Pastor Sam and I have asked the people of Victory Christian Life Center to set one week aside in the month of December to fast from something meaningful to them (a meal, dessert, social media, video games, their favorite shows, etc.) and take the time that they would be doing that thing and dedicate it to the Lord. We are encouraging each person to specifically ask God during this time to reveal His priorities for us. To order our lives. To reset our day to day activities to line up with what it is that He wants each of us to accomplish at this time.
As leaders Pastor Sam and I know that the way that we spend our time directly affects the progress and direction of the church. We desire to be the type of leaders that are purposeful with our time. We want every moment that we have to count towards the Visions that God has placed in our heart for this church and this city. We realize that in order to be successful in these pursuits we must take stock of our day to day habits and routines and ask the Lord to reveal any place where they may be off. Any place where we are giving something our time that we shouldn't be or anything that we are missing that we should be putting time and energy into.
We are so very thankful for Vision! Without it we would be doing nothing and going nowhere. But God is always faithful to reveal the next step and help us to fine tune who we are and what we are doing to fit that FOCUS.
Over the next week we will be fasting ENTERTAINMENT (movies, TV, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) Basically anything that we normally use to "Unplug". Every time that we have a chunk of time that we would have spent doing those things throughout our day we will instead turn our time and attention to the Lord, Love on Him & Ask Him to bring His purposes for this season of our lives into Focus. We believe in the principle of Fasting and are looking forward to all of the good that will come from this sacrifice!
We invite you to join us on this journey and share your own stories through the comment section of this blog as you Fast for Focus throughout the month of December!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Warrior.
I just met someone who changed my life.
I had the opportunity to make dinner for a mother of 3 who's youngest daughter (3 years old) was injured in a parade that Victory took part in over the weekend.
I arrived at her house with Pasta, Salad, Bread & dessert in hand. I had also picked up a bright "Get Well Soon" balloon and a card for the little girl. I was thrilled to be able to bless this family who I had never even met personally.
I was greeted at the door by a very sweet woman. Her three children were running down the stairs as I stepped inside. Laundry was piled on the couch and the house was strewn with the remnants of life with three small children.
I had learned that her husband had been killed in combat so I thought nothing of the look of the house. What I was struck by was how comfortable she was with me being there. She did not seem awkward for one moment, but instead was very welcoming and transparent. As we made smalltalk the youngest boy burst in and began to make conversation with me. I asked his age and he said he was 8. His brother came in and told me he was 13. My heart ached for a moment at the thought of these two boys not getting to experience these pivotal years of their life with their father.
The mother and I talked a little more as we watched the 3 year old, arm in a cast, play with her new balloon. She mentioned that her little girl had always been a daredevil, and had other visits to the ER prior to this most recent one. She talked about how she behaved in the ambulance and at the hospital and in the midst of the story she mentioned that the little girl is Autistic and non-verbal. Wow. My heart once again was moved.
As we said our goodbyes I told her to let us know if she needed anything else. But even as the words left my mouth I was acutely aware that in the big scheme of things I was so small and had so little to offer such a woman. As I got into my car I thought about all that she has to offer to me. A woman like that is inspiring. She is strong in ways I cannot even imagine trying to be. She is joyful in the midst of circumstances that I would struggle to muster a smile in. She is a survivor. A warrior. And it is I who was blessed by taking her dinner tonight.
I had the opportunity to make dinner for a mother of 3 who's youngest daughter (3 years old) was injured in a parade that Victory took part in over the weekend.
I arrived at her house with Pasta, Salad, Bread & dessert in hand. I had also picked up a bright "Get Well Soon" balloon and a card for the little girl. I was thrilled to be able to bless this family who I had never even met personally.
I was greeted at the door by a very sweet woman. Her three children were running down the stairs as I stepped inside. Laundry was piled on the couch and the house was strewn with the remnants of life with three small children.
I had learned that her husband had been killed in combat so I thought nothing of the look of the house. What I was struck by was how comfortable she was with me being there. She did not seem awkward for one moment, but instead was very welcoming and transparent. As we made smalltalk the youngest boy burst in and began to make conversation with me. I asked his age and he said he was 8. His brother came in and told me he was 13. My heart ached for a moment at the thought of these two boys not getting to experience these pivotal years of their life with their father.
The mother and I talked a little more as we watched the 3 year old, arm in a cast, play with her new balloon. She mentioned that her little girl had always been a daredevil, and had other visits to the ER prior to this most recent one. She talked about how she behaved in the ambulance and at the hospital and in the midst of the story she mentioned that the little girl is Autistic and non-verbal. Wow. My heart once again was moved.
As we said our goodbyes I told her to let us know if she needed anything else. But even as the words left my mouth I was acutely aware that in the big scheme of things I was so small and had so little to offer such a woman. As I got into my car I thought about all that she has to offer to me. A woman like that is inspiring. She is strong in ways I cannot even imagine trying to be. She is joyful in the midst of circumstances that I would struggle to muster a smile in. She is a survivor. A warrior. And it is I who was blessed by taking her dinner tonight.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Mothers & Fathers
My little boy is just over 8 months old and he is getting very curious. He likes to scoot around the floor and check things out and pull up on things. He is constantly falling down and touching things that he shouldn't. But I do not scream at him or tell him what a horrible choice he is making, because I realize that he is just starting to explore the world and learn about things. I just try to lovingly correct him and teach him which things to touch and which things to leave alone. And I'll do it as many times as it takes-because I LOVE him. Unconditionally.
But even as quickly as I realized that last thought I was challenged by the Spirit of God with another thought. He said "You know, I feel that way about every one of my children. I would do whatever it takes to protect them and nurture them and teach them what is best." And then He asked me "Do you love them that way?"
In that moment I realized that the heart of God for His sons and daughters is no different than my heart toward my own children.
Do I have what it takes to Love people the way that God does? What a question! Ummm, probably not. But to tell you the truth, I don't have what it takes to Love my own children the way I should either. So, what's the difference? Well, nothing, and I think that's the point.
When we dove head first into this adventure of parenting Sam and I didn't have any idea what it would take to get through the challenges that lie ahead. But we didn't care. It has definitely been a learning experience!
So, why not do the same with those that God is asking us to Mother & Father outside of our family. It's not about how awesome i am or how much more I know than them. It's simply about how much of myself I am willing to give-how much i am willing to LOVE.
And God will teach us the rest as we go!
But even as quickly as I realized that last thought I was challenged by the Spirit of God with another thought. He said "You know, I feel that way about every one of my children. I would do whatever it takes to protect them and nurture them and teach them what is best." And then He asked me "Do you love them that way?"
In that moment I realized that the heart of God for His sons and daughters is no different than my heart toward my own children.
Do I have what it takes to Love people the way that God does? What a question! Ummm, probably not. But to tell you the truth, I don't have what it takes to Love my own children the way I should either. So, what's the difference? Well, nothing, and I think that's the point.
When we dove head first into this adventure of parenting Sam and I didn't have any idea what it would take to get through the challenges that lie ahead. But we didn't care. It has definitely been a learning experience!
So, why not do the same with those that God is asking us to Mother & Father outside of our family. It's not about how awesome i am or how much more I know than them. It's simply about how much of myself I am willing to give-how much i am willing to LOVE.
And God will teach us the rest as we go!
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