So, I am driving to work today. A little late, because it is Monday and I am tired already. Busy weekend with family activities and working 2 jobs. What is on my mind?

Dinner in crockpot - Check

Forgot some lunch - Shucks!

Think through the week - Social media guru (LOL) at work (website, facebook, twitter, hootsuite, church apps, ) - summer women's get together - fall bible studies - new member class - building calendar scheduling - bookstore - I could go on, but I won't

Friends in need - what and how can I help them

Family - just stuff

As I have completely overwhelmed myself and I am not even half way to work yet, I hear this little tune on KLOVE. And then I hear the words. "Well Done!  I'm so glad that I get to serve You, Lord - You're the only One I am living for, - I'm gonna run straight into Your open arms - I'm gonna run this race - To hear You say well done."  [you will find the words to the song and a link to the video below]

Guess what? This song gave me the little kick in the butt I needed on this Monday.
I wanted to share this with you. Can you imagine what it will feel like to finally be in front of our God and hear Him say "Well Done!"?

Sharing my kick in the butt with you, just in case you need a kick as well. 

Wanna share your crazy life, week with me? I would love to pray for you. Just let me know what I can pray for :O)

Have a great week

Blessings,

Kami Hallaway

Community Life Coordinator

Endurance

"As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:11

Endurance in faith, hard as it may seem, brings happiness. Trials are not a sign of God's disfavor or His will to carelessly punish His children. The tenderhearted Savior never acts cruelly. But through troubles, we draw close to Him and see God's power at work in our lives. Then, like Job, when we persevere in faith, God rewards us bountifully.

Wherever You Are, Be There

I stare out the back door at robins pecking and trees swaying in the early morning like slow dancers. 

It's a gorgeous day just unfolding. All is well.

And then in the middle of the peace a voice comes, "But it can't last. Something bad will happen."

So I start to worry and fret. Before I know it, my body is one place and my heart in another.

Have you ever done the same?

Then when a difficulty does come, I do much the same. I look at the broken pieces, the shattered dreams.

And then in the middle of the hurt a voice comes, "But you should just be happy. Look how blessed you are."

So I plaster on a smile and try to fake it through the day. Before I know it, my body is in one place and my heart in another.

God created us to be whole.

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God made one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14

When life is going well, don't give in to the fear that it won't last.

When life is hard, don't give in to the temptation to pretend everything is okay.

Keep your body and heart in the same place.

God says He is I Am. That means He is where we really are. To experience His presence fully, we need to fully be there too.

I slow the racing thoughts in my mind and look up at the blue sky. Yes, it will rain again but for now I feel the sun on my face...and in my heart. And I am here in this moment to give thanks to I Am. With all I am.

The Only Way Up

Climb the ladder.

Get to the top.

Build a platform.

These words ring in our culture and sting in our hearts. What are we to do with them?

God offers another way. Make yourself a servant to others and I will raise you up.

The only entrance to God's elevator is on the ground floor. Through the servant's quarters.

So we can stop striving. Stop worrying. Stop working so hard.

Instead simply serve. Wherever you are today.

You are doing well. You are bringing joy. You are where you need to be to make a difference. And if where you are needs to change, God will do it.

You do the loving. He'll do the lifting.

A New Day

This is the beginning of a new day.

You have been given this day to use as you will.

You can waste it or use it for good.

What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever.

In its place is something that you have left behind.

Let it be something good.

Savoring the People You Love

I have a confession to make.

I'm becoming a tea drinker.

After years of being monogamously committed to coffee, my taste buds have decided to rebel. Sigh. So while I still love-love a cup of butter toffee coffee,  I'm interspering it with tea a bit too.

What does this have to do with anything?

Well, surpisingly I'm falling in love with tea. Every cup has a story it turns out. About where it's been. What has added flavor to it. How it seeps and spills into the water until everything changes.

My favorite people are like that too.

You know the characters in life that may seem ordinary on the outside but give them some time and a welcoming place and all kinds of wonderful starts flowing to you through them?

You find out how they came to be who they are.

You taste the flavor of God's goodness that only comes through them.

You find your life changed by the time you lean back and say good-bye.

We can all be one of those people, I think. And we can all enjoy each other in that way too. It just requires slowing down and being more intentional.

Really knowing people requires our hearts, schedules and being willing to let ourselves be open to a new flavor of being.

So I've already invited you to have coffee with me. Now I'm inviting you to tea too. :)

The Stars of Heaven

"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (MSG)

Susan Boyle from Scotland became an overnight Internet celebrity. The plain-but-feisty 47-year-old contestant on the Britain's Got Talent television show transformed the audience at Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland. At first, many mocked her frumpy appearance, but within seconds of Boyle's opening notes of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables, the audience stood and gave her a wild ovation that continued for seven minutes. During the next nine days, more than 100 million people viewed various online video's of Boyle's amazing musical talent. 

Are there days when you feel insignificant? Perhaps as we gather before the throne of God, we'll be amazed at the so-called "nobodies" of this world who will stand out and shine like stars in heaven (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

We'll hear stories of quiet prayer warriors who served by standing against Satan in prayer. We'll cheer for missionaries who served and sacrificed, often uncelebrated on earth; moms and dads who quietly modeled Christ and taught the Word to their children; Christian leaders who taught and lived the truth; a multitude of behind-the-scenes volunteers; all the persecuted and martyred believers of history - every good and faithful servant of God will be rewarded and hear God's "well done." It's all because of God's marvelous grace, and all praise will ultimately return to Him.

I want to encourage you to keep in mind that if you know Jesus, you're not a nobody.

"The righteous," the Bible says, "will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43). We will all reflect the splendor of our Lord, and enjoy Him forever. Remember, you are always a somebody to God. 

Father God, I want to please You and bring You glory, so I ask You to transform my life. Make me more like Your Son. Amen. 

Receiving Grace

There's a girl in my life who just won't cut me slack.

I try hard and she says, "Not good enough."

I put on my cutest outfit and she whispers, "Nice, but not as good as hers."

I mess up and take a tumble in life and she smirks, "I knew you couldn't do it."

Who is this girl? I know you'd like to email her and tell her to stop being so mean to me, right?

I'd like to do the same for any mean girls in your life.

So here's the secret identity of mine...get your emails ready. It's me.

Yep, I'm my own worst critic. Maybe you too?

People say, "Give yourself grace." Yep, sounds good. I've even tried it. It just doesn't work. I think that's because we're never meant to give ourselves grace. It's not about just saying, 

"That's okay. It doesn't matter."

It's not about giving ourselves grace. Instead it's about receiving grace from God. That sounds more like, "Yes, I messed up. But I'm forgiven. And this is about what I did--it's not who I am. I am still a loved, chosen, cherished daughter of the King. I'm going to get back up and stand tall for Him again."

Only grace can change the voice within us that pushes us toward burnout. Only grace can reach out and embrace us so that we come back to where we belong again. Only grace tells us the truth about who we are.

Whew.

It's time to quiet ourselves and instead listen to truth again.

Shhh...what do you hear?

Wherever You are Now,
You have Something to Offer

I love Food Network Shows. One of my favorite last summer was about Food Trucks. In this show Sixteen food trucks circle the wide open field. They were all from different locations ...Buffalo, Toronto, New York City. Over miles and across borders these folks have brought what they have to offer. And as someone bites into a chocolate-hazelnut cupcake and smile, I know that is because they are clearly benefiting from the experience.

I like the idea of food trucks. Wherever you go, you have something to offer.

And in case you didn't know, you're kinda like a food truck.

We're all called to feed the hearts around us. Give us this day our daily bread, says the line in the Lord's prayer. What we receive isn't just for us.

And it isn't just for one particular place.

Wherever you are right now, you're bringing what God has given you to offer right along with you.

Your home.

Your office.

Your church.

Your community.

Across the world.

It's not just when we sit in a pew on Sunday. It's not just when we're in front of our keyboards writing. It's not just when we're volunteering or going out of our way to make a difference.

It's all the time, everywhere, just as you are.

I don't know what you've got inside--what your version of a food truck might be. But I can tell you this...it's going to meet a need. Because God put it there.

So roll down the road of life and see where He takes you. And when someone with a hungry heart crosses your path and God calls, fling open the doors and hold out your hands.

Then trust that whatever has been entrusted to you is what's needed in that moment. And that it's good.

Lord, help me to find someone on my road that is hungry for Your Word and give me the ingredients to feed them and give them nourishment that only You can give. Amen.

YOUR To-Do List

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

How many lists do you have for today - groceries, errands, chores that need to be done. Chances are you could think of two or three more - at least!

Despite our lists, it seems like days when everything gets crossed off are rare. Will we ever catch up on all that needs to be done?

There is hope! God is concerned with all the details of our lives - including our to-do lists. And, when we ask Him to, He's ready and willing to teach us how to use them most effectively - and to become wise in the process.

That's what Moses is praying in Psalm 90. As the leader of the Israelites, Moses knew something about a huge to-do list! Sometimes caring for the needs of my family of three feels overwhelming. Can you imagine poor Moses trying to manage all those people? 

That's why he asked God to teach him to number his days the right way. The Hebrew word for number means just what you think it does - to count, reckon, appoint, assign. Exactly the stuff of to-do lists.

With only so many hours in a day, it makes sense to ask God for help in making appointments, filling the calendar, planning what needs to be done and prioritizing your lists, to show you what's most important and what can wait until later.

As I've done this, I've been amazed at how God has rearranged my lists. Often he brings other people to mind, and a phone call to a friend ends up being the most important part of my day. Other times, the things I thought were pressing turn out to be not as important as spending time with my family, or taking some time to rest. 

Try it. Sit down with your to-do list and ask God for help with it. Ask him to point out those things that you may have forgotten, or things that should wait. Ask him to shine through you as you make phone calls or have lunch with a friend. 

Lord, I lay my to-do list for today, for this weekend, for the month, for the year before You. Show me and lead me to do what You would have me do. Amen.