Community

When you think of community, what comes to mind?

I am an extrovert by nature. I love people, I love to get together with friends, I love hosting and going to parties (food, clothing, make-up, bags, those kinds of parties). I can talk to anyone, anywhere about just about anything. My husband jokes and says I could talk to a brick wall and it would talk back to me. If you are ever looking for me, you can find me talking to someone. Now, don’t get me wrong I love some quiet time too. My quiet time is mostly quiet time with the Lord though. Any other time I’m not a big, have the whole house quiet kind of person, if I’m home alone, or the girls are doing something I will have worship music playing, it can’t just be silent.

When I think about community, I think about church, I think about getting together with a group of ladies on Saturday morning over coffee, and chatting about life, and about Jesus, I think going to the mall or watching a movie with a group of like-minded ladies.

I posed the question to friends what their thoughts on community. One of my friends responded, “A place to belong. A place to be myself and know I’m supported and loved. A place to challenge and grow with others. An opportunity to reach out.” –Becky Weiss

Community means encouraging one another. Coming along side one another, building each other up, being accountable to one another, it means we have to never be alone in the good times and the bad times.

When looking at scripture, and creation, God created Adam. What did God say to Adam? God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” Genesis 2:18, so He created Eve.

Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

Community does not just happen within the walls of the building, we are the church, and so community is wherever we are.

Acts 2:46-47, “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

When others see us out and about, enjoying each other’s company, having joy in whatever we are doing, they are going to know what we have. We have Jesus and we have community.  

Community is what God desires for all us.

Well Done

2018 has been my year of “deep thought” and we are only forty-one days in. The year that I think I have put a lot more thought into my walk with Jesus, my spiritual growth, and my intentionality in that spiritual growth. The year that I have set my goal as setting my eyes on Jesus, keeping them there, and finish this race strong. I coach a group of 4^th-6^th grade girls Upward cheerleading, and each week I tell them in the last six minutes of the game, lets finish strong.

That is exactly how I want to walk my walk with Christ, and how I finish my walk here on earth, for Christ. My goal here is to empty myself, empty myself for Christ, so that He can be glorified. I found this quote scrolling through Pinterest, the author is unknown, but I love the quote. It says, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” That was powerful to me. 

My goal and objective in this life is to get to Heaven and hear the Father say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” I don’t want to get to Heaven and the Father say to me, “you were too busy watching mindless TV to spend time with me”, or “too busy complaining” or whatever I am too busy doing to make time for Jesus. I want to use the gifts and talents He has so graciously given me, to build His kingdom, not the kingdom of Jennifer. I don’t want people to see me, but to see the Father. 

So, what does that look like in my life?

*  Spending Time in God’s Word; praying and speaking to God. Cutting out all the unnecessary “junk” in my life.

* Share Jesus with others; bear fruit and serve others. 

* Worship with other believers. 

* Be a good Steward with all that God has given me; talents, time, financial resources etc. 

Scripture used in this post: 

Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.” (CSB)

Hebrews 12:2 “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (CSB)

Philippians 3:14 “I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” (CSB)

How can I pray for you today?

Book Review: Daring to Hope

I was excited to read Daring to Hope By Katie Majors. Her first Book Kisses From Katie, was amazing, and this book did not disappoint either. I loved the pure honesty, she did not try to sugarcoat her walk. She did not just give you the good about living in Uganda, she gave you the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Katie poured her heart out. You will laugh, you will cry. You will feel as though you are sitting right there next to her, and you will feel your heartstrings tugged at. 

This is a must read! 

My word of advice would be to make sure that you have read Kisses From Katie, because that will help you better understand this book. 

Disclosure: I received a free copy of Daring to Hope from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

God Winks

Don’t you just love when God speaks to you. Confirms something in your spirit, uses others to speak to you, sometimes even uses that big flashing neon sign that we ask Him for. At the end of 2017 God spoke to my heart and gave me my word for 2018; Obedience. I have been praying and seeking God’s direction on how my word fit into my year, really without a clear guidance, YET! 

Lifeway had sent out an email back in the Fall of 2017, I would say around October/November, that Priscilla Shirer was going to be offering her latest Bible Study Free online for a period of time. She was also offering the study guide as well as her 90-day devotional at a special discounted price that you could purchase together. I LOVE Priscilla Shirer; I have heard her speak live a few times, and have done many of her studies, and read all of her books with the exception of the one she just came out with. I bought the bundle pack, and hoped I would be able to do the study. 

The first week the email came with her video included I was not able to sit down and watch it immediately, nor had I even cracked the study guide open yet. I had opened the devotional and started it a few days before that. On January 28^th, we had turned off the TV and my husband was reading in the bedroom, and so I decided that while I had the time I would go ahead and watch the video, and boy was I blessed!! 

I call these moments God winks, where He calls us to something, and then opens the door/confirms it. The study is on Obedience/my word of the year. Day one of the study she says, “hearing Him starts with our commitment to humble obedience. We won’t do it perfectly---but we must do it purposefully, with ears primed to hear and discern God’s voice.”   

My prayer and desire for this year is faithful obedience to God. I want to surrender my will, to do God’s Will. I want to obey immediately and not procrastinate or question why God is calling me to do something. God’s Will is perfect, His plan is perfect, I must be faithful to be obedient. 

God also gave me another word for the year, and that word is Joy. He has already opened my eyes up to areas of my life where I am lacking joy, and how life is not about being happy, but about having Joy in Him, even in the hard stuff. God wink #2 was when I was using one of my new highlighters in my obedience study that has joy written on it J I reached into my bag of highlighters, and pulled it out, started using it, happened to look over after I laid it down and realized it had joy on it. I had to chuckle. 

I look forward to being faithfully obedient and joyful in what God is calling me to do, not do, give up, or pick up.

How can I pray for you today?