What legacy will you leave behind?

"We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done." Psalm 78:4 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Dueteronomy 6: 5-9 

What do you think of when you hear the words "leave a legacy behind"?


Maybe money, property, Earthly riches or maybe you think of leaving behind a long last legacy like Christ.

When it is your time to be called home to be with our Lord and Savior will those in your life know you lived a life devoted to Christ? Will you leave a legacy that led others to Christ? Will you leave behind Earthly riches?

My prayer is that we each leave behind a legacy that points others to Christ. 

For each of us leaving this kind of legacy behind will look different from person to person, as we each will use our own strengths, talents, and passions to point others to Christ.
Think for a moment about your strengths, talents and passions and how you can use those to point others to Christ. What does that look like for you? 

Let's spread Christ like love in the ways we know how, so that in our lifetime we can bring others to Christ and those people will also bring others to Christ. 

Maybe that looks like:
Striking up a conversation with someone about their faith.
Writing about Christ love and what he has done in your life and those around you.
Singing about Christ love.
Praying before your big game.
Inviting someone to church with you.
Volunteering with a Christian ministry.


The truth is that each of us will take a different path but in the end the goal remains, lead others to Christ. 

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year

Christmas  has been my favorite time of year for as long as I can remember, but as I have grown older I have come to appreciate the season even more. Christmas time is when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The thing I really love about the story of Jesus' birth is that it wasn't big and flashy. He didn't have the wise men leak the story to the paparazzi. He didn't have his grand entrance into the world in a private suite of a hospital . He didn't have a golden bottle. He was born a very simple birth in a manger with his mother and father. From the very beginning He just was.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28: 19


This is a time of year we often hear the phrases "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays", what an easy way for a Christian to strike up the conversation of Jesus Christ or to invite someone to church for Christmas Eve services! But in these times of opportunities we must remember to reflect Christ-like love. I love that my church makes post card sized invitations every year for attendees to take and invite someone they know to Christmas Eve services, the invitation is even wondering around social media! It blows me away to see everyone of all ages inviting someone they know to come hear the word of God, and to think that it could be someones Christmas gift AMAZING!


"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." 1 John 4: 9 

Many Christmases ago God gave us the ultimate gift, his Son! His Son was sent to pay the price for our sins, but what if this year you gave someone the gift of getting to know Christ. What if even if they turned down your invitation to attend church you still lived a Christ centered life in hopes that someday they would ask more about the God you praise even in the hard times? What if as a New Years resolution we chose to invite someone new to church every weekend? Or take a moment every week/ day to tell someone about Christ? What if this year we lived like we knew each day was fought and won for us by the Messiah? 


I pray each and every one of you has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I would not be able to finish this post if I did not invite you to one of our New Hope Christmas Eve services times listed are available at all three locations. 

You are NOT alone.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.Psalm 136:1, 26


I won't lie I have been avoiding writing this particular post, but God has put it on my heart quite a bit recently so here goes.

My junior year of high school on Graduation day I lost my grandfather. I can not tell you that my faith remained unwaivered, because that would not be true. For many months after my grandfather passed away I was very angry with God. Why had he let this happen? Why couldn't I have gotten to him sooner? Why now? So many questions, that I may never have the answer to. The only thing that helped was visiting him at the cemetery. I would go and have a coffee with him and just cry or talk whichever my heart really needed that day. Somehow those visits gave me peace. I finally found myself okay with the loss my heart had endured trusting that God's plan was intentional and good. In January of 2014 my world was shaken once more I lost my Gram. Once more I was angry at God furious that again I was consumed by unanswered questions. This time God needed me to snap out of it and remember that He was in control and that the pain my heart felt would soon feel peace. About as month after losing her God gave me an opportunity to talk with a woman who just lost her son to a heart attack (the very thing I lost Gram to) it was one of the most beautiful moments I've ever had, giving this woman words of hope as I knew all to well what she was going through. After our exchange a smile came over my face only God could turn my deepest hurt into a gift for someone else in need.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33

 

These were a few of my go to bible verses during the times I struggled with trusting that God was working in the middle of my storm.

 

 

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, but it is also when my heart aches just a little more than normal. It is when my house has one less stocking to hang. It is the time I miss the things I never thought I wouldn't have. It is a quiet tear filled trip to visit my grandfather for his birthday. It is a struggle even now that I know my God is for me and He will renew me each day. It is a struggle even though most days I embrace His unexplainable peace. I know I am not alone in having lost someone that I loved and I don't live in a fantasy land where I think it will never happen again. I chose this time of year to write this, because I know this is when I struggle. I write this so you know you are not alone. I write this so you know it is okay to struggle with loss. I write this so you have hope in God. I write this so you know you have someone to talk to.

 

 

 

Here's what I can tell you, each day you wake up knowing God has a plan and sometimes we never fully understand that plan it will be easier to do life. Each day you struggle and take that time to say "God it's hard today and I don't understand this, but I need your peace" His peace will overwhelm you. Each day you surrender to Him will be a weight off your shoulders.  Don't feel bad for struggling we are only humans and some days are just plain hard. But please don't ever forget that God did not promise an easy life with no trouble in fact he was honest and told us that we would have trouble, but to take heart for He has overcome the world.

They're going to change the world

Let me preface this post by saying I am not a mother\do not have kids, but I work with kids and those children are my babies and my inner mama bear comes out when they are hurt or upset.

That being said this week I heard statistics on Christian porn use and teen sexual activity. While discussing these statistics  we polled the room to see who had a relationship with their parents whom they could discuss these topics with, the results were disappointing, although this really wasn't a shock for me. I've had opportunities to work with teens quite a bit and the most important thing I learned was that they want to have open conversations, but you have to give them the freedom to talk openly with you.

1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

Children are out future. They well change the world. As the adults in young peoples lives we must ignore our discomfort and have difficult conversations. Ask them what they know about sex, drugs, alcohol, and other uncomfortable topics. I assure you that you want to educate them properly on such topics and not have the world teach them. What a beautiful opportunity to talk about how a Godly relationship looks like vs. a worldly relationship. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not the world always has an idea of how these main stream topics should look; don't believe just walk through a grocery store and take a peek at the magazine cover topics. I can bet you they aren't "What the bible says about drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex." If you aren't educating the youth in your lives about living like Christ in these areas who is? I say these things not to alarm you, but to let you know that I have had incredibly open conversations with young people about living a Christ centered life in this Earthly world we live in.

John 18:36 

"Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

The youth in our lives will someday change the world, lets help them change it for the better. Lets encourage them to pray and disciple with on another. Lets encourage them to build a community that will focus their lives on Christ and giving him the honor and glory. 

Do life together

 

 

 

We were put on this Earth to do life together and quite honestly I'm not sure we are very good at it most of the time. All too often I feel we miss the mark on helping out our fellow man.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

It is written plainly in the Bible we were NOT meant to do life alone. If we isolate ourselves from the rest of the world we leave ourselves vulnerable for the enemy to attack. The enemy is like any natural predator, seeking out the prey that has isolated itself from the pack. Someone who has disconnected from community that's when the enemy does his worst in our lives.


What we do not realize when we isolate ourselves is that everyone else on Earth has made mistakes, messed up, or fallen short of God's glory. “We all are. That’s the irony of it. Why do we think others live carefree, self-assured lives while we slink around in the messy middle? Doubt is universal; read the Bible. Life is plagued with regret, confusion, uncertainty, and colossal failures. Scratch just beneath the surface and you’ll find humanity in all of us. If we could believe we are deeply connected in the fragile places, we could drop the games. When you tell me the truth about yourself, I no longer hide from you. You become safe for me. So guess what? You are now a recipient of my truth too. I am drawn to you. Your vulnerability makes a path for my own. Your truth-telling says to me, “I will not despise, judge, or abandon you.” Ironically, it gives me the courage to be afraid, the strength to be weak. What keeps you from telling the truth? I’m guessing shame and fear, those two devils. People might get mad. They might be ugly. They might talk bad about me. They might not understand. We invent a worst-case scenario and it mutes us. The truth is, most people respect vulnerability and hold it with tender hands, especially those who love us and faithfully bear our stories. We are so afraid, but truth-telling leads to life. Like Brené Brown said in Daring Greatly (put this book down immediately and buy hers): Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. In a world where scarcity and shame dominate and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It’s even a little dangerous at times . . . [But] nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as believing that I’m standing on the outside of my life looking in and wondering what it would be like if I had the courage to show up and let myself be seen." (For the Love by Jen Hatmaker)


If we just bear our souls and bring the junky parts of ourselves out to the light we would build community with others. I promise you whatever situation or circumstance you are hiding away from the rest of the world is for not, because someone somewhere or maybe even someone you know has gone through the same thing! I have learned this lesson the hard way for a while I tucked away all my personal junk and the things I was going through and guess what when I finally brought it out into the light and shared with those I loved and trusted they had been through the same junk! AMAZING isn't it?

John 1:4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

Be a listening ear for your fellow man. Lend a helping hand when you see a need. Open up bear the hard truths of life with those you trust. Build community with those in your life don't snuff out the light that was given to you. We are all human we aren't perfect, but by doing life together and helping point each other to Christ we are moving in the right direction.

It is well

This is a fairly common quote, but more often I hear/read the quote "God doesn't give us what we can't handle". I'm sorry to burst some bubbles, but that's just not true. If you are training for a marathon you don't just wake up one day and go run a marathon without  any training. You start off with a mile or two and you slowly progress. If you never pushed hard through that "one more mile" you'd never grow you'd never complete a marathon. The same is true with our God, He walks with us through the "one more mile" times in our life so we can grow and handle the next mile with ease.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3: 16-18


I really love this story from the bible. I believe that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went through times of trial before this point in their lives, but God walked with them and He prepared them for this particular moment. The same is true for you and me, God walks with us preparing us for moments in our lives when we have to face situation or circumstances and say I am choosing to trust God to come through for me or my family and if He doesn't He is still God! This mindset does not come easily for myself I had to suffer lose in my childhood so that when I was an adult and lost my grandfather and Gram I could say "I trust God to heal my heart and my family and if I never understand the reasons behind losing them He is still God and He is still good!" I promise if you sit and think about it you have had times in your life when God walked with you through the storm so you could reach a moment in your life where you completely trust Him with your life and the outcomes of situations you will face.

It is a beautiful time in life when you no longer fear the outcomes, because you trust God and you know He has your back no matter how long the storm rages. At that point in your life the light you hold pointing others to Christ beams bright. Your unwavering faith that God will come through and even if He doesn't He is still sovereign, mighty, perfect, creator, healer, compassionate, full of Grace.
If you are trying to fight the wind and rain on your own I encourage you to let God walk with you. Talk to Him, Pray, let your request be known and know that even if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted God has a plan and it is far greater than anything we can imagine.  

Be the light

 

Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."

 

When I watched this video for the first time I was inspired! I love that this gentleman despite his occupational label was a light. The school counselors were sending him "clients"! How awesome that he could connect with a students on a level that the counselors could not. The same is true for you despite your occupation or title or label you are capable of being a light. Each of us has talents and abilities outside of your occupation, title or label.

 

 

Occupation\labels\titles:

I am a Pastoral Care Assistant.

I am a daughter.

I am a sister.

I am a Krush Prayer Partner Ministry leader.

I am a Life Group leader.

I am a friend.

 

Talents:

I am a blogger

I am an organizer.

I am a good listener.

I am a crafter.

I am a hard worker.
I am an encourager.


How do you use your talents to be a light? Don't let your occupation\title\label put your abilities in a box. God gave you your specific talents and I pray you use them to honor God and be the light in this world. You are able, God will equip you if he hasn't already! Someone somewhere needs you to use your talents don't rob the world of your blessings.

You can do it! You are worthy! Your talents are worth sharing! You have talent! You can be a blessing! Shine your light on this world!!