Do Whatever You Want

Have you ever noticed when God keeps sending you the same message through many different avenues?Pastor started our children's sermon today by asking the kids how they would like it if they could do whatever they wanted and not get in trouble for it. He then posed the same questions to the adults. Think about that one....

Before going to church this morning I joined my online book club over at bloom for chapters 8&9 of Kelly Minter's, The Fitting Room. Today's chapter's were talking about peace. It's a teensie-tiny word that seems so hard for most of us to grasp. It sometimes seems the harder I chase after it the more elusive it becomes. If I just make "X" amount of money, I will have peace, as soon as I get married, I will have peace, if I lose weight, if I buy a new car, take a vacation....

I have also had my daughter, 7 year-old grandson, and granddog staying with me the last month. That creates a distinct lack of quiet, but that doesn't mean it has to affect my peace. I think my human view of peace is rather like translucent bubble around me. We all know from blowing bubbles how easily they pop. One of my favorite quotes from the book comes on page 113, "The "world" gives peace in the only way that it can give, which is always prone to punctures."

The puncture-proof kind of peace only comes from Christ. For years I never understood that. I have mentioned to several of my closest friends, (which now includes all three of you who read this blog,) that I have felt more at peace with my life in the last 6 months that I have felt in years. My financial status hasn't changed, same car, same leaky roof, still not married, but what has changed is my attitude.

What Pastor was trying to tell us this morning is that we can have that joy that comes from being able to do whatever we want to do. The peace and joy come about by being obedient to God's word and staying close to the heart of God. Psalm 85:10 says, "Righteousness and peace kiss each other." You can't have peace without righteousness and you can't have righteousness without peace. Kelly says it well:
"I wasn't looking over my shoulder, harboring any secret sins that were burdening me with guilt. I wasn't obsessively tormented by worry or dominated by fear.I wasn't in the middle of trying to work my way out of  some tangled and sticky mess I had gotten myself into again. Surely I will have more time when things out of my control will challenge my peace, but insofar as it lies within God and me, I have peace, and for this I am grateful,"

Now I have the joy of doing "whatever I want," but what I want is no longer just to stay within the bounds of "permissible" and okay, but to keep striving for the holier ground. That is where the true peace is found....

Linking up with Michelle over at Graceful.

"Typically we write about the lesson we read or the sermon we heard in church on Sunday. That said, I am pretty loosey-goosey – you can write about a verse or even a hymn that you've been pondering anytime recently. Also, you can come by anytime during the week to link up – it stays open until Friday." 

Be The Spark

My Facebook friends and family may have noticed a change in me over the last several months. I post a lot...... about poverty........

 about kids needing sponsors........

 about clean water.....

 about recycling soap........

 about mosquitos........

about how one person can change the world for one child........

 I share YouTube videos trying to be the spark that ignites the fire that's been lit in me. I lived in willful ignorance too long. Sure I knew there were kids going hungry, kids dying because they lacked food, water, basic medical care. But the problems was too big. What could I do to help? After all, I am a one income household, I struggle as it is.

 Then I began to open my eyes, I am rich compared to most of the world's population. I have my daily bread and so much more. Since I have been sponsoring with Compassion, my life has changed, my problems don't seem nearly so big anymore. I have been blessed ten thousandfold by my sponsored kids.

Bikant, age 6, from

Gracia, age 8, from Togo

Mawusse, age 7, from Togo

 So you see, I am really trying to share this blessing with my friends. If each one of us would sponsor a child, we could end poverty in our generation. Rise to the challenge, be a spark that ignites the fire of change.

Over one million children have been sponsored, and it all started with one man, who believed that God is bigger than poverty.

 http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=120410

She Becomes...: Learn a Little, Win a Little~ A Giveaway

Sharing an important story, which includes a giveaway, from She Becomes. I had never heard of a condition called obstetric fistula, what a devastating condition for the women affected. It is not generally a problem in our country because women have c-sections long before it comes to that.

She Becomes...: Learn a Little, Win a Little~ A Giveaway: "A few weeks ago at my local Farmer's Market, I discovered an NGO called The Women Can Ministry . It was the beautiful handmade African produ..."

Lame sponsors of the world unite!

Lisa-Jo, aka The Gypsy Mama wrote one of my all time favorite posts about why it is important for your sponsor kids to receive letters. I am going to write mine tonight!

Lame sponsors of the world unite!

Need A Lift??

Bonnie, over at Faith Barista is celebrating the gift of encouragement this month.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12: 6-8


Of all the spiritual gifts, I think sometimes we give the gift of encouragement the least credit. That seems funny, because we have all benefited from the well timed encouraging word at one time or another. That text from a friend to let you know they are thinking of you, the thanks from your boss, an email from a family member, someone posting on your FaceBook wall after a a discouraging day. Let's all make this the month of encouragement, everyday find one person you can encourage in some way. Send a card, say thanks, acknowledge someone's extra effort, pray for a friend who is going through a difficult time. Let's see just how creative we can get!

Every Day

It's time for Five Minute Friday,  Lisa Jo, aka The Gypsy Mama, gives us our topic and we are to write for 5 minutes about whatever pops into our head, no editing allowed. Pop on over to her site for all the details! This week's prompt: Every Day

Every day, according to UNICEF, 22,000 children die due to poverty. They “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.” Can you imagine what would happen if suddenly 22,000 children died in New York? And what if the following day 22,000 children died in London, followed by another 22,000 in Sydney, then Berlin, and on and on, with no end in sight. The media coverage would be crazy, 24 hours a day, demands would be being made for answers. Yet everyday children are dying from preventable causes. What if they were the child next door? The kids your kids go to school with? Are some children more disposable than others? In God's sight, there are no disposable children. The question is, what are we going to do about it? With a problem this large and complex I don't expect to be able to change the world, but I can change the world for one child. What if we all did? Sponsor a child with Compassion^Source

If You Eat Food and Live in the U.S.

Here is a very important video from TEDX Austin. I can't unlearn what I now know, so I must share it with you.