Twenty Questions with a Stranger

Twenty Questions with a Stranger

Have you ever played Twenty Questions with a stranger?

Last fall, a new friend on Instagram invited me to participate in an interview — twenty questions about life and faith and my relationship with God. It took me until Christmastime to return my answers — they weren’t quick and easy! A lot of other interviewees were in line ahead of me, but this week the interview went live.

Questions ranged from “What’s on your nightstand right now?” to “What are your top three tips for staying spiritually strong?”

Here’s my favorite question, along with my answer:

“What do you want people to learn about God when they look at you?

“When people see my life and hear my story, I hope the relentless love of God comes to the forefront in dazzling splendor. I pray they sense the still, small voice of God whispering His delight over them and graciously drawing them closer to His heart.”

If you’re curious about the rest of the interview, I’d love for you to hop over to Modern Witnesses

Umbrella Ministry

Umbrella Ministry

by Meredith Mills @DazzledByTheSon

Don’t you just love rainy days?

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rainy days

There’s nothing quite like curling up with a good book and a cup of tea on a dark and rainy day. So cozy and comfortable. Ahh…I love rainy days.

Unless I have to run errands. With three kids in tow. Of those rainy days, I am not a fan.

Yesterday, I had a list of several places to go in a short window of time. I was a bit uptight and stressed. So when it started raining on the way to Walmart, my heart sank. And of course, there are never close parking spaces on rainy days. Seriously, they should have designated parking places for moms with more than one tagalong.

We grabbed our single umbrella and climbed out of the car. Gathering my little people close, we walked toward the store.

“Do you need an umbrella?” I turned toward the voice to see an older woman standing beside the open door of her car. She had a pleasant expression on her face as she offered us a bright yellow umbrella.

“Oh, I think we’re fine,” I replied.

“Are you sure? I have a sort-of ‘umbrella ministry,’” she said with a smile.

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rainy days

I returned the smile, not quite sure what to say. I’d never heard of an “umbrella ministry” before. While I hesitated, she walked over and handed us her yellow umbrella, then returned to her car. “God bless you,” she said warmly.

We thanked her, opened the umbrella and again walked toward the entrance.

This unusual encounter made quite an impression on my heart. Such a small act of kindness, yet so very thoughtful.

I bet the “umbrella ministry” is not included on a list of outreaches on any local church bulletins. She probably doesn’t consider herself to be a missionary. I wonder how many people even know of her ministry?

And yet this generous woman is a vital member of the Body of Christ, lovingly meeting needs in creative ways as God leads. She was a beautiful reminder to me of how “outside my box” God is.

He has important work to do through each of His own in advancing His kingdom. We’ve all been given various gifts and callings, as well as different opportunities in differing seasons. Sometimes our “ministry” will look just like what we’ve imagined. Other times it may seem small or insignificant.

But whatever we do in the name of Jesus is beautiful and meaningful and precious to God. As we walk close to Him, humbly following His lead, He lives out His heart through us.

How about you? Do you ever wonder if your life makes a difference, if God could possibly be pleased with how “daily” your life is?

Be faithful, my friend. Walk with Him. Listen to His voice. Do whatever He leads you to do – whether it seems significant or not.

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in Jesus’ name

Has anyone ever ministered to you in an unexpected way? I’d love to hear!

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Did We Take a Wrong Turn?

Did We Take a Wrong Turn?

Did we take a wrong turn somewhere, God?

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Did we take a wrong turn?

This path we’re on is bumpier than I expected. I’m not seeing many “green pastures” or much “still water.” It’s certainly not glamorous.

I was kind of hoping for something more exciting, less mundane. I know You lead down “paths of righteousness,” but isn’t there a less exhausting one?

That path over there…the pleasant-looking, grass-is-greener one? I think I’d like that one better. It looks easier, more productive, more… well, fun.

Can’t we give that one a try?

Do you ever have such conversations with God?

Ever feel frustrated, discontent, even disillusioned with the path on which God has you? Ever compare your life with others and wish your days looked more like theirs? Or maybe memories of past seasons or dormant dreams make you long for something…different.

Life has a way of not turning out the way we envisioned, no matter how good we have it.

Sometimes I whine and complain, as evidenced by the above conversation (“inspired” by this past month).

I’m so thankful that God isn’t impatient, that He continues loving and leading me, no matter how I grumble along the way. Sometimes I’m in awe of how gracious and “longsuffering” He is.

In my grumbling seasons, God faithfully reminds me that He Himself is the only Source of true joy and satisfaction. “The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (Is 58:11). “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Ps 90:14).

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Did we take a wrong turn?

He never promised that life would be easy. On the contrary, He said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).

Some days are crazy hard, but “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

By faith, I trust that He has “given us everything we need for a godly life through the knowledge of Him…” (2 Pet 1:3).

When I grow weary, I remember that “at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9).

Sometimes He leads through the valley of the shadow of death, yet He is always with us (even when we don’t feel Him). He knows when we become “weary and burdened,” so He invites to come find rest in Him beside quiet waters (Ps 23, Matt 11:28-30).

He Himself is each need’s satisfaction and every heart’s greatest pleasure.

TheLordWillSatisfy

Did we take a wrong turn?

Are you on a difficult path? Have you been grumbling about your circumstances? How does Jesus satisfy you when life is hard? I’d love to hear – please join the conversation!

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Look-alikes

Look-alikes

By Meredith Mills

@DazzledByTheSon

“You can’t deny that one’s yours!”

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Mini-me

That was the comment we heard as my husband carried our littlest into the church where he would be speaking later that morning. It’s true – she definitely bears his image. In fact, I’ve been told she’s the female version of him as a child. There’s something really special about seeing ourselves in our children.

It’s pretty amazing, this image-bearing business.

Even more amazing is the fact that we bear our Heavenly Father’s image.

In the beginning, God set out to make humanity as a reflection of Himself. He wanted creation’s climax to resemble Him. And they did.

But then sin entered the picture. The pinnacle of creation, the creatures after His likeness, the first man and woman chose the one thing God had forbidden. And God’s image in mankind was distorted.

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God’s image was distorted.

Instead of reflecting His purity, they were infected with the nature of sin. This new nature would be passed on to every human ever born (with the exception of the God-man, Jesus).

Instead of reflecting God’s eternal nature, their spirits died instantly and their bodies began the fatal process of aging.

Instead of reflecting God’s sacrificial heart of love, they became self-protective and accusatory, pointing fingers to conceal their guilt.

Instead of uninhibited friendship with God and each other, they felt the pangs of shame, so they covered up and hid from God.

At that decisive moment, everything changed.

Well, not everything.

The relentless, unfailing love of God stayed the same. And His sovereign plan still reigned supreme.

For you see, all was not lost. His image was defiled, but it was not destroyed. Repeatedly in the Old Testament, God reminds us that humanity still bears His image. In fact, that’s the basis for how we’re to treat one another – we all carry His likeness, so we’re to honor each other as fellow-image bearers.

Yet His image was marred, so He would fix that. He would not leave us this way.

In the greatest recovery mission of all time, the Son of God stepped into our world – in human flesh, yet exactly representing the Father. He lived and died and rose again – all to redeem a people made in His image. All to restore His true likeness in mankind.

That’s us, fellow Jesus lover! We’ve been made in His image at conception, reborn with a new nature at salvation, and are being transformed into a true picture of our God!

He can be seen in us in so many ways…

  • When we love that difficult person, we look like our forgiving Father.
  • When we endure the hardships of this life, we model our Suffering Savior.
  • When we enjoy the good things He’s given, we show the world a Daddy who delights in His children and loves giving good gifts.
  • When we engage in our professions, we reflect various aspects of His character. He’s our Parent, Teacher, Healer, Counselor, Helper, Leader, Judge, Creator, Designer… Whatever we do on a daily basis, God’s image can be seen in us.

That gives so much meaning and purpose to my daily life. Wiping noses, cooking meals, teaching children, cleaning up messes, putting thoughts on paper, building relationships – it all can be a picture of God. It’s an overflow of His image in me.

Every person looks like God to some degree or another. But those redeemed through faith in Christ – we can become more like Him each day as we participate in His Spirit’s work in our lives.

I don’t know what a heavenly reception looks like, but how awesome would it be to wake up in the arms of our Daddy and hear whispers going through the crowd – “We can’t deny that one’s His! She looks so much like Him!”

Oh, how I want to look like my Daddy! How about you?

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Transformed into His image

How do you reflect God’s image in your daily life? In what ways have you seen Him transform you? I’d love hear!

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Readjusting the Lens

Readjusting the Lens

Sometimes our vision changes.

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Walking with Jesus

When I set out on this blogging journey, my goal was to chronicle my walk with Christ. I was at the tail end of a pretty dark season. Life had recently come crashing down around me, and everything I thought I believed came into question. (To read more, please check out My Journey.)

“Two things I’m certain about,” I confided in a friend. “The Bible is the Word of God, and I’m saved by the blood of Jesus. Beyond that, I just don’t know right now.” Specific Christian doctrine, practical Christian living…it all needed to be reexamined.

Thankfully, those two certain beliefs are the bedrock of our faith and our God is a Master Rebuilder.

For a time, I thought I needed to rebuild my faith through prayer and Bible study, but then I came across the following verse in Colossians 2:7: “Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith…” All those verbs – they’re in the passive tense, meaning I’m not the one doing them. Rather, I’m receiving the actions of Another.

Maybe that seems trivial, like mere semantics, but it took a weight off my shoulders. I realized that, just as God rooted me in Him at salvation, so He Himself is building and establishing my faith. My role is to abide in Him and welcome His work in me. (See John 15.)

During the course of this rebuilding project, I’ve learned that “identity” is a core issue in the Christian faith – most importantly, an accurate knowledge of God is essential. Of secondary, but also vital, importance is knowing my own identity as a child of God. These two things are like lenses through which I view and interact with the world around me.

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Looking at life through the lens of identity

God showed me that my understanding was flawed in both areas. So I’ve been taking notes as I read through Scripture of everything I see related to those two issues. My big, thick journal is almost full because, guess what? God has LOTS to say about identity. (And I’m not even half-way through the Bible yet!)

He longs to be known! And He wants us to know who we really are, too.

So I think it’s time to shift the focus here, or rather to “zoom in” on this aspect of our faith. I’d like to share with you what I’m learning, and I’d really love to learn from your journey, as well. Together, in the Body of Christ, we have the greatest treasure the world has ever known – friendship with God. Because He drew near, we can know Him and be secure in Him.

So stay tuned and prepare to be…encouraged!

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