Missional Life: Service
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Stepping Up to Justice
Leading the way for bringing hope in a world of hurtSort By:
The Dark Side
A few years ago, my husband and I took part in a Discovery Workshop at our church to discover our spiritual gifts. That I turned out to be a "giver" was no surprise.
I love to give. I'm quick with the checkbook, I get excited when giving opportunities arise, and I've even said that when I die, I don't want to leave any money to my children. If I haven't given it all away, I envision the Caryn Rivadeneira ...
Related Topics: Pride, Self-Examination, Serving, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Growth
Extending the Table
It's 10 p.m. and I'm finally feeling grateful for this holiday meal. Mostly that it's over and we've all finally stopped eating. I consider the destruction. The table lies wasted. The candles have dissolved into stalagmites, which I know will never come out of the tablecloth. The staggering amount of leftovers prompt a rehearsal of my food performance: Was the meal good enough? My sweet potato cheesecake ...
Related Topics: Accepting God's Blessings, creative ideas, Gratitude, Mealtimes, Thanksgiving, Worship
Frustrated Instead of Fulfilled?
My friend Victoria volunteered to teach Sunday school while her daughters were young. Although she taught well, her efforts drained her. If I'm not having fun, she wondered, are the children enjoying it?
When our prayer group helped us identify our spiritual gifts, Victoria's strongest gift was administration.
"I feel so relieved!" she told us. And after that night, she quit teaching and supported the ...
Related Topics: Discernment, Encouragement, Expectations, Spiritual Gifts
60 Days to ... A Servant's Heart
Reaching out to others, being the hands and feet of Jesus, is one of the greatest callings we have in our faith. Not only does it show the love of Christ for the world, it's also an opportunity for us to worship our ever-giving God and for us to grow more into the likeness of his Son.
So for the next 60 days we're going to focus on the spiritual practices of service and outreach. Each morning spend ...
Related Topics: Attitude, Behavior, Brotherly Love, Caring, Charity, God's Love, Sharing, Missions, Service, Testimony, Witnessing
A Family of Our Own
Will Christmas really be all right? I wondered as I knocked on the battered door.
A disheveled young woman answered my knock. "Thank the Lord you came back. I was afraid you wouldn't." Over her shoulder she called, "I told you kids Santa wouldn't forget ya."
As my son, David, and I stepped into the dismal clutter, seven shabby children lined up in front of a ragged couch. Hands clasped, rigid as if ...
Related Topics: Blessings, Challenges, Parenting, Christmas, Getting Involved, Gifts, Serving
The Ageless Christmas Project
When I was a young adult, every Christmas included a time to "share joy" with the residents of our local nursing homes. I was startled one year, though, when I overheard a resident talking with a friend.
"I don't like this one time attempt to take us back to the fun of Christmas in a three minute visit," she said. "Don't they know the feeling is gone once they leave the room? That we're lonely?"
That ...
Related Topics: Adventure, Friendship, Gratitude, Loneliness, Presents, Sharing Life, Support, Surprises
Your Kingdom Come
At 6:25 A.M. on a recent Saturday, a few neighbors met in my driveway. We loaded food into a minivan and drove from our suburban neighborhood to nearby Chicago, where we cooked and served breakfast at a homeless women's shelter.
Our monthly visit to the shelter is a step on a shared journey of faith. Through serving, we solidify our friendships with one another and remember to be grateful. We dare ...
Related Topics: God's Work, Heaven, Serving, Serving the Lord
Calling All Cinderellas
Dana Davis believes that every girl should feel like a princess. To wear a beautiful gown, wear her hair up, maybe with a tiara or tiny flowers or jewels tucked inside her curls.
As a single mom with a daughter, Rachel, now in college, Dana vividly remembers Rachel's senior prom and how she scrimped and saved and went without for months so Rachel would never feel left out.
"So often as she grew up, ...
Related Topics: Help, human, Mentoring, Serving, Teenagers
The Smallest Ministry
It was the smallest of ministry opportunities.
Mary, the pastor's assistant at my church, called one evening to ask if I'd be part of a new group that would stay late on Sunday mornings to straighten pew racks and prepare the sanctuary for the following week. I was one of several single women she was calling to solicit help, she said, explaining that she hoped to provide an opportunity for the women ...
'My Name Is Snake'
"My name is Snake," the young man growled when I called him into my office. His appearance certainly did justice to the nickname. He had a mass of black hair hanging to his shoulders, metal studs in his eyebrows, and rattlesnake tattoos slithering up his forearms. He was wearing ripped jeans and chunky motorcycle boots, and on his black T-shirt was a grisly skull with rattlers poised to strike from ...
Related Topics: Acceptance, Judging others, unconditional love
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