iShineInMinistry

Psalm 16:9

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

I cannot tell you how much I love this time of year! Add the fact that it is my first Christmas in New York and my little joy-filled heart goes into overdrive for this season. The lights, the music, the stores…oh my gosh, the stores! I cannot even say just how antsy I get because there are so many activities to do and places to see. Meanwhile, I also have work and other ‘real things’ to get accomplished, so you can imagine how tired I am by the end of the week because I need to do everything right now…including the fun stuff, especially the fun stuff!

Now as I feel my body warning me of oncoming sickness, realization has set in and I realize that I can be joyful in this time and rejoice in the season where we celebrate the birth of Jesus; but I also need to calm down and get some rest. I need to be hopeful about who the Lord is in my life, rather than bouncing around from activity to activity, especially when some of these things may seem great but are completely useless or meaningless in actuality. How can we have glad hearts in this season and not get so wrapped up in all of the hectic chaos? Here are three things I suggest we all do to keep our hearts and minds on track.

1) Read the Christmas story- start at the prophecy then work your way to the actual birth of Jesus. This is a great way to prepare your heart for this time of year so that your perspective can stay on track as more events, tasks and gift purchasing try to overcrowd the reason for the season.

2) Be sure to pray for those who are in need- do you have any idea how many people will be all alone, homeless or missing a loved one that passed away during this time of year? We have so much to be thankful for and we also have a world out there that needs someone praying for them. Let your heart think of others instead of focusing on yourself.

3) Tell your family you love them- I know sometimes when all the family is in the same small space at once and people start to get ‘hangry’ waiting for Christmas dinner to be ready is when things may get said that should not be said. Unresolved conflict may arise or you may just get annoyed because your personal space is being taken over by multiple cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Please take the time to be loving to those closest to you in this time of year and also know that they are made in the image of God (also, if they are not saved you need to keep praying for them!).

Take this time to enjoy the season, but please also make sure to slow down and look to Jesus, the one who came to this earth to save the world. Have a fabulous Christmas season, rejoicing and resting!

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given…

How are you keeping your focus and making sure not to get burned out this Christmas?

1 Corinthians 7:20

Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

Do you ever just have one of those days (or weeks, or even months) when you feel completely and utterly done with the calling God has given you for ministry? Do you feel tired, weary, drained or discouraged and think it must be time to retire, move into a season of rest or just be so still that you become a “sideline Christian”? You get one too many phones calls from the person struggling with the same sin and think, “I clearly am not doing this right” or you forget to pay the rental fee for an outreach and your supplies never show up or you get to the point where you do not even want to get out of bed in the morning. The thought of becoming “Sleeping Beauty” seems more and more appealing, except, you do not want Prince Charming to wake you up any time soon!

I know that I am feeling like this is the season I am in right now…it’s pretty draining (or that could be the lack of sleep having its effects). However, I also know that God is still here even when I do not see the exponential progress happening in record timing. I know that God is here while I am still waiting for an answer or for the next great thing to happen. He even was kind enough to remind me as I did my evening devotions last night.

When we have those “Eeyore moments” in ministry, we have to remember that time spent in the valley helps us to realize when we are changing to the mountains. The valleys have lots of growth, water to feed our souls and opportunities to see how much faith we really do have in the Lord when things are not so sunny and bright.

The calling that we have did not come with the promise of rainbows and glitter all the days of our ministry lives…we will have wonderful moments of joy in the Lord and we will have moments that deplete us so much that all we can do is cry out for God to be our refuge and strength, to sustain us and help our unbelief. When those times arise, we simply cannot despair and think that we are doing it all wrong. If we were perfect at this all the time, why would we even need a Savior? And we all know that we DEFINITELY NEED A SAVIOR!

So when the hard days, the tragic days, the tiring days and the seemingly hopeless days come, please remember that God called you for all of this ministry, good times and bad…and walk worthy of the calling in which you were called!

Ephesians 4:1

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

Are you feeling discouraged and ready to call it quits in ministry.  Please do not give up – Remember to cling to Jesus and let Him use you no matter what the outcome. This is the calling He has given you and as Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

If you are anything like me, you are hoping to get your second wind after serving through the season of Thanksgiving. You are gearing up for all of the blessings and activities that go with Christmas. Outreaches and outings, plays and parties…not to mention your own Christmas shopping and family preparation. This is the final leg of the race of serving for the year of 2014 and we want to make sure that we do not end in the flesh. So, let us remember these three things as we enter into this last month of the year:

1) This is the season of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior- Please do not forget the reason for the season as you serve and run around. If you keep this truth at the forefront of your mind as you go through each detail and to-do list, you are bound to be more joyful as you work in His strength and not your own.

2) This is a labor of love- How many people may be able to see the truth of Jesus and receive salvation as you diligently obey the Lord and do what He has called you to at this very moment, in this very month of the year? Who knows what the Lord plans to use to draw someone to Himself as these final weeks of the year, filled with special worship services and other events goes on. Please remember that God uses all things for good, so look for those special opportunities to shine for Him everywhere you go (including the mall parking lot).

3) This is a season of Joy- How can you not be filled with excitement and a child-like enthusiasm with all of the lights, Christmas songs and beauty of this time of year?

Remember all of the wonderful things that only take place during this time of year and choose to look at the loveliness of this season…it will make all of the difference! Remember, 2014 is almost done, so we want to finish strong with this last part of ministry for the year. Be blessed and be a blessing during this time and then remember that at the end of it all you can plan a sleep-in day!

During this time as it gets quite busy and active, may I please remind all of us ladies to be extra careful not to forego our devotional times and quiet times with the Lord? This is when we will need it most!

Philippians 2:14

Do all things without complaining…

Sometimes it is just one of those days. We start off the day without a good night’s sleep, then begin running late for work, burn our tongue on our coffee, get a speeding ticket and the day just seems to get worse by the minute. Then we watch the news and see all the horrible things going on and the unkind actions, crimes and terrible decisions that people make. We see so much bad going on all around us and it makes us want to mope or grumble about all that is wrong with the world. We have issues at work that we want to “vent” about. We talk to friends about all the terrible happenings we see and talk about how we would not do those things if we were in control or that we cannot believe that there are so many people that commit awful acts. We get to a place of pure frustration and then our hearts and minds can continue in a negative state.

What if in those times when we see those things that make us want to criticize and murmur we instead stop and pray about each of those horrible situations? What if we prayed for salvation for the criminals we see on the news or intercede for the people in government when they make bad decisions? What if we took the time and made our words count when we see all of the bad in the world? What if we chose to cry out to the Lord and ask for His grace and mercy to reign in those situations? What if every single Christian did this every time we saw something that made us want to scream or complain? I wonder how different the world would look. We all know that prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have from the Lord and yet we use our mouths for negative when we could be praying for the many things we see that make us despair.

James 3:5

Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

I would like to challenge all of us this week, since it is Thanksgiving, to stop ourselves every time we want to complain and choose to pray instead. See how much more you pray in this week and then take an assessment of how much you really pray in comparison to how much you complain. I pray this little “faith challenge” encourages us all to have mouths that praise, pray and thank the Lord at all times!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalm 146:1-6

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

While I live I will praise the Lord;


I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Day in and day out life can become hectic and frustrating, as we get overly busy with tasks, duties and ministry. Before we know it, we become completely drained and are no longer happy about the amazing things that could be taking place right in front of us. There could be a great message where many get saved and we are in our office working on notes for our own upcoming teaching. There can be a lady that wants to share a praise report with us and we get a little less than patient as her story continues and we think about all of the items on our to-do list that are not being completed because we are listening to her story. So many joys can become overlooked and then we start to complain during our prayer times to Jesus rather than thank Him for all of the amazing things happening as we serve Him.

Might I suggest that when we become stressed and a little less than joyful to stop and praise? We need to recall the perfect plans that God has for us, the beautiful calling He has placed on our lives, the wonderful opportunities we see that others may not get to have in their line of work and thank Him for His faithfulness. We need to thank Him and know that He is the God that sees us, even when we are tired. He will give us rest and He will fuel us in those moments when we begin to feel wiped out. He will meet us where we are and help us to be reminded of His perfect faithfulness. He will help our hearts stay on track and not get apathetic or just plain tired. He will show us all of the many reasons to praise His name. Then we can get our hearts back on track as we do the work of the ministry and walk in His perfect will.

What will you do next time you want to pout or complain when you are too busy? Will you praise the Lord? I hope so!

Psalm 147:1

Praise the Lord!


For it is good to sing praises to our God;


For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

Are your prayers sounding more like rants and whining because you are too drained, tired or frustrated? Praise God and ask Him to renew your mind as you walk through this busy season.