BE A RISK TAKER FOR THE KINGDOM!

Demetric Phillips and Brandon Shank/ Tour 29:11

Today is an exciting day for our family. Brandon is traveling to Evangel University in Springfield, MO to speak at Crusader Days in the evening service. Please pray for God's anointing upon him as he ministers to students tonight. Demetric Phillips is also traveling with Brandon. Demetric is an incredible worship leader and will be leading worship in the service this evening.

Brandon recently resigned his Student Ministries position to pursue the call of God on his life as an Evangelist. Brandon birthed Tour 29:11 which is a modern day Evangelistic Crusade. I admire him for his obedience and trust in the Lord. If only we as older folks could be that bold in our faith. Can you imagine what God could do with our lives if we were willing to put everything on the line, step totally out of our comfort zone and do whatever God called us to do? Wow! It blows my mind to think about the possibilities in my own life if I would also demonstrate that example of obedience and faith. Why do we tend to hesitate when God calls us to do a work? Why do we often times question Him as to our ability to answer a call He has placed upon our lives? Do we lack faith? Are we questioning the voice we hear? Do we think God doesn't have what it takes to care for us as we enter unknown territory? Are we too mature and steadfast in our ways to do a brand new work for the Lord? Do we question why or how God could use us to further His Kingdom? Do we think that God doesn't use people over 50? NOT!

GOD EQUIPS THE CALLED. That statement says it all. If God calls you to do something He will give you everything you need to complete the task. EVERYTHING! Amazing isn't it? All we have to do as Christians is to be willing to accept the challenge and allow God to do the rest. That's it. No strings attached. Just demonstrate your faith in Christ by being obedient to the call He places upon your life. No matter how old or young you may be. It doesn't matter. God uses all kinds of folks to complete His work. The Bible is full of examples where God continually used ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He has a work for each of us. There is no retirement when God is your employer.

I feel such an urgency in my own spirit to seek God for clear direction in my life. Time is short and there is a tremendous task at hand to tell people about Jesus. Do not allow fear and the voice of the enemy to hinder God's call on your life. He is looking for willing vessels who are anxious to step out of the comfort zone and take a risk for the Kingdom. Yes, it can be frightening to accept the challenge of God in blind faith, attempting to do something that you have no idea how to do, but God will be with you every step of the way. I encourage you to be diligent and obedient in your walk with Christ. Serving Him is an exciting adventure. It becomes boring and unfruitful when we demand control of our lives and refuse to listen and obey His call. I challenge you today to be a risk taker for the Kingdom. God has big plans for your life. What are you going to do with it?

Not To Worry!

Grammy, Luke and Victoria
What a gorgeous Monday! The sun is shining and it is 59 degrees. Come on Spring! Can't wait until I get home from work this evening and walk.

Spending quality time with my grandchildren Victoria and Luke, my daughter Brooke, son-in-law Jesse and my hubby is always a special treat. The weekend would have been complete if our son Brandon and his wife Casey could have been with us. They live in Southern Virginia and their schedules are as crazy as ours. They are also in full-time ministry so we don't get to see them as often as we would like.

Grammy's have to brag on their grandbabies you know! We took a variety of photos Saturday so I could update the photos in my office. When I was looking at the photos today I thought about how safe and secure Victoria and Luke feel when they are in my care. They don't worry about anything bad happening to them because they trust me to take care of them.

Matthew 6:25, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life......." Why do we worry so much about everything? God's Word encourages us not to worry about anything. When we allow worry and fear to creep into our lives we tend to focus on the negative and miss God's opportunities. We become consumed by the possibilities of what could happen and sometimes that prevents us from recognizing what is actually transpiring in our lives. The doubt and fear overwhelms our very being and there is no place, time or desire for prayer or spending time with God. We become useless as a Christian because we are so caught up in things we most likely cannot control or change. I believe we miss many blessings because we doubt that God can take care of us.

As Christians we must learn to trust God and completely relinquish all of our worries and fears to Him. We practice great lip service but do we sincerely place our trust in God and believe that He will take care of every need? His Word explicitly tells us that we are not to worry about anything. Worry distracts us and hinders God's will in our lives. God loves and cares for us just the same as we love our children, grandchildren and spouses. Allow Him to take care of your needs. Practice releasing every worry and concern to Him this week. You will be amazed at how well He manages and resolves issues in our lives that seem to be managing us.

Life is Grand!

This has been such a relaxing and rejuvenating week. Work has been crazy but the evenings have been wonderful. Typically for me there is only one week each month that doesn't require an evening ministry obligation. Stress for me is a major motivation but rest is an excellent ingredient in my recipe for life! It is a time when we can regroup and allow God to minister to our whole being. A time to chill and enjoy some quiet time with our spouse. Life is hectic and women are constantly attempting to manage a multitude of projects. Sometimes it is extremely challenging to balance all of that and remain sane. It is a blessing that we are great multitask individuals. I believe that is a special gift that God has given us. When God extends to us a free day, evening or week, we need to rejoice and savor each moment. Jesus cares about all of our needs and He knows exactly what we need when we need it. Take a moment today to thank Him for being such a caring and loving Father. Life is grand!

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

There is an old saying, "Actions speak louder than words." What a statement of truth. Yesterday we recognized Women's Ministries Day in both services at our church. I am truly blessed to have such unbelievable ladies involved in Heart to Heart Gals Ministries. I was so humbled by the way each of them served throughout the day without one complaint. I am truly proud of them and I thank God for a wonderful team of devoted women. I wonder if God is always pleased with me and my actions as well. It is very easy sometimes to slip into the whine and complain mode without giving much thought to the message that we are sending to the people around us. I must remind myself daily that actions do speak louder than words and we never know when someone may be watching us when we least expect it or may overhear a conversation that we are not necessarily proud of. I pray that God will keep me humble. I also pray that I always represent myself in a manner that will always be pleasing to God. I am thankful to Him today for the incredible work He is doing with my life.