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Kisses from Katie Winners

November 26, 2011

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who signed up for the Kisses from Katie giveaway! And a huge thank you to all who ‘shared’ about Kisses from Katie on Facebook and/or Twitter! It is a huge blessing to those sweet lives in Uganada that we’re spreading the word about Amazima and what Katie Davis is doing over there. Continue to support them through child sponsership, buying jewelry from the women in Masese or even just by telling others. This world really isn’t so big!

And without any further adieu – the winners!

Because I’m old fashioned we did a good old fashioned hat draw. We put all the entries into a beautiful hat that my mother in law had given to us from Ecuador on one of her mission trips. Appropriate, I think.

My husband had the honors of drawing the names. First up!

Erica Lee! Congratulations!

And next….

Nicole! Congratulations!

I’ve gotten in touch with both ladies and we’ve decided that you’ll both receive the book AND an Amazima necklace.

And for the rest of you beautiful readers – look forward to many more giveaways this next month!

Blessings!

In Blessings

A Special Eucharisteo

November 24, 2011

Today, I want us to think about every time we hear our children say thank you. I have to say, I have been overly blessed with very grateful children. They’re so grateful that at times I sinfully believe that they must be trying to cover up something. But no. They are genuinely thankful. Just how we should be before God. If my children never said ‘thank you’ for what we gave them I can’t honestly tell you that we would have a good relationship. I love them dearly but when there is no showing of appreciation it hurts. I want my children to always be aware of the sacrifice of others. Thankfulness begins when our sense of entitlement ends. When we realize that what we have is not what we deserve we are able to count it all as thanks.

And so I want to thank my children and my husband for graciously and continually showing me how to slow down and appreciate every moment.

As a mom of five it’s so easy for me to hear the words of the world and to “consider myself” and to “take care of my needs”. I think that message has been so pounded into us that we forget about the feelings of those in our midst. I’m daring the mothers out there to trust that God is there taking care of you while you are taking care of those around you. Don’t put your feet up just because “you deserve it”. Instead, wash the feet of your loved ones. Serve them with your whole heart and soul.

Show love to those around you. Say thank you to those who willingly serve you. Whether it be at the grocery, holding the door at church or delivering your mail. And fall on your knees before God and thank Him for all that He lovingly gives to you and your family. The big, the small, the blessings that make you smile and yes, even the hard eucharisteo.

Don’t forget to comment on this post and leave your thanks to be registered for the “Kisses from Katie” giveaway! Today is the last day to enter!

Blessings!

In Blessings, Encouragement, Family

Hard Eucharisteo

November 23, 2011

Be thankful for what has been given you.

And when I say be thankful, I mean for all of it. Even the hard parts. The moments when you’re screaming within “why me”! This is the hard eucharisteo. This is when you know it hurts but you also know that God can use your situation to bring glory to His name. Your struggles now may mean a saved life later. I’ve known so many believers that hide their struggles. They try to cover them up and put on this ‘christian’ face. Trying to convince others that their life is perfect because of God. And to that I ask “what Bible are you reading?” God is glorified when we rely on Him, not on ourselves. The Bible is full of prostitutes, murders, incest, liars, thieves, the poor, the diseased. And God is shown to be bigger than all those circumstances. If our lives were meant to look so glorious don’t you think those parts of the Bible would have been left out?! We need to boast in our weaknesses. To say ‘look at what I had’ or ‘what I went through’ and ‘He is still great’ and ‘He is still my everything’. He has a plan.

So maybe you didn’t have a drug addiction. Or you didn’t lose a child. Or you didn’t come from a broken home. Listen to others. Listen to the stories of the people around you. Open up your heart and listen to the story God is writing in their lives. It will give you pause to praise Him. To thank Him for all that He has given you. When you hear of a friend losing a job doesn’t that make you thankful for the income you have? When you donate clothes to Goodwill, does that not make you grateful that your children are warmly dressed?

Read books of missionaries in third world countries. Watch the news and witness what is taking place in your backyard. There are opportunities all around you to stop and serve the God of Heaven. Maybe go on a mission trip? Serve at a soup kitchen? Donate goods to a women’s shelter? Seek out how you can serve and take that first step outside of your comfort zone to bless another. It’ll change your perspective. It’ll change your life.

Don’t forget to comment on this post and leave your thanks to be registered for the “Kisses from Katie” giveaway!

Blessings!

In Change the World, Encouragement

Continual Gratitude

November 22, 2011

He blesses us because He loves us not out of obligation. And His blessings in our lives should in return glorify Him, not ourselves. I recently heard the saying “What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things that you thanked God for today.” Have you thanked God for anything today? Or would you wake tomorrow with only your dinner? But wouldn’t waking be His grace enough? Wouldn’t taking a breath be proof enough of his grace and love in your life?

I’ve come to learn one very important thing concerning gratitude. The enemy of a thankful heart is a jealous soul. You cannot be both thankful for what you have and at the same time be jealous of what your neighbor has. You either appreciate what the Lord has given you or you don’t. God blesses us all differently. He has different plans for each one of us. If you are jealous of what somebody else has or the kind of life they are living you’re declaring that you know that the rest of their life is going to be just as good as it is now. Don’t be that foolish. God can strip our blessings away in a heartbeat. And you have to decide if you’re still going to praise Him and thank Him even when it’s difficult.

Joseph chose God in the hard times. Joseph comes into God’s story at the end of Genesis. Joseph was a favorite son with many jealous brothers. His brothers threw him into a pit and instead of killing him they sold him off as a slave. Yet Joseph trusted God and gave thanks. He was falsely accused of sexual harassment by his employers wife and was thrown in jail. And he still praised the One who made him and thanked God for each day. Joseph later saved Egypt from famine because God had allowed him to interpret a dream of Pharoah’s. Which led to Joseph becoming the most important man in Egypt under Pharoah.

It all seems worth it when you read his entire life in a few short sentences. But to Joseph this must have seemed like an eternity. So many terrible things happening in his life, one right after another. Especially considering that every time he was faithful it seemed like somebody else was getting blessed except for him. But God was faithful to Joseph’s thankful heart. And you can see throughout his life that even if God hadn’t given him the second highest position in Egypt, if Joseph had stayed in jail his entire life for a crime he did not commit, he still would have thanked God.

And that is exactly why we should be thankful for what we have now. This life, this moment, it’s all we have. When all is said and done, there are no do overs. We get one shot. We all have the option to enjoy what He has given us and be grateful for every circumstance or we can look at others and believe that ‘we’re not good enough’ and ‘God must love them more’ and ‘why can’t I have that’ and allow the seed of jealousy to root itself deep within. You. Don’t. Know. Anyone’s. Future. Your jealousy of somebody now can quickly turn into prayers on their behalf tomorrow. Don’t assume you know their whole story. Be thankful for what has been given to you.

Don’t forget to comment on this post and leave your thanks to be registered for the “Kisses from Katie” giveaway!

Blessings!

In Encouragement

Kisses from Katie {giveaway}

November 21, 2011

Last night I reluctantly finished reading Kisses from Katie. A book that has single handedly changed my entire perspective on life. I did not want to finish reading because I wanted it to continue. I have never before been more thankful for blogs!

Description from Amazon:

What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because the rest of them think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person but didn’t know any of the language? A passion to make a difference. Katie Davis left over Christmas break her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved by the people and children of Uganda that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. She has given up a relatively comfortable life—at a young age—to care for the less fortunate of this world. She was so moved by the need she witnessed, she’s centered her life around meeting that need. Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, is in the process of adopting thirteen children in Uganda, and she completely trusts God for daily provision for her and her family.Despite the rough conditions in which Katie lives, she has found a life of service to God to be one of great joy. Katie’s children bring constant delight and help her help others by welcoming whoever comes to their door. As the challenges grow, so does Katie’s faith and her certainty that what she’s doing in Uganda, one person at a time, will have far-reaching rewards. It isn’t the life she planned, but it is the life she loves.

To further her reach into the needs of Ugandans, Katie established Amazima Ministries. The ministry matches orphaned children with sponors worldwide. Each sponsor’s $300/year provides schooling, school supplies, three hot meals a day, minor medical care, and spiritual encouragement. Katie expected to have forty children in the program; she had signed up 150 by January 2008; today it sponsors over 400. Another aspect of the ministry is a feeding program created for the displaced Karamojong people—Uganda’s poorest citizens. The program feeds lunch to over 1,200 children Monday-Friday and sends them home with a plate of food; it also offers basic medical care, Bible study, and general health training.

Katie Davis is more than fascinating, she’s inspiring, as she has wholeheartedly answered the call to serve.

Before I had even finished reading the book I asked my dear husband for one thing for Christmas. Necklaces made by the women in the impoverished city of Masese that are sold so they can provide for themselves and their families. When they arrived in the mail I squealed in delight. Yes. Squealed!

And today I’d like to bless two people! One will receive the book Kisses from Katie and the other will receive a necklace from the wonderful women of Amazima!

{Keep it for yourself of give as a gift? Spread the good news of what Katie is doing!}

All you need to do is comment in the rarely opened comment section and tell what you are thankful for. You can enter a second comment for sharing on Facebook and a third comment for sharing on Twitter. But the catch is that you have to mention in the comment section below where you shared it AND add something else you are thankful for. So you can enter up to three times. You have until Thursday night and on Friday we’ll draw two winners. I look forward to hearing your eucharisteos!

Blessings!

In Blessings, Books, Change the World