Have you chosen a scripture verse to guide you through the new year? Many people in the Christian blogosphere choose a word or a scripture to guide them through the year, rather than making New Year’s resolutions. This year I decided to incorporate both a word and a scripture. My word for 2017 the year is Contentment.
Contentment
Last year when I attended She Speaks I visited the prayer room. For those of you who don’t know about She Speaks, it is a conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries that equips women in their calling to write and speak for Jesus. The prayer room at She Speaks is indeed a special place. In the middle of this candlelight room, there is a table with a basket that contains hundreds of tiny little scrolls, each containing a scripture verse. Every woman that visits the prayer room has an opportunity to chose a scroll. Each woman in attendance of the conference has been prayed for, and the basket of scripture verses has also been prayed over.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.-Proverbs 31:25
The scripture I choose is Proverbs 31:25, and this is the same verse that I choose to share with the women in a small group I was leading for an event at my church a few years earlier. Then in December when I began planning for the New Year ahead, I decided to attend the She Laughs Conference. Do you see a theme here? Me too, and that is how I choose my scripture for 2017.
I love what the Matthew Henry Commentary says about the Proverbs 31 woman regarding verses 31:10-31, and I want to share a section with you here.
She is discreet and obliging; every word she says, shows she governs herself by the rules of wisdom. She not only takes prudent measures herself, but gives prudent advice to others. The law of love and kindness is written in the heart, and shows itself in the tongue. Her heart is full of another world, even when her hands are most busy about this world.
Michael Hyatt in chapter 4 of his book Living Forward says that as a part of the Life Plan you create, you must think about your legacy, how you want to be remembered and create your own eulogy.
Oh, how I long to be known as a wise woman full of love and compassion. Lord, help me to live my life by wisdom and give prudent advice to others. I don’t know what lies ahead in 2017, but what I do know is that I can look to future and laugh because I am clothed with strength and dignity.
I look forward to sharing my update with you all when I return from She Laughs next week, along with another scripture that I plan on using to define my year. Until then, I would love to know if you have chosen a scripture to meditate on in 2017. Leave a comment below with your word or verse for the year!
I love God’s timing! It amazes me the things that only He can orchestrate. When you answer the call to follow Jesus, you just never know where you may end up. Following Jesus is definitely not boring! During the Wednesday evening service this week, my pastor talked about how when God calls you, He will most likely call you to a place that is out of your comfort zone. God will never call you to mediocrity. If God called you to something that was easy for you, then you wouldn’t need Him, or have to rely on Him. Hmm… Interesting. Hold on to that thought.
I just finished reading the book Move Toward the Mess: The Ultimate Fix for a Boring Christian Life (David C. Cook 2016) by John Hambrick. Little did I know that the timing this book would correspond with a day I won’t soon forget.
Last fall, my Ladies Bible Study group wanted to do some kind of service project together. Today was our appointed day to volunteer at a local soup kitchen by the name of Fishes and Loaves. This soup kitchen feeds 200-400 hungry people in downtown Houston six days a week.
As we pulled up to the to the building, there is already a huge line of people waiting to be fed. For some of these people, this may be the only meal that they eat today. It is a cold day here in Houston, and the temperatures are in the 40’s and 50’s, and it is damp and overcast. Most of the men and women we served, live under the bridge near the kitchen on the east side of downtown Houston.
Our group today consisted of mostly men, and a few women. The people thanked us and said God bless you for serving food to us. However, one woman in particular caught my attention, and it struck a cord with me. She came in with a black eye, and I wondered what she endured to get her to this place. Life on the streets is messy.
The Houston food bank along with other generous sponsors help provide the food. Our family donates money to the Houston Food bank every year, but today I locked eyes with the hungry men and women of Houston and I will never be the same.
Magnificat Houses is the umbrella organization over Fishes and Loaves that serves some one the neediest people in the inner city of Houston. It has been serving the mentally ill, homeless and disadvantaged since 1968. Magnificat house provides hope, food, shelter, half-way houses and rehabilitative services to people in the Houston area. It is completly led by volunteers, and operates by donation. Visit Magnificat Houses to learn more about this incredible organization.
Julie Batsche at Fishes and Loaves was our tour guide for the day. Our group served along side some of the most joy filled people that I have ever seen, their countannce radiates Jesus! We began with a tour of the facility, the chaplin shared the history of the organization, and we started with prayer. Today we served fresh salad, and gumbo made by Cedrick Broussard the cook, and his assistant, along with a roll, crackers and dessert to 205 people.
The murals on the wall were painted by one of the homeless men who used to come the shelter many years ago. Below is a depiction of the miracle of the fishes and loaves from the gospels that the kitchen is named after. The workers here today see this miracle played out before their very own eyes, because God provides daily for Loaves and Fishes to feed the hungry.
Our world is full of lost and hurting people who desperately need to know the love of Christ. In Move Toward the Mess, John Hambrick challenges American Christians who are bored sitting in the pews each Sunday, to get up and follow Jesus into the mess to minister to the lost and hurting in the world. I found this book to be both challenging and exciting.
In the first part of the book, John provides several examples of people that live their lives right smack in the middle of the mess, and in the second half of the book, he outlines practical ways for us to move toward the mess. There is a nice flow from chapter to chapter, and each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions that would make this an excellent book for individual study or small group discussion.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from Move toward the Mess:
What gives Paul peace in the middle of the mess is God’s outrageous, unconditional forgiveness.-John Hambrick
Move toward the mess is a love story. It is the ultimate love story of a mighty Savior who came to earth to bind up the brokenhearted, wipe every tear away, save the lost, and lavish his amazing grace on us.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”U46xi” via=”yes” ]Jesus is on the move today are you willing to answer the call and move toward the mess?[/ctt]
There are lots of different ways to move toward the mess. Last Spring when our community experienced devasting flooding we mobilized hundreds of church members into the community to help flood victims. You can read about how we moved toward the mess in The Church Has Left the Building. It is time for the church to leave the building, and move toward the mess.
I love the message of this book, and would love its message to go viral! Share this post on social media for a chance to win your very own copy of Move Toward the Mess between now and January 15th!
John Hambrick is no stranger to the mess. He is the Director of Starting Point and Staff Development at Buckhead Church in Atlanta, GA – one of the North Point Community Church campuses in Atlanta that bestselling author Andy Stanley founded. John has served in other churches as an associate pastor and pastor. He has also been a staff member for Young Life and was one of the chaplains at Kings College, University of London. John and his wife, Patty, have two children and reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
A special thank you to The Blog About Network, The Blythe Daniel Agency and publishers for providing a copy of this book for review and one to giveaway.
Happy New Year! The new year is a time of new beginnings—a do over so-to-speak. The new year is a time to make changes and improvements. As I reflect on 2016 and contemplate 2017, I think of all the things, both good and bad, that marked my life in 2016. One of the things that continues to swirl around in my mind is my attitude this year at Christmas.
This year as Christmas approached I was content. Things were not perfect, no it was far from it, and I didn’t accomplish everything on my to-do list, or buy everyone the perfect gift. What was really hard this Christmas for our family was that this was the first year that our family wouldn’t all be together. Now that our eldest son is engaged, we have to share the holidays with another family. I understood this going into the holidays, and I had no expectations. I made plans, but because I had no expectations, I wasn’t disappointed.
You see I was content.
In Philippians 4 the Apostle Paul talks about God’s provision in verses 12-13.
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. – ESV
Just before Paul says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” He talks about contentment. Being content regardless of his circumstances. Whether he was rich or poor, whether he was high or low. That is because he knew the source of his contentment, it was not his circumstances, it was Christ.
This is the place where I want to start this year. In a place of contentment. A place where I can do all things through Christ, because He is the one that strengthens me to do his will for my life. I joyfully anticipate the New year, and whether I experience Mountain tops or Valleys I want to be content, with no expectations.
Last fall, my Ladies Bible Study group wanted to do some kind of service project together. Today was our appointed day to volunteer at a local soup kitchen by the name of Fishes and Loaves. This soup kitchen feeds 200-400 hungry people in downtown Houston six days a week.
The murals on the wall were painted by one of the homeless men who used to come the shelter many years ago. Below is a depiction of the miracle of the fishes and loaves from the gospels that the kitchen is named after. The workers here today see this miracle played out before their very own eyes, because God provides daily for Loaves and Fishes to feed the hungry.
Our world is full of lost and hurting people who desperately need to know the love of Christ. In Move Toward the Mess, John Hambrick challenges American Christians who are bored sitting in the pews each Sunday, to get up and follow Jesus into the mess to minister to the lost and hurting in the world. I found this book to be both challenging and exciting.
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