The Unlikely Missionary

I realized the times in my life when I was the most blessed was when I wasn't actively trying to make it happen. Now that seems counter to the world and it should. The world says, create a plan, work the plan by any means necessary and meet your goal. And if you didn't meet the goal you didn't try hard enough. God's Word says, I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. Philippians 1:6 ERV It says nothing about a plan, it doesn't list out steps, it doesn't say if you work hard enough. It says if God has placed something in your heart to do He will complete it.   Since I was young God placed in my heart the following things. Get married Have kids Have a home My priorities in life have changed over the years but these three never did. And I worked hard to make it happen in my own strength and that didn't go too well.  Remember : IF God places it in you, HE will com...

When the scripture said there is nothing new under the sun its true. When I look out at the current moment the American Evangelical Church sits in, 1 Timothy 6 speaks so deeply to this moment. Where truth is lacking, the focus is protecting offering collections, Pastors viewing themselves as gods and refusing godly instruction. In this moment we are trading God's purpose for Money and Likes. I have a fondness for the Message translation of the Bible since my time as a Youth Leader at my father's church because of how it interprets the Word. So that is the verison you will see here. 1 Timothy 6:2-10 goes as follows: 2-5  These are the things I want you to teach and preach. If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, who refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually th...

I am a worrier. I wish I wasn't but I am. And my worry can then become overwhelming. Worrying that I'm not good enough, worrying that I'll be rejected, worried that people are talking about me behind their back, worried that I won't have enough money, worried that my life will fall apart if I make a wrong moved, worried that if I dream that when they don't come true (notice I didn't say if) the disappointment will be devastating. Worrying... It can be incredibly crippling. Each an everyday it is a fight for me to not let my worrying about what ifs destroy my present and future. Worry is useless. Worry saps our strength and steals our focus. It causes us to be more awestruck and dumbfounded by storms than by the one who silences storms with a word. — Judah Smith (@judahsmith) March 11, 2019 But each and everyday is a what if. Life is a big what if because its a series of choices and each choice has a consequence, good or bad. What I have to remem...

Have you ever just sat and observed people? I've been a very cautious person since I was a little girl. In my cautiousness I have learned to study people. I have often struggles when people put me on the spot because it takes me time to process things in order to come to the best answer or solution. God does this too. He observes us. He learns us. He knows us. And He doesn't act until we are ready because He knows the best path for our lives. We often get angry at God for not answering our prayers when we want Him to. Its not until God gives us His best that we realize that what we requested pales in comparison to what God's plan is. In this season of my life I have learned great humility and great strength. I never knew I was strong until I got evicted from my apartment at 6 months pregnant and decided to live and fight instead of lay down and give up. It was in this season that I had to evaluate my relationship with God. If I hadn't been forced to ...

The one disservice that I think many churches give to their young people is we don't teach them to trust God. That seems counter intuitive because churches preach about God's faithfulness all the time. We sing about it in songs. But we always add conditions to His faithfulness to us. Only if we work hard. Only if we are living right and paying our bills and not making any mistakes. Then we go out and work jobs that run us into the ground. We are scared about bosses and others taking our job. We worry about bills and lights to the point of lashing out at loved ones. We even worry ourselves sick or to death. If we are doing all of this what would we need God for? If we are driving the ship what do we need the captain for? And so We effectively work Him out of our life and then get mad at Him when our life veers off course. Thats not trusting God. Churches today teach young people to chase wealth. We teach that when we mess up we aren't redeemable and are castaways. We t...

John 9 -Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind Don't you just hate when people make assumptions about your life and your situation and they really have no idea what they are talking about? Most, myself included would answer yes.  Then why do we do it to others? Over the last 2 years I have learned intimately how painful it is to br condemned by others who are on the outside of your situation. And I have thought to myself how has my judgemental assumptions hurt others? Why wasn't I more loving? Why was telling them all that was wrong more important than meeting their need? In the story of the man born blind, the first thing that people focused on was what was the reason he was born blind. Jesus's response, there is no reason. And truthfully the reason doesn't matter because it's and opportunity for God to show up and reveal His power and love. Often times we are like the people in this parable. We are always wondering what the person did wrong to become "bl...

Sometimes when life starts to close in on me God always find a way to reassure me that everything will be ok. Today it came in the form of a song from my sister. Being a follower of Christ doesn't mean that you don't worry about things. It means that when the worries come you have someone that you can turn to and He will ALWAYS provide what we need. That is His promise and being reminded of that meant everything to me this morning. So listen to Tamela and be encouraged because God does and ALWAYS will provide. The Unlikely Missionary DHW