Inspiration

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God is Love and Love is God part 2

I am being reminded daily of the amazing acts of kindness and love that the people of the Dream Center showed to others. The compassion and willingness to help was also overwhelming. The love was seriously in the air. You could feel it. People from all over the world was there giving their time to help the needy. I was able to chat with people from Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, London, Poland and many others!

One of the days that I was there we headed out to skid row to hot serve meals to the homeless. Hundreds lined up and the amazing thing was that they could come through the line as many times as they wanted.

There were so many different types of people in line. My job was to walk around and talk to the homeless as they stood in line and also where they were sitting down to eat. If you know me, then you know I'm pretty shy when it comes to people I don't know. This was so far out of my comfort zone. I had wanted to serve food but God had other plans.

As I walked down the line I started with handing out flyers to let them know that there are buses that will pick them up, take them to church then drop them back off at skid row every week.

I said Hi, flashed them a smile, asked if they got a paper already and walked on. After a few minutes my shyness was really starting to bother me. I told myself that these people needed more than just that.

I started asking them how their day was going. Some said good, some said they were just hanging in there and so happy to get some food.

There were young and old and all races, all from different parts of life. Some in business suits down on their luck. Some with nothing. Some used to have it all and had lost everything. Now they found themselves in line for a free meal.

I saw a young chinese guy, probably around 20 years old. He had just gotten his plate of food and was trying to find a place to sit.

I walked over to him and asked him how he was. I smiled and he said "not good." I then asked why. He said he was alone and scared. I asked him where His parents were and how he got on the horrible streets of L.A. He then began to tell me his story....

You see his parents brought him to America and left him on the streets then went back to China. He said "they don't want me or love me anymore." "They told me to never come home. They don't love me." I asked him if he wanted to go home and he said so bad.

He then dropped his little tiny bag of chips that he was given with his meal and said, "oh no, oh no," as he picked them up. "These chips are like gold to me, it's like I won the lottery."

My heart sank. I thought to myself... it's just chips.... but to him they were everything.

I continued to talk with him then it hit me. I had to tell him....

"God has big plans for you. You weren't meant to be here on the streets but God is going to turn everything around for His glory. Everything you are experiencing is for a greater testimony. If you just say yes to Jesus, man, He will turn your life upside down. When you are scared, call on Him. When you are lonely, call of Him. He is going to take care of you. You are going to go home and God will provide you with a way. You wait and see. When you knock on your parent's door and they are going to love you and have their arms wide open. With God all things are possible. There are bigger and better things and God wants you to start dreaming again. Dream BIG.

He started to cry.

"God loves you. He loves you so much."

I told him to sit down and relax. He was safe and to enjoy his food.

I looked at him one last time in the eyes and said DREAM BIG.

It was amazing to me that I just spoke hope into his life and revived this boys dreams.

God was using me.

I will never forget that guys face. Lost and hopeless and the moment I spoke Hope, his eyes started to sparkle again.

He was just one of many that I talked to.

Be sure to check back next week for more!

God is my Father

God has so many names. God has a name for our every need.

When you begin your prayer, what name do you mostly call Him? 90% of the time I call him my Father. I love that. I look at my earthly father & how much he cherishes me & loves me & then think to myself... God feels the same way & that makes my heart happy.

In light of Father's Day yesterday I figured I'd touch a bit on this. Father's Day reflects our earthy father's but why not it reflect our heavenly Father? This year was the first year I actually thought about it in that perspective. I thank Him for my every big & little thing I have on this earth & just knowing He is the Father over all things is simply amazing.

I pray that we realize that no matter how our fathers are on earth, good, bad, excellent, loving, rude.. Whatever it may be.. Our God is nothing short of the Father of amazingness & everything good. I pray that we see Him as our Father each & every day. Amen.

Lead Me To Where You Are

Photography by Kevin Rees

I Need Wisdom Please!

I don't know about y'all but I have been in some situations where I have a decision to make and I have no clue what the right choice is.  In fact, in a lot of ways I feel like I am the prime decision maker in my family.  My husband, bless him, is very easygoing and often says, "whatever you want babe."  Now this was great when we were planning our wedding, and it's super nice when I have a specific place I'm set on going for dinner, but when we have to make a choice that will affect the future of our family it can be overwhelming.  About a year ago we had a really big decision that we needed to make and the path was not at all clear.  At that time I turned to my Bible for answers and began to read about the importance of the wisdom that only God can give us.  The verse that I found that nestled its way into my heart and began to give me peace was Proverbs 2:10: For Wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you and understanding will guide you.  I held onto that verse during that season in our lives.

Since that time I have been desperate for God's wisdom again more than once.  Fast forward to present day and I am once again feeling like I lack the answers and the direction that I need to make some important decisions.  I started reading about wisdom but this time ended up criss-crossing back and forth in my Bible, finding verse after verse about wisdom and understanding.  Seems the Lord has a thing or two to say on the subject!  Hang here with me for a few minutes if you have ever felt desperate for answers that you can't seem to find.  Here's what I learned that I would love to share with you...

1) How do we find wisdom and understanding?

Job 28:28 And he said to the woman, "The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Okay, I think I can do this!  My game plan is to fear the Lord - which to me (in a nutshell) means understanding his power, his holiness and worshipping him with reverence and awe.  I also need to reject sin, follow his Word and grow in my knowledge of who He is.  For me this means digging into His Word and spending more of my day in prayer and relationship with Him.

2) What does wisdom look like?

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  (All things that I want to strive for)

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (So when wisdom is found humility, not pride or bragging, should always follow)

3) What will we gain from having wisdom and understanding?

Proverbs 24: 3-4 By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures

Proverbs 4:6-12 Do not forsake wisdom and she will protect you, love her and she will watch over you.  Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom.  Though it cost all you have, get understanding.  Esteem her and she will exalt you, embrace her and she will honor you.  She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor...  I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.  When you walk your steps will not be hampered, when you run you will not stumble.

Proverbs 2:13, 17&18 Blessed is a (wo)man who finds wisdom, the (wo)man who gains understanding... her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

Girls, I have a feeling I stumbled on just a glimpse of what the Bible has to say about wisdom and understanding in the hour or so that I was reading!  I had no idea how important the subject was until now.  I will tell you, it gives me great peace to know that the Lord wants to give me wisdom - he wants to give me the answers to my questions!  Not only does he want to guide me and give me understanding, but he wants to protect me and bless me.  He wants to give me a peace that is "pleasant to my soul".  He promises to fill my life with "rare and beautiful treasures."  He will allow me to walk through this often confusing life without stumbling.  Ahhhhh... this to me is a huge breath of fresh air!  This means that when I am actively seeking God and I make a decision that has been guided by the Lord, I don't have to fear that I've made a huge mistake.  I don't have to sit in anxiety as I wait for the fallout.  Now when I wake up in the morning I ask the Lord for wisdom for my day.  My goal is to be intentional about seeking wisdom and understanding.  I would love to leave you with a story - the antithesis of what wisdom looks like: Folly.  You may just see someone you know in this story, I know it painted a graphic picture for me.  As girls of God's heart let's strive to be aware of this person and to never be the woman named "Folly"...

Proverbs 9:13-18

The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.  

She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out 

to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.  "Let all those who are simple come 

in here!" she says to those who lack judgement.  "Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in 

secret is delicious!" But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the 

depths of the grave."

Scripture Memorization

In a recent Bible study that I have completed, I was asked to write down a few scriptures. I am going to be honest and say, I have always wrote down scriptures. But I have never really worked on memorizing them.

I don't know why I have a hard time memorizing scripture, but I do. I can memorize a song, lines from a movie, but struggle at remember the Word of God. Conviction fell over me. I wrote down the scripture on my neon yellow index card. After that, I made it my JOB to learn these scriptures. These three scriptures on Thoughts, Words and Actions. How to live a life pleasing to God.

I placed them in a spot where I always have a few moments of nothing to do....
While I am waiting for the conditioner to set in my hair...
Or searching for a quiet 5 minutes away from fighting kids...
You know that place...

Often I find myself reading the shampoo bottles. Ingredients and all. Why not read scripture. Plus this was a good way to get scripture into my whole family. My boys are beginner readers and my daughter is at the age to understand the word.

That is how I have started keeping some of my scripture cards. Visible. Having them tucked inside my Bible did nothing for me. They were often in the way during church or became scratch paper for the kids. Here I can see them daily.

How do you memorize scripture?

God is love and love is God part 1

About 2 weeks ago I was privileged enough to go on a mission trip to the DREAM CENTER in Los Angeles, Ca. It was the most incredible experience of my life. It has forever changed the way I think about people and how God really does love us.

The Dream Center is an amazing outreach that started with one man's dream and a word from God, and that man is Matthew Barnett.

He purchased a hospital in the heart of Los Angeles and turned all of the hospital rooms into places where needy people could get their lives back on track.

Some of the programs and outreaches they have going on are rescuing girls and women from human trafficking. I just read on their Facebook that they rescue and take in over 275 girls and women a month! That is a huge amount of women who's lives will be forever changed.

Also, they go out with buses and go out into skid row in L.A to take in the homeless and addicted. If they choose to enter the rehab program then they are  given a room and also are able to go through their programs to get off of drugs and change their lives. Then most of the time those who were once addicted and lost give their lives to God and work at the Dream Center!

Another thing that they do is take food trucks out into the community and hand out food to the needy and feed the homeless. They also take buses out into neighborhoods, show them God's love and then fill the buses with adults and children and give them rides to church.


There are many other things that The Dream Center does and you can take a look at www.dreamcenter.org and they also have a facebook. Just type in The Dream Center in the search bar.

I really don't even know where to start with what I experienced. Some things were too heart breaking to even look at. There were moments when I cried, and cried REALLY hard. I was deeply sadden by suffering and hungry babies, filthy children who didn't have clothes that fit and lost homeless people of all ages.

One morning, we separated the food that was just dropped off and donated by Albertsons into  tons of grocery bags. We were basically grocery shopping with the donation pile for the families that were about to get their children taken away from CPS. CPS contacts the Dream Center and then the Dream Center is able to assist, give them what they need every week and help with the children, even teach the women how to clean and cook so they are able to keep their babies.

After we bagged up the groceries we headed out to each individual apartment to drop off groceries, diapers, wipes, baby toys and furniture and cleaning supplies.

I slowly walked up the stairs with a huge box of diapers in my hands and as I approached this woman's door you could smell the stench coming from her place. It smelled so bad. I did not know what I was about to see.

We knocked on the door and walked in slowly. I set the diapers down by the door next to the CPS worker that was observing the children.

I then realized as I looked around how small the studio apartment was. The whole place was as big as my bedroom. THE ENTIRE place. Including kitchen, bathroom and the living area was the bedroom.

In the living area there was a bunk bed with 2 twin beds stacked on top of each other. I looked at it and saw 5 small children sitting on the bed with a baby play pen next to the bunk bed with baby #6 in it. They were absolutely disgustingly filthy. The children smelled of rotten poop and potty.  I don't think they were not potty trained and would poop and pee their pants which was probably hardly cleaned.

I smiled and started talking to all the children as they all rushed around their baby sister in the play pen and looked at her.

I stepped closer and looked down at the baby girl no older than 5 months.

She was disgustingly filthy, smelled so bad and her clothes were black with dirt.

I stared at her for no more than a minute and excused myself out of the door.

I ran. I had to get away. I couldn't believe what I had just seen.

I burst into tears as images of that apartment kept flashing in my head.

The apartment was so disgusting. SO EXTREMELY SMALL for 6 kids plus the mom and mom was pregnant again.

They were kept in the tiny area all day every day with nothing to do. Not a lot to eat.

The baby girl made me think of my own 4 month old daughter. What if my kids had to live like that?

Crud smeared all over the walls and cabinets. Living in that rotten odor. Dirty clothes and hungry.

My heart couldn't handle that feeling. I was so heartbroken for those children. I wanted to take them all and bathe them, give them happy means and toys but I couldn't.

I just had to drop off what they needed and look at them while trying to smile.

The amazing things is that the Dream Center will be helping that family. They will be going once a week to clean the apartment and supply the mom with whatever she and the babies need.

The images of what I saw and experienced will forever be etched onto my heart.

Everyday at the dream center I saw the love of God working in action...

That was just the beginning of what I saw.

I can't wait to share more with you because there is so much more!