Purpose

Recently, I was in a thrift store browsing the used book section. I found a copy of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. Since I may be the only person who has not read the book, I picked it up to glance through and read the introduction.

What caught my eye though was the notes written on the last page.

The previous owner had written...

 

          the address for QVC

          the beginning of a Coconut Pie recipe

and...

           Stand for the Lord. The devil raises up his head but stand in God's word. Jesus said I won't leave you or forsake you. God is good. I thank God for you knowing you. I pray for you always, that as you lead that they (the church) will become as one.

At first...I laughed! 

 

Here is a woman writing in the back of a book that is supposed to guide you to a deeper relationship with God, the address for a shopping network and a pie recipe!

But then.....

The blessed Holy Spirit spoke so gently to me and said...my child...you are no different.

You busy yourself with things that are just as meaningless when I desire a close communion with you.

I desire what is first and most important in your life..not the leftovers.

I want your first thoughts of the day to be about ME and MY plans for today...not your own.

Wow.....

I looked again at the notes...this time...I saw what I hoped was a progression in the life of this woman.

First shopping and household duties...but then the real purpose of her life.

A deeper walk with the Savior who will never leave nor forsake.

A prayer life that includes others spiritual needs, and unity of the believers.

Father...begin that work in me.

The Power of One

The Boy and the Starfish                

A man was walking along a deserted beach at sunset. As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance, as he drew nearer he noticed that the boy kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water.

 

Time and again he kept hurling things into the ocean. As the man approached even closer, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time he was throwing them back into the water. The man asked the boy what he was doing, the boy replied,"I am throwing these washed up starfish back into the ocean, or else they will die through lack of oxygen. "But", said the man, "You can't possibly save them all, there are thousands on this beach, and this must be happening on hundreds of beaches along the coast. You can't possibly make a difference."

 

The boy looked down, frowning for a moment; then bent down to pick up another starfish, smiling as he threw it back into the sea. He replied, 

 

"I made a huge difference to that one!"

 

  ~Author Unknown~

A friend and I had a discussion today and it left me with a troubled heart.

 

It centered around the trouble that is all around us and no one seems to be doing anything to help. She shared pictures from the Holocaust and brought to remembrance of how for years, nothing was done to help.

 

We...as a country...sat idle by and let people perish.

 

She asked the question that echos in all of our hearts, “What can we do when no one will listen?”

 

What can we do?

 

I am a single, senior aged woman.

 

What can I do?

 

Well, Lynette....ALOT!

 

History is full of examples of people who made a difference, just because they were willing to be used.

 

Corrie tenBoom was about my age when she joined the Harlem Underground. She, her sister, and aged father helped to save hundreds of Jews during the dark days of the Holocaust. She later traveled the world sharing a message of love, peace, and forgiveness through Christ.

 

Eric Liddell refused to run a race. The world’s eyes were placed on the man who chose obedience to God over the praise of man.

 

Countless people credit their salvation to the prayers of their mother.

 

Amy Carmichael cut the fingernails of thousands of little Chinese children.

 

A bus driver picked me up for church each Sunday morning.

 

This is just a very few examples.

 

What can I do? 

 

What have I done TODAY?

 

 

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Matthew 10:42

Be Still

"But I have stilled and quieted my soul." Psalm 131:2a (NIV 1984)

I'm a talker; always have been.

When report cards were sent home, my parents never expected anything better than a C beside the word "conduct." One of my elementary teachers politely called me "very social," while most were much more blunt. 

"She talks too much. 

She could learn more if she would talk less."

Unfortunately, old habits die hard.

I brought this trait of talking too much into my quiet time with God, filling the silence with words ...

lots and lots of words.

 I wonder if sometimes the Father looks to the Son and says, "I can't get a word in edge-wise with this girl! She could learn more if she would talk less."

To be honest, silence wasn't easy for this girl who likes to gab. I wanted to tell God what I thought would be good solutions to my problems. To-do lists ran through my head, instead of peace and quiet.

 Dusty shelves and piles of toys distracted my attention.

It felt unnatural not to be talking, so I resisted it.

I shared my uneasiness with God but knew silence and stillness were things I needed to practice. During these times I heard God's gentle encouragement, "Shhh. Be still. It's okay to be silent. You don't have to say a word."

Gradually I felt something I couldn't name until I read this verse: rest.

My spirit felt renewed and at peace. In silence and stillness, God united His heart with mine, allowing me to experience the rest I needed.

As we fill the reservoir of our soul with the true refreshment from God we learn to relax in the rhythms of His grace. We experience real peace and rest that only come from the silence and stillness of being with Him. We carry this refreshment with us as we face the challenges of our day.

Do you have the gift of gab like me?

Do you find it challenging to sit quietly with God?

Ask Him to help you practice and enjoy silence and stillness. Your soul will find refreshing peace. God's rest is exactly what our restless soul needs.


Dear Lord, my soul is having a hard time being still. I lay down my resistance to silence and commit to five minutes of silence with You for the next month. I praise You in advance for what You are going to say to me in the silence. I thank You for the rest only You can give. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Forgiving and Excusing

I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality…asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me. 

 

But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. 

 

Forgiveness says 'Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology...' 

 

But excusing says 'I see that you couldn't help it or don't mean it; you weren't really to blame.' 

 

If we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses. 

 

They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied with ourselves.

 

 

 

Jessica Little Castleberry

Beautiful Warrior

I have been under spiritual attack of late. 

 

Several things have happened that have quite frankly...knocked me for a loop and questioning God and my ability to trust Him and His goodness? 

 

Why is it that MY insecurities in myself...lead me to question God and His infinite love for me? 

 

Why is it that when MY plans are thwarted....my first response is that God has forgotten me? 

 

I tend to forget my PURPOSE. 

 

My objective in living this life to the fullest as a woman of God. 

 

I was reading a study, authored by a Rabbi, about the Proverbs 31 woman. He said that in the original language, she is referred to as a soldier and a pearl. 

 

As a soldier, I should be on the offensive about the welfare of my family. I don’t know that much about war and battles...but I do know this...you do not just sit around passively waiting for the enemy to attack. 

 

You formulate battle plans. 

 

You research your enemy. 

 

You discover his weakness. 

 

You prepare your weapons. 

 

You strengthen yourself. 

 

You educate yourself on the where the battle will take place. 

 

As Christian women, we are warriors. We are warriors for our families, our churches, our communities, our country, and our own hearts. 

 

As school resumes session, let us determine to be warriors for our children and grandchildren. Let us educate ourselves on the ways they are attacked by Satan. Let us not be more concerned about them doing their homework, or being liked, than we are about their spiritual battlefront. 

 

Let us vow to cover our husbands in prayer before he leaves the house, aggressively claiming the protection of God over his heart, mind, and marriage. 

 

Let us faithfully, put on our armor and gird ourselves as the warriors we are. Let us turn off the TV and get in the Word. Let’s stop comparing ourselves to the “published version” of other lives and live the lives we have been given for God. 

 

Now….for the Beautiful… 

 

May I say this is a struggle for me? 

 

Honestly….I do better as a warrior. 

 

I struggle to see my beauty. 

 

I minimize my worth. 

 

And….whew…and this is really hard…. 

 

I don’t allow others to see the “pearl” that I am because of the suffering and issues of the past. 

 

I was chatting with a friend this week, I mentioned that I had felt that God had deserted me during the time of my divorce. She was shocked….she thought that I was a widow. 

 

This is a woman that I have known many years. 

 

God pricked my heart. 

 

During my divorce, God took that pain and used it to create a pearl…a pearl that I was willing to portray as a counterfeit because I did not share what God had done for me. 

 

Isn’t that one of the reasons of the Bible? 

 

We see the failings of Moses, David, Solomon, Peter and then how God worked in the lives of ordinary men and women. This gives us courage and encouragement. 

 

We should be sharing those things that God has done…those pearls He has created in us. 

 

Beautiful Warriors…let us begin again as the women God has ordained.

Helping Homeless Families

http://nationswell.com/watch-much-couple-can-stuff-backpack-homeless-20/

This family has found a way to bless homeless families for $20.

What does your family do?

The Overwhelmed Mother

The overwhelmed mother. 

 

We have all seen her, and as much as we hate to admit it, if you are a mother, there are moments you have been the overwhelmed mother. As wonderful and fulfilling it is…it is also exhausting at times. 

 

I am not sure how or where it started, but it seems to be acceptable now for women to bash each other. 

 

The working mom bashes the stay at home mom. 

 

The stay at home mom bashes the working mom. 

 

Public school vs Private school vs Homeschooled 

 

The list goes on and on. Why? Let us vow as followers of Christ to stop this nonsense. Instead, let us look at why a mother is overwhelmed and find solutions to ease her burdens.

 

· Offer to help with household chores 

 

· Tutor her children in difficult subjects 

 

· Give her a few hours to herself 

 

· Cook a meal 

 

· Do her mending 

 

There are other situations that are outside of the normal that overwhelm mothers, so let us please not forget the homeless mother or the mother of a terminally ill child. 

 

The average age of a homeless person is 8. We tend to think of the homeless as the old man who wasted his life drinking. The reality is that the homeless population is primarily mothers with children. 

 

Do you keep Blessing Bags in your car? Does your church have a homeless ministry? Does your community have a safe place for families to rest at night in safety? Do you pray for that mother that has the same hopes and desires for her children that you have? 

 

The mother of a terminally ill child (no matter the age) ….oh how my heart breaks for her. 

 

How can we bless her? 

 

First, by covering her and her family in prayer. That is always the most important thing we can do. 

 

Then, what are her practical needs? Are they able to be near their home? Do they need meals? Are there other children in the home that need attention? Are they struggling financially? What is she doing those long hours at a bedside? Can you teach her to knit or crochet? Many people find that such activities not only help with the emotional toil, but it offers them a way to give back by making items for other patients. 

 

Lastly…let her talk. Don’t judge the feelings that she is having. Let her unburden her heart about her fears, her frustration, and her lost dreams. Be there for her. There may be times that you want to cover your ears and run from the room, but be there. Love her lavishly. Remind her that God is in control and loves her more that imaginable. 

 

What are your thoughts? 

 

How have you been a blessing to the overwhelmed mother?