Believing Like Them

Dirty.  Menacing.  Unruly.  Words often used to describe a bad hair day, or much worse, children.  What do you believe about children?  Do you believe they are not worth your time?  Are their hearts and thoughts unimportant?  I’m sure we’ve all experienced frustration with children, whether they are own kids, a tired or hurting student, or a rambunctious and excited group of teens.  But the truth is that “whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me...”*  The words of Christ pierce our hearts with this crucial reminder of what is important to Him.  Jesus valued children and still does today.  It is our responsibility to carry this out with children in our community and around the world.

            In my community there are abundant opportunities to serve children:  becoming a volunteer mentor, after school tutoring with local church and community organizations and volunteering to support needs at The Children’s Playhouse or a local school. 

With regard to the serving the children of the world, I serve as a year-round volunteer with Operation Christmas Child, an international ministry committed to sharing the Gospel with hurting and vulnerable children throughout the world.  OCC does this by collecting simple gifts to share God’s love – a shoebox filled with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, etc.  Since 1993, over 80 million children have received a shoe box gift and the message of Christ’s love.  And this is only a smidge of the entire story!

My husband serves with Operation Christmas Child, working with selected volunteers and local churches in South and East Africa.  I am so blessed to accompany him on a trip to Southern Africa, where we are currently traveling to four countries in the region.  Yesterday we heard from a National Leadership Team Coordinator and local pastor, Peter S., from South Africa.  Peter’s testimony as a volunteer with a heart for children’s ministry spurred me to write this post.  There are over thirty million children in South Africa and Peter and his teammates have chosen to put these children first in the church and in the community.  They have caught the vision that if we focus on children and seek to teach and disciple them in the Lord and with kindness, patience and a genuine heart, we will see changes in the future of our world, changes that bring glory to our Lord and change the lives of children and families.

So, what will you do to pour into the life of a child?  How will you put the children first?  What do you believe about children?  Do you believe in them?  What is the Lord stirring in your heart today?  Perhaps you are called to speak out on behalf of the needs of children.  Perhaps you are not sure how to do that.  You can learn more about powerfully speaking about what the Lord has laid on your heart at www.shespeaksconference.org.  This conference was created to connect the heart's of God's daughters and connect your heart to him.  Click here to check out scholarship opportunities!

I will leave you with one powerful heart from our fellow believer across the world.  As Peter expressed from his heart, “When you work with children, their work is contagious.  You start BELIEVING LIKE THEM.”

*Mark 9:37 (NKJV)

Dave Ramsey said....

After more than a week of home and auto crises, we now have a success story to tell!  I am excited to share that Bob Young Appliances and Alray Tire & Auto saved the day! 

Thanks to my wonderful Mom and the use of her laundry facilities, I was able to go two weeks at my house without a washer.  We did so much research and I began to grow weary from appliance info. overload when we landed on a deal at a local appliance store that shall remain nameless.  The deal ended up not working out so Matt headed to Bob Young Appliances and picked up a used washer for $140 and installed it himself (thanks to our cousin Jeremy and his Dad for assistance with hauling).  We have done six loads of laundry and it works perfectly (plus we have a 90 day warranty).  Repairs to our old washer would have cost $250!  So, washer problem SOLVED!

A big thanks to Alray Tire & Auto for saving us some money and time when it came to replacing the window regulator in our driver's side window.  Plus, a week later, they replaced our rear brakes for a decent cost and with quality work.  The car is now in GOOD SHAPE!

Frayed cable on the window regulator.  :(

So, the moral of this long story is that you need to do research to find the best deal with the best quality.  Relationships do matter and it pays to maintain them so that you can help each other when you face a small or large crisis in your life.  And pay CASH if you can!  After all, Dave Ramsey said.....   :)

Baby Steps

We recently joined the latest Financial Peace University class at our church.  The first "baby step" is to build your $1000 emergency fund.  Well, we were so happy to have already completed that step until right before we started the class and had to pay taxes.....so here we are working on "baby step #1" AGAIN.  And what happens?  The washer breaks down! 

No problem - we can take care of that....comparison shopping is done and we're about to settle on a purchase within our budget when the automatic car window stops moving halfway up the path it should take.  What?!  That's another couple of hundred dollars!  This is when I started to become discouraged, especially because I am a little under the weather and a bit intolerant of excess "baggage" right now.  That's when something inside me (I do believe it was God) triggered my memory bank of blessings:

• That same car with the broken window was also having its oil changed by my blessed husband, with the car ramps that he purchased at a discount at the Habitat Restore.
• I received my long-awaited Tanger Outlet 20% off coupons today, which will allow me to purchase the immersion blender I have been waiting for.
• I am enjoying reading a novel series entitled The Potluck Club, which I pick up at the library, for FREE.

Those are simple things, but in light of what is happening around the world and the sacrifices of those who are responding, we need to count our blessings, no matter how small they are.  Your small blessing might be a big one for someone else.

The Verb in ProVERBS

How many of you have been inspired by the message in Proverbs 31?  Or should I say "messages"?  I could read the passage every minute of each day and still hear the Lord speaking to me about something in my life.  Perhaps that is because how His divine message works in the midst of our everyday lives.  How blessed we are as women to have a piece of scripture written specifically for us!  

For many years I studied the passage from verse ten onward until a few years ago when my eyes drifted up to verses eight and nine.  

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

I read this passage when I was working in a very difficult environment.  But I realized I was working with people who were destitute, people who were poor, and people who were needy in more ways than one.  I wanted to give up on my commitment mid-year but this scripture helped me faithfully complete my time where the Lord had asked me to go.  Now I look back and realize that He taught me so much about serving Him by serving the impoverished in our community and just reaching out and helping others through a relationship with them, which will hopefully lead to a relationship with Him!  I would never have learned these things without the Lord's hand upon my life.  

Proverbs 31 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.  It isn't just some ideal scripture to read or mere suggestions to review.  God is speaking to us about what to DO.  He tells us to "speak up, judge fairly, defend, bring, select, work, provide."  These are all verbs, or DOING/ACTION words.  If we ever forget or wonder what we can do to serve Him as women, we can always reflect on what He teaches us in His Word.  And I am so grateful for these constant reminders, especially in the midst of conflict and times of discouragement.

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a ministry that I believe reflects the heart of this particular part of the Word of God, and more!  I love the fact that these women have obeyed the call of the Lord to help other women come to know Him and live their lives to bring Him glory.  I appreciate their willingness to share knowledge and wisdom with other women so that we are encouraged when it comes to taking care of our family, home, bodies, mind and spirit.  And none of this is possible without God's sweet grace.  

This ministry is hosting the annual She Speaks Conference in Concord, NC on July 22-24, 2011.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about God's call on your life to speak, write and lead in His name.  Proverbs 31 Ministries is giving away some very generous scholarships to the conference.  I would be so blessed to receive a scholarship as I believe the Lord has called me to serve Him through connecting with other women in our community and encouraging them through Christ's love.  I don't know much about public speaking or professional writing and I would love to learn so much more about leadership in ministering with women.  As many of you know, I am a former school counselor and have always felt the Lord's call on my life to help others grow and learn, specifically women and children.  The Lord has brought many single moms and children into my path and I have received so many blessings in working with them through life's challenges.  I would love to attend this conference to learn from others and to network with those with wisdom and experience.    

I encourage you to take a look at these links!  This ministry is incredible and is such an encouragement to women of many ages and stages!  And don't forget to take another look at Proverbs 31 - ask the Lord and He will reveal a new "verb" to you!

Fresh Start

I admit it has been a long time since my last post.  A lot of changes have been taking place in my life and I have taken time to soak in the freshness of it all!  Some of you might know that I left the world of public school counseling last June and worked at Operation Christmas Child until last December.  Since then my husband and I decided that I would stay at home and work on the multiple projects that have been sitting in my mind, amongst other things that I have had on the salad and dessert plates of my life.  We long to start a family and we pray for the day the Lord will grace us with this blessing.  Until then, here's a list of my "dabbles", of which I will write about in the future!

• Operation Christmas Child High Country Area Team Volunteer
• Organizing/de-cluttering our home
• Proverbs 31 Ministries - began reading some great blogs and reading Made to Crave
• Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey
• Spending more time with my sister
• Planning a visit from Southern Savers' Jenny Martin, who will be teaching an Extreme Couponing Workshop in the near future!
• Organizing/de-cluttering Mom's home
• Building relationships with old and new friends
• Becoming a better grocery shopper and meal planner
• Prayer
• And the list goes on.....

So I'm really back this time and I'm ready to share from my heart and hear from yours!

Vest Friend

What is the best give you've ever given?  Something expensive?  Something homemade?  Perhaps your best gift was the gift of time or a gift in secret.  There have been times that I thought gifts needed to be expensive or extravagant.  And I'm sure we've all felt the need to give a gift because someone gave us something nice.  These past few years I have begun to change my gift-giving mindset and I would love to tell you about someone that has helped me along the way.

I met Eileen when I began my first school counseling job.  She was like no other person I had ever met.  Although she is technically a few years older than me, one would never know it with her upbeat personality and spark of character.  I could go on and on with accolades but I'll get right to the point.

As I got to know Eileen, I began to appreciate her own frugal ways. Always a fan of the dollar section at Target, she knows how to make the most of her money.  As our friendship grew, we began to give special little gifts that were more meaningful to the heart than in the wallet.  On one particular occasion, I found a very nice brown vest on a clearance rack at the mall.  I immediately thought of Eileen and had to buy it for her since vests are a very regular and hip part of her wardrobe.  I bought it and could hardly contain my excitement when I gave it to her at school the next Monday morning.  "It was only $1.83!"  That was the first time I was ever proud of the low cost of my gift.  Sure, I know you're not supposed to blurt out how much you spend but Eileen made it okay.  Not only does she love a good deal, but she loves being on the receiving end of it!

I can pinpoint my friendship with Eileen as a turning point with my gift-giving mentality.  Now I try to think more about the relationship, the memories and the person than the price tag.  I try to keep a look out for good deals all year long on gifts that others might appreciate for various occasions or "just because."  Gifts should not be based on how much money you can spend, but on how much you care to make the effort.  Gifts can involve all kinds of creativity, time and resources.  As the biggest gift-giving season approaches, think about how you can touch the lives of others with special and unique gifts.  Perhaps you already have something in mind for your "vest friend!"

Grandmother's Groceries

A few weeks ago my cousin and I were discussing the "envelope system" from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.  I think it's a great idea to keep you from spending too much money because once the cash is gone from the envelope, that's it!  We've been trying to do this for the past few months and it does pay off.  

Our discussion led us to our Grandmother's envelope system.  Once we were old enough to drive, we went grocery shopping for her.  She always gave us an envelope with what we thought was a large amount of money, at the time.  We found everything on the list and usually only spent between $20-$30 each week.  Sure, she was only one person but she did feed a whole lot of us on Sundays and frequent special occasions.  Although the "envelope" system might be a bit difficult to get used to at first, perhaps it would help to remember how Grandmother did things.  Why is it that she always stayed within her budget and never spent all of her cash?  (And sometimes she would donate to our teenage gas fund!)

As I thought about this, I decided upon a few key principles that she lived by in order to live well and frugal at the same time.

1.  Grandmother had a garden.  I grew up on completely fresh vegetables and never tasted green beans from a tin can until college.  I didn't know how great it was when I was a kid!  She grew all of her vegetables, in addition to grapes from a small vine and apples from the little tree out back.

2.  Grandmother cooked almost everything from scratch and ate most of her meals at home.  It was always a treat to eat a restaurant in my family but now I look back and see that the real treat was her homemade "Bear" soup that I am still trying to duplicate.  She made the best sweet treats and taught me how to make some things with ingredients that I have in my home, instead of buying the processed, ready-made packages that tend to be more expensive.

3.  Grandmother saved to give.  She gave her tithe faithfully at church and supported other charitable causes but what impacted me the most was how she gave of her time and the special gifts that she would make with her financial savings.  No one can put a price on those precious gifts of love.

I could probably write a book about Grandmother as she made the most sincere impact upon my life more than anyone else that I know.  I could share a lot more of her hand-me-down wisdom but for now I hope these insights will encourage you to stick with your budget and savings plan.