Category Archives: Discipleship

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TEACHABLE MOMENTS

God's Love and Discipling of Others (Especially our Children) Starts with Us

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“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:20-23

As I was reading a blog by Keith Webb on “How Vulnerability Makes you a Stronger Leader” I read two insights on leadership and vulnerability: 

“When we honestly acknowledge our faults and weaknesses we unlock leader development dynamics that strengthen not only you but the people around you.”

“Being vulnerable really comes down to humbly acknowledging weakness, asking for help and empowering others to use their strength” (keithwebb.com)

MOTHER, THE CEO

What stands out in your mind’s eye as you read these quotes above? As mothers we have the opportunity to grow in skills of leadership development too. Yes, leadership development. We are leading, as well as modeling what leadership looks like to our children. Scary thought.

So what leadership dynamics are you learning along the way?  

As parents we don’t always have the answers yet we make our kids often feel we do. What happens when they are grown and don’t always have the answers? What are we modeling for them?  

It is in those “Teachable Moments” where we find some of our greatest growth and most significant impact.  Below is a simple story (not always this clear) where the principles of leadership are displayed and can be applied in most any situation as we work with people.

When our daughter was 13, now 33, she decided she wanted to cut her hair. I was out for the evening so the next morning when I went to wake her up for school I noticed her hair.  The whole front of her hair had been chopped off.  “Kelli what did you do?”  I could have used a little bit of humor at that moment. (more…)

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THE BABY SHOWER

Teaming up with God

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     I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 

(I Corinthians 3:6)

Indie, horrified that she gave birth to a Down Syndrome baby girl, now carried the burden of what people might say about her. On our island, generally the Filipino’s believe if a baby is different in any way it is because the sins of the parents have been passed down to the child. Many parts of the world believe this too.   

So when their little girl was born with Down Syndrome, people seemed to talk in the community. They said it was because of Indie’s sins, that God was angry and was passing judgment on her and her family. She was now being ostracized by her own culture.

How would one move in, team up with God and share Christ and His love in this context?  (more…)

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PAY ATTENTION

Lessons Learned By A Blind Lady

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“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

(James 1:19)

As the plane landed, a voice came over the intercom: “If you are not in a hurry could you please sit and wait and allow others to deplane first to make their flight connections?” This little old lady immediately stood up and asked someone near her, “could you please get my bag down from up top”?

After she received her bag, she opened it up and pulled out a stick which when unfolded turned into a cane. The lady began getting out of her seat and making her way down the aisle using her cane to guide her up to the front of the plane.  It didn’t take long to notice the old lady was blind and missed the announcement to wait.

When she got up to the front, she began to ask the flight attendant questions. “Do you have a wheel chair for me?  Do you know what gate we are in? Do you know what gate I should go to? etc…. she went on and on. The flight attendant was very gracious with her but didn’t know all of her answers. In the meantime the whole plane of people trying to get off were being held up, including those needing to catch connecting flights.  This lady, being blind of course, didn’t notice those waiting behind her and apparently was clueless to holding up many impatient passengers.    (more…)

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Contentment

When the Road is not So Clear

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I Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain”

Transitions are never a straight line. It is hard to see when they will end. There is much grieving for what you left behind and often a mixture of excitement, fear and uncertainty as you face the future. God says, “godliness with contentment is great gain.” How do we get to a place of contentment in the midst of change? 

Where are you in the process?  

When I was young, I would often go up onto a little hill between my home and our neighbors’ so I could climb on a swing that hung from a great, big beautiful tree. I would stay up there for hours, singing and talking to God. It was the best feeling. I didn’t know who Jesus was, but I knew there was something out there—a God—and He must love me. I always wondered what life was going to be like when I grew up. I felt safe singing on my swing, but outside of that, there were a lot of unknowns and fears in my life.

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Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (more…)

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FOOD GOES BAD

God Cares

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Matthew 6:25,33: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?…33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you  (ESV)”

When we first went to the Philippines we couldn’t work and receive any money from the country itself. All of our finances had to come from the USA, our home country. We shared our vision with churches and individuals who then partnered with us financially. However, we ended up going to the Philippines under supported.  

After getting paid once a month, I would go shopping. Of course, we had only so much money to spend. I felt rich at the beginning of the month and poor at the end.

What would you do if you had only a little or no more money left to even buy food at the end of each month? How might it make you feel? How might it make you think about God’s concern and care for you?  (more…)

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GOD’S MASTERPIECE

Created for Purpose

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“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Ephesian. 2:10

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What is one question you often ask God? Is it, “God do you have a plan for me?”

Each of our lives is a beautiful piece of artwork. Unknown to us, God has been painting our canvas, long before we were even born. Psalm 139:14 tells us “we were created and fearfully, wonderfully knitted together even before we were conceived.”  

He has a plan and purpose for all of us. Often people separate who God is from what He does. It is the same! It is seamless. For example:  When we say “God is our creator”.  We are saying He is God and He is our Master Artist. We can’t separate one from the other.

He is God the Creator:  Of all the things He created, we are His masterpieces. He chose us as His signature artwork!. We belong to Him and He is our God.  (refer to Ephesians 2:10a above)

He created us for a purpose:  First we have to accept and learn God is our loving eternal Father, who loved us so much that he sent His son to die on our behalf, for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day in order that we might have life, eternal life. (Easter made alive) He then wants us to live for Him because He has a plan and purpose for our life. (refer to Ephesians 2:10b above)   (more…)

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CAN GOD USE EVEN ME?

God uses ordinary people

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Job 23:10, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold”

Do you ever get discouraged when you keep making the same mistakes over and over and you just can’t, “ahh” , “be perfect”? Do you ever wonder if something is wrong with you?  

When I was in college I thought: “Why am I having all these insecurities still? Why don’t I have it all together? Why am I having all these silly emotions and why aren’t I able to control all my emotions faster than I am?   I am saved. I love Jesus. Maybe I don’t love Jesus as much as I think I do. Shouldn’t I be moving towards being able to fight these emotions off? 

Maybe I have sinned and I need to make it right, or maybe something isn’t just right with me. Maybe God can’t love me as much as He can love someone else.  Maybe I need to do more, or learn more, then I’ll be good enough.”

Do you ever have these kinds of conversations with yourself? I did. I still talk to myself with questions and emotions I often don’t understand.  I still haven’t arrived but I am a lot further along than I was in college.  God’s Word gives me God’s Truth about who I truly am and gives me guidance on which directions to take in the midst of my turbulence.   (more…)

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GRANDSLAM

Mentoring and Playing Tennis: Life Lessons

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II Timothy 2:2:  “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men (and women) who will be able to teach others also”

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As Jim and I were out hitting yesterday on the tennis court, I remembered the early days of when we first began playing. I smiled and couldn’t help but thank God. We have come a long way since then.

It also dawned on me, my experience of training to play tennis mirrors in many ways mentoring. Can you think of something you didn’t know how to do but now you can perform without thinking? How did you become so competent? Take even something like learning to drive a car, there are life lessons everywhere that we in turn give to others. Mentoring is in nearly every level of life.

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