pray that this ministry will be a blessing to myself, my family and all those that become a part of it.