What can we be?

Currently, I am serving with my MOPS group at my church.

Love the mission of MOPS and that it is very evangelistic and outreach-oriented to moms. I love that it is seasonal...in that it is relevant to the crazy season of motherhood to preschoolers.

It amazes me that women (with children checked into kid care) sitting at a table with food, conversation, and a craft find the refreshment and encouragement they need to carry on with their weeks ahead.

As with most 'church' functions, I feel that there is that lingering pressure to show up, 'all together' and smile and nod, and say the most positive things we can think of.

Yes, we need to be hopeful about life, and as leaders, we are reminders that hope is found in Christ. But sometimes, we can find ourselves in an overwhelming situation, hopeless day, or just a dumpy, depressed week.....or season.

Consider what MOPS stands for: Mothers Of PreSchoolers!

Think there's not a major influx of hormonal emotions walking in the door? We've got fertile women, pregnant women, pms-ing women, post-partum women walking in the door. We are all one of the above, right? So honestly, is it a realistic expectation to believe all women who head into those meetings and play dates will all be thrilled about their life on that particular day?

(Just some perspective....)

So this morning, as I look at my list of Table Leaders whom I am working with. I have their name and what is on my heart to being praying for them about written down on a notecard. Some work, others have husbands still growing in the Lord. Some are pregnant, and others with a whirlwind going on in their lives. Long story short: They all need prayer.

Now, by no means is that a bad thing. I need prayer. Daily. Hourly. Really.

Which brought me to a question I journaled to the Lord today:

WHAT DO I NEED TO BE TO THEM?

This is the only way I know how to serve the Lord: ASK GOD HOW.

In the scope of ministry, there are always lists of things to do for the 'position/role'....but God knows each and every one of our lives and He knows what we each need....He knows what those in your group need. So....ask Him: What do I need to be to them?

After asking the Lord, "what do I need to be to them?"
These words were on my heart: AN EXAMPLE.

Now, the comical thing is our 'theme/title' of MOPS this year is....are you ready?
A BEAUTIFUL MESS!!!!

I laughed with God. And then I wrote down in my journal 'an example'...and then I looked over at my MOPS binder saw the theme logo:.

I was so relieved.

I am a great example
of a mess!!!!! 
 

God picked the right person for the job!

Interestingly enough, last night I was chatting with my husband and he asked me something to the effect of:  WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE OPEN UP TO YOU?

My response: They do?
His reply: Yea, people tell you all kinds of stuff.

I thought for a moment and came up with a couple of potential reasons why I have friends and even strangers open up to me:

1. I don't judge. (I know my own past and present.)
2. I'm transparent. (I share my past and present.) 

Maybe I share 'too much' according to others (those who don't share anything). But I have found that in ministry especially, I cannot let others think for one second I have it all together! Cause 1) I don't. and 2) I want to remain approachable.

Have you met those leaders who live the façade, as though they got a great life, great marriage, and great kids. They always look great, feel great, and have a great future!!!! Yea, I've met them...not really ever approached them or gotten to really know them. And then I've been greatly 'confused' when they failed....or should I say, made a mistake....But then not really disappointed because they are human....which I think they forgot.

My point is that I will continually share that I am a mess. My life is less than perfect. My marriage is less than perfect. My personality has many flaws. My kids are less than perfect. I am an imperfect wife and mom...an imperfect woman....Yet a beautiful mess!!!

And that's okay. I am okay with all this 'inadequacy' because I serve a PERFECT GOD!

I have the Spirit of God dwelling in me. The beauty of being a mess is that when beauty and anything good comes out of me...it is directly from the Lord Jesus Christ!

And that to me is the ultimate experience: TO BE USED BY GOD.

So what can we be?

• We can be used by God.
• We can be transparent.
• We can be real.
• We can be US.
• You can be YOU.

 

We can be examples of people

who are living this thing called LIFE,

completely dependent on God!!!!!

 

 

I often remind people to not think too highly of me because I will surely disappoint them. I am human, in need of a Savior - DAILY! If anything good comes out of me, it is surely because I know that I am nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). Yet I show up daily to His feet for the grace and mercy to be all that He calls me to be...as a mom, wife, friend, daughter, woman of God, and 'table leader coordinator' for MOPS.

 

So with that, I hope that you're encouraged that God will use you because you are willing. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to 'perform' for those watching.

 

Although, do your best to be a disciple of Christ and show up to get filled with His Spirit so that you can do all that you have to do in HIS STRENGTH!

 

God bless and have a great week!

 



What are you created for?

I've seen a lot. Done a lot. Known some amazingly successful, rich people. Worked for them. I've seen the possibility of being like them. At the moment of considering taking ownership of that future, I see God, shaking His head. I hear Him saying, "That is not what I created you for".

While I can 'do anything'...I choose to do what God made me for. Many claim faith for God's blessings. I claim faith to be nothing to this world, but to do everything that my Maker created me to do, to be a blessing TO God.

Imagine a world where all of God's children laid down their personal goals and desires and sought the will of God for their life. Imagine a world where all of God's children lived their lives poured out for God's purposes. Imagine a world where all of God's children heard His voice, His directions...and were obedient to carry them out. Imagine a world full of God's children pursuing God completely with their entire hearts & souls - their entire lives!!!!

I choose this calling. God is calling His children to be disciples and follow Him completely...sold out. It's got to be all about Him, once and for all!

In this life there is no time,

to be selfish and call it "mine".

 

I lay my life down at your feet,

for it was never mine to selfishly keep.

 

The world is beautiful and tempting with things,

it offers status, power and wealth fit for a king.

 

And while I am able, know people and am smart,

I realize my role is not playing that part.

 

I can do many things, this is true,

but they lead me further away from You.

 

It's not about making a name for myself,

to do that requires my faith to sit on a shelf.

 

How can I serve God AND my desires?

That will extinguish my holy fire.

 

So this day, I lay down all my dreams,

I lay down this goal of the world serving me.

 

I give you my mind, my time, my life,

Take away the world, the gold, the strife.

 

Give me your plan, your provision and peace,

I give you all of me, take me completely.

Have you been jaded by helping others?

Risk is involved when you set out to serve the Lord by helping and serving others. For God’s will to come to pass, it takes everyone involved to hear the Lord and be obedient. Just like building a house takes the electrician, the plumber, and the carpenter to work together and do their job. Moreover, to bring an assignment through to completion for the Lord requires everyone involved to do what they are supposed to. Imagine the house, if the plumber showed up but didn’t do the work?

I believe that God can very well call you to help, knowing the final outcome is not what you are expecting, however, the role you play, the example you give, the obedience you exhibit is for all the spectators. To be an example of doing what the Bible says.

I talk the talk, and walk the walk. I talk about helping people. I go out and help people. It’s up to the people involved, receiving the help to be obedient themselves and receive, accept, submit, and appreciate, etc.

Here is where we must realize that while we live in a fallen world of sinful, carnal men, we must remain faithful to God. We cannot always see what He is doing - our job is to show up and do what He says. If our efforts fail, we dust off our knees and start over.

Many times our efforts fail because of those we are serving/helping not submitting to God’s instructions to them. Everyone has a role to play. People should be filled with work ethics, integrity, honesty, etc.

I empathize and understand that many of them have been jaded by the world and now seek their own. They live for only themselves, they make attempts to take advantage and come up. They resort to being petty, picky, unappreciative, and walk in the flesh. They disqualify themselves. But as a servant of God, you did what you were called to do and allowed God to use you.

You may find yourself scratching your head and wondering: Why did I even try? What was that all about?

God is sovereign. Even with Judas who betrayed Jesus, God used his sin and greediness to turn the switch on God’s sovereign plan of Jesus going to the cross.

The Bible says that those who ‘endure to the end shall be saved’. I turn to this verse when I am confused, taken advantage of, broken by believers, persecuted by hypocrites, and abandoned. See, I must know that I did what God called me to do and stay committed to remaining obedient for the next time God gives me an assignment.

God has given us freewill. We are not robots. People have the choice to do their part, keep their word, and be faithful themselves. I have the choice to let it ruin me, discourage me, and no longer endure.

I serve a redeeming God. He can do what He desires at any time. I am mindful always that this life is all about the sanctification process. Enduring through peoples disobedience sanctifies you. Suffering sanctifies you. Being rejected sanctifies you. Look at Jesus Christ: He was rejected, betrayed, persecuted, and crucified. Can we honestly expect life to be free from disappointment and suffering?

Through all of it, we cannot give up ourselves and allow our hearts to be hardened. Becoming more Christ-like requires us to remain unstained by the world, and this is the goal as it says in James.

Success in the Kingdom of God looks NOTHING like the success in the world. Power, prestige, and riches are what the world measures success by. A dirt poor missionary in a 3^rd world country, with nothing to their name can be more successful than Steve Jobs. How many people did that missionary win to the Lord? But many idolize Steve Jobs for his intellect, brilliance, marketing, and inventions. Where is he spending eternity? Who is richer, the missionary or Jobs?

See, this is where the world’s ways of operation cannot invade how the Holy Spirit operates. And too often, too many measure you by your worldly success, or lack thereof.

For the record, worldly success is not what I am after. It’s all vanity and grasping for the wind (Read Ecclesiastes).

Jesus Christ didn’t come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). So it’s clear that serving others is walking the real walk, true? What walk are you walking?

Be faithful....to Him!

My eyes see the world, too lazy to change,

My heart is despairing in this day and age.

Peer pressure, affairs, alcohol and drugs,

Have taken the place of true friendships and love.

So many worshiping their things and their faces,

Spouses and kids’ hearts left empty, vacant spaces.

So many things with so little time,

Relationships are what we choose to sacrifice.

Times need to change and not get our best,

It’s our hearts, minds, and attention we need to invest.

 

God forgive us for serving only ourselves.

God forgive us for leaving our Bibles on the shelves.

Open our hearts to Your love and our ears to Your voice,

Let grace fall from above, help us make the right choice.

 

Thank you Lord in advance, for helping us to change,

Help us let go of our first loves, despite the pain.

 

Lord, give us this day - our daily bread,

And help us trust what Your Word says.

 

Take our lives and make them new,

Help us be ready and faithful to only You!

By Jennifer Morin, August 30, 2012


Interesting that I wrote this poem before I read Luke 12:22-40:

²² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life^[b]? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Get filled up with the MOST HIGH

When called to serve God and fulfill a special task,
You have to maintain a time to praise, thank, and ask.

We cannot do what He calls us to,
Without quality time with Him and you.

What we pour out, comes from His presence,
His life-giving Spirit,
His powerful omnipotence.

So rest in His quietness,
Listen for His voice.
Experience His lovingkindness,
Every morning you have a choice.

- Jennifer Morin, August 5, 2012, 6:55 a.m.

Following MAN leads to YOUR fall...

How often do we see this? Man's eyes are on man - not God. When that man/leader falls, people fall away as well.

When man disappoints, people are devestated. This ought not be.

There is freedom in Christ. Why do we find ourelves in bondage to man? Serving God is good, refreshing, an honor. Serving man is exhausting and leads to burnout & bad attitudes.

Which brings me to a question -

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BURN-OUT IN OUR CHURCHES?

I'm sure it's a combination of different things. One thing I've seen is people signing up because of who the leader is asking them. They feel obligated by their relationship to the leader(s). God gives you strength to do what HE calls you to. Another reason may be that people who are called to serve ARE NOT answering the call...and so, so many other feel the pressure to pick up the slack and take on too many commitments.

Which brings me to the next questions -

WHY AREN'T PEOPLE ANSWERING THE CALL TO SERVE?

Could it be that they are either NOT putting themselves in a place to hear God's call? Or they hear Him, but they're just disobedient?

Which leads me to ask:

WHY ARE SO MANY DISOBEDIENT TO THE WORD OF GOD,

THE CALL OF GOD, GOD'S VOICE?

Could it me they have no idea how good God's love is? They don't know of the rewards and blessings that await them. Maybe they don't really pursue a relationship with their Creator, their Master, because they're unknowingly judging God by the judgmentalness of His followers.

Which leads me to ask -

WHY ARE SO MANY BELIEVERS JUDGMENTAL?

God is the Judge, the righteous Judge. Our job as believers/followers of Jesus are to love people and accept them so that they are interested in who Jesus is. If you are the billboard of Christ, are you attracting people to God or repelling them with your unloving, judgmental attitude? God is love, so we should be people of love, right?

Lessons to take away:

• Never put man in the place of God.
• Live to love and please God - only!
• Serve God when & where He calls you and needs you!
• Don't be a judgmental Christian - that's an oximoron!

We are all at different places in our maturity in God. And sometimes the drug addiction has to go before we can get down to the layer of judgmentalness. But stay alert on how you treat the lost and unsaved. Don't judge them for their lifestyles, they just haven't experienced God's forgiveness and goodness to want to change yet. And you repel them with your critical words - don't let them misjudge God by your lack of acceptance. Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are. So accept people for who they are and then, spend time praying for them, encouraging them, and speaking life over them. This is what will attract them to our Lord & Savior!

What does this have to do with serving man vs. serving God? When we serve God, we are living to please Him, we repeat what we hear HIM say. When we serve man, we adopt that fallen man's opinions and attitudes which are usually not as life-giving, promising, and loving as God's Word. So - do as God calls you to.

And if man disagrees w/ you, hand him over to God to deal with. When your heart's aspirations are to live for God, seek His face daily and you are filled up with the joy of the Lord, the Spirit of God...you can't really God wrong. God does not change and shift like man. What God says is the standards for life. His Words are life! So follow God with all your heart and never waver in pleasing Him. You will lead many more to Christ by doing this, than by following man and trying to please man.

And keep in mind, man is sinful. He's not perfect. When you get stuck in the trap of pleasing him, you will hurt others in the process. And when man falls, disappoints, breaks agreement with you...you will be left plumeting down a well with confusion, unknowing to how to restart your service to God. You will feel as though you are in the wilderness. And you are. You got off the right path for your life when you followed man down the trail and took your eyes off the One who knows the way.

Final Words:

Follow Christ. Love Christ. Aim to be like Christ - you can't go wrong there!

Amen? Amen.