365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 348

I heard the news of the outcome of the election and went to the bathroom and cried. I am saddened by the direction our country is in and looks like will continue to be in. But I went to bed and woke up several times during the night with different words of songs coming to my mind. In the end, God helped me to get passed this moment in our history and see the bigger picture of his plan. He is in control and Jesus has already overcome. The war has already been won. Our real battle isn’t getting the right person elected but reaching each individual person out there that doesn’t know Christ or a “believer” whose view is warped or stagnant. If anything, how the vote went shows how much work we have to do for the hurting right here in our country. But it’s not about relying on the government to help the hurting. It needs to come directly from the body of Christ.  We have to be the example and teach that all our needs come from God and our reliance should be on Him. I am praying for the Lord’s guidance in how to reach out to the hurting, the disillusioned, the stagnant Christians and help them have their needs met through the body of Christ and not through the government.

Pslam 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 345

I had the blessing of being able to attend and help with a workshop hosted at my church for Special Needs families called There’s a Person in There. I was very humbled by the appreciation for my being there from some of the parents. They were very thankful that someone without a special needs child was there simply because of compassion. I feel for what these parents are going through. There was one thing that has really stood out to me that I heard during the workshop. Some parents on a video clip were saying they realized that having a special needs child was not a bad vs. good thing but rather it was an easy vs difficult thing. Despite not having a special needs child, I was able to participate in the discussion simply because most everything these special needs parents go through can be applied to the typical child parents. We talked about what we do to show our kids they are loved, disciplining our children and teaching our children about God. Things that most parents are striving to do with their children. I think that there are things like fears or misconceptions that keep other people from embracing these families with special needs children. These kids are amazing and uniquely made by God just as all of us are. We just have to accept them for who they are and not be afraid of the unknown. These parents need our support and love. Do you want to do something for the kingdom of God? Get to know a family with a special needs child, give them encouragement, a listening ear, babysit their child so they can get some time-off from their difficult task of parenting.  It will end up being a great blessing to them but to you as well.  Check out this website for  volunteer opportunities in the COS area. http://www.sksfcolorado.org/ or search Google for opportunities in your area. Talk to your church leaders and let them know we have to reach out to these parents for if one part of the body of Christ is hurting, we are all hurting.

1 Corinthians 12: 25-26 …that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 233

Today my neice is getting baptized. I was thinking about making a scrapbook page and thought of how the family and church are to be a support and guide in the life of the child being baptized so that one day that child when he/she is grown will choose to accept Jesus into their hearts. I thought of the scripture about keeping the Word on our lips and writing the law on our doorframes. Our lives should have the Lord stamped all over it from the words we say, the things we do to the values we show. God calls us to teach our children about him and the truth of the gospel. I am going to take a notebook to the baptism and ask everyone to write some piece of spiritual wisdom in their own words that they can share with my neice. I am going to take these nuggets of wisdom and make a scrapbook layout with them so my neice will have a piece of the body of Christ that will hopefully be a source of strength, hope and guidance in her life. I will frame it to go on the wall so she can see it everyday of her life. Thank you Lord for our children and help us to bring the truth to them in all ways so when they are grown they will choose you. Amen and Amen.

Dueteronomy 6: 5-9 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your sould and with all your stength. These commandments that I give you today re to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 116

Growing up in the Catholic church, I was not exposed to the differences that other denominations have. My experience yesterday at the leadership meeting at a non-denominational church was so wonderful. The thing that really stood out to me the most was when someone was leading us in prayer, the rest of them were saying little things along with the prayer. Amens, hallelujah's and all kinds of other things. It actually felt like we were all participating in this prayer because of the action of speaking out. I am again profoundly aware of the power available to us by being in the body of Christ. I had a friend who always told me her church was being outdoors in the mountains with God. I always thought that was nice but not enough. God created us to be in relationship with others and to work together in his plan for the world. Whether it's in a more conservative church atmosphere or in a more action-oriented church atmosphere, we are all one body. Have you tried a different church lately or ever? It can be an enlightening experience that will stir your soul. Give it a try.
Genesis 28:15 "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 115

My daughter participated in a Girl Scout event last evening called Thinking Day. All the various troops had to put together a booth about a specific country and put together a skit of some kind. Faith's troop did a dance from Portugal. It was delightful trying to take photos and video of this dance. She is currently in a my mom takes too many photos stage and would look at me as she danced and give me a big frown so I subtly made faces back at her to get the smile back on her face. It was one of those fun mother-daughter moments. At the end of the event, the troops gather in one big circle and one by one went around the circle making a wish or saying a prayer silently then would put their left foot forward. In thinking about this today, I am again reminded of the power of the body of Christ. It's within the body of Christ that we can gain wisdom, discernment, clarity, inspiration, ideas, resources and on and on. Being within this body of Christ can be a powerful tool the Holy Spirit uses to help us in our lives and in our purposes that God gives each of us. I am heading this morning to a leadership class at another church but am comforted by this thought, the body of Christ is not just one church but all believers. So, no fears today going into an unknown church with unknown people. We are all of one body. Thank you God for this reminder that I needed today!
1Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit, into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

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.