I'll PRAY for you

I know a lot of people who may be righteous (Have faith in the Almighty) but don't like Christians who push their beliefs on other people.  One way I kind of get around that is to be persistent and consistent in showing my faith.  The best way I know how to do this is when I see someone in need of prayers, I just simply tell them that I will pray for them.  It comes naturally to me because I was going to do it anyway so why not just let them know?  People are usually so grateful and they will know from my actions that I am a believer.  That way when they have questions or would like to know more about my faith they may know one person they can talk to about Christianity.

I think it is effective to be the body of the Church through service and my actions.  Just being a really happy person from the inner joy I get from just having the relation with my Savior and being grateful for all of my blessing.  I hope people close to me can just tell by the way I love them and how I help in their time of need.  I want people to know they can count on me to be there for them.  I want to be known for making this world a better place. By not only shining a light but shining brightly.

It's funny, I was out of town last weekend and so we missed Church on Sunday, and I had not had a chance to watch it on line.  I was in my married small group last night and we were talking about how we wanted to make a difference in the world by sharing our faith.  I brought up this concept of praying for people.  I was surprise to find out that this is exactly what Andy Stanley had talked about in his message last weekend in the Series Red letter Prayers.  For the full messages and to get caught up for this Sunday you can watch the previous messages here.

I hope you have an AMAZING weekend and thanks for continuing to support my efforts in writing and blogging.  I am well on my way to writing my book.  Please "Like" me on Facebook here. 

I choose you, EVERY time!

In August, it will be two years of being married to Kyle.  It has really flown by.  I love him more every day!!  We just really have fun together.  He is the most amazing Christian leader and someone worth following.  I would follow him anywhere and everywhere. I trust and respect him completely.  In return, he loves me completely, as I like to notice, how Christ loves us.  This is the key to our marriage and I believe any healthy marriage.  In marriage it seems you either grow together or unfortunately, you grow apart.  Growing together is what we will constantly strive for throughout our marriage.  It takes joyful work, patience, and tons of grace!  Sometime you have to, consciously, choose to love your spouse.

I really don’t know how I could ever live without him.  He is my everything. I tell him almost every day, “You know, if I had to pick one thing to have in this world… I choose you, EVERY time!!”  I also tell him that he is “my favorite, anything.”  He is my best friend, and the love of my life.  It is kind of funny to think about but, when I was single, I never really could imagine or expected to ever find someone like him or think about loving someone so much.  He is kind of easy to get along with which helps.  We were also older when we started dating so we were mature.  You have to be satisfied in your relationship with yourself and the Lord or there will be a void in your heart. Then, you try to fill that void with someone else.    

To quote part of my favorite poem by St. Anthony of Padua, “Be Satisfied in Me” he wrote:

“Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says,
“No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled and content
With being loved by Me alone,
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me,
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone…”

When I was single, I had this poem taped behind my bedroom door and I read it almost every day.  It helped me focus on my relationship with myself and the Lord.  I really can’t stress that enough, how important it is to be a “complete person” before you are serious about adding that special person to your life.  My recommendation to those being patient in God’s plan for your life is to enjoy every season.  Then when you are ready and the person God has for you is ready, God will unite you together.  Timing is everything. 

Don't Give up on Me!!

"Don’t Give Up On Me"
Jason Aldean
I don’t to church enough
I curse out loud, I drink too much
I’m more of a sinner than a saint
Got a dusty Bible on my shelf
I just pick it up when I need help
Lord know there’s a lot I need to change
And I want to, baby, you make me want to
You tie the knot
When I’m at the end of my rope
You never stop believin’ in me
When I don’t know who I am
Or what I’m supposed to be
I don’t give you no good reason
But baby, don’t give up on me...

Some times people need to know that someone believes in them. If you feel like there is not anyone who believes in you, know this... God never stops believing in you! God will always give you a second chance when you don't think anyone else will. God wants to be there for you all the time not just when you need help. Pray to God when you are thankful not just when you want something. The more in tune with God you become the more his will for your life will be clear.

Jason Aldeans song "Don't Give up on Me" starts out telling a very familiar story. Someone feeling like they are not good enough or can't measure up.  But let's be honest, this is all of us.  We can strive to be perfect but we will never be that way so we need to accept God's grace and forgiveness! 

In the song I feel like the "Baby" could be replaced with "Lord."  When he says, "You tie the knot, when I'm at the end of my rope" I believe this is how the Lord Loves us.  He is there for us when we have nothing else or anyone else.  The Lord doesn't let us slip away... ever.  All we have to do is reach out and grab on to the rope of salvation.

Home of the Brave and Land of the Free

I love the Fourth of July!!  We have such an AMAZING country and while a lot of people will disagree on political affiliation one thing we can all agree on is we love this country.  We have every reason to be patriotic because we live in a country not like any other country.   In the honor of National Independence day look over what our country stands for in our National Anthem!!  Always be grateful...

USA National Anthem Lyrics

United States of America
The Star Spangled Banner
Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution!
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust":
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/

You. Just. Got. Served.

This one little phrase seems to have a pretty negative connotation lately.  It is the idea that you really slammed or put someone down.  It can seem funny if someone is joking around, but other times it may really be painful if it is a little to close to the heart. How many times a day do we hear about people that have a negative impact with their words cutting deep?

What if people thought of "serving" in a more positive way?!?!  One thing I love most in this world is giving back to my community in time and money.  Serving for me is a part of who I am and something I am really committed to doing with my free time.  I feel like I can really feel the heart beat of the church through the different areas I have assisted.

When I first served at Buckhead church it was in Wamba Land, the pre-elementary school ministry.  Here I saw first hand how the church starts to show God's love to children and teaches them how "God loves them and wants to be their friend forever."  I think it is awesome how the church simplifies the message so even a three year old can connect and understand the basic idea of Christianity.

Then I moved to volunteering in a Fusion group, the old version of Single's Gathering.  After that I started to co-lead my own Fusion groups.  It is amazing to see how God uses the get-together to make authentic friendships and then see how the relationships develop.  Dating relationships are not the goal but when God blesses a relationship that honors him, only good things come from it.  The Singles Ministry at the Northpoint Ministries has an incredible way of bringing like minded people together to honor God through friendships.

One of the coolest groups I led was the DoJustice Atlanta wide community service event.  For one day groups of singles come together and each group of about 15-20 people complete one project through hard work and dedication.  It may seem like one group may not make that big of a difference, and maybe if it was just one group it wouldn't.  But the Northpoint Ministries is a huge organization and never does something half way.  So imagine 100 groups of 20... 2,000 people serving in a day.  That kind of man power can really make a difference in the community.  One united front.  It is kind of like a Christian Army for good.  Serving people throughout the Atlanta area building relationships with your team and making a real difference.  I feel like the whole city gets a face-lift bringing a light to otherwise dark parts of this town.  By serving others we realize what makes us great... the will to put other people before us is humbling, making the Lord first.

Now I am married, and my husband and I are serving in Transit, the middle school ministry.  Middle school is a rough awkward age for so many young people.  Kids are growing, changing, and learning independence everyday.  They struggle with trying to fit in and sometimes give into peer pressure.  The goal with serving these young people is to empower them to believe in themselves and grow into young adults who truly know and love the Lord.  If we invest in them they will realize they are valuable and become confident that they can be true to themselves while maintaining their relationship with their parents and the Lord.

I believe in the power of three.  Three good influencers can make all the difference.  A parent, a teacher, and a third person supporting them.  A lot of times there will be a coach, a friend's parent or maybe a youth group leader.  In our case we are small group leaders to these girls and boys (I have a girls' small group and my husband has a boys' small group).  Just to think that we are serving these youth in the most impressionable time in their lives is already so rewarding.  It is so cool to see them open up while being authentic and real.  It's pretty cool to be able to relate to them.  The difficult things I had to deal with are still relevant issues that they go through today.

So next time you think about putting someone down, think about the difference you could make by serving them instead.  Bringing other people up by being a friend to them and putting them before yourself.  Then imagine what a group of people can accomplish if they work together to change the town for the better.