Chatting with Charity ~ 40

This morning I was planning to share something different with you when I read my daughter's post on Instagram. The second I read it, I knew I wanted to share it with you. I am a proud momma and do know how blessed I am to have a 16 year old who shares her heart for God so passionately. So here is
Chatting with Audrey
...

"Brothers do not slander one another."
James 4:11a

Words are a powerful tool that we have been given to us to use in sharing the good news or Christ and encouraging other people.
But a lot of times people use their words to tearing other people down.
The verse above is talking about slandering others around you and then goes on to talk about judging.
People using their words to talk badly of the people around them is not right and it does bother me. However lately it seams like every negative thing that comes out of someone's mouth is directed towards one person in particular. Themselves.
I am constantly hearing both girls and guys comparing themselves to others about how they wish they could be like so and so or how they hate their (fill in the blank). You are slandering yourself! You are calling out everything "bad" in your opinion about yourself and then calling the "good" out in everyone's else and comparing the two.
Is it just me, am I just hypersensitive towards this?
God has made you who you are and that is beautiful, valued, loved, and treasured. Stop tearing yourself down. Stop telling yourself that you don't look good. Stop telling yourself you are a failure. Just stop. Please can we all for one week quit with the negatives towards ourselves. Quit looking in the mirror forty times before leaving the house and saying " I would look better if I (fill in the blank)" quit saying " Wow if only I looked like him/her." Or "Ugh, if I had just not had ( fill in the blank) " you may not think you do it often but if you're honest with yourself you had things to fill in the blanks with.
Let's start calling out only the good. Because I promise you the things you think are bad are actually not, and there are a lot more good things than you can see for yourself.

 

Charity

Chatting with Charity ~39

Good Morning! I can't wait to see you ladies tomorrow night at the Christy Nockels concert.
This morning I am going to put myself in an uncomfortable spot. I am going to tell you that I have been struggling with my tongue! I will be honest and tell you it all started when someone hurt my feelings a few times. Please, know that they were not purposely mean and I don't believe they even know that they hurt me. I have really struggled to not go vent to ...everyone I know. How awful would that be! James 3:5-6 says, So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

My desire to vent could start a fire among the body of Christ and I would be broken to know that I had started such a thing. And goodness, I am very sure that I have unintentionally hurt many people and I desire their forgiveness and understanding, which is what I should be free to give in this situation. I hope that this will be a reminder to me to always be on guard.
James 3:8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

The tongue is restless evil and full of deadly poison. Wow! Yes, it is!

Instead of trusting the words that I desire to say, I need to forgive and love them.

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Please, be encouraged that if you are struggling with your tongue that you are not alone in the struggle. And let us remember that love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails!

Do you struggle with your tongue?

 

Charity

Washing Feet

Terror, Panic, and Shock those where just a few of the emotions me and I'm sure my friends where feeling right at that moment. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.

Me and three of my friends where sitting around the table doing a Bible study

when out teacher announced that we where going to wash each others feet.

I shall give you a moment to think about that.

I hope y'all (I might have a southern accent ;)) have read John 13:1-17,

if not grab your Bible because that's what this post is on, It's

the story of when Jesus washed His disciples' feet. It all takes place

right before the Passover feast.

Jesus and His disciples where eating when Jesus got up and started to call the disciple's

over and was washing their feet.

Can you believe that?!?!

I had a hard time letting my friend wash my feet, so could you ever in your wildest dreams imagine,

Jesus, the King of Kings, Heavenly Father, Elohim, All Powerful, Sovereign God, washing your feet?

The man who was born through a virgin mother and came to

die on the cross for you!

When you are washing someone's feet you are humbling yourself a great deal.

As well as being extremely obedient, because I promise you that none of us wake up in the morning saying "Wow I really want to wash peoples feet today."

And who can say if a stranger walked up to you and said "I'm going to wash your feet."

would be completely comfortable.

Well that's kinds how Simon Peter, one of Jesus' disciples felt.

John 13:6-10

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

You see it wasn't really that their literal feet where dirty (though I'm sure they where)
it was a symbol. Jesus wouldn't wash all of Simon Peter because he had already done that

through Simon Peters baptism. 

If you have already been saved and you tell a lie you don't get saved again,no.

You just ask for forgiveness, when He forgives you He has just washed your feet.

You might be thinking what is me washing somebodies feet going to accomplish?

It shows humility, obedience, and a bunch of love.

While we were washing each others feet we prayed for each other. I didn't cry while I was washing her feet, but I continued that prayer in my room that night in my room and I can promise you I cried.

We used sugar scrub on each others feet and now any time I use sugar scrub I will always

remember when me and my friends washed feet.

Sister in Christ,

Audrey

Beauty

 

***  Good Morning!  You are in for another treat, here is another great post from my girl!  BTW, did I mention she is only 14.  I am so proud she calls me Momma!***

Is there a difference between pretty and beautiful?

Yes!

Say you meet two girls:

Girl one, is a beauty pageant queen (disclaimer* i do not feel that this one girl represents all pageant people*) never smiles unless someone is taking her picture. Is rude, curses, and is disrespectful and to any one who tries to talk to her.

Girl two, she’s the girl who sits in the back of your trig. class, doesn't have any real friends who want to sit with her during lunch, but whenever somebody talks to her she is all smiles and excited to listen and talk to them about God and their life.

Now, which one do you think is pretty?

Now, which one do you think is beautiful?

Hopefully you think girl two is beautiful. No she’s not the pageant queen or has the best of clothes but she is kind and you feel happy when ever you talk to her.

"Like a gold ring in a pigs snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion."

                                          Proverbs 11:22

Why such a disturbing example? The person who wrote that verse probably used an overstatement to emphasize how wrong it is to put beauty with indiscretion."

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."  Matthew 23:27

Okay again another gross example, but you get the point.

And my favorite.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in Gods sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God to make themselves beautiful..."

1Peter 3:3-5a

Peter doesn't mean your an ugly sinner when you braid your hair or wear gold jewelry he's just saying that shouldn't be where we count ourselves as beautiful, and don't hate your selves when your hair isn't  curled or your face not covered with makeup.

When you were little and your mom just had another baby, she sat there holding the baby saying that it is the most beautiful baby in the world and just so cute, but honestly the kid looks like a rotten potato. Just plain and simple.

That's the way God looks at you He thinks your beautiful, beautiful enough that He sent His Son to die on the cross for you!

So it doesn't mater what others think of you or what you think of yourself, you are

beautiful.

True beauty is on the inside, its how you treat others, how you hold the door open for the person behind you, and how you treat yourself.

You are

                  Smart

Loved

Blessed

Saved

Privileged                

  Free

                Forgiven

and

BEAUTIFUL

sister in Christ,

                    Audrey

Elohim

*****Today y’all have the special treat of reading a post written by my sweet daughter Audrey!  She is my jewel and I am so proud that she has decided to take a leap of faith and start writing for this blog.  Please show her some love!!!!*****

 

  Good morning my lovelies!

On this beautiful  morning I'm going to ask you to take time out of your normal routine and praise our God and creator,

Elohim.

"The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him..."

Exodus 15:2

The Bible gives us instruction and examples on praising our Elohim (see Isaiah 55:13 Isaiah 24:14-16 and Psalms 54:6-7 and many more.)

I challenge you to make a list of things that you praise Elohim, your creator for.

If you're like me and you work best with music, I would suggest Matt Redman's album 10,000 Reasons, it is and amazing album full of songs that praise our God, Elohim.

And if your stuck or just need a little bit of an inspiration to get the ball rolling, I would turn your Bibles open to Psalms  20 it holds just a few of Gods wonderful promises for us.

Here are some of mine:   

                                        I praise my Elohim for.......                                        

1. The color PINK!

Honestly think about your favorite color, food, or animal no my life wouldn't end if the color pink never existed, but it just adds a little bit of extra happiness to my life.

2. Creating every single star in the sky, and even knowing them all by name.

3. The beautiful family I was blessed with and any future family members that have not yet entered my life.

4. That He is not shocked  when we disobey Him.

When God made a covenant with Abram (Genesis 15) that he may have a son from his own body, and his descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky. But Abrams wife Sarai went and gave Abram her maidservant as a wife (Genesis 16), and the maidservant bore Abram a son. God of course was hurt that Abram disobeyed Him, but He knew that it was going to happen. And even after Abram disobeyed God, God  kept His word ( Genesis 18 and 21) and Sarah bore Abraham (name change in Genesis 17:5 and 17:15) a son, Isaac, and indeed Abraham's descendants became as many as the stars into sky.

5. His amazing love for sinners.

" for God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

6. I praise God for all the trials, struggles and pains that He allows to come into my life, for I know that He has a plan for my life and all the hard times I go through are for a purpose.

Whenever you are discouraged or upset with God, Take put your list and praise your God, Elohim.

           Sister in Christ,

     Audrey 

At The Feet of Fine and Good

One Sunday morning as I glanced up I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror I was brushing my daughters hair and fussing at her for not being ready but God took me back to that same mirror in that same bathroom 30 something years before.  The same anger was there, the same hurt was there, the same confusion was there...only this time 30 year earlier I was the little girl who was hurt and confused and it was my mother who was angry.

The whole thing was typical. 

 It was the typical Sunday morning argument

 - Oh, how the enemy delights in these -

 You know the argument that I am talking about.

Brush your hair!

No, you cant wear that!

Get off the floor before you pick your tights!

What do you mean you can't find your shoe?

Rush, rush,

 hurry, hurry,

 bark, bark,

 yell, yell,

 get in the car tempers and feelings on edge,

 argue, fight some more,

 pull into the parking lot,

 flip the switch without a word, 

get out of the car,

 smooth your clothes,

 put a smile on,

 walk to the door

Hi, how are you?

Oh, we are fine.

Hello there, how are you doing this morning?

We are doing good.  How are you?

In that moment where time was blurred God reminded me what it was to pull up a pew to the fine and good theology...what is was like to sit at their feet week after week.

You see,

 when us broken, 

messed up people,

 with all our hurt and baggage walk through the door of the church on Sunday morning with our smooth clothes, our smile, and our fine and good, we are preaching.  We are preaching loud and clear and the theology is a dangerous one.  The fine and good theology is teaching us that the church is no place for our problems, no place for our hurt, no place for our baggage. It is teaching that our fellow Christians have no desire to know about our problems, our hurt, our baggage.  And worst of all it is teaching that Jesus Christ didn't die for our problems, our hurt and our baggage.

When we pull our pew up to this theology there is nothing left that is real or of value and we quickly burnout of doing good and looking good.  We soon tire of the work it takes to make it to church. We soon grow weary of pretending with other Christians and realize there is no room for friendship without truth.  We soon grow exhausted of trying to be good enough for Jesus and realize that you never will be.

That morning when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, God showed me I was about to repeat that with my own girls and my heart broke.  I knew that I did not want them learning at the feet of fine and good.  In that moment there were tears and repentance.  Repentance for the child from 30 years earlier who bought into that theology and repentance for the momma who was teaching it.  There were many apologies said and hugs given.  The car ride to church was filled with conversation about how to make Sunday mornings go smoother, how to plan better and be more organized. And when we pulled up to the parking lot, we got out, smoothed our clothes and put a smile on our faces but when people asked how we were we didn't say fine or good.  We said how happy we were to be there and that it had been a hard morning.  There were many tears shed during the service by this momma as my Heavenly Father spoke words of healing, forgiveness, and encouragement to me

That was the day I learned the most at the feet of fine and good!

How are you today? 

 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”    Matthew 11:28-30

Saying Yes

A few years ago there was a turning point with my walk with God,

a point of an all or nothing decision. 

Thankfully, I chose all.

I had no idea what the decision would do to my life at the time or that it would change everything about me on some level.  I remember a prayer time with God where I told Him that my answer was YES.  YES to whatever He would ask of me in the future.  I would Submit my will and desires to Him.  I would submit my attitude and judgments to Him.  I would submit my time and possessions to Him.  I would submit my gifts and talents to Him.  It started small and I can not say that I have done ALL the first time that He has asked or that it has all been easy to surrender and I am for sure not finished… sanctification is until the end.  But here is what I do know because I have trusted and stepped out in faith I have been places and done things for Christ that I know I am not worthy or capable of.  I have watched the God of the universe use me to do things that I know are not in my skill set.  Each new step has shown me that it was never about me and what I can do but always about what needed to be done and the power of God through the Holy Spirit that can and does preform miracles.  With each and every YES that I have given God, I have been amazed at what He has done with it.  He has provided all that was needed and taken care of every detail.  All He ever needed from me was faith big enough to say YES!

Picture by the fabulous Coleen Verner

Is God calling you to say YES, today?   I pray that each of you who read this will have the faith to say YES to God and the call He has on your life.  Step out and know that all He needs is a YES from you, He will provide the rest.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.       

                                                                                                                  Luke 17:5-6

 

This faith walk is an exciting adventure, one that I am excited to share with you!

 

Charity

The Pearl Event

I am getting very excited, this time next week I will be packing my car and getting ready for Nashville!

The Pearl Event will be here in just 9 short days and I can’t wait.

Until then..

I have exciting news for today I have tickets for some of you.

Leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Friday.

Make sure you leave your name and email so I can get in touch with you.

Can’t wait to meet you there!

Charity

The Pearl Event ~ Nashville

Hi Friends!

Guess What?

Are You Sitting Down?

Okay, deep breath…..

I am speaking at

The Pearl Event III, The Triple Strand

Can you believe it?

ME,

Standing in front of people sharing.

WOW, God is Good.

I have been ready to scream from the roof tops since the day Sibi asked me to speak.

I can’t wait to meet everyone there!

Here is some important information.

When: Friday, May 17, 2013

Where:

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville Tennessee

Tickets are on sale now and include a wonderful boxed lunch,

click here to purchase your tickets.

You can stay up to date on all the latest information by liking the        

The Pearl Event Facebook Page

Goodness, I am excited and nervous. All prayers will be greatly appreciated!

More info to come next week.

Charity

The Power of a Testimony, Your Story

*For those of you following me here and at The Church Blog please forgive me for posting this in both places. I am trying to figure out where to post what but this is important to me and I wanted it in both places. Thank you!*

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a conference that a dear friend of  mine, Sibi, was speaking at. You can read more about her ministry and our friendship here, here, here, and here. I have heard her speak before and because we have been friends for several years, I know much of her story.

Her story is a but God story.  The type of story that brings you to tears each time you hear it because it is just that heart breaking…but God.  God took what man did wrong and used it for His glory.

 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in

order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 

Genesis 50:20

All the heartbreak and brokenness man heaped on her God healed and rebuilt.  Because she now shares this, her testimony, many lives are saved… changed for eternity.  Women find hope in her story because if God can do such a radical transformation in her life what might He do in their own!?

I had this moment with God not too long after meeting Sibi.  As she would share pieces of her past, I would be shocked at the fact that I could not see any residue of that left in her.  She was not the broken person she had been, she was whole, full, and overflowing to others.  God used this to open my spiritual eyes to some brokenness I still had.  Brokenness that I wasn’t even aware of.  I thought the effects of my brokenness was just apart of who I was, my personality.  But God… He had other plans, plans to trade beauty for ashes and to rebuild the devastated places.

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
⁵ Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶ And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.

I pushed in close and dug in deep.  I allowed God to reveal some ugly and broken places in my heart, places where full forgiveness had never been offered because I had never allowed myself to fully explore the pain that had been caused.  And until I allowed myself to fully feel and view with hindsight the full amount of damage caused I could not fully forgive.  As I went through this, there were days, I didn’t want to leave my bed because the weight of it all would be so heavy but God showed up day after day.  Eventually, as I started to forgive things got lighter.  So light, one day I was shocked.   I was shocked by the change.  There was no more anger, no more hurt.  My responses to life started to look different.  I was operating from a full and overflowing place and no longer from a place of brokenness.

   

          Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  Hebrews 10:22-25

Seeing who Sibi is and knowing all that she has gone through was what God used to open my eyes to pain I was still carrying.  I dug in deep and allowed God to rebuild my devastation and now I share my story with others.  One night last week my friend, Suzanne, used the words spiritual mentor to describe me. I know that I could not be full enough to overflow into her life had God not healed me.  God used a testimony to start my healing, to change my life and the life of those around me.

Share Your Testimony!

Your Story Matters!

Who is the One You Should Tell Today?

 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and

considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:7

Has God ever used someone's testimony to change your life?

Charity