{Giving} Thankul to God for His Provision

I don't know if any of my readers do not already give 10% to their local church as a tithe of their increase, and don't need a reminder, but maybe you need some encouragement about your giving.

Today's sermon from I Corinthians 16 got me thinking about giving and it was a good encouragement. The sermon was mainly about the Corinthian church giving to Jewish believers (purpose) because out of solidarity and indebtedness they wanted to give back. Pastor reviewed some principles of giving and pointed out that if you think giving a tithe (10%) is legalistic, then you should compare Jesus' teaching on giving - to give all you have.

I had a hard time catching the rest of Pastor's main points because I started thinking and reflecting again over the past 14 1/2 years of paying off my student loan. Once the topic of tithe came up in the message, I thought about how I believe I had been most successful in paying down my loan when I was regularly giving to God.

I do believe my paying off my student loan (as of Monday!!) is a direct result of God's faithfulness to me. And I think that is the point - that I would recognize God's role and give him the glory. It's not about me and how much I make, or even about when this debt gets paid off, but it's about God and God working in and through me.

I'm grateful for my godly heritage - grandparents, parents, church leaders, bosses, friends... - who set a good example for me to follow in this area, but I had to come to the decision/practice on my own as an adult. I don't recall when I determined how much I would give, but I'm thankful for God providing for me and enabling me to give money back to him.

There's a lot to be said about Biblical giving and I'm pretty sure that I'll touch this topic again and again here on my blog. I think a future topic to discuss would be generosity. One of my favorite people in the world is also the most generous person you will meet - and by generous I don't just mean with money, but time, kindness, and much more.

For some reason God seems to use money to teach me things about Himself and about living Christ-like...I sure hope I've learned my lesson about debt. I'm ready to work on lessons about saving!

What is God using to teach you about Himself?

 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  –Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

{Goal Post}

Do you have any summer challenges or goals?

A lot of blogs I read are talking about summer and goals and trips and fun. I need to work on the trips and fun part, but I do have two, make that three, goals for this summer: 

1. Read/listen to entire Bible - I'm using 90 day YouVersion Bible reading plan. I like the option to listen to it on my Kindle Fire!
2. Complete 6 week fitness boot camp. I usually go to my gym at work - for FREE! but a while back I decided to sign up for a boot camp as soon as my student loan was paid off. Well, as luck would have it, a friend posted a link to a boot camp that was starting a new promotion next week. I was able to try it out last night and while I'm still sore, I think I can hack it!
3. Get crackin' on a plan to accomplish other goals I made at the beginning of the year! Since I've been so focused on the student loan payoff, I've let some other goals slip to the shadows. I know I have much to celebrate in the goal accomplishing department as I have officially scheduled my last student loan payment for Monday, June 17. This has been on my ToDo list for way too long. But now that it's done, I don't want to lose sight of a few other things I want to get done this year as well.

I posted the above goals on Facebook, and now a blog post, so I can't change my mind...or back out now or when things get a little tough in the next 3 months. Yikes!

I'll try to keep you posted on my progress in each of the three goals.

And hey, if you're wondering how to set a goal, this is a good tip I discovered in the last couple of years:

 

Let me know what goals you're working on for the summer, the week, the month, the year...!

wisdom from my boss

Our office meets on Monday mornings for prayer. Often Boss1 shares something that God has been using in his life. This past week he shared the main points of his pastor's sermon from the previous Sunday.

You cannot do great things without great people.

Proverbs 2:6

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Fear God and you will never have to be afraid of anything else.

Matthew 10:28

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Being part of a new move of God always requires a new level of flexibility. 

Matthew 9:14-15, 17

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Focus on becoming more effective, not on becoming more successful.

Matthew 25:20-23

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

{Reply to a Dear Friend}

Below is an edited version of my reply to a private blog post...personal specifics have been redacted.

Hey - I'm still mulling this one over...

Mostly thoughts that are coming to me are about how we react to circumstances...I know I struggle with this, but then I'm mostly just able to relate to the daily stuff, not something as big as [situation redacted]...

On the way to work I heard the usual Faith Minute broadcast and thought I'd share with you:

At first glance it’s easy to think that courage and fear are contradictory traits. But that’s not necessarily true. Brave soldiers often admit to being scared in battle. Humans are complex creatures. We can mean well and behave badly.


On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter courageously followed Jesus to his trial. Peter was a fisherman suddenly surrounded by sophisticated and powerful people. He realized he was in over his head and he got scared. When asked about Jesus, Peter denied even knowing him.


Most of us have walked in Peter’s sandals. Under stress we have denied our most cherished principles. Call it the “Peter Syndrome.” But remember, Peter didn’t stay afraid. After the resurrection, he found total forgiveness from Jesus – and we can too.

Peter was faced with a bigger than himself situation - I like how they said it, "He realized he was in over his head and he got scared."

That would definitely be me if I was in his/your shoes. Ah, but here's the kicker: "But remember, Peter didn’t stay afraid."

I think that's you! You're not staying afraid. You've found forgiveness in Jesus. [Name redacted] can too. (And you and I aren't responsible for him.)

I think I'm going to take time later today to read the additional stuff (as opposed to what I normally do - just listen to the "faithminute") b/c there's more to think on and learn from Peter.

Something else that was shared on fb yesterday was this guy. He's dealing with cancer. Not really the same category but also has to do with reacting to our circumstances. This video was a blessing. I ended up watching a few of his updates b/c it was encouraging.

Back to you...I'm not sure I've fully digested all that you wrote, nor do I think that I HAVE to. I know your writing is largely healing for you and doesn't need my approval - haha :) Seriously, I believe you're on a right path, my dear...especially concerning reactions to circumstances that are bigger than you.

I wish I could change those circumstances, but none of us can. I can pray that God will change the circumstances. I do pray that. But He doesn't have to. Um, that's a tough pill for me to swallow. But GOD can get the GLORY (whether we react well or not...?!)

2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thanks, friend, for challenging my thinking today. I hope I'll react well to whatever circumstances come my way today.

lots of love,
~b

{Deo Cantamus} In Awesome Wonder Concert

Just wanted to share a little bit of the recent Deo Cantamus concert with you my faithful readers. Below is my playlist from YouTube with the 6 songs I had the privilege to be a part of.

Enjoy!



There are a also more songs on the Deo Cantamus Youtube Channel that the "Let the Children Praise" choir sang at our concert.

Can you guess what my favorite song is? (Hint: If you saw the post on fb, you already know!)

What's your favorite?!

miles of smiles & a few tears

I planned a last minute trip to visit a dear, dear friend to "get away from it all" and also to be an encouragement to my friend.

What I expected was a trip with a change of pace, a vacation from my work-eat-sleep, work-eat-sleep routine. I expected to catch up with my friend who I hadn't seen in 2 years, learn about her new life in Colorado, help with her kids, and just plain enjoy being with my friend Danna.

What I got was all that and more!

Saturday - woke up at 4:15a to get to my 7:05a flight. Arrived in Denver at 8:30 and we hit the ground running! Danna and Gang picked me up and we headed back to the "ranch". They're currently living with Danna's brother's family who happened to be on vacation for almost 2 weeks...leaving behind 1 dog, 1 cat, 12 chickens, and a huge garden that needed water!

We arrived at the ranch and the Dumplin' Gang scattered to their usual... Kelli, age 9, loves to read. She probably read 3 or 4 books while I was there. She also loves to swing on the tire swing that creeks with an annoying sound [kerr-erk! kerr-erk! kerr-erk!]. Karis, age 6, always heads for the chicken coup: she loves to carry "Fluffy" around like a sack of potatoes!! Ryan, age 4, just loves to bug and he's got 3 sisters, so he's good at it too! Little Selah, age 2, who acts like she's 3, she loves to sing. Whatever she's doing, she's got a song going while she's doing it. [You love me, You love me, We're a happy family...You love me, You love me, We're a happy family...] One more time, Selah-baby! :0)

That evening, after a delicious dinner of Danna's famous Calico Beans, we headed to the local fireworks to meet up with a group from church. We arrived a little late so we were lucky to find a parking spot. We found the group and were warmly welcomed! The fireworks were delightfully choreographed to patriotic and other fun music, but they were a little loud for Karis - she had her head buried under jackets and blankets. She made it through like a champ and then while we were waiting for the traffic to clear out, she enjoyed playing with a sparkler from some people we didn't know. All the kids had fun playing with their new friends.

Sunday we were all exhausted from our late night and swooped into church right as the preaching began. Kelli took the two youngest down to class and Danna headed to the cry room with Karis. There wasn't a seat for me in the cry room so I slipped into the auditorium to hopefully get a blessing.

To my surprise, I not only got a blessing, but a challenge to my thinking! The speaker was just getting into his message about work. Work?! I don't want to hear about work, I thought. Here's the outline:

Get...to Work
Proverbs 6:6

I. Work is given to us...
A. As a good gift from a loving God.
B. As an opportunity to serve others.
C. As an opportunity to partner with God.
D. As an opportunity to be like God.

(Work was hard before the fall. God cursed the ground which brought thorns & thistles.)

II. In your service of others...
A. Thorns and thistles are produced easier than wheat.
B. Thorns and thistles drive you back to dependence on God.
C. Thorns and thistles train and prepare you for future service.

Application
- Some jobs are not for Christians.
- Choose work carefully...don't choose for what it can do for you but what it can do for others.
- Retirement is not a biblical term. There's only a change of service.
- Trust God to place you in the area of service he wants you in.
- Trust God to place you in the perfect timing in your work.
- I need to change my thinking from "work is a necessary evil".

Sunday late in the afternoon we headed to downtown Denver. Neither Danna, nor I had been there before so we weren't sure what to expect. We found directions online for something called 16th Street Mall. Turns out it was a fun, outdoor mall with street vendors in the middle of the road. Also turns out there was a Jamba Juice, which Danna claims Kelli is made out of, so that was our first stop! Our second stop was a bathroom for 2 of the kids. We then started to explore the mall but were quickly distracted by Karis' interest in a horse & buggy. After a short inquiry, we all climbed aboard and had a half-hour tour of downtown Denver! Everyone enjoyed the ride so we decided to end our trip downtown on this high note. Side note: as we were heading out, Danna mentioned she hadn't started to water the garden yet (this usually takes most of the day). My serious reply was, "It's Sunday! God will provide!" Even though I meant what I said, I truly did not know I was speaking as a prophet! On our way home from downtown, it began to rain, pouring rain!! Jehovah Jirah, God will provide!

Monday was possibly going to be a trip to Garden of the Gods and Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, but a call from church friends with an invitation to hang out at a pool easily changed our plans. We were all excited to get a little extra vitamin D, especially me!! That evening Kelli had a friend over and we made a little campfire and s'mores in the cool of the evening. The ranch has several pine trees in the yard, so there were plenty of pine cones to add a little extra spark!

Tuesday was the last day of my visit, so we were all a little sad. I did have a college friend come by and take me to lunch (thank you , Jeni!!) so that brightened the day for me, but not so much for the Dumplin' Gang. They wanted to go with me, of course! :) Jeni and I had fun catching up on ol' times and what we've been doing in the 12 years since we last saw each other.

Back at the ranch it got a little crazy before heading out by 3:15 to get me to the airport: little Ry Guy got his feeling hurt and spent a while in a room...; Karis collected "berries" from a bush outside to make a smoothie, but that didn't that didn't end well; and Selah ended up in tears, but I can't remember why... Kind of made it a little stressful for the Gang's mama, but somehow we made it out the door on time! We even had time for a couple of detours: Gap & Wendy's!

I was definitely sad to end my visit. I miss them all already!! I hope it's not 2 years before I see them again!! MSP to DEN seems to have decent ticket prices, so we'll see...!!

I had a neat answer to prayer today!

"...pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
James 5:16

Last night as I got home I discovered my keys to my apt/mail box/work were missing. They’re on a separate ring from my car keys, plus I had my sister’s house keys still attached to my car keys (they’re in California for the week). I figured my keys dropped off between the time I got out of my car at the park & ride that morning and when I got on the bus. I was late getting home (as I had ran two errands on my way home) so I didn’t want to go back to the park & ride that night when I wasn’t really sure what happened. I looked around my parking spot at the apartment and then went to my sister’s to get my second set of keys. Thankfully I didn’t lose their keys too!

I let one of the girls (Lindsay) in my apartment building know that my keys were lost. At this point I wasn’t sure if my sister had keys to my building or just my apartment. I got to my sisters’ and found both keys! I remembered later that I had to ask my landlord for an additional key to the building when I first moved in. I forgot that I actually got the key! Yay for planning ahead! So then I went home and let the apartment girls (Lindsay & Elizabeth) know I got in and ask them to be on the lookout for my keys. They offered me pizza and said they would be praying! I was very thankful for the pizza!

This morning as I drove to the park & ride I prayed the whole way. I drove to the area in which I normally park and as I searched for a spot I looked around for my keys too. I then parked and started my serious search. I didn’t remember exactly which spot I had parked in, and wasn’t sure how my keys would still be there if that’s where I had dropped them. But to my surprise, I soon spotted a shining lump on the ground; it was just next to an SUV and right where they must have dropped from my key ring yesterday morning. I was so shocked I just calmly walked over and picked them up. I stared at them in my hand as I walked to the enclosed waiting area of the bus stop. With reality sinking in and excitement brewing, I decided to text Lindsay to let her know the good news and thank her for praying!

Another lady waiting for the bus asked me what time the next bus came. I told her and then shared my good news. She said, "Someone must be looking out for you!" I told her I was thanking my friend for praying for me [via text]! I hope she understood that I was giving God the credit!!

*************
This verse was in my email inbox this morning (I subscribe to a daily email devotional) and I wanted to share it too:

"But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart's desire is to glorify your name."
Isaiah 26:7–8

you're invited

Come hear me sing with my choir!

Saturday, December 19, 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 20, 6:00 p.m.

Fourth Baptist Church choir, orchestra, handbells and other musicians combine to present a meaningful and unique program of music with a relevant message from God's Word in celebration of Christ's birth.

Please accept my invitation to attend this year's Christmas Musicale.

And for more listening pleasure here is a videow that I forgot to blog about, but is certainly worth watching: Deo Cantamus Clips from Performance on 10/24/2009. Enjoy!

thanKful

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I Thessalonians 5:18

Singing with Thankfulness

This morning as I left for work, I was reminded to be thankful. Yes, I know we already had Thanksgiving, but my reminder to be thankful often comes when I get into my car. A friend of mine used to make up songs to sing for her K4/K5 classes and one of them was "Thank you, Lord for my _______" -- you fill in the blank. The song basically repeats several times and ends with "right where you are!" Anyway, this little song comes to mind regularly when I'm driving, so the first thing I usually fill in the blank with, is my car. And now you know :0)

Thank You, Lord for...

• My salvation -- Psalm 103
• My family --

• My church -- http://www.fourthbaptist.org/

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

• My friends far & near -- www.facebook.com/bekahflaming

A friend loves at all times...Proverbs 17:17a

• My job #1 -- TheJob
• My job #2 -- www.partylite.biz/bekahflaming
• My home & neighbors -- Yeah, Virginia Ave N Girls!!
• My extended family & my extended family twice removed -- yes, even my sister's crazy sister-in-laws in Cali--love their running commentary ;o)
• My co-workers and fellow PL team members
• Road trips when your brother-in-law drives all the way (except for 1 hour that your sister drove!)
• Statuses
• Thanksgiving dinners your sister cooks (and you "supervise")!
• Big & little blessings each day
• Water
• Sprint to Sprint
• Presents to give (and to get!)
• Others who are "tankpull"
• Second (& third, fourth, etc. ) chances
• My birthday!
• The letter "K"
• Valentines

This is a great starter as a prayer list! I'm so needing to remember to pray for and thank God for those people and things He has put in my life!

What would you add?

Counting My Blessings Tonight

1. Blender broke this morning, but after noting it on facebook, a friend offered to give me one they're not using.
2. Since I moved in back in May I have had only two comfy chairs but no couch in my living room. My sister and her family are downsizing and offered to loan to me a lovely, leather love seat.
3. A friend volunteered her time and truck to help get the said couch to my apartment from "canada". ("Why do you have a big tchwuck, Whiz?" :-D)
4. Another sister and her dear husband volunteered to help unload the said love seat from the said truck.
5. I had food in my house and was able to make a delicious meal for the friend with the truck and before mentioned sister and brother-in-law, albeit a little late for a weeknight supper...yeah, 8 o'clock....but it was yummy!
6. With the moving of the couch, meal preparations and cleanup, I thought I wouldn't have time tonight to type songs lyrics for an upcoming ladies retreat at which I was deemed song leader. The ladies working on the program need the songs ASAP, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to get them all typed tonight. As I sat down to see how many I could pound out, I remembered to check online for the lyrics! I found almost all of them!! Yay!!
   

Just a few blessings reasons to praise the Lord tonight!

"I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me." -- Psalm 13:6

G'night! Sweet dreams!

free cd download

Just wanted to let my blog readers know about some great music that you can get for FREE!

http://mincymedia.com/blog/2009/08/13/free-cd-download/

It's kind of fun/interesting to be able to tell you about this music because I personally know the musician! Dave was the music director/pastor at Harvest when I lived on Guam. I really enjoyed singing in choir and ensembles under his direction and learned a lot from him. Like me, he's not on Guam any more, but he's still actively involved in church and music to the honor and glory of God! His blog will tell you more about his ministry and his music. Hope you get a chance to download this FREE CD and maybe even buy his newest CD!

Just as a point of fact, last year I received his Christmas CD from my sister for my birthday. Let me tell you it was my favorite CD of the season. I think I listened to it well into January, maybe even February! Yes, it was that good!

(So, Dave, how about adding Minnesota to your itinerary!?! Sara, you have roots up here! You should come for a visit!)

moving day = many blessings!

My most recent move was due to the fact that Jess got married.

We started the loading at 9:00am and thanks to everone's* efficient help, my stuff was moved in an hour and I was unpacked by 3:30pm!

Most of the unpacking was done by Liz Charpie and I, but if I remember right Jen and Lindsay unpacked half of my kitchen before they had to leave.

*Attempt to list everyone: Jen, Morgen, Heidi, Eric, Lindsay, Liz, Mr. Charpie, Cynthia, Ruth, Phil, Doug, Deb, did I miss anyone?!

Here are few pics from moving day:

Move to Virginia Ave N

And in case you're curious, here's a moving summary - 11 Addresses in 11 Years:

1. May '09- - Virginia Ave N #1, New Hope -my own place, hopefully for a few years!


2. Aug '07-June '09 - Condo, New Hope - Jess bought the Condo when I moved here so we could share the cost of living near the City of Lakes!


3. June '07 - July '07 - Markgrafs, Hanover (A.K.A. Canada) - lived with Jen & Co. for 6 weeks when I first moved to Minneapolis.


4. Jan '07 - June '07 - Western Ave, WTTN - lived in small one bedroom apt (1 of 4 apt in an old house). Creepy old guys lived in the other 3 apts...but it was my HOME for 6 months.


5. Aug '06 - Jan '07 - Eighth St., WTTN - lived in 3rd floor apt of Spencer's huge mansion-house. Good times with Michelle, Dennis & Co. when I'd stop by the Kitchen on my way to do laundry in the basement :)


6. Aug '03 - Aug '06 Lafayette St., WTTN - lived on the "guys side" of campus with Betsy & Linda; got to walk to work!


7. May '02 - Aug' 03 - Cady St., WTTN, WI - lived with Sue, Lora, & a few cats for a little over a year when I found housing without cats...


8. Jan ' 02 - April '02 - Burnsville, MN - lived with Anna while we worked temp jobs to support ourselves and finished a lease on an apt for Jen & Eric.


9. Jun '01 - Jan '02 - McPherson, KS - lived with mom & dad until I "found myself" - haha! :)


10. Jun '00 - Jun '01 - Imperial Apt 1, Barrigada, Guam USA - had apt by myself, but spent most of my time with Brenda & Cristin...they called me roommate too!


11. July '98 - Jun '00 - Guahan Apt A1, Barrigada, Guam USA - had different roommate each year, Christa & Missy.

God In My Life

God shows himself everyday but are we looking?
God gives himself everyday but are we taking?
God communicates himself every day but are we listening?

I see God in the weather and in people that I meet.
I take God to work and everywhere I go.
I hear God in his Word and those who speak with His wisdom.

Do you see God in me?
Do you know God from me?
Do you hear God out of me?

our big God

My sister-in-law sent this email:

Pastor Benson showed a dvd at our New Year's Eve service. It is called "Indescribable" by Louie Giglio. It was very convicting & such a great reminder of how BIG our God really is... Make sure you have some time to watch this. It's 45 minutes long...Pastor Benson skipped the beginning song & started right at the
speaking.

This video gives some perspective on our tiny lives:
Indescribable