Last week I had the opportunity to speak at my old MOPS group. It has been a year and a half since I was involved with this group. It warmed my heart to see so many new faces. Many of the women whom I was in MOPS with have transitioned to a new season of life like I have. To see the group strong and growing is so wonderful!
So I am starting out on my grand adventure of #52lattes. It is a journey of sharing my life and learning from others one cup at a time. The idea is that I will give you insight to the intimate conversations that I have over coffee with friends, family, mentors, and even complete strangers. I will try to do this once a week over the course of a year, hence the 52.
A couple weekends ago I was given a gift. A gift of rest. A gift of time to reflect. A gift of having my cup filled. A gift of seeing the fruits of a ministry that I love!
I was having coffee one day with my sweet friend, Becky Shaffer, a few weeks ago when she invited me to a weekend retreat. She is the director of a beautiful ministry in NWA called Saving Grace. Their mission is to provide life skills training, mentorship, and Godly healing for young women who age out of the foster system.
We are all called to ministry. Called to be the hands and feet of Jesus tending to the needs of those in our lives…the whole person…both physical and spiritual. I can make a list of those to whom I am called to minister. There is my husband, my sweet children, my Bible study group, my friends, my co-workers, my students, my neighbors, my barista….etc. But this spring I had the honor of a special assignment: minister to a missionary.
Today over on the Women Living in Faith podcast, Gretchen and I discuss the topic of deception.
As Christian, we are often deceived in believing that the conflicts we get caught up in are struggles with the people or situations in our life. This is so not the truth.
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2
If we are all honest, we would admit that we struggle with the issue of pride in one way or another. I remember in college sitting with one of my Bible professors, Dr. Ken Neller, and asking him if I would get over my struggle with pride. Fast forward 15 years and I am still wondering the same thing.
As I have walked through Beth Moore’s book Praying God’s Word: Breaking Free from Spriritual Strongholds, I have learned so much about pride.
Last week I told you about my new favorite book Surprised By Motherhood: Everything I never expected about being a mom by Lisa-Jo Baker.
In the book she talks about losing her mother at the age of 18. She reflects on different parts of her childhood as she tries to “piece together scraps” and parent her own children through memories.
One memory was of her mom showing up late to pick her up from school. She said that she could “smell the popcorn on her breath” and that she knew that her mother had been to the movies. Lisa went on to say:
Saving Grace is a local non-profit that is near and dear to my heart. It has been amazing to watch this ministry unfold. Becky Shaffer, the founder and CEO, grew up in the foster system and children’s homes. The LORD has had a calling on her life. He was able to take a broken past, completely redeem it for his glory, and has provided a future for many.
Friend, the things that you listen to are so important. The music. The tv. The conversations. The self-talk. They either lift you up and lead you closer to Christ, or they drag you down and further away.
Podcasts have become such a wonderful way for me to fill my mind with God’s truths. Now that I have a smart phone, I load up my favorite sermons and turn them on in the morning while I am getting ready for the day.
I have exciting news I am just dying to share with you, Friend!
I am starting a new adventure in the online world! It is podcasting and blog networking. I started my blog journey with Mosaic of Moms almost three years ago. It has come clear that my ministry calling is not just to moms but to all women.