I Won!

I won! I won! I won a "Lovely Blog Award" from the sweet Stephanie at Journey of Healing! Thanks girl! Reading her blog is like pulling a page out of my own journal. She's real, honest and God is taking her through some similar things as me!

This award comes with some fun 'rules'
1. Accept the award and acknowledge the person who bestowed it. {see above}
2. Pay it forward to 15 blogs you enjoy.

Easy! Here goes...in no particular order:
1. My dearest sweetest bestest sister/friend Joni's blog. A steady, rich relationship with the Lord weaves its way into her words which challenge and encourage me constantly. Plus, she's more fun than the state fair!! Love this girl!

2. You might have heard her on 106.9 FM...if not, 12-3...tune in! Carol can give you a side stitch from laughing till you can't breathe and give you a good cry from pondering the depth of God's mercy all in one conversation.

3. Whether you are a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend...Melissa is your gal to hang with! She's real, honest, relatable, & funny! Say whatever you want...you'll be loved and accepted.

4. Dreamers, Believers and Faith Filled Girls...you won't want to miss Nicki's blog! She knows God is big and able and spurs you on to remember the same!!

5. Okay, I'm not a wife or mom yet, but Sharon is already mentoring me in those areas through her thoughtful, humble, soulful words. I want to be like her when I grow up!

6. When looking for a shot in the arm of Truth (hard as it might be to hear) I look no further than Lisa's blog. She's just keepin' it real and I'm better for it.

7. I'm sorry to say I don't know the name of the writer behind the words on this blog. What I do know is she's a real gal, living real life, with a real God and sees Him in the every day. I appreciate that. Think you will too.

8. This guy's a poet. His words fluid, compelling, picturesque. Though his posts are far and few between, Jacob's writing is worth waiting for.

9. An escape for your spirit & mind, Elizabeth blends heart-changing/wrenching/reviving photos with eye-opening words that mix in a lovelycan'tlookaway collage.

10. Her art tells stories of the soul. Her words do the same. Her heart comes through in both. And it's a thing of beauty. Just like Laura.

11. Tuck your feet up under you, wrap your hands around a hot mug, and chill with Shannon. You're invited into her life...with herself, her hubby, her friends and her God. Her words are comfortable and real.

12. Simply sweet. Simply giving. Simply kind. Simply generous. Simply abundant in love. Lisa at Simply His blog is simply wonderful and elaborately loved by everyone who meets her! Read her blog...you'll see why!

13. LeeBird shares life's journey with grace, wisdom, humbleness and humor. You'll instantly feel at home with her!

14. I just started following Eileen's blog and look forward to her wisdom and funny quips already!

{And because I can't resist promoting these folks who are making a HUGE difference in the world...}

15. This is hard. Gut wrenching. Fall on your knees. Weep till you're spent hard. But we can't turn our backs on the reality that this is reality. LOVE146's blog. Get involved.

15. Do you want a new perspective on the poor? Here you go! Compassion International spreads it's arms across the world and gives you and me the chance to hug kids 1000's of miles away.

15. What if you could round-table it with C.S. Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, and Tozer? Well, that's not possible, but Desiring God's blog comes pretty close!

There's your sneak peek into the lovely blogs whose writer's words challenge, comfort, inspire and entertain me! Hope they speak to you similarly! Adios!

Now ... Then

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ~Genesis 50:20

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11

The whole time Joseph was a slave and prisoner...God saw him as second in command over Egypt.

When Ruth was a homeless, barren widow...God saw her settled, a wife, and grandmother to His Son.

When Lazarus was wrapped in grave clothes...God saw him breathing new life.

When David was running for his life...God saw him running Israel.

When Paul crucified Christians...God saw him preaching the crucified Christ.

When Sarai beat Hagar...God saw her beating her jealousy, pride and doubt with the birth of Isaac.

When Esther was an orphaned girl shaking in fear for her life...God saw His daughter shaking the kindgom and saving the lives of His people.

When Rahab welcomed men into the shelter of her bed...God saw her sheltering the spies on her roof.

When Peter lost faith and denied Christ...God saw him bringing many to faith in Christ.

When Moses killed with his own hands...God saw him chiseling the Ten Commandments with those same hands.

When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus die...God saw Him resurrected and seated on His heavenly throne!

Oh what God can't reverse, redeem, restore, revive, renew! Trust Him that He can take any circumstance and use it for your good and His glory.

ONE - ME, YOU

The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' ~Matthew 25

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~Mother Teresa

This week the thought of ONE is still pinging around my insides. Insides of my mind...what can I do? Insides of my heart...who can I serve? love? cherish?

How can I be the ONE to love the one in front of me?

My friend Elizabeth has had moving convictions on this...

Anything pinging around your mind/heart too?

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. ~Edmund Burke

Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him. ~Albert Schweitzer

Sam in Real Life

If you're visiting from Rachel Olsen's Blog Carnival, welcome!! If you'd like to know more about linking up on this fun ride, visit Rachel's blog.

Instead, it is you - my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed… ~Psalm 55:13-14

Friendship is a diminishing of distance between people. ~Keith Richards

Text messages, Facebook updates, Twitter tweets, blog posts... they sure can fool you into thinking you know a person. Truth is, anyone is allowed to be, well, anyone on social networking sites! Slap on a few pictures of the kids smiling, add a funny quip, stir, and zippitty-do-da! out comes the illusion of a fairy tale perfect life.

Now, I appreciate social networking. Hours of clicking photo after photo of my best-friend-from-third-grade-but-we-haven’t-talked-in-20-years proves it! If a picture speaks a thousand words, then I’d say a thousand times over she’s happyhappyhappyhappy….

Facebook and Twitter made me believe another friend I grew up with had a life full of sunshine and butterflies too. After reconnecting and talking over email, we got our old gang back together to do a Bible study.

And there is where the walls tumbled down. All the pretty pictures of her kids on the first day of kindergarten didn’t show the ten meltdowns they had that morning. Quips of the romantic get-away with the hubster didn’t tell of the months of marital counseling to save their marriage. And all the status updates could never relay the depth of depression or insignificance she felt.

If not for our Bible study, I would not have known the real story behind the story. I would have missed the opportunity to encourage and cheer her on; to live the daily ups and downs with her.

Now hear me on this. Keep posting your cute pics and funny sayings. I enjoy them as much as the next gal. But please do not start spilling your innermost secrets on Facebook or reveal every emotion you ever felt on Twitter. You want to protect yourself and your family. Living room couches, coffee shop tables, and park benches, not social networking sites, are the places to share!

We were made to do life with others. We need friends who know us and can look us in the eye and read our expressions. Our souls crave to take off the mask, let our guard down, and pour out the depths of who we are to a safe, confidential few. Relationships sustained by status updates and retweets can only go to certain depths. Real life is lived in real conversations had in real time.

It’s been two years since that Bible study. My friend and I continue to live life—real life—together. I hope you have someone(s) you can do that with too. If not, can I encourage you to find a few friends who you can just "be" with? Here are some thoughts to get started:
~ Reconnect with old friends or ask newer friends that you talk with often over Facebook or Twitter who live near you
~Start a group through church, neighborhood, etc. You could do a Bible study {all P31 resources are 31% off this week!!}, dinner club, weekly park outings, coffee over conversation…
~Commit to confidentiality and be willing to open up and trust. My Bible study group has a confidentially agreement, which includes not sharing with husbands, parents or best friends, even if they don’t know us.

If you already have a group of friends you share with, please leave a comment! We’d love to hear about how you became friends and what you do together! Oh, and don't forget to visit Rachel's blog!



Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. ~Ecclesiastes 4

ONE - LUCAS, BLOOD WATER MISSION

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~William Penn

We've focused on folks this week who have made a difference. I especially love that ONE person can change the world for hundreds, thousands, even millions.

Today's ONE is very special to me. His name is Lucas Kovasckitz and I have the distinct privilege of not only being one of his youth group leaders, but also his friend. He's like a deep creek, flowing steadily, nourishing those he streams by. He inspires me to do more, love deeper, and linger longer in God's presence. You can get a glimpse of his heart through his music (some of my fav!!) https://noisetrade.com/johnlucas. And should you ever get to worship with him in person, you will leave a different person.

Last year Lucas changed a community of folks by daring to challenge our youth group to something BIG. I asked him a few questions...hope you're inspired by him like I was!!



*Lucas is the 7th guy from the left

1. Why did you want to raise money for Blood:Water? Blood:Water is my favorite non-profit organization...their heart and vision for those who have almost nothing of earthly value, specifically in Africa, is pretty amazing. I heard about their goal to dig 1,000 wells in African communities, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. One of their fundraising ideas was to drink nothing but water for 40 days, and to give away what you would have spent on coffee or soda. It’s a really simple idea, but it can also have a lasting impact on both the giver as well as the people the well serves. Instead of just writing a check and forgetting about it, you’re daily making a conscious choice to give up a small piece of American comfort. In a way, you’re identifying with those that the final result of your efforts is blessing…a beautiful community of people around the world that you’ll most likely never meet. The main goal, at least for me, wasn't the dollar figure at the end of the fast, but hopefully a small but tangible heart transformation. Too often I’m convicted of my consumerism, and my pursuit of things that will never last. I don’t want to forget about the people that the world has forgotten.


2. What steps did you take to go about raising money? I really felt like the fast was something that I was supposed to do, but I also wanted to get others involved. I ran it by my homeboy/youth pastor, and soon the youth got behind the fast. This then spread until much of our church community was also participating. The response was a huge blessing, and also extremely humbling.

3. How much $ was raised over what period of time? How many wells does that equate to? We raised about $2500, which is about half of the amount it takes to dig and build a well. It wasn’t a million dollars on a ten-foot check, but it’s pretty amazing what can happen when a group of people makes sacrifices to change the world around them.


4. Would you do it again? or something else like that? I would definitely do it again, and I want to learn how to better serve those in my own community and around the world that are struggling in poverty. I’m in the process of getting my degree in economics, to hopefully use it in an organization like Blood:Water – one that meets practical needs but also shines the love of Christ.

Click here for more about Blood:Water!

Blood:Water Mission (An Overview) from Blood:Water Mission on Vimeo.

But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside. The lowly he sets on high,and those who mourn are lifted to safety. ~Job 5

ONE-ELIZABETH, MARTA, DEMEKE

Loose the chains of injustice...untie the cords of the yoke...set the oppressed free...break every yoke...Share your food with the hungry...provide the poor wanderer with shelter...when you see the naked -clothe him... ~Isaiah 58

I purposed to introduce Marta and Demeke only, but their road lead me first to my dear friend Elizabeth Marx. Elizabeth radiates joy and stunning hope. Her heart oozes love for others like warm golden honey drizzling from the comb. She captures the world as she sees it through her business, Almond Leaf Studios. In her words, "I see my camera as a means to reveal the beauty I see in people, objects, and Light that usually go unnoticed...the driving force behind Almond Leaf Studios is a deep desire to see that same freedom and joy realized in the lives of women and children suffering injustice throughout the world." {source: http://almondleafstudios.com}

With that said, it's no wonder she partners with Silent Images, begun by David Johnson (another ONE!). Silent Images "seeks to tell the stories of hope in the midst of persecution, poverty, or oppression through journalistic photography, videography, and writing. The stories and images are provided to non-profit organizations in an effort to educate and be a voice for the voiceless around the world." {source: www.silentimages.org}

Travels with Silent Images took Elizabeth Ethiopia, where she spent time with Project Mercy, an International Emergency Relief and Community Development Ministry established by Marta Gabre-Tsadick and her husband Demeke Tekle-Wold.

"Marta initiated innovative food and sewing programs that enabled Project Mercy to distribute food and clothing to hundreds of thousands of starving, needy refugees from Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Project Mercy has helped create a holistic community development model in Yetebon. With the help of volunteers and the staff of Project Mercy, Marta has directed the construction of a school, state-of-the-art hospital, skills training classes, agricultural development programs, clean water delivery, all-season roads and countless other initiatives." {source: www.projectmercy.org}

Captivating photos are yours to see by clicking any of the links above!!

Elizabeth, David, Marta and Demeke...four ONE(s) changing the world!! Won't you join them today through prayer and/or financial support?

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

ONE - COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" ~Isaiah 6

The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green. ~Thomas Carlyle

"Compassion's work spans 57 years, from modest beginnings in 1952 when one man felt compelled to help 35 orphaned children in South Korea, to today, where more than 1 million children in 25 countries benefit from that original vision." {Source: www.compassion.com}

Wow, I could stop there and 'nuff said! But I had the awesome privilege of going to El Salvador with Compassion International which instilled in me 1,000,000 words to share! No worries, I won't. But I do want to give a sampling of the world-changing things they do...all because ONE man in 1952 felt compelled to make a difference...

Child Survival Program: "Kanamma came to the meeting with her two newborn granddaughters and laid them on the floor. One baby weighed under two pounds and the other weighed 2 1/4 pounds. Kannamma said very openly to the staff at the Child Survival Program,

'We can’t take care of these two children. If you want to save the children, please help us; otherwise we don’t mind killing them.'

Both babies were enrolled in the Child Survival Program. And now, the girls are in the child sponsorship program." {All rights reserved. Compassion International. Source: http://www.compassion.com/about/programs/childsurvivalprogram.htm}


Courtesy of Compassion International

Child Sponsorship Program: Keely Scott is a CI photographer...on her recent trip to El Salvador she meet three sponsored children and shares their stories and photographs here. This post is a must see/must read! Here is an excerpt:
Hi. . .Mr. Soh in Korea, I met sweet Milagro.

I love that when you heard her story (in her letters) Her story of how she was in a fire as a baby and has had medical needs you didn't just read

You Lept!

Lept into action. Milagro is doing amazing and is gaining strength with her new arm each day!

Did you know her name means Miracle?

Yeah, its okay. . . I cried at that too! Our God is Amazing.
{Kelly Orr Scott. All rights reserved. Source: http://www.keelymariescott.com}


And the Leadership Development Program is where my friend Nixon is flourishing. Thriving. Living a life with dreams and hope. Hope to provide for his sister and mom. A mom who has literally given herself to provide her family with one meal a day. All that changed when Nixon was sponsored.


*Nixon is the first guy on the right, his sister is in front of him, and his mom is the second woman on the left

Want to hear something cool? The original program started back in 1952 was so effective in South Korea, it is no longer needed!!

1,000,000 words I would love to share. 1,000,000 world-changing things Compassion does. 1,000,000 children effected because ONE man committed, Here am I. Send me.