Have you felt it?
That "my heart just beat a little faster" feeling? That "goosebumps up the arm" feeling? That "burning in your soul" feeling?
Yeah, we have all felt it at sometime or another, but have you felt it recently? And, no, I'm not talking about falling in love or getting the flu.
What is that one thing that gets your heart racing, gets your skin tingling and that you know, more than anything else, you were absolutely created to do? Take a minute to really think about it.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10 that "we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Wow. God created us for a purpose. Not only that, if you take a look a little earlier in the chapter, we are told that before we know Christ, we basically live life like the walking dead. Like zombie people. Living, but not really living. Doing, but not really doing. Being, but not really being. But hold the phones, that's not the end of the story:
Once we begin our relationship with God-our CREATOR- through Christ, we are MADE ALIVE. Made alive to live for what God created us for. Made alive with a purpose. His purpose.
So what in the world do we do with this new found living-the-real-life life?
LIVE IT.
Listen to the mind, heart and soul God has given you. Pay attention to what makes you excited, what makes your ears perk up, what takes your breath away. And then participate in it. do it. create it. become it...but all with a new purpose. To glorify our incredible, merciful, loving, relationship-with-you-wanting, new-life giving... Creator. God.
And in the midst of living your life while doing your passion, people will notice. They will notice excitement, enthusiasm, priority and joy for what you do. In how you live. And when the time comes to let them know why you are able to live the way you do, you let them know that once you were the walking dead, but you have been given life...and now you have a life worth living. And that is worth a skipping heartbeat.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Am I Committed
Taking up my cross everyday to follow Him...
Denying myself and my own wants...
Putting other people before myself...
Giving up things that distract me from the goal...
Did I know all of this before I signed up for the "Christian" life? Did I realize the sacrifice that it would take to follow Jesus? Is it supposed to be this hard at times? After knowing what I know now, am I still committed to being a follower of Christ?
Commitment is a scary word in society today. It's extremely hard to get people to commit to anything, let alone something that will change the way you live, think, act, and speak.
We all struggle with levels of commitment to certain things. We can commit to anything from our New Year's resolutions to the local PTA, but what determines that level of commitment is how hard it gets or what the results look like. One of the most common New Year's resolutions is weight loss. There is excitement and commitment at the beginning, but as time goes on it gets hard and the excitement runs out along with the commitment.
Following Christ has a similar pattern. We get saved and are excited about our new life in Christ. Life starts to get busy, we are hit with temptations and trials, and we are left wondering what happened. Our commitment to Christ doesn't mean that we are perfect, that we never mess up or fall flat on our face. What it does mean is that we keep our focus on Christ and that we try to live the life He calls us to and stay committed to Him.
Our military doesn't send one soldier to fight the war alone, and you shouldn't go into the fight alone either. When a soldier enlists, he really has no idea what lies ahead of him, but he is committed to the cause and he has a team around him. The body of Christ needs to work together as we all carry our cross with the our focus on the Savior. Even Christ allowed someone to help Him carry His cross. Don't be afraid to ask for help; surround yourself with people that will encourage you and help you up when you fall.
Denying myself and my own wants...
Putting other people before myself...
Giving up things that distract me from the goal...
Did I know all of this before I signed up for the "Christian" life? Did I realize the sacrifice that it would take to follow Jesus? Is it supposed to be this hard at times? After knowing what I know now, am I still committed to being a follower of Christ?
Commitment is a scary word in society today. It's extremely hard to get people to commit to anything, let alone something that will change the way you live, think, act, and speak.
We all struggle with levels of commitment to certain things. We can commit to anything from our New Year's resolutions to the local PTA, but what determines that level of commitment is how hard it gets or what the results look like. One of the most common New Year's resolutions is weight loss. There is excitement and commitment at the beginning, but as time goes on it gets hard and the excitement runs out along with the commitment.
Following Christ has a similar pattern. We get saved and are excited about our new life in Christ. Life starts to get busy, we are hit with temptations and trials, and we are left wondering what happened. Our commitment to Christ doesn't mean that we are perfect, that we never mess up or fall flat on our face. What it does mean is that we keep our focus on Christ and that we try to live the life He calls us to and stay committed to Him.
Our military doesn't send one soldier to fight the war alone, and you shouldn't go into the fight alone either. When a soldier enlists, he really has no idea what lies ahead of him, but he is committed to the cause and he has a team around him. The body of Christ needs to work together as we all carry our cross with the our focus on the Savior. Even Christ allowed someone to help Him carry His cross. Don't be afraid to ask for help; surround yourself with people that will encourage you and help you up when you fall.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Savor - a Christmas family devotion
“Savor” is one of my favorite words. Of ALL time. It speaks to me in colors and pictures and feelings. During my sabbatical, God spoke to me about my favorite words. About writing about them. The list begins with a handful of words that, regardless of time of year and circumstance, I love. The word “savor” is at the top of the list.
“Savor” reminds me to stop. One of the definitions that freedictionary.com attributes to “savor” is: “To appreciate fully; enjoy or relish”. It’s hard to really savor something if you’re in a hurry. Savor is a word naturally related to eating and food...two of my favorite things. One does not savor something quickly...savoring at its very core must be done rather slowly. It is an event. A happening.
The choice to savor something has to be a conscious one. Even if you didn’t know ahead of time that the moment to savor something was approaching, you acknowledge it when it arrives and decide to ingest whatever it is slowly. It could be a favorite song or a special scent. It could be a moment of quiet or a moment of sheer “dance like no one’s watching” joy. Whatever it is, to truly savor it, you must stop the other things you are currently doing or carrying or busying yourself with, and give in to the savoring.
When was the last time you gave in to a moment? When was the last time that the schedule or the ever-present “to-do” list gave way to a special happening that needed to be savored? This is especially hard to do this time of year. You would hope that it wouldn’t be it (it being Christmas and all), but it is. There are parties and gatherings to be attended or prepared for. There are bathrooms to be cleaned, shopping to be done. There are parking spots to be fought for, and sales to be be taken advantage of. I believe God’s advice to us in this moment- and all of them really- is to savor the stuff that really counts. Our kids (no matter their age or current attitude) need to be savored. The minutes of peace and quiet that God gives us need to be savored. The sound of kids in the neighborhood. The smell of cookies or Christmas trees or those crazy cinnamon scented pinecones in Michael’s Arts and Crafts (I have some of those crazy pinecones currently in my house). They all need to be savored. The prayers of friends. The chance to intervene in prayer on the behalf of someone in need. Jesus coming to earth to rescue us. The Father’s heart that He loves us that much. All of these and so many more need to be savored.
What will you and I do today to make sure that we don’t miss a moment that God wants us to savor?
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Talk about it...
*What are you and your family members looking forward to savoring this Christmas Day? Take a few moments for each family member to share.
Read Luke chapter 2. Talk with family and friends about any “a-ha” moments that you had while reading chapter 2. God always has new things to teach us when we read His Word (it’s a living and breathing thing remember).
Take a really close look at verse 19. What do you find Mary doing in this verse? Yep, she’s savoring the moment that God has placed her in. Amazing, isn’t it? She’s got a million things going on at the moment (recovering from childbirth, a long journey, neighborhood shepherds stopping by), but she stops. She looks around and takes in the scene. The Baby’s teeny fingers, the look of awe on Joseph’s face, the silence of the night. She savors the moment. Isn’t that amazing?
*What moments have you had today that you have truly savored?
*Who has God placed in your life that you can savor a moment with today?
Don’t forget to take time in prayer to savor Jesus’ presence. He is Emmanuel. God with us. Messy us. Busy us. Distracted us. He came with grace, mercy, and peace for us. Let’s savor that today.
Pray about it...
Gracious King, thank You for coming to rescue us. Thank You for the special moments that You have already given us today. We ask that You would give us the eyes, the ears, and the heart to notice the moments that You want us to stop and savor. Most of all Jesus, please help us to stop and savor You. Your love. Your goodness. Your grace.
In Your name we pray, amen.
On behalf of the entire Greenridge Staff, I wish you the merriest Christmas yet. We love you dearly.
-Deni Sunderly
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Day 21: My Response to the Campaign
- May it be led by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:20)
- Obedience to God's will (Acts 5:29)
- Faith in God's wisdom (James 1:5)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Day 20: Arts Ministry (Psalm 95:1-3; Psalm 22:3)
When I was a sophomore in college I felt God calling me to serve for a month in China on a mission trip. The problem was that I lacked the funds to go. The trip cost was over $3000.00, and I was paying my own way through school and working side jobs for spending money. $3000.00 was, literally, and impossible sum for me to raise on my own.
To make matters worse, my parents had just moved from Tennessee to Florida and I no longer had my church home to ask for support.
But I felt that God was calling me to go and I knew he would make a way. So I signed up and started praying.
I headed “home” to Florida for spring break and talked to my parents about the trip. They told me that they could offer no financial support, and that I should probably rethink going to China.
But I felt God calling me to go, and I knew he would make a way. So I looked for a summer job.
Just as school was ending, and like all other college students do, I got a credit card application in the mail. The limit was $1,500.00. Normally I would have just tossed the application in the trash with the countless others, but I thought about the cost of my plane ticket ($1,700.00) and the tips that I would be making soon at the “Happy Tomato Café” and decided to apply.
I felt God calling me to go, maybe this was how he was making a way.
I got my credit card in the mail, right as I was going home.
My first week at the “Happy Tomato Café” was definitely happy, but I didn’t make even close to the $3000.00 that I needed to get to China, and I was only going to be able to work about a month before I headed out of the country. I went home that Friday very discouraged, questioning if what I had felt and heard was really the call of God, or if it had simply been my wishful thinking.
On my drive home from work I devised a plan: when I got home I would call the travel agent and ask if I could pay for most of my ticket with my new credit card and then pay the rest by check in a few weeks.
I picked up the phone and called the travel agency. I reminded her of who I was and before I could tell her of my plan, she told me: “we received your full payment yesterday and your tickets are in the mail.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, sure that I had heard her wrong.
She repeated herself clearly. “We received your full payment yesterday and your tickets are in the mail.”
“So my tickets are paid-in-full?”
“That’s correct. Is there anything else that you need today?”
“No, thank you.” As I hung up the phone, I realized what had just happened: I had felt God calling me to go and he had made a way.
I had said that he would, I had told people that he would, but I hadn’t really believed that he would. But he did.
I had no idea then and I still do not know where the payment for my tickets came from. I do know that God understood my financial situation and I learned that when God calls us to do something he already knows how it’s going to work. How reassuring.
~Tirzah Turner
- Members would seek God each day in anticipation of leading worship
- Gifts are used for sole purpose of honoring God
- Growth of children's and preschool choirs
When I was a sophomore in college I felt God calling me to serve for a month in China on a mission trip. The problem was that I lacked the funds to go. The trip cost was over $3000.00, and I was paying my own way through school and working side jobs for spending money. $3000.00 was, literally, and impossible sum for me to raise on my own.
To make matters worse, my parents had just moved from Tennessee to Florida and I no longer had my church home to ask for support.
But I felt that God was calling me to go and I knew he would make a way. So I signed up and started praying.
I headed “home” to Florida for spring break and talked to my parents about the trip. They told me that they could offer no financial support, and that I should probably rethink going to China.
But I felt God calling me to go, and I knew he would make a way. So I looked for a summer job.
Just as school was ending, and like all other college students do, I got a credit card application in the mail. The limit was $1,500.00. Normally I would have just tossed the application in the trash with the countless others, but I thought about the cost of my plane ticket ($1,700.00) and the tips that I would be making soon at the “Happy Tomato Café” and decided to apply.
I felt God calling me to go, maybe this was how he was making a way.
I got my credit card in the mail, right as I was going home.
My first week at the “Happy Tomato Café” was definitely happy, but I didn’t make even close to the $3000.00 that I needed to get to China, and I was only going to be able to work about a month before I headed out of the country. I went home that Friday very discouraged, questioning if what I had felt and heard was really the call of God, or if it had simply been my wishful thinking.
On my drive home from work I devised a plan: when I got home I would call the travel agent and ask if I could pay for most of my ticket with my new credit card and then pay the rest by check in a few weeks.
I picked up the phone and called the travel agency. I reminded her of who I was and before I could tell her of my plan, she told me: “we received your full payment yesterday and your tickets are in the mail.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, sure that I had heard her wrong.
She repeated herself clearly. “We received your full payment yesterday and your tickets are in the mail.”
“So my tickets are paid-in-full?”
“That’s correct. Is there anything else that you need today?”
“No, thank you.” As I hung up the phone, I realized what had just happened: I had felt God calling me to go and he had made a way.
I had said that he would, I had told people that he would, but I hadn’t really believed that he would. But he did.
I had no idea then and I still do not know where the payment for my tickets came from. I do know that God understood my financial situation and I learned that when God calls us to do something he already knows how it’s going to work. How reassuring.
~Tirzah Turner
Friday, March 19, 2010
Day 19: Child Development Center (Proverbs 22:6)
Faith with action – So last November I came to my normal Monday team meeting and for the first time read scripture and shared what God had lain on my heart. I told each of them that from that day forward we will not be working on real estate on Sunday and I was so convicted about it that if anyone worked it was grounds to be fired. I had to clarify this for the team because in Joshua they stoned and burned Achan and I could tell they were a little nervous (that firing doesn’t sound so bad now).
God steps in to encourage me immediately- my team sat there stunned but each of them smiled and said that they loved the idea and they were in full support of me and more importantly of God’s commandment. Since that Monday in November I have been tracking my business and it has grown year over year and month over month and we are doing more business in less time. More business allows me to glorify God to other members of my industry and to provide more financial resources to His kingdom.
By honoring God and giving Him what was already His he has blessed me, my team, their families and our clients. I am reminded in Matthew 6:33 of God’s promise – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
~Chris Dyer
- God's direction and guidance
- Staff and their families
- Increase in enrollment
Faith with action – So last November I came to my normal Monday team meeting and for the first time read scripture and shared what God had lain on my heart. I told each of them that from that day forward we will not be working on real estate on Sunday and I was so convicted about it that if anyone worked it was grounds to be fired. I had to clarify this for the team because in Joshua they stoned and burned Achan and I could tell they were a little nervous (that firing doesn’t sound so bad now).
God steps in to encourage me immediately- my team sat there stunned but each of them smiled and said that they loved the idea and they were in full support of me and more importantly of God’s commandment. Since that Monday in November I have been tracking my business and it has grown year over year and month over month and we are doing more business in less time. More business allows me to glorify God to other members of my industry and to provide more financial resources to His kingdom.
By honoring God and giving Him what was already His he has blessed me, my team, their families and our clients. I am reminded in Matthew 6:33 of God’s promise – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
~Chris Dyer
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Day 18: Benevolence Ministry (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
In August of 1990 we relocated our family from the New Orleans area back to Florida as a result of an opportunity with Mike's job. We were enjoying life as a family with three young children and being involved in the church where we grew up and were married. Mike was working at the Kennedy Space Center and had been there for just over a year when the company he was with announced “cut backs”. Being the “new kid on the block” and surrounded by men who had years of seniority, Mike became the one that would be looking for a new job. We were very perplexed by this development since we had earnestly prayed about the move and the Lord opening those doors for us to move back to Florida. It was not only a good career opportunity it also allowed our children to be close to both sets of grandparents. We prayed for God to provide a new job during the two weeks notice Mike worked. On day 13 Mike received a call from the HR person from the same company and was offered a job that was similar to a summer job he worked while in college. It was half the salary he had been making and was less than challenging. During that time we trimmed our budget and evaluated what were “needs” and what were “wants”. We cut out all unnecessary expenses and watched how God met our every need and even some of our “wants”. He was FAITHFUL! During that time we continued to tithe knowing that He was in control of our situation. We continued to pray for a new job opportunity as Mike applied for every job he was qualified for. About 3 1/2 months had passed and I received a call at home from a man who had seen some of the work Mike did while in New Orleans. He had been trying to locate him for a month and had finally obtained our home number! Mike contacted him and an interview was set up. About the same time Mike received an interview call with a competitor company. He received offers from both companies! We knew that this was God's hand at work! After much prayer, he chose the company that had the best opportunity for growth over the one with the higher salary offer. Part of our prayer had been that God would provide a job that he would truly enjoy...and that He did. The Lord has allowed us to have many “job related” adventures since then to include three more moves. With each move we witnessed events that are truly only attributed to “God at work”...no other explanation is possible!
These verses have meant so much to me through the years and were a comfort when moving...there are so many unknowns..."Where will we live? Where will we go to church? Where will the kids go to school? Will we be able to make strong Christian friendships?"
Matthew 6:25 – 34: 25 For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26 "Look" at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 "And which of you being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?" 28 "And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet, I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these." 30 "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? 31 Do not be anxious then, saying, "What shall we eat' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?" 32 "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." 34 "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day is enough trouble of its own."
God has been, God is and God will ALWAYS be FAITHFUL! As His children when we trust Him with the unknown and then see His Mighty Hand of Provision we have great confidence that when faced with the next challenge we can TRUST Him to provide what we need and to guide us!
~The Creightons
- Wisdom and discernment when responding to requests
- Families and individuals ministered to
In August of 1990 we relocated our family from the New Orleans area back to Florida as a result of an opportunity with Mike's job. We were enjoying life as a family with three young children and being involved in the church where we grew up and were married. Mike was working at the Kennedy Space Center and had been there for just over a year when the company he was with announced “cut backs”. Being the “new kid on the block” and surrounded by men who had years of seniority, Mike became the one that would be looking for a new job. We were very perplexed by this development since we had earnestly prayed about the move and the Lord opening those doors for us to move back to Florida. It was not only a good career opportunity it also allowed our children to be close to both sets of grandparents. We prayed for God to provide a new job during the two weeks notice Mike worked. On day 13 Mike received a call from the HR person from the same company and was offered a job that was similar to a summer job he worked while in college. It was half the salary he had been making and was less than challenging. During that time we trimmed our budget and evaluated what were “needs” and what were “wants”. We cut out all unnecessary expenses and watched how God met our every need and even some of our “wants”. He was FAITHFUL! During that time we continued to tithe knowing that He was in control of our situation. We continued to pray for a new job opportunity as Mike applied for every job he was qualified for. About 3 1/2 months had passed and I received a call at home from a man who had seen some of the work Mike did while in New Orleans. He had been trying to locate him for a month and had finally obtained our home number! Mike contacted him and an interview was set up. About the same time Mike received an interview call with a competitor company. He received offers from both companies! We knew that this was God's hand at work! After much prayer, he chose the company that had the best opportunity for growth over the one with the higher salary offer. Part of our prayer had been that God would provide a job that he would truly enjoy...and that He did. The Lord has allowed us to have many “job related” adventures since then to include three more moves. With each move we witnessed events that are truly only attributed to “God at work”...no other explanation is possible!
These verses have meant so much to me through the years and were a comfort when moving...there are so many unknowns..."Where will we live? Where will we go to church? Where will the kids go to school? Will we be able to make strong Christian friendships?"
Matthew 6:25 – 34: 25 For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26 "Look" at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 "And which of you being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?" 28 "And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet, I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these." 30 "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? 31 Do not be anxious then, saying, "What shall we eat' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?" 32 "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." 34 "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day is enough trouble of its own."
God has been, God is and God will ALWAYS be FAITHFUL! As His children when we trust Him with the unknown and then see His Mighty Hand of Provision we have great confidence that when faced with the next challenge we can TRUST Him to provide what we need and to guide us!
~The Creightons
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