One of the ways God has really been stretching me over the past year is in learning how to "minister"to people. In my early and mid 30's, I was really really focused on my home and my babies - we were not really involved in a church, and my life centered around the 4 other people in my home. There is nothing wrong with this.. my babies were young and we were living in a new place... and my family is a high priority for me anyway. I guess I was ministering to them .. it felt more like just trying to survive some days, though. Always tired, always needing to clean someone or something up, someone always needing food that they could not get for themselves, you all with very little ones know what I mean here. When your babies are tiny, this is what you do- and I did. I was not always gracious, I was sometimes really grumpy because I needed a nap, and most of the time I totally forgot to thank God for these little people who needed me so much. Fast-forward a few years.... and some things changed. My kids are a little bit older and a little more independent.. and God tossed me out of the boat.
I remember right before Lifecoast launched in March of last year, I went through a period of time where I felt sort of useless. I don't have marketing experience, I am not that great with administrative stuff, I was only so-so at talking to people I didn't know that well.. and scared to death to go door to door to invite people to church. I did what I could, prayed and helped plan music and worship, and most of the time I wondered why in the world God was asking me to help do this. During my quiet time with Him one morning He touched my heart , and revealed something to me. The message I got was something like " Just wait til I bring some people in the doors.. then you will understand." What I didn't realize was just how much He would have to stretch and mold me as I learned that "church" is about all of us glorifying God as we learn to reach out to each other in love- and to give grace at every turn. I had been so sequestered in my home with just my family that I had not had to practice much grace. My children were little and very easy to love on.. and my husband is such an easy person to get along with that the one in the house needing the grace from everyone was ME!!
I have learned over the past year that there are some things I love doing , that I didn't know I loved doing.
I love helping other people.. I LOVE learning about their lives, and how they got here and learning everything I can about their journeys. This is something I have always enjoyed, and God is now using that whenever I lead a bible study , or talk to a group of people in His name. I love praying for others.. and with them, but this is something that has taken time for me to feel confident about. I adore worshipping God, and leading others in worship.. and teaching others ways to worship Him in every area of their lives. 5 years ago I had no idea I liked doing that. It was something that *I* enjoyed, but because God wants to use me ( and all of us) to bring glory to His name, He took that and turned it into something that I had NO idea was possible.
My point in this, if there is one.. let God define your place in His kingdom. Just because your life has always been this way, or that way, does not mean it can't or won't be different in a year. God can and will come in with a boatload of grace and lessons and bendy rubber band experiences and turn you into a whole new creation, all for His pleasure and glory. Let your heart be His, and give Him a chance to show off in your world. You will never look back and say " I am sorry I did this". More likely, you will look back and say " Wow.. look at what GOD did!"
Praising and thanking Him this morning ,
Cheryl
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Scripture that stands out to me this morning-
Romans 5
Results of Justification:
1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Here is the same section of scripture from The Message:
1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
3-5There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
These verses give me such a lift in my spirit!
This week has been a troubling one - not for me, necessarily, but I see the enemy poking around , taking jab punches, wearing down an already tired and worn out group of servants - and it eventually does affect my own heart.
I pray, begging God to "call off the dogs". "Can't You see how worn out everyone is?? Can You NOT see how financially strapped they are?? Can You NOT SEE how yanked in a thousand different directions these people are? HOW can YOU do this to them?? They have been SO faithful to You- and I am sorry , God, but .. this makes me feel discouraged. "
I have found myself repeating this alot lately:
God is Sovereign, and this is NOT "all for no good reason."
That really does take alot of the load off if you grab onto it, and begin to believe that God already KNOWS the outcome.. He is calling the shots, and because He is LOVE, and He is GOODNESS, then something that glorifies Him will come out of a troubling situation.
Trials = strengthening, which = increased patience and capacity, which = the ability to give more grace and love to others. This translates into a projection of HOPE into the world, and it also translates into authenticity in our journeys. IF we can get to a point where we are automatically making the choice to praise God in the midst of our troubles, the enemy loses. God gets the victory. We survive the situation and come out stronger on the other side... "out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory!"
Results of Justification:
1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Here is the same section of scripture from The Message:
1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
3-5There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
These verses give me such a lift in my spirit!
This week has been a troubling one - not for me, necessarily, but I see the enemy poking around , taking jab punches, wearing down an already tired and worn out group of servants - and it eventually does affect my own heart.
I pray, begging God to "call off the dogs". "Can't You see how worn out everyone is?? Can You NOT see how financially strapped they are?? Can You NOT SEE how yanked in a thousand different directions these people are? HOW can YOU do this to them?? They have been SO faithful to You- and I am sorry , God, but .. this makes me feel discouraged. "
I have found myself repeating this alot lately:
God is Sovereign, and this is NOT "all for no good reason."
That really does take alot of the load off if you grab onto it, and begin to believe that God already KNOWS the outcome.. He is calling the shots, and because He is LOVE, and He is GOODNESS, then something that glorifies Him will come out of a troubling situation.
Trials = strengthening, which = increased patience and capacity, which = the ability to give more grace and love to others. This translates into a projection of HOPE into the world, and it also translates into authenticity in our journeys. IF we can get to a point where we are automatically making the choice to praise God in the midst of our troubles, the enemy loses. God gets the victory. We survive the situation and come out stronger on the other side... "out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory!"
Friday, May 18, 2007
What's it gonna be?
Have you ever felt like asking someone that? Maybe, you felt like asking God that. I know, I have. I have also felt Him asking me that , many times.
It usually happens when I am faced with a frustrating situation , and am looking for a way out of it, a way over it, a way around it, or a way to push through it. Situations like this always call for some type of decision to be made, and one thing I am learning is that there are a few things I have to do before I can even start to weigh out my options.
1- Pray.. maybe for the "situation", maybe for the other person, ask God to make sure my motives are aligned with His Word- ask God to keep my heart right and my motives pure.
1a Thank God for what He has already done in my life, and ask Him to help me remember those blessings and victories as I begin to sort through whatever I am faced with.
1b- Ask for His guidance, His will to be done, and for the Holy Spirit to stay close by.
After prayer and meditation, I always feel more peaceful.
I have always been somewhat high-strung.
I always knew I was wired that way, and it was something about myself that always bothered me. I can remember as a young adult praying "Lord, make me a peaceful person." Instead, I was tightly wound, easily offended, quick to anger and feel hurt- and never one to assume the best in any situation. I was a "negative focuser". This caused anxiety and fretfulness, which cancels out any chance of having any peace. I realized later on, that it boiled down to one thing:
Do you trust and believe ME, or don't you?
This was the beginning of a season of buffet choices I began to realize I needed to make.
- Will you be a blessing to others, or be a complainer, and a burden to everyone around you?
- Will you accept MY love for you? Will you be willing to give that love to others in MY name? or do you choose to be unloving?
- Will people feel uplifted after being around you? or will they feel like you sucked the last drop of life they had left in themselves after spending the afternoon with you?
- Will you choose to assume the best in another person? will you make a choice to believe that they are NOT coming at you with anything less than a good motive? I will bless you for this.
- Will you choose not to be offended , even if their motives were not right? Will you choose to look at ME instead, and ask ME to give you grace to handle it well? I will bless you for this.
- Will you choose to look to ME for your identity? Nothing else should matter to you more than Me. I have a plan for your life.. and this is between you , and ME, anyway. I want to be able to say to you " Well done, good and faithful one." Give ME some reasons to say that to you one day.
- Will you make a choice to overlook faults in another, and be forgiving, like I have forgiven you and blessed you in spite of your sin? I will bless you for doing this.
- Will you make the choice, today, to take those two major commandments I gave you and take them to heart? Love ME, and love others. Love them enough to TREAT them like you love them. Go tell them about ME.
So...
What's it gonna be?
:)
It usually happens when I am faced with a frustrating situation , and am looking for a way out of it, a way over it, a way around it, or a way to push through it. Situations like this always call for some type of decision to be made, and one thing I am learning is that there are a few things I have to do before I can even start to weigh out my options.
1- Pray.. maybe for the "situation", maybe for the other person, ask God to make sure my motives are aligned with His Word- ask God to keep my heart right and my motives pure.
1a Thank God for what He has already done in my life, and ask Him to help me remember those blessings and victories as I begin to sort through whatever I am faced with.
1b- Ask for His guidance, His will to be done, and for the Holy Spirit to stay close by.
After prayer and meditation, I always feel more peaceful.
I have always been somewhat high-strung.
I always knew I was wired that way, and it was something about myself that always bothered me. I can remember as a young adult praying "Lord, make me a peaceful person." Instead, I was tightly wound, easily offended, quick to anger and feel hurt- and never one to assume the best in any situation. I was a "negative focuser". This caused anxiety and fretfulness, which cancels out any chance of having any peace. I realized later on, that it boiled down to one thing:
Do you trust and believe ME, or don't you?
This was the beginning of a season of buffet choices I began to realize I needed to make.
- Will you be a blessing to others, or be a complainer, and a burden to everyone around you?
- Will you accept MY love for you? Will you be willing to give that love to others in MY name? or do you choose to be unloving?
- Will people feel uplifted after being around you? or will they feel like you sucked the last drop of life they had left in themselves after spending the afternoon with you?
- Will you choose to assume the best in another person? will you make a choice to believe that they are NOT coming at you with anything less than a good motive? I will bless you for this.
- Will you choose not to be offended , even if their motives were not right? Will you choose to look at ME instead, and ask ME to give you grace to handle it well? I will bless you for this.
- Will you choose to look to ME for your identity? Nothing else should matter to you more than Me. I have a plan for your life.. and this is between you , and ME, anyway. I want to be able to say to you " Well done, good and faithful one." Give ME some reasons to say that to you one day.
- Will you make a choice to overlook faults in another, and be forgiving, like I have forgiven you and blessed you in spite of your sin? I will bless you for doing this.
- Will you make the choice, today, to take those two major commandments I gave you and take them to heart? Love ME, and love others. Love them enough to TREAT them like you love them. Go tell them about ME.
So...
What's it gonna be?
:)
Saturday, May 12, 2007
My "extra grace required" coffee maker...
My hubby got me this amazing coffee machine for Christmas. It grinds the beans for you, then brews the coffee.. and I have to say that this machine makes the best coffee I have ever tasted. Anywhere. Nothing beats freshly ground coffee early in the morning.
So, this machine makes great coffee.. and it looks cool, it's stainless steel and black.. I really love using it. And this morning, at 7 AM, I went to the kitchen , looked at it, and decided it is a pain in my neck sometimes.
Here is the thing about this coffee maker.. first off, it is LOUD. It will wake your children, the neighbors, the dead, all in the same shot. It also has a ZILLION parts that have to be taken out, cleaned, and put back together "just SO", and if you miss something, forget a top or a lid somewhere, or maybe you are half asleep when you are trying to figure the whole thing out- coffee explodes everywhere. Ground up coffee beans end up on the ceiling, it makes funny noises, it's MESSY. My children are afraid of the coffee machine. Some mornings I just can't bear the hassle of taking it apart, making sure it is clean, making sure the 173 parts are all fitting in there just right.. some mornings, I miss my old coffee maker because.. it is easier to use. Very little grace required.. only 3 steps, and I get "pretty good" coffee.
On one particular morning, I forgot to put a filter in the filter basket. I turned my back to the fridge to get milk for my daughter, and I heard " MOMMY!! THE COFFEE IS RUNNING OUT EVERYWHERE!!"... I sigh, turn around, and quietly shut the thing off ( again) , survey the damage, and then I hear the "still quiet Voice."
"You know..." ( and I sort of know it's lesson time) " You are kind of like that coffee machine at times, Cheryl."
In Philippians 2, Paul gives us an opportunity for some introspection, and reminds us that we are to strive to have the attitude of Christ. To my knowledge, Jesus was never "Extra Grace Required." He WAS Grace. As I read through these passages, it hits me that at times, just like my "wonderful" coffee pot, I can be too much of a pain in the neck to use ( for God, I mean.) It isn't that He doesn't WANT to use me,and it isn't that He isn't able to use me even in my disobedience.. but I think at times I make it too hard. I might , by choice, make myself "unavailable" to God, and maybe He really just wants it done NOW, not when "I" get ready, or all the stars are aligned, and maybe He will just go use a pot that is easier to pour from. Ouch. Time to take inventory, and maybe some personal responsibilty while I am waiting on the coffee....
Lord, help me remember that I need to be available for Your use at all times. My heart's desire is that my flesh never get in the way of You doing Your thing with me, but sometimes I know I make it "too hard." Please forgive me for that, Lord.
Help me to remember always that Your grace is ENOUGH. Help me reflect that to others... and help me remember that if I choose to make myself "extra grace required", or make it too hard - You will use someone else because there is much work to be done!
In Christ's precious and Holy Name I pray,
Amen.
So, this machine makes great coffee.. and it looks cool, it's stainless steel and black.. I really love using it. And this morning, at 7 AM, I went to the kitchen , looked at it, and decided it is a pain in my neck sometimes.
Here is the thing about this coffee maker.. first off, it is LOUD. It will wake your children, the neighbors, the dead, all in the same shot. It also has a ZILLION parts that have to be taken out, cleaned, and put back together "just SO", and if you miss something, forget a top or a lid somewhere, or maybe you are half asleep when you are trying to figure the whole thing out- coffee explodes everywhere. Ground up coffee beans end up on the ceiling, it makes funny noises, it's MESSY. My children are afraid of the coffee machine. Some mornings I just can't bear the hassle of taking it apart, making sure it is clean, making sure the 173 parts are all fitting in there just right.. some mornings, I miss my old coffee maker because.. it is easier to use. Very little grace required.. only 3 steps, and I get "pretty good" coffee.
On one particular morning, I forgot to put a filter in the filter basket. I turned my back to the fridge to get milk for my daughter, and I heard " MOMMY!! THE COFFEE IS RUNNING OUT EVERYWHERE!!"... I sigh, turn around, and quietly shut the thing off ( again) , survey the damage, and then I hear the "still quiet Voice."
"You know..." ( and I sort of know it's lesson time) " You are kind of like that coffee machine at times, Cheryl."
In Philippians 2, Paul gives us an opportunity for some introspection, and reminds us that we are to strive to have the attitude of Christ. To my knowledge, Jesus was never "Extra Grace Required." He WAS Grace. As I read through these passages, it hits me that at times, just like my "wonderful" coffee pot, I can be too much of a pain in the neck to use ( for God, I mean.) It isn't that He doesn't WANT to use me,and it isn't that He isn't able to use me even in my disobedience.. but I think at times I make it too hard. I might , by choice, make myself "unavailable" to God, and maybe He really just wants it done NOW, not when "I" get ready, or all the stars are aligned, and maybe He will just go use a pot that is easier to pour from. Ouch. Time to take inventory, and maybe some personal responsibilty while I am waiting on the coffee....
Lord, help me remember that I need to be available for Your use at all times. My heart's desire is that my flesh never get in the way of You doing Your thing with me, but sometimes I know I make it "too hard." Please forgive me for that, Lord.
Help me to remember always that Your grace is ENOUGH. Help me reflect that to others... and help me remember that if I choose to make myself "extra grace required", or make it too hard - You will use someone else because there is much work to be done!
In Christ's precious and Holy Name I pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Busy few weeks...
It's the second week of May already... how did that happen??
We participated in the Flagler County Relay for Life this past weekend... and that was awesome!! Lifecoast Church raised almost 3 thousand dollars for Cancer Research.. tons of Lifecoasters came out to meet and serve in the community, and a great time was had by all of us!! We had our followup meeting yesterday, and plans are already underway for a team for NEXT YEAR!!
My oldest son just turned 13, and has a girlfriend. All I will say about this is that we could use prayer! She is the daughter of the family I have blogged about before.. I love them dearly and apparently that has filtered through and my son shares my sentiments. Their oldest daughter is beautiful and sweet and smart.. and has captured the hearts of not only my son and myself, but my daughter Savannah is captivated by her. The first time they met, Savannah *ran* over to her and jumped up in her arms. I keep thinking that is God with His supernatural "family love" thing at work. It doesn't make sense any other way. Through Him, however, it is a perfect fit.
Savannah has her first dance recital coming up, so we are excited about that. She is one of the youngest in her class, but ( figure this out) is one of three girls who actually learned the dance and she is a leader for her class. I have no idea whether or not she will actually DO it on stage... but she knows it and likes the idea of the stage and lights. I signed up to be a "Helper Mom" backstage. Three free tickets are worth the headache I will have after the recital. :)
Caden is... well, he is Caden. Words are beginning to jump out at him from everywhere.. he is reading things without me having to teach him. ( that's God.) He uses words like "architect" and "electrical power" to describe what he is in interested in. Pray with me that God gets hold of Caden soon- this brain energy needs to be focused on Godly things NOW. :)
Happy early Mother's Day to all the Moms reading this.. I pray that God blesses each of us with rest, extra energy and the insight to recognize the Joy He has given us in our families.
Blessings,
Cheryl
We participated in the Flagler County Relay for Life this past weekend... and that was awesome!! Lifecoast Church raised almost 3 thousand dollars for Cancer Research.. tons of Lifecoasters came out to meet and serve in the community, and a great time was had by all of us!! We had our followup meeting yesterday, and plans are already underway for a team for NEXT YEAR!!
My oldest son just turned 13, and has a girlfriend. All I will say about this is that we could use prayer! She is the daughter of the family I have blogged about before.. I love them dearly and apparently that has filtered through and my son shares my sentiments. Their oldest daughter is beautiful and sweet and smart.. and has captured the hearts of not only my son and myself, but my daughter Savannah is captivated by her. The first time they met, Savannah *ran* over to her and jumped up in her arms. I keep thinking that is God with His supernatural "family love" thing at work. It doesn't make sense any other way. Through Him, however, it is a perfect fit.
Savannah has her first dance recital coming up, so we are excited about that. She is one of the youngest in her class, but ( figure this out) is one of three girls who actually learned the dance and she is a leader for her class. I have no idea whether or not she will actually DO it on stage... but she knows it and likes the idea of the stage and lights. I signed up to be a "Helper Mom" backstage. Three free tickets are worth the headache I will have after the recital. :)
Caden is... well, he is Caden. Words are beginning to jump out at him from everywhere.. he is reading things without me having to teach him. ( that's God.) He uses words like "architect" and "electrical power" to describe what he is in interested in. Pray with me that God gets hold of Caden soon- this brain energy needs to be focused on Godly things NOW. :)
Happy early Mother's Day to all the Moms reading this.. I pray that God blesses each of us with rest, extra energy and the insight to recognize the Joy He has given us in our families.
Blessings,
Cheryl
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
It has come to my attention-
That more people are reading this than I thought!
Please, PLEASE use the comment tab under the posts and let me know how you are doing.. I absolutely want to know how you are and what is going on and what God is doing in your lives!!
Love to each of you..
Cheryl
Please, PLEASE use the comment tab under the posts and let me know how you are doing.. I absolutely want to know how you are and what is going on and what God is doing in your lives!!
Love to each of you..
Cheryl
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