To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Faith

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Unity

A month of UNITY. We need feel-good moments in this country, and I love that February helps do just that.

Between the Super Bowl (shout out to what I consider to be the best Superbowl in my 50 years!), Black History Month and the Winter Olympics, we have a ton of opportunity to step in to the conversation of unity.

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have seen that I attended UMKC’S Martin Luther King Jr. lecture series, and boy was that powerful. I am forever humbled by what I don’t know despite 50 years on this Earth. Our nation has been through a lot. We are better for what we’ve experienced, and we should all be intentional about taking time to learn about our past and let it inform our present.

I hadn’t given much thought to the fact that slavery in America existed for 339 years, and that just about every major institution played a part in it. Science proves out that the lasting impacts of this are still alive and well today. I had no idea. Thank you to Dr. Joy DeGruy and the hundreds of other people who have made it their mission to bring awareness and galvanize us all into action.

Unity is an all-encompassing term, but understanding the history of our country can go a long way in helping us sort out why we’re where we are today. We can do better. We are, as we know from the Bible, dependent on each other and are one in Christ. That is the truth; that is powerful.

My prayer is that we will all consider what little we know and make an effort to gain a greater understanding. If we can take that knowledge and make it useful in our generation (and those we impact: children, grandchildren, etc.), honoring the heritage of all people, we stand a much great chance of achieving peace and love all of the days of our lives.

Anyone else with me on this? We can – and should – DO THIS!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: GROWTH

I love things that inspire me; especially those that catch me off guard.

Chris Hodges is an author and pastor I follow from Birmingham (shout out to my BAMA friends Nan and Jan).

I have shared before that I do an annual spiritual fast, called the “Daniel Fast.” I do it the first 21 days of each year. Coupled with a better diet, I also give up the unhealthy surfing of social media channels and most TV. (I still use Twitter and Linked in for work, and admittedly still watch ‘This is Us,’ because I just can’t not watch.)

It’s amazing how much time is freed up. Also, how your focus returns to where it really should be all year long. Chris’s church, Highlands, is also doing the “Daniel Fast.” They add 21 days of prayer, and actually have a 6 a.m. weekday service that focused on great worship music and a 5-minute message before a prayer service. They posted about it online, and I was blown away by the message earlier this week on growth, and the reference to Luke 2:52.

I pray this scripture over my boys frequently and have since they were young men. I had not really given it much thought in terms of my own personal growth. Hello light bulb moment. We are all growing, whether we are 2-years-old or 92-years-old. Always learning, always looking to go deeper, share more, serve better…

Chris’s word for the year is GROWTH. (More on the word-of-the-year concept here, in case you missed it.) I think he may be a few years older than me, but I love that idea and thought you might as well.

I am praying this scripture over all of us today. May we achieve all that we were destined to in order to serve our FULL PURPOSE in this life. We will talk this week about growth in general, and some leadership insights I hope will help you continue to build momentum!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: The anchor that holds you

This is what I know for sure:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
— Hebrews 6:19

As you step into this week, bold and ready to continue a strong start in the first month of the year, this truth should give you great confidence. I personally like the idea of knowing that God has me anchored. As long as I stay close to His word and listen for His guidance, I can know for sure that He has me. He has you, too!

I like this quote by Charles Stanley, “Life Principles #3: God’s word is an immovable anchor in times of storms.” I have found this to be true. I believe He has us anchored in the great times and, most importantly, during those “every day days.” (We can use this when it’s cold and dreary!) He holds us tight and I believe we can rely fully on his direction for our lives.

How about you? I hope today finds you feeling anchored. And if not, renew your commitment today to fully trust God’s promise that He has you completely covered.

Love BIG: Prepare your heart for Christmas

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I think all of my boys would say Christmas is the best time of the year, but one of my sons really loves Christmas. I bought him a sign with the message, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” a few years ago and he proudly hung it in his room everyday of the year until he went off to college.

I love that, and I love that he understands the message of Christmas and that it’s truly all about LOVE. My mom-heart hopes that he will hold on to this truth all through his life.

Loving well is central to our hearts as humans. We are meant to love and often we get it right, and sometimes we don’t love as well as we can or should. Regardless, we strive toward LOVE and the world usually magically gives it back to us.

As we head into this week, my prayer is that we love well – the best we can! Even when the world sometimes doesn’t give it back, we press forward and continue to love. Thanks to the Christmas story, we know the truth is that God so loved the world, and he gave us his only son…

And our hope in this wacky wonderful world is real and beautiful. Enjoy every minute of this week leading up to the MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR.

Love my friends! Love well!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Increase from giving

It’s the “season of giving,” and while our backseats are loaded with gifts and front porches stacked with boxes, we turn our focus on how to best show love to those we adore. It’s really so much fun.

The insight for today comes from what might be a reminder to some to put GIVING to those who may need a helping hand at the top of your conscious. (Side note: For many years, as much as I’m a natural giver, it was at the end of the list instead of at the top.)

As many of you know, I often use Sundays to discuss my faith and rely on scripture as my source. It is my source to tell you the truth. Today’s scripture is found way back at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis where we find Abraham (yep, the same “father Abraham” that you may have sang about at some point in Sunday school…).

Abraham was the first real GIVER and he is the first person to give his land freely — and even to even give his son. As you read and embrace the text, all of his gifts were returned to him with more than he gave. That’s how the God I serve has worked in my life and I think that’s worth sharing. The more generous I have been (even when it was a sacrifice), the more God has given me in all areas of my life, providing me both protection and provision.

I now LOVE to give, especially to those who don’t expect it. Is there any chance this season that you know someone who could use a helping hand or a surprise gift that would be a game changer for them?

Bonus story: I am a fan of Joyce Meyer. She is a passionate gal who is often pointed in her remarks. She said in one of her podcasts (this won’t be perfect but you’ll get the idea…): “I am tired of Christians saying they know someone whose washer went out and they put it out in their ‘prayer circle’ for God to provide a new washer. If you can, you should just go and buy them a new washer, or offer to do so. YOU ARE THE PROVIDER. God gave you the ability, so why are you praying about it? Go do it!”

I love that, and it has been a mind shift that has been a game changer for me. I hope it inspires you as well.

Driving in the fog

I hope you find this analogy as helpful as I do.

What DO you do when you can only see a little ways in front of you? You go a little bit at a time and follow any light that you can see.

I for one, don’t like fog at all. It is more scary to drive in fog than other weather. Not being able to see and navigate my life in a direction I understand and feel I should be pursuing is not something I’m good at. In fact, I would like to see VERY CLEARLY where I’m headed. Anyone with me on that?

As you well know, that is just not how our lives always serve up our days and weeks and years. Being unclear is a common occurrence and one we have to get good at dealing with.

So, my friends, when you are “driving in fog,” so to speak, follow the light… as dim as it may be. Take the next few feet in faith and keep going! The fog will clear and sooner than you know you’ll be cruising down the fast lane.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: A message during ‘Paul’s Journey’

(Photo cred: Unsplash.com)

1 Corinthians 13:13: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

As I am finishing up my bucket list “Paul’s Journey” trip, I thought it best to highlight Paul’s greatest message. As he spoke across the world teaching, his primary message was love. That is our goal as Christians to LOVE WELL. I believe that is actually the goal of all humans. My great prayer is that we all do everything we do in any given day with this approach.. 

Cheering you all on and thankful that you take time to read these insights. If each day something I write resonates with one person I will have achieved my goal. 

Have the best week this year! 

Simple Thoughts Sunday – God bless America

It’s been quite a year for America.

I wanted to take a moment to just reflect on all of the good that we as a nation have been given. I know you all share my gratitude for the good in people and the love that we witness day in and day out through cheerful social media posts, a friendly hello on the street or the simple opening of a door at the local establishment.

I see good everywhere I look and believe America is the greatest nation. We certainly have a lot of work to do, bridges to build and more love to pour on top of the scary and challenging issues our country faces. This week it is our time to celebrate our great nation and I hope that you will do that in a BIG WAY! After the media onslaught this year, we may need more than the average celebration to be honest!

I also wanted to remind anyone who has been following for a while, that July is a month that I take off from the blog. I use this time to clear my mind and listen to God for what he’d like me to use my voice for with upcoming posts.

My great hope is that in the end, the break allows for producing better writing and greater inspiration for you all.

I am so appreciate of anyone who reads the blog. Sometimes people ask me my purpose, and It’s quite simple. I feel like I’m supposed to do this and if each post reaches even one person, then I am fulfilled. I hope to be a source of inspiration and to offer insights on life’s ongoing encounters that may help us all see a different perspective, sharing mine or others that have passed on their stories. As always, I’d love to hear from you on anything that would be helpful to you and to help me serve better.

Have the best July ever and truly relish the summer days. They are a gift.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: A spiritual retreat may be just what you need

(Photo Creds: My dear friend Deb lives in this beautiful part of our country – Idaho)

Deb posted this photo last week. It’s her daily view, and it’s stunning. It is usually by water that I hear the most from God, but I believe we can hear from Him anywhere really. In fact, right now, I’m having a “spiritual retreat” day and I’m simply sitting outside on my deck. It’s a fabulous summer Saturday and I’m open to hearing from Him on all manner of things from my boys and family/friends, to my career; finances and dreams – the list goes on.

Today’s “simple thought” is that there is great power in taking time to reflect and listen. There is even greater power in finding rest so that we can be fully present. In fact, in the Old Testament story of Elijah in 1 Kings, he goes up to Mount Horne/Sinai and seeks God. There, away from the distractions, he is able to hear from God. It’s an inspiring story and offers us important guidance.

I’m not sure about you today, but I need to hear from God. What are his plans for me? How do I serve the best I can and honor this life He’s given to me? Those are big questions. Over the years, I have learned the absolute power of getting away and seeking Him. There are a few sources that I’ve found which I’d be happy to share if you are interested in having your own “personal retreat.”

Have an amazing week my friends.

Simple thoughts Sunday: Spiritual nutrition

(Photo Creds: We Heart it)

I love this topic and idea of “spiritual nutrition.”

We seem to have a world flooded with information on physical nutrition, health, etc. You could argue that if your spiritual life isn’t in great shape, you will be overwhelmed with the pushes and pulls of life, thus negating your good work in eating right and exercising!

A good friend of mine and I were talking about how we go about getting “fed” spiritually. As a mom of “aspiring” adult young men, this is a very important topic for me. Heck, it’s important to me for the folks I am friends with and mentor. I so badly want them to know AND practice staying close to God in daily prayer and scripture reading. Of course, this could be through devotionals and could easily be via videos, etc., on their phones, but I want it to be the core part of their lives, a deal breaker in relationships and an overall “must have.” I learned the hard way that the only way to really “hear” from God and know his direction for my life is to stay close to his word.  Once I understood this, it was like I knew where he wanted me and how to fulfill my purpose. I’m not sure I really “got” this until much later in life, so to help others grasp this earlier would be a game changer.

I would love to hear from you all today on just how you do get “spiritually fed.” Also, how do you embark on a conversation about this with those you care deeply about? It’s a personal question. One that many people I feel don’t know how to answer. If you have any insights, great ideas, effective ways to approach the subject, please let us all know. Here’s to an AMAZING FIRST WEEK OF MAY!

MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL!