What God WILL and WON’T ask

What God will and won’t ask

1. God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but he will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.
2. God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but he will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3. God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but he will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.
4. God won’t ask about your social status, but he will ask what kind of class you displayed.
5. God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but he will ask if they dictated your life.
6. God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but he will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.
7. God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but he will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.
8. God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but he will ask how you promoted others.
9. God won’t ask what your job title was, but he will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
10. God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but he will ask what you did to help others.
11. God won’t ask how many friends you had, but he will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.
12. God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but he will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.
13. God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but he will ask how you treated your neighbor.
14. God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but he will ask about the content of your character.
15. God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but he will ask how many times they didn’t.

by Anonymous (insert from the book What’s My Motivation by D. Alexander Griffin, Jr.)

Moving Forward

I love this messed up crazy thing called life. You just never know what you will find around each corner you turn. You walk blindly, only aware of what you believe to be in front of you and then all of a sudden you blink and BAM something changes. You always have to be ready to change directions, to flow with the current instead of against it. Just a few months ago if you had asked me where I expected to see myself five years from now I could have drawn you a complete picture. I would have been able to say exactly where I was working, who I would be with, what I’d be doing, heck I could have even told you where I would eat most often and what I’d eat. But in my road map in life God had other plans for me.

It’s funny really, because you know that feeling you get when somethings going to happen but you just don’t know what. You wonder to yourself is this going to be good or bad? Well I had that feeling, I was unsettled and not completely in my element just yet. God was using me, but not in the way He wanted. I still wasn’t giving all of me to the life He gifted me with. I was just starting to see glimpses of myself as God see’s me, but I was still looking through the wrong set of eyes.

Wow! I am just so amazed at how he works. I can clearly see each moment over the past several years that He directed my path just like I prayed and ask Him to do. I can see where He moved me out of my own way. I can see where he threw my life a curve ball to get my attention. I can see the people He placed around me. I can see where seasons began and where seasons ended. I have to say it is really weird to look back on a portion of your life and see the Masters hand so clearly.

He directed my every step and when I tried to move out of line with His will for my life He gently corrected me. Well it may not have seemed gently at the time but that’s because I’m an emotional creature. So what I’m trying to say is, when we stop fighting against His plan in our lives, everything begins to fall into place. We have to LET GO, and LET GOD! Sometimes the plan we have for ourselves is not His. We forget to consult Him as we get more and more excited about where we are going. We forget that nothing is possible without Him and everything is possible with Him. So we blindly go about wasting tons of energy planning our life without consulting God. We move forward on emotion instead of on prayer and then BAM He changes the mapped out directions on our road map. He puts signs up that say turn left where we thought we were supposed to go right. He sticks stop signs up where we thought we would be able to just coast right through. He places do not enter signs in places we had always been allowed before. He redirects our path, he gently repositions us and says, “Now let’s try this again”.

Okay, so I said all that to say, 🙂 for once I know that my road map is on track with God’s will. I am so excited because I know my purpose. I know for this season what God wants from me and it feels so good to be moving in God’s will for my life instead of fighting to do my own selfish things.

My husband and I are in the process of applying for our 501c3 for a non-profit that will be enriching the lives of homeless students and disadvantaged kids across Oregon. Well that is the long-term goal, we will start here in Beaverton first. Did you know that the Beaverton school district alone has 1800 homeless students attending classes. That just breaks my heart. That is why  I am so excited about where God is taking us. My husband and I have both always had the heart to serve others, but never could figure out where God wanted us. We finally figured it out, he laid it so heavily on both of our hearts almost simultaneously and has opened doors to us we never expected to be open. I can’t begin to tell you how happy and excited I am.

Pray for us as we move forward in God’s will for our life. We are just getting ready to start the fundraising efforts to cover start-up costs and to apply for our 501c3 status. I promise to keep you updated and let you know a little more about  what we are doing here pretty soon.

 

“The Touch of the Master’s Hand”

My husband and I have been spending all of our time planning and starting a Non-profit and I have found it impossible to fit in time to write. However, I ran across this the other day and it touched my heart so I am sharing it with you. I hope you all are doing well and that God is blessing you richly in your life.

“The Touch of the Master’s Hand”

It was battered and scarred,

and the auctioneer thought it

Hardly worth his while

To waste his time on the old violin,

But he held it up with a smile.

“What am I bid, good people.” he cried,

“Who starts the bidding for me?

One dollar, one dollar, do I hear two?

Two dollars, who makes it three?

Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three.”

But, No,

From the room far back a grey-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow.

Then wiping the dust from the old violin

And tightening up the strings,

He played a melody, pure and sweet,

As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer

With a voice that was quiet low,

Said, “What no am I bid for this old violin?”

As he held it aloft with its bow.

“One thousand, one thousand, do I hear two?

Two thousand, who makes it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand twice,

Going and gone,” he said.

The audience cheered,

But some of them cried,

“We just don’t understand.

What changed its worth?”

Swift came the reply,

“The Touch of the Master’s Hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

All battered with bourbon and gin,

Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd

Much like that old violin.

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,

A game and he travels on.

He is going once, he is going twice,

He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,

And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,

The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought

By the Touch of the Master’s Hand.

by Myra Brooks Welch

There Is Still Good in This World

Ladies and gentleman if you have felt that the world is quickly going downhill fast, well you could be right so that might have been a bad way to start this article. Hmmm let me try this again. Friends I want you to know there truly is still good in this world. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I’ve spoken to it, touched it, even thanked it. It is an amazing thing this good. Just when a person feels like life is nothing but rotten blows, and negative people, the world decides to prove that person wrong.

The world proved me wrong two days ago when my son came home from school with no clue as to where his IPod or cell phone was. He would from time to time mumble, “I hope I didn’t lose them at school”. I had no clue what he was talking about and then I asked, “Lose what son?” I wish I hadn’t asked.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! His cell phone and his IPod Touch ummm $$$$ grrrrrr I wanted to scream, “do you think we are made of money?” I did however manage to contain myself and simply say, “I hope you didn’t lose them either.”

Fast forward into the evening, we had finally come to terms with the fact he had indeed lost these items at school. Now let me just say, we are a one income family of 6, No I cannot afford to replace these items and No I am not going to replace these items. Suffice it to say my son was not a happy young man. No phone, no IPod now what?

Let me tell you what!!! A dog gone bona fide angel is what! A miracle! A blessing beyond blessings! I’m sitting at my computer like I am almost all the time and my kids are across the room playing around when my cell phone rings. I look at my phone and I wonder to myself why is my son calling me he is just across the room. You see I forgot he lost his phone just that quick. So I holler across the room, “Darius, um why are you calling me?” You should have seen the blank ‘what the heck are you talking about’ look my son gave me.

So I answer the phone. YES I’m still baffled. “Hello” I tentatively say. “Hi ummm I have, well ummm I found this phone and I’m trying the emergency contacts to find the owner.” BLESSED BE!!! This angel picked up my sons phone and took the time out of his day to try to find the owner. “Oh my gosh this is my son’s phone thank you so much for calling.” I’m so over joyed at this moment that God is so good. And then he hits me with the blessing of all blessings. “Well did he by chance have an IPod with it?” I almost screamed in that poor man’s ear,“YESSSSS, yes he did”. “Well, I was just finishing up practice and found both of them behind the middle school.” Haaaaallllllleeeaaaajjjjuuuuaaaa!!!!

So you can imagine the rest, my husband and I go to meet the young man (yes I took my husband I’m not crazy enough to meet a guy all by myself, he could be a murderer.) And the rest is history. My son has his phone, his IPod, and prayerfully a deeper faith in not only people but God. I myself have a newfound faith in the fact that there is still good in this world. One man, one single solitary act of kindness filled my heart with hope for the human race once again. Yes I am being dramatic I have a tendency to do that, but the truth is we see so much negative all over the news, we hear so much negative from the people around us, that we need that reminder from time to time so we don’t get buried in the negatives.

What I realized in all this though is that one-act of good can erase hundreds of acts of bad in just a few quick seconds. I clung to that one good deed; I let the feeling of joy sweep through me. I fixated on it allowed it to fill my cup back up. Now I’m just wondering how I can repay that one good act with one of my own.

Failure

Often times in life we are faced with failure. In school it could be a failed relationship, a failed test, a failed hairdo. In adulthood it could be a failed marriage, a failed job, failed finances, or a failed weight loss. We have all failed at something and if you haven’t then as my pastor always say’s “keep living”.

Failure should not be the scar on our life that many of us allow it to be. The scar is the devils way of holding us down and keeping us down. He is that voice constantly whispering in our ear,” you know they are laughing at you. You know you aren’t pretty enough. You know you aren’t smart enough. You know they would never hirer you.” I know you’ve heard it; we all have at one time or another in our life.

The question is how did you handle it?

Here is my answer….

Yup, that’s right. Call on Jesus! He is there with you every second of every day just waiting for you to ask for His help. All you have to do is cry out to him. The Bible tells us “He will never leave us or forsake us” and in Philippians 4:13 the Bible tells us “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” Just look at David and Goliath, a young awkward lad who was sent out to face a giant. David boldly marched towards Goliath placed his stone in his sling shot pulled back the band and without doubt shot Goliath in the head.

Now some would say anyone in their right mind would look at the small boy, the small stone and the giant and know that there is no possible way that David could have killed Goliath, it just couldn’t have happened. “Oh yea of little faith” it is not only true it is possible for each and every one of us. Would you like to know the secret that David knew that allowed him to charge boldly into battle with someone who by all rights and purposes should have been able to smash him? It’s fairly simple although most people tend to try to twist it all up and make it confusing. See David knew that it was not “by his strength” but that is was “through God who strengthens him”

David understood that he alone could not face the giant; he alone would walk out there and surely die. So he took the only weapon he truly needed and that was “FAITH”. David knew that although he didn’t have what it took to kill Goliath in his own rights that God did!

Do you realize you have that same opportunity in your life? Do you understand that you can call on Jesus at any time good or bad? A matter of fact He wants you to call on Him. David didn’t fail because he walked out on faith; he trusted that God had his back. He didn’t walk out on the battle field listening to the devils taunts and lies. Oh and you bet your patootie the devil was trying to stop him. I can hear him whispering in his ear now, “David you know you can’t kill Goliath, you know you aren’t strong enough to go up against him. You have no army, nobody behind you. Goliath will tear you to shreds. Don’t be stupid David you are too weak.”  Then I can picture David shrugging the Devil off “Devil I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty God flee from me”. Woo hoo!!!! That’s right FLEE FROM ME!!!

What an awesome feeling to know that all I have to do is call on the Lord God Almighty!

I just want to point out also, even had he failed at killing Goliath (had that not been God’s plan) David would have still been victorious. You see, our failures make us strong, they build our character, they mold us and shape us, they teach us. Without them we cannot have success. Let’s look at some people in life who have failed only to become successful this is an insert from the book “I’m Not Good Enough” by Sharon Jaynes;

v  After Fred Astaire’s first screen test in 1933, the director noted, “Can’t act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.”

v  Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Woman, was encouraged to find work as a servant or a seamstress.

v  Beethoven’s violin teacher once told him he was a “hopeless composer.”

v  Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas.

v  Thomas Edison’s teacher said he was too stupid to learn anything.

v  Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teachers describe him as mentally slow.

v  Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.

v  Henry Ford failed and went bankrupts five times before he finally succeeded.

v  Babe Ruth set the home-run record (714), but he also once held the record for the most strikeouts (1,330).

v  Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.

v  Dr. Seuss’ first children’s book, And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishers. The 28^th publisher, Vanguard Press, sold six million copies of the book.

v  In 1902, the poetry editor of the Atlantic Monthly returned the poems of a 28-year-old poet with the following note: “Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verse.” The poet was Robert Frost.

v  In 1889, Rudyard Kipling received the following rejection letter from the San Francisco Examiner: “I’m sorry; Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language.”

v  One basketball player missed 9,000 shots in his career. He lost more than 300 games. Twenty-six times he was trusted to take the game’s winning shot and missed. His name is Michael Jordan. He said, “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”

Wow! Maybe you should read that list again. Failure does not define us unless we allow it too. The one thing all these men and women have in common is that they did not allow their failure to stop them from trying. They didn’t allow their failure to stop them from believing they could be successful. The only thing stopping you is you, step out of your own way and allow God to work in your life.

For me personally I don’t look at failure the same as a lot of people. Most people look at failure as “dang I got out there and danced and missed a step everyone saw me fail” or “I got an “F” on that test I can’t believe I failed it” Me on the other hand I look at both those things as a success. Why? Because I tried. As long as I put my all into it, no matter what the outcome I have succeeded. For me my only true failure is never to have tried at all.

Remember that just like David all you have to carry with you is your “Faith”. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” Proverbs 16:3.

Hallelujah song by my Daughter Briana 15 years old

She did it again, she made me cry. This girl wasn’t just singing she was ministering if to no body else but me she was ministering. What a beautiful light she shines for God.

Praise Dance

My church celebrated 15 years of serving God today and my beautiful sister-in-laws ministered with this amazing praise dance to Stand. Touched my heart.

I Believe by Yolanda Adams

My beautiful daughter Bri’ana (15) and a friend from school singing at Mayfest at her school. I’m so very proud of her. It takes so much courage to stand in front of everybody like that. They both did amazing as well as many other groups that night. (Mine is the one with the long black jacket over her dress just in case you didn’t know 🙂 she is so beautiful)