Matthew 25:40

“If you can't feed a hundred people.....
........ then just feed one.”
~Mother Teresa

Today I popped over my "always keeping it real" friend Bill (cycleguy)'s blog... and he is discussing the issue of being overwhelmed with the needs of this world. He shares " it is hard to see that so much needs done and not feel overwhelmed. God has not asked us to take on every task out there. But He has asked us to be involved."

I say YEA and AMEN. We need to be involved.

And yes......it is easy to get overwhelmed and flabbergasted (is that really a word!?!) when you see how desperate the situation is in many countries due to natural disasters, crooked governments, and poverty/disease. But we cannot allow this to keep us from doing something.....anything....that can truly make a difference.

One of my Jesus lovin' friends, Jennifer from Getting Down with Jesus has beautiful insight on how effective we can be just by everyone doing one thing. She calls it Contagious Giving.

"......how each ONE thing we do multiplies into the whole BUNCH that we collectively offer up to the Lord. One plus one plus one .."

This week is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry with Samaritan's Purse. We love doing this every year......and encourage you and your family to join in this year.

Like prior years.....I let the kids decide who we will be buying for. You have a choice if you would like to send your box to a boy or girl.....and also the age range. Nev chose to make up a package for a girl in her own age group, figuring she would know firsthand what she would like.

At first she wanted to get computer games and I needed to remind her that most of these children do not have electricity, never-mind a computer. So we set out to buy art supplies, stuffed animals, a really cute little Etch-a-Sketch. We also grabbed a bunch of toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and tissues as I explained that these were luxuries as well.

My heart swelled as I watched my little girl carefully packing the items and explaining how this little girl could use the pocketbook to put her hair accessories in and sleep with the little stuffed goat she was excited to find. (teddy bears are over-rated according to my little goat-raising farm gal).


The cool thing that we found out this year with this project is that you can make your $7 donation (to cover shipping) online directly on their site and you are able to print out a bar-code label to attach to your box. Then you can actually track the destination of your gift, along with information about Operation Christmas Child in that country. How cool is that?


What a simple way for you to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to even just one of His children.

So whatcha waiting for!?!?! Visit the Operation Christmas Child site, check out all the info then have fun filling up a shoebox with simple items such as toiletries, small toys, and school supplies! I encourage you to include your children as well. What a beautiful way to teach them and others about the importance of taking care of the less fortunate. Knowing you are making a difference in a child's life is a priceless gift to give this Season.



The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' ~Matthew 25:40



Peace and love~

*~Michelle~*

Are you putting your faith into action?

Time for me to have and share a pep-rally......

"we gotta stop asking for relief.......and start showing some belief"

Ouch.Guilty as charged.

So, Benjamin Franklin once said "God helps those who help themselves".

Now although the majority of what we learn in the Bible about God helping the helpless..... I do believe that we, as Christians can fall into the trap of inactivity. We are taught that God will provide according to His timing, but this should not stop us from getting off our keesters (to keep this a PG-rated blog) and believing His Promise, trusting His Word and putting our faith into action.

Sometimes being a Christian isn’t always easy. Sometimes we have to roll-up our sleeves and do the challenging work of following Christ, and stay obedient to God’s Word..... even when we don’t want to or it seems to difficult.

This also applies to our daily living. For example... like many of us....financially, things are stretched super tight around here. My part-time job of doing hairdressing is not cutting it.

(no pun intended, but can I get a ba-dum-dum *cymbal??)

*crickets chirping*

OK, lame.....anyway.

I trust and believe that God will always provide for us.....as He has always done. Even when the numbers do not jive.....supernaturally, we end up having just enough money each week, even if our balance is 2.97 right before the next direct deposit is coming in.

But I am growing tired of treading water.....feeling the waters rise, bobbing up to the surface for a few days....only to feel pulled under when the next bill shows up or an unexpected repair comes about. Bottom line......I am looking for an additional job. So I can pray and ask God to help me find one and while it is in His power to do so, it is highly unlikely that God will cause employers to come looking for me. I must get up and out, hit the pavement.... and look for one. I will set out trusting that there will be a job for me. I will not give up, I trust God.....but it is going to require alot of effort on my part as well.

In our lives, we will come across winding paths of uncertainties, setbacks and signs that read, “Road Closed.” However, these are not dead ends, but merely detours as we move toward our destined purpose. We need to keep the faith, take these potholes in stride, and move ahead boldly. We cannot let challenges discourage us.

The New Living Translation of Romans 12:11-12 tells us " Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."

This message can also be applied to our spiritual connection with Christ. Sometimes I feel so distant and I long to feel Christ beside me (even though I know He is always there.....) That same passage in the New International Version reads "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

The word "fervor" literally means "to be hot, boil or glow." There is metaphor of boiling water and our spiritual life. The idea is that there must always be a stirring up or a heating up in our spiritual life as we pray and serve. We need to keep it that way. In order to keep water boiling we have to keep it on a flame. We need to constantly work and tend to that fire. That takes effort.....it takes action on our part.



I'll wrap it up with this story, you've probably heard it before, but I'll share it anyway.....

It's the one about the preacher in the flood. The water was up to the top of the church steps when a National Guard truck came by. "Get in, Preacher! The water's rising."

And the preacher said, "No. I trust in the Lord."

The water rose and flooded the church. The preacher climbed up on the roof. Two boys came by in a John boat.

"Get in, Preacher! The water's rising."

And the preacher said, "No. I trust in the Lord."

The water rose higher, and the preacher climbed up on the steeple. A helicopter came by and dropped a sling.

"Grab the sling, Preacher! The water's rising."

And the preacher said, "No. I trust in the Lord."

The water rose even higher, and the preacher drowned. In heaven, he said, "Lord, I had such trust in you. Why did you let me drown?"

And the Lord said, "Dummy! I sent you a deuce-and-a-half, a john boat and a helicopter!!"


The meaning of this is that the Lord helps us by giving us the means to help ourselves. And He expects us to do that.


So I ask myself.....and possibly you can ask yourself.....Do you feel that God is ignoring your prayers/requests? Or could it be that He is stalling so that we will stop acting helpless and put our faith into action?


Peace~

*~Michelle~*

Word of God Speak

(*please pause my music player)

"I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay........"

Word of God Speak {Mercy Me}

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say


Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice


I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay


****************************

As I remain in His place, I hope this find you all smiling and well.......

*~Michelle~*