Archives For Change the World

Greater Things are Coming

January 14, 2012

I’ve gone to different churches that go to different extremes. One church served and served and served. Constantly out in the community. But Christ was not on their lips. There was another church that was their own community. Rarly ever leaving the confines of their walls to reach those who were hurting right outside.

Let’s be real. We need re-taught how to show compassion. We are calloused by the laws we’ve created within our churches. Within our own hearts. Too many meetings and conferences and not enough engagement. We need to stop saying “we’re going to” and just get out and do it! Take care of the poor. Take care of the widows. Take care of the orphans. Love those around us – everyone! It’s so easy to only interact with those we are comfortable with. But it’s truly amazing when you push aside your comfort zone and allow God to introduce you to some of his children that you, other wise, never would have even smiled at.

And now there’s the Greater Things are Coming conference. A conference for church leaders to not only teach compassion but also help equip their churches to live out what the Bible teaches.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do…”
{John 14:12 ESV}

Encourage your church leaders to attend the Greater Things are Coming conference and be prepared to see lives change within your church and, more importantly, outside of the church. Take a risk and reach out to those in need. Give all the glory to Him who allows us the opportunity to serve for Him. He knows there are people hurting and in need. So what are you going to do about it? Continue to wait on God? Or do you not see that God is right there waiting to work through you to bring more to His kingdom? You are His workmanship. Allow the Father to use what He has created to glorify Him.

Are you curious of the speakers who will be there? Check out the list over at Greater Things are Coming. This weekend, one of the speakers, Christine Caine, will be speaking at the Code Orange Revival. I heard her for the first time at Passion 2012. And oh. my. goodness. This girl is on fire for the Lord! She knows His heart is His children and does all that she humanely can to protect them. I am expecting the Lord to speak mightily through her this weekend. It will be live streamed on Elevation Network at 5pm EST and Sunday at 9:30am and 11:15am EST. Enjoy and be encouraged to go out and serve to glorify God!

“Once you become knowledgeable, you have an obligation to do something about it”
-Ron Paul

Blessings!

In Change the World
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Save Your Memories

January 10, 2012

Recently my mother in law lost two months worth of photos. Including her daughters wedding and a once in a life time trip to Maine. So this has prompted me to make sure that all of my photos are backed up. We use hard drives, a service called BackBlaze and I also upload thousands of photos to Flickr. I currently have over 62,000 photos stored there. For only $25/year that’s pretty hard to beat. Now there’s no guarantee that something won’t go wrong and I’ll lose all my photos. So I’m also in the process of printing hard copies and getting back into scrapbooking. Always wanting to save and pass down these precious memories.

All of this got me thinking. How do you store you memories? In photographs? Through a journal? In a blog? Can I encourage you to begin writing if you’re not already? I write this blog to encourage others and yet, most every time I write, the Lord ministers to me. I write with an open heart and an open mind and I always feel the Spirit lead me in a different direction. Writing has opened up doors within that I didn’t know I had shut.

I have hand written journals from years ago that I love to look through. I began when I was a fresh believer. I had faith back then that could move mountains. It’s funny how the years have gone by how my strength has wained. No. It’s sad. So going back and reading those entries is so incredibly encouraging. Knowing that it’s not impossible to turn away from the world and choose a completely different life.

I began blogging back in 2002. Not this site, mind you. Just personal blogs for the most part. Then it happened. I lost six months of writings. From the birth of my second daughter on. I cried. And cried. And cried. My memories were gone. I had photos, thankfully, but there’s something about the written word that really draws you back to the moment.

And that’s one way the Lord communicates with us. The co-authors of the Bible did not write for any audience other than God. They didn’t have a blog that they anxiously watched the stats for. They didn’t desire to hear comments from others on what they wrote. Their communication was with God. And how thankful we should be that they obeyed the Lord when the Spirit encouraged them to write! Look at all the wonderful books and letters in the Bible we can read from because of a small act of obedience!

So maybe now is the time to begin saving your memories? Pass the lessons you’re learning down to the next generations. Through photographs, letters and maybe even video? There are not too many blogs out there. If you’re nervous make yours password protected and only for your eyes. Use an alias. Do something! Personally I love a *real* book. Something that contains your very own handwriting and is tangible. I’m planning on making blog books of all my posts to pass on to my children.

Let the Spirit lead you and teach you as you pick up a pen/keyboard/camera and begin writing your story.

Blessings!

In Change the World, Encouragement
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So Long Social Media

January 6, 2012

After reading my daughters letter I knew my next step of action was to wean myself off of social media. Not completely, mind you. Otherwise this site would be gone. But Facebook has got to go. Twitter has got to go. I’ve realized that I’m giving most of my precious time to acquaintances, who if we’re honest, don’t have a real investment in me. For the close friends on social media, I will find ways to interact in real life. This is not a selfish post, I don’t want to make this all about me. This is about how I’ve fallen and I need to find that narrow path again. The path that leads to a real investment in God. A path most of us need to find again.

I reluctantly joined Facebook in the winter of 2009. We had moved away and had no family or friends nearby. This seemed to be the best way to stay connected. Little did I know how addicting social media would be for me. Some people, I realize, can go on once a month and be content. That’s not me. I became a slave to the desire of recognition. I wanted to know that I wasn’t alone. And for some reason, God wasn’t enough for me. I wanted human attention. I wanted ‘likes’ as much as I had wanted ‘favorites’ when I had been addicted to Flickr. As a stay at home mom I wanted nothing more than companionship. I loved being a mother but with a husband who worked and coached and went to school I was forgetting who I was. I was lost in motherhood. Social media became my escape.

And I’ve wasted hours upon hours in front of this small screen. Snipping at my children when they dare interrupt my ‘alone’ time. Leaving my Bible asleep on the counter covered with the days mail. Disregarding household chores that could bless my family. All this time I chose ME. And isn’t that what the world screams to mothers? “Take time for yourself! You deserve it! Get pampered!”

Listen, our time is flying away. We can no longer bend a knee to this world. We have to choose to live for Christ or live for ourselves. Living the Christian life was never meant to be easy. We are not meant to be comfortable. I know, I know I’m going to struggle with wanting to go numb in front of the computer. But ever time I say no that’s one less victory for the devil. Just need to take small steps each and every day.

So I’m saying goodbye to social media {which is incredibly difficult as that is my husbands profession}. But I’m ready to take that extra time and spend it with my children. With my husband. With my Lord. Those early morning moments that I checked e-mail {more spam?} and facebook {farmville, anyone?} will be spent on my knees before a God who deserves so much more that just a quick thanks before dinner. When all is said and done I don’t want to have wasted it all. I want to have run the race as best as I possibly could.

Join me?

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

{James 4:4-8 ESV}

 

Blessings!

In Change the World, Encouragement, Marriage, Parenting
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Passion 2012: Watch Live!

January 3, 2012

I had a post written up for today and scrapped it because this was so much more important than a silly recipe. Go watch Passion 2012 live! You will be crazy blessed!

Enjoy brothers and sisters!

Blessings!

In Blessings, Change the World, Encouragement, Sermons
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Donating Socks

January 2, 2012

As we begin a new year I always have a desire to purge all the excess. This year we attacked the socks. Years and years of lonely socks. Holy socks. Dirty socks. And would you believe I actually came to tears as I threw them into a trash bag? There is something about children’s socks and shoes that pulls at my heart strings. But alas, we pushed through and filled the bag to overflowing.

And we bought new socks for everyone. Each age got their own style. Matching and folding will be so much easier. I remember growing up with a bag that would hang in the closet and would hold all the ‘lost’ socks. I refuse to do that. I know we’ll find stragglers throughout the next month but instead of searching for its mate it’ll go straight to the trash.

But not all the socks were thrown away. I was talking to my wonderful mother in law this day and she asked if we had any baby and children socks. They don’t normally get so worn and dirty. She makes a trip to Ecuador every autumn and always has a need for little socks for the children there. So I set my girls to work separating all the socks. Ones that could be donated and ones that needed tossed.

Believe it or not, they actually enjoyed themselves. They weren’t attached to the socks and happily got rid of many. But it definitely made this mama’s heart happier knowing other sweet little toes would fill these socks and keep them warm and clean.

One bag filled and ready for Ecuador. A lesson in learning that there are always ways to give to others.

Blessings!

In Change the World, House
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