Faith | Serving Joyfully

15May 2013

Offering Practical Help to Others

“I’ll pray for you.”

Before I get into this, I want to say, prayer is the most important thing we can do for someone. Breakthroughs come from God, from the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Miracles come through prayer.

With that said, I’ve had a lot of thoughts about this floating around in my head for a while, mainly a couple of problems with this being our sole response to people who are hurting, or in need.

1. Empty words.

Sometimes we say “I’ll praying for you” because it’s a good thing to say. It’s the Christian thing to say. Where others might say “I’m sorry for your situation” or “I hope it gets better,” We Christians say “I’ll pray for you.”

The leader of our women’s prayer group at church has this rule. As soon as a prayer request is mentioned, we immediately stop and pray. It’s how she lives her life, because she realizes that without doing this, there is a very good possibility that we’ll forget or not get around to it.

Prayer is great, but we say “I’ll pray for you,” more often than we actually do it.

Put it in action: If you see someone struggling, hurting, or in need–stop what you’re doing and pray for them. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or eloquent, and maybe you’ll revisit it later and pray more in depth, but praying immediately ensures that you’ll honor your word.

2. It replaces practical help.

In James 2:14-17, we read this:

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? …If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

My husband and I used to do this funny skit, called the $50 skit. It’s about a college student who needs $50 to pay his electric bill. In the skit, he meets a series of people, each one a Christian who has been blessed with an extra $50. Thus begins a hilarious episode of each friend trying to help him get what he needs, using everything from “faith aerobics” to getting down on your belly to be “humble enough”, and “naming it and claiming it”. In the end, a final person walks up to him–after his faith has been beaten down, and says simply “I don’t know what you’re going through, but the Lord put it on my heart to give you this $50.” It’s funny, but powerful.

I was reminded of this skit recently when my friend shared a story about her 3 year old daughter. She had told her daughter at the store, “You can’t run away–I need you to help me.” To which her daughter replied: ”Okay, I’ll just pray for you.”

This innocent, funny story pierced my heart with conviction. On the one hand–it’s evidence of her mother’s teaching that she thought of prayer first, and that’s awesome. But at the same time, how often do we do this?

How often do we say “I’ll pray for you,” when the practical help is within our power to give?

God works through people sometimes. You and me.

Sarah Mae, in talking about her book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, talks about how moms need physical help sometimes. And don’t we all?

Is there someone that you can offer physical, practical help to today? What’s stopping you?

Power of Prayer

I fully believe in the power and importance of prayer. There are so many times where we need God to step in because nothing else will help–heart issues, healing, etc.

But maybe, sometimes, we should be a little more hands on. Yes, pray for others. But also offer practical, physical support as well.

Is there a time in your life when someone has offered you real, practical help?

21Apr 2013

Do it Heartily

Crystal ⋅ 10 Comments

This verse has been weighing heavily on my heart lately:

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. -Colossians 3:23

Earlier in that same chapter, Paul tells us:

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

These are some heavy, convicting verses. Because the verse doesn’t specify one particular type of activity or work. Instead, it says “whatever you do…” It says “do all.”

And it pierces my heart.

I love to be a hostess. I want to make sure my guests have exactly what they need and that the house is clean(ish). I’m quick to serve them. Shouldn’t I serve my own family in this way as well?

And I think of that in terms of what I would want to do for Jesus Christ. If the God of the universe were coming over to my house, how would my attitude change?

Would I huff and puff if He asked me to stop what I’m doing and get something?

Would I roll my eyes at a comment He made, or would I give Him my full attention, knowing that nothing else were more important.

Would I spend a few extra minutes browsing facebook, or a few extra minutes in His presence?

Would I waste time on this or that, or would I be preparing for Him?

The bottom line is this–He is already here. He is all seeing. He is omni-present. He is already here day in, and day out…witnessing my not-so-great (and some downright ugly) moments.

These words apply to my homemaking, homeschooling, my attitude towards my husband and children–it applies to everything I do.

It’s setting a higher standard for myself– to do my best, my all and not just enough to get by. But even more than that, it’s a matter of heart. In Colossians 3:22, Paul says that we should do things in “sincerity of heart.”

And it’s a lot easier if we have the perspective that we aren’t doing things for other imperfect humans, we are doing them for a perfect God who deserves all we have to offer and more.

There may be days when my husband or children don’t “deserve” my kindness or patience (just as there are days when I don’t deserve their patience and kindness). But there will NEVER be a day when God doesn’t deserve my best.

There may be days when it would be easier to forget the housework and browse blogs and facebook instead. But I need to give my all to my savior who suffered so much, who loves me so much, who sacrificed so much. And He did it all for me.

He deserves my all. And it will never be enough.

Lord, I pray that you will help me to keep perspective. Keep my mind on Heavenly things and not on earthly things because everything I do on this earth should be done as fully as if I were doing it for you, because I should be doing it for you and in Your name. Amen

Do you have a certain scripture that helps you reign in a not-so-great attitude?

07Apr 2013

Poor is in the attitude

Crystal ⋅ 78 Comments

This is from the archives,originally published June 2012 but this is almost exactly what we talked about in Sunday school yesterday, so I thought I would repost.

“Poor” is a matter of attitude, not bank account.

I know this series is about conquering debt on a low-income, but to do that requires a frugal lifestyle (or that you win the lottery, of course), and a frugal lifestyle usually requires that we change our way of thinking.

I read an article recently that saddened me. It was about “impoverished” parenting and the author was lamenting the fact that her children weren’t able to eat much junk food because they were too poor. They also couldn’t afford to buy organic products, or name brand clothes. She went on and on about how “poor” they were because they could only do this and this, but weren’t able to do that. By the end of the article, she had achieved her goal and I felt deeply sorry for her children.

I don’t feel sorry for them that they are deprived. They aren’t.

There are countless people in this world who are starving. No this isn’t a “there are people worse off than you” lecture, the point is that many of them are more content than we are! Will you process that for a minute? When I went to Haiti on a mission trip in 2003, I witnessed some of the deepest levels of poverty I have ever seen—people living in run-down straw shacks with dirt floors. Babies with their bellies pooched out from malnutrition, and kids with orange hair because their starving bodies were trying desperately to save any nutrition possible. Even in their deep need, the people I met were far happier and more content than the spoiled American society that we live in.

The children from that blog post are only deprived because their mother is teaching them that they are deprived. They are being taught to allow money to control their happiness and to live in a constant state of perceived want. Once that mindset starts, there can be no fulfillment, no matter how much money you have, no matter how many nice things you have, there will always be something out of reach that leaves you wanting, until you change your attitude.

We’re on a limited budget, and I’ve had people shake their heads at how we’re depriving our boys of ____ (insert junk food, eating out, fancy toys, expensive vacations, etc.). We have a roof over our heads and God always provides our needs (and most reasonable wants!). We have a $200/month grocery budget, which rarely includes junk food. (that’s a good thing. We don’t need junk food!) My boys always wear used clothing and it’s rarely name brand (again, a good thing. I don’t want them to learn that the label on their clothing determines their value). Logan wears almost entirely hand-me-downs, except for a couple of new outfits throughout the year that he gets for his birthday or Christmas. They have less toys than other children we know and the ones they have aren’t fancy.

But, let me make something very clear. We are not poor and my children are not deprived. I will not teach them that.

They use their imaginations. They enjoy simple things. They don’t require the newest fancy toys to have fun or be happy. We choose this for them, for a variety of reasons.

As Christians, we’ve all heard this verse quoted, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Do you know what Paul said just before those inspiring words?

“I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:11-13)

Paul had learned the lesson that contentedness, happiness, fulfillment and joy are not found in things. He had learned to be content despite his circumstances. Why are we teaching our children the opposite?

It is our job as parents to teach our children how to be content, transcendent of circumstances and material possessions.

We are making the choice to teach our children this valuable life lesson. Through simple living, we are teaching them to be content with what we have. No, they don’t have name brand clothes, a lot of junk food, or fancy toys. They don’t “get to” eat out a lot or go on expensive vacations. But they are happy and enjoy the simple things in life. They are content.

They are a lot richer than most of the children around us who have every possible want fulfilled.

03Apr 2013

Cardboard Testimonies

Crystal ⋅ 26 Comments

On Easter Sunday, we were blessed to participate in cardboard testimonies at our church. If you’ve never seen (or heard of) cardboard testimonies, you can see an example here. It’s an incredibly moving presentation of people sharing something God has done for them, or something God has helped them overcome.

Our testimonies are powerful.

Here is Chad and my younger son, Logan:

When Logan was born, I was only allowed a brief moment with him before he was taken away to the NICU because he couldn’t regulate his blood sugar. At 5:00 am the next morning, a doctor came into my room: “Your baby is having seizures.” This doctor was trying to help my son and had no time for bedside manner. He immediately went into a litany of tests being performed, possible diagnoses and complications. I won’t lie, I was scared.

The seizures continued and later that day, Logan was transferred to a nearby hospital with a better NICU and access to a better neurology department. I chronicled our week-long journey in real-time. But in the end, I sat in the NICU holding my newborn Logan while a neurologist told me that my baby had brain damage. They couldn’t say for sure if it happened in utero or at birth, but it was there. He said the damage was similar to what would be caused by a stroke and that if an adult suffered such damage there would be no hope. They would be vegetative or dead.

He kept saying “we can’t know how bad it will be, only time will tell.” He said worst case is that my son would be vegetative, require constant care for the rest of his life, might never be aware of his surroundings, never be able to speak, never able to recognize me as his mother or tell me he loves me. He might never walk or talk. He might have cerebral palsy. The list of potential problems and complications was seemingly endless and severe.

The hope offered was that sometimes a baby’s still-forming brain can compensate for such a loss. The best case scenario was that he’d have milder learning or physical disabilities.

As I cried into my baby’s sleeping head, clutching him tightly to my chest, I wanted this doctor to tell me it might be okay. I said “So the other parts of his brain might compensate so that you can’t even tell anything’s wrong?”

He was quick to correct me. “No.” This damage is there, and it is permanent. The only thing we don’t know is exactly how badly his life will be affected. It might not be very bad.

When I relayed the story to others, I would put on my happy face, and I would dress it up. I would leave out the worst case scenario and focus only on the best. But I was there, alone in the moment when the doctor happened to come, and I will never forget the scary and uncertain prognosis delivered to me that day.

It was a waiting game.

But then he started to laugh.

And he started to roll over, sit up, and crawl.

And he started to walk at 10 months of age.

At 18 months, he recognized all his colors, even though he couldn’t really talk then.

Logan

And at 2 years old, a switch seemed to flip and he went from not talking at all to speaking in full sentences, almost over night.

And slowly we watched our little boy grow, meeting or exceeding every developmental milestone.

And on Sunday we were able to share the rest of the story in the form of a cardboard testimony:

29Mar 2013

You’re Worth Dying For

Crystal ⋅ 8 Comments

Photo from Gracefullmama.com

I’ve always been a very insecure person. I grew up poor and kids aren’t very tolerant of that. I was worthless because of my dollar store shoes, and I had no one to tell me any different. These things went on through childhood, and then into early adulthood as I was involved in a 2-year long abusive relationship.

Now, my depression is worse than it’s ever been and I’m overweight to boot. I have a lot of reasons to be insecure. To feel worthless

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you are overweight. Maybe you’ve had one too many failures in your life. Maybe you lose your top at your kids or your husband. Maybe you feel unloved and unlovable sometimes.

When I was a kid, I always wondered, Why is it called “good” Friday?

A day that represents immense suffering, humiliation, and death of our Savior. Why is it called good?

But now I know. It’s about me. It’s about you. It’s good because Jesus died for us, so that we might live. No matter how unworthy we might be.

When you get down on yourself, if you get insecure and start to think that you’re not really worth it to anyone, remember that to Jesus Christ, you are worth suffering and dying for.

There are no words to express the gratitude, the overwhelming feeling of His sacrifice. Let it wash over you today.

26Mar 2013

Resurrection Rolls

Crystal ⋅ 14 Comments

Today, I’m sharing a different kind of recipe. It doubles as an object lesson for kids. I know most of you have probably seen this recipe about a billion times across the web, but our story is a bit different, so I’m sharing it anyway.

What you need:

-Crescent Rolls (I make mine using my Calzone dough, but you can buy them from the store)
-Full size marshmallows
-Cinnamon Sugar (1/2 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
-Melted butter (I usually start with about 1/3 cup and add more if needed)

What to do:

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.) Take a marshmallow and show it to your kids. Ask: “What color is this marshmallow?” When they say it’s white, agree with them. Remind them that white represents clean and pure, just like Jeus because He never sinned. He was perfect.
Dip the marshmallow in butter. Show your kids the cinnamon sugar and ask them what color it is. (Brown). Say, “Yes, this cinnamon sugar is brown, just like dirt. Sin is filth to God.” Roll the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon sugar. Say “The Bible tells us that Jesus, who never sinned, was made to be sin for us.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Place the marshmallow in the center of a crescent roll. Say: “Jesus took on our sin, and our punishment. He was crucified. He died on the cross for us.” Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll, being careful to seal all the edges.
Say: “When Jesus died, they placed him in the tomb and left them there.” Place your crescent roll tomb onto a baking sheet and allow the children to help make the rest of them.
Leave your rolls in the oven for 10-12 minutes. After they are out of the oven and have cooled, say, “Just like we left our rolls in the oven, Jesus’ body was left in the tomb. What do you think happened when they went back after 3 days?” Break apart one of the rolls. Jesus’ body (the marshmallow) is gone, and the “tomb” is empty. Tell your children, “When they went back to the tomb, they didn’t find Jesus there. They were told that he is not there because He has risen.” (Luke 24:6)

I’m very excited today to offer my first ever printable

There are a few mistakes/typos that I didn’t catch before PDF’ing it, but I hope you enjoy.

Download a Printable Resurrection Rolls Devotion Sheet

What are your favorite Easter traditions?

21Feb 2013

Everything Happens for a Reason.

Crystal ⋅ 21 Comments

There is a phrase I hear a lot, from both Christians and non-Christians: Everything happens for a reason. It’s usually said to explain away something bad.

I was a drug addict, but everything happens for a reason.

I was involved in a 2-year long, abusive relationship…but everything happens for a reason.

My husband and I got divorced, but now I’m remarried and happy so everything happens for a reason.

Usually, people go on to talk about how it was all God’s will, or it was all in His plan. And that has always left me feeling a bit confused. You mean, it was God’s will for you to get a divorce? It was God’s will for you to be a drug addict?

No, I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that. God hates sin, and I don’t think sin is in His perfect plan for my life.

I mean, of course everything happens for a reason, but sometimes that reason is simply our own sin or bad choices (or someone else’s). Sometimes that reason is that we live in a fallen world. Sometimes, we are looking for an answer that just isn’t there. I spent 2 years of my life in an abusive relationship. I still have scars from this relationship, even though I am happily married now to a loving, supportive, understanding, wonderful man. I don’t think that God led me down that path (in fact, I know He didn’t…but that’s another post). I led myself down that path, but He can redeem it.

God’s word does tell us:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. -Romans 8:28

Wow! This gives me so much hope. God can redeem all my mistakes, my flaws, my failures. It doesn’t mean he planned them, or that it was His perfect will for me. But it does mean that if I let Him, He will use all of my mistakes, and all of other people’s mistakes that I’ve been victim to, and He will bring something good out of it.
It means that no matter what Satan tries to throw at me, no matter what “life” throws at me, no matter how much I fail and sabotage myself through sin, He can make all things work together for good.

It doesn’t mean that I was in His perfect will when I made those mistakes, or that it was His plan or reasons that caused them. It just means that it’s another example of His awesome grace and mercy at work. Because even in those moments when I veer so far off His path that I can’t even see His path anymore, if I just come back to Him, submit submit myself to Him. If I love Him and am called according to His purpose, then He can still redeem even the worst in my life.