Lately, I’ve been thinking about the words, “unless the Lord.” No doubt, you are like me in praying for a 2010 that is full up with God’s work over your life, your family, your community–your details. But anything that we could desire or long for are hanging on these words, “unless the Lord.”

Our family has faced a host of trials over the past two years, and unless the Lord had been my very own help, unless He had been my Rock, unless He had rescued me, unless He had built my house and unless He had chosen our family line out to bring Him glory—UNLESS–then I guarantee you that this child of God would not be living to write this post today. I could not have faced it without Him!

So as I sought Him concerning “A Woman Inspired” newsletter for this year, I heard Him distinctly challenge me (and therefore I am also challenging you) to help others in need–the homeless, the hungry, the hurting, the desperate ones, who need to know “unless the Lord.” And this was not in the name of social outreaches and a plan of things to add to your list and mine, so that we’d all feel better about ourselves. No. This was simply because I have been helped.  (I have a longer version of what I heard the Lord speak to my heart here within the pages of this newsletter).

Because the Lord was my help, I need to see the need around me. In my little, I can still give. I can serve. I can love. I can pray. So can you.

This year, I am going to spotlight ways we can “see” and “do”–to be a light in this dark world. For I can guarantee you that this year, there will be more in need–due to the economy and jobs lost. And there will be more, who are desperate for something on which they can stand. So will we offer them sand, by staying in our comfort zones and not seeing? Or will we offer them the Rock, Jesus?

Deuteronomy 32:29-31 says, “If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be! How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.”

We fight not with weapons of this world, but with weapons that have “divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor 10:3-5) So as we step into each day, I am praying for each of us to have vision, discernment and eyes to see–then I am praying that God will say to each of us, “This is the way, walk in it.”

As the Lord led me this month, I asked women to share their stories in serving.  You will not want to miss one article!  For there are some wonderful women of God, who are taking their faith the the streets. 

This year, I welcome your submissions on how you help and how your family serves to meet the needs of others around you. We can share what we do, which I pray will prompt all of us to carry that out in our own sphere of influence. Let’s challenge ourselves to make one step and then another ”out there,” as God leads and see where the journey takes us, shall we? “Unless the Lord…” everything we do will be for naught. We need His power and ability to work through us!  That is my prayer for this year over us all.

Joyfully,

Holly

Growing up in Russia I have a slightly different perspective on Western Christmas. Russian Santa Claus comes to visit kids and bring presents on New Year’s night. He would not bring nearly as many presents as my 2 year old has gotten this year.

For being Communist Russia for 70 years, I am very proud of my nation for keeping Christmas for what it is. It is a Russian tradition for kids to go from house to house on Christmas morning and sing a song that says “the angel was revealed to us last night and told us that Christ the Savior is born. So we came to tell you the great news and wish you Merry Christmas” and traditionally, you would gave them candy and/or money. Russian Christmas is celebrated on January 7^th, since Orthodox Russia follows the Greek Orthodox Calendar when it comes to religious holidays.

Every Christmas Russian families are busy cooking and preparing for the celebration, which is very similar to America’s ways of celebrating. Now, living in the States and building a family here I catch myself getting more and more busy with each new Christmas.

This year was different, however. We got the biggest snow storm, and we HAD to stay home due to weather–we enjoyed every moment of it. As I was pondering upon that, I felt Holy Spirit imprinting on my heart the images of Mary and Martha. I sensed that God was gently telling me that Christmas is time to slow down and be Mary and enjoy God’s presence and each other. We get so caught up in the holiday festive that by the end of it we are broke and exhausted!

Christmas is most certainly about giving, but it is also a time of receiving- receiving the best gift ever been given to the human race- Christ the Babe in the manger. No need to rush, run around the kitchen and visit 5 houses that day. Just enjoy your Maker and sit at his feet, just like Mary did.

The only time my family allows to pick up Martha attitude during Christmas is the time when we all get together and bake a bunch of different cookies. Few years ago my husband and I decided to start a new family tradition.

Every Christmas morning after opening our own presents, we go out to the community and say thank you to those we are working to protect us. We make an assortment of different cookies and drop them off by our local ER, police office, Sheriff’s office and Fire Department. We stop by to tell them how we appreciate them working on the day when we all can stay home and sip hot chocolate.

The first year we did it, people were kind of taken aback and didn’t know what to say. As a couple years went by, some of them said they were hoping we’d come since they had to be away from home anyways. It is one little thing we choose to do to show the love of God in the most simple way possible, but what a way to impact our community! A random act of kindness can make someone’s Christmas.

This year both my husband and I were excited because our 2 year firstborn could finally say “Merry Christmas,” so we took him with us to participate in a newly established family tradition. Of course, due to snow storm we couldn’t get out of house for two days, so we delivered cookies day after Christmas. It was a blast either way!

I’d like to challenge you to start your own family tradition to show the love of Christ to others in the most raw, simple way you can think of. Show them that you care because God does too.

Lenna Rivera was born in Communist Russia (in Volgograd city, former Stalingrad) and at the age of 10 witnessed the Communism Fall. She was brought to the first Protestant Church opened after the crushing of Communism by her oldest brother, gave her heart to the Lord at the age 10 . Received the calling for the missions in the early teens and finally joined other missionaries to serve as a youth director in Republic of Georgia at 19. Now she is married to an American who was born in Germany and resides in Nebraska. With years the Lord grew a tremendous passion for His Word in Lenna and her ultimate desire is to bring His Word to others

“What in the world is a blog?” I thought to myself after receiving a friend’s email inviting me to read hers. Intrigued, I clicked on the link and the rest, as they say, is history. Three years later, I not only have my own blog, but a Facebook page and a Twitter account, to boot!

There’s no denying that the way we relate to each other has changed in the 21st century. We might not be traveling via hovercraft, but we are able to stay connected 24‐7 from anywhere in the world via cyberspace; chatting away with girlfriends we’ve likely never met in real life, with a longing often building up to do just that.  Maybe you’ve actually had the opportunity arise to meet with some of these friends on the other side of the screen. I have. There have been quick lunches grabbed with those in my area, and “meet‐ups” after conferences, that have been a privilege and a delight. But, to be perfectly honest, I’ve always left wanting more.

• More time together.
• More opportunities to dive into deeper conversation.
• More circumstances that lend themselves to developing real relationships – together, and with God.

One of my IRL (in real life) opportunities brought me the blessing of meeting Mary Snyder, a blog friend whom I’d gotten to know better through email. At that gathering, we discussed the online relational phenomenon, and discovered that we had several important things in common: a love for women’s ministry, friendships, and the role that social media can play in both. We had both not only personally felt the desire to bring our online friends into real life, but had noticed the same longing verbalized in cyberspace…a real desire to do real Christian life with real girlfriends.

The sense that the Lord was starting a “new thing” became very prevalent, and, at His leading, we joined in His plan. It is our great joy to introduce…gIRL™ 

Girlfriends In Real Life: meeting God together on the other side of the screen.  gIRL™ is a ministry that brings the friendships that we forge through blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, from one side of the screen to the other…not just for quick meet‐ups, but for extended time together with God. We believe that God is calling us to deeper relationships founded on our relationship with Him, and that He is using social media to bring people together all over the world to achieve just that. We’re excited and humbled that He would be using us for this purpose!

To get this ministry off the ground we knew we would need the input of girlfriends far and wide. We are in the process, now, of preparing for our first strategy meeting where we will share our vision for gIRL™ with possible ministry partners, and gain their valuable insight. Through our first partner, God provided a wonderful location for the strategy meeting, and is helping us build a team toward launching the first full‐fledged gIRL™ event, hopefully later this year.

You might be wondering where you could find out more! And truly, what’s a ministry born from social media without, well, social media? As we continue to plan and strategize, adding partners and allowing God to work, we will be blogging about it! “Birthing gIRL™” will allow our online friends to follow our progress and give their own input to help make gIRL™ a ministry that truly speaks to the hearts of women. Drop by often to share your thoughts! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and eventually, other social media sites. We’d love it if you would put us on your ministry prayer list for 2010, that God would continue to reveal to us how He wants this ministry to look and function, and that, above all, it would bring women to Him and glory to His name! If you’re interested in receiving more information, or partnering with us, you’ll find an email address at the end of this article. We would be honored to hear from you!

“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brandnew.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?”  Isaiah 43:1819  MSG

New things are God’s specialty! “It’s bursting out…don’t you see it?”

How blessed we are to be along for the ride! Join us, won’t you?

Melinda Garman is a wearer of many hats, like every other woman in the universe. For the most part, she’s a wife, mom (and soontobe grandma!) who loves to write and speak. But, more than anything else, she’s a lover of her Jesus. And really? What else is there? You may reach her by email at melindagarman@mac.com. You can also follower her blog at http://travelingtheroadhome.blogspot.com/.

Looking back at the early 80’s, it would seem that living on the streets would be easier than today. The fact is, there was always danger around the bend. Fear intensified with every sound in the night air. I am well aware…I was once there. Today is no different, it is just as frightening, and the opportunity to whisk oneself away to a drug induced world of warmth and happiness is as close as a handshake with a stranger. My goal in life is to be the person on the other end of that handshake; to be able to offer a solution rather than a temporary fix. My vision is Destiny’s Refuge.

Changes in society have led youth to abandon their unfulfilling lives for an independent, yet equally unfulfilling, life on the streets. In addition, a narcissistic society has also led to the unexpected abandonment of thousands of teens across the nation, and outside our own back door. According to Denver Rescue Mission fact sheet, there are over ten thousand homeless in the city of Denver alone, of that ten thousand, 31.7% are children and teens. Destiny’s Refuge will provide a place of refuge for many of those teens.

Destiny is “The power or agency thought to predetermine events.  The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; ones lot.” Refuge is “Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship; A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.” (www.dictionary.reference.com). Destiny’s Refuge will be a place for homeless, runaway, or abandoned teenage girls to come for safety, education, and shelter, not only within four walls, but also a shelter that is suggested in Psalm 61:1-5: “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings, For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name” (NIV).

A business plan is set for Destiny’s Refuge; however, there are many things yet to be accomplished. Frequently I am at a place where the task at hand seems too difficult to complete and I wonder if I should go on; however, this has been my dream since I was 15 years of age and I cannot let it go. Often I hear negative remarks based on my vision as a single woman, I refuse to listen. Finding comfort in Isaiah 54, laying aside the fact that the entire book was for the people of Israel and Judah, I am wholly consumed with the thought that it was really written just for me from verse 1 to 17. Please hear me every single woman with a vision…if you hear the words cannot, should not, or will not in one sentence along with the word single, remember Isaiah 54:5…you are not alone. If the Lord has placed a dream within you, go it with gusto.

Currently challenges seem to blend with blessings. I am blessed to have employment; however, there is a huge tendency to put everything into work, leaving little energy at the end of the day. I have to continually remember discipline, balance, and structure in my life. It would be difficult to do this without the largest blessings in my life which are my friends. They remind me of where I am really headed; they are my accountability and prayer partners. I try to keep in mind that at the end of the day, what matters is not all the work done to accomplish the dreams and fortune of another man, but every step taken toward the purpose of sharing Christ to a dying world.

Kathryn Stoker lives in Aurora, CO, and works in the accounting department of Arrow Electronics. She spent the last few years earning her degree in non-profit business with an emphasis on Christian leadership and a minor in Psychology. Her desire is to start a home for homeless teen girls near the Denver, CO area. In her free time, she enjoys participating in winter sports and being with friends. You can read Kathryn’s blog at http://kathrynstoker.blogspot.com/.

I remember being elbow deep in dishwater with a toddler hanging on my leg and thinking, “God. There must be something I can do for her.”

The “her” I was thinking of was my neighbor, a young woman in her early twenties who was newly married. She was still in college and had just given her life to the Lord. She was filled with questions and needs. They lived in a really run down home, had very little material possessions and even less income. I desperately wanted to serve her in some way but we weren’t very well off either so I offered what I had but those weren’t things she needed. So, I prayed.

Within two weeks God answered me. Another lady from church called me up and asked me if I wanted her daughter’s old clothing because she had moved out and left it behind. It was two closets full of designer brand clothing. Of course I said yes. When I got there and began to load it up I quickly realized that the stuff wouldn’t fit me. I was a size 6 and this stuff was like a size 4 or smaller, but I still held on to that hope.

When I got it home I tried the stuff on and the pile of “it doesn’t fit” stuff just grew and grew. I was near mad at God and began asking Him why in the world He would give me this stuff if I couldn’t wear it. Then He whispered to my heart, “Because it is not for you.”

In that instant I realized that He had provided me with a way to bless “her,” my sweet neighbor. She was much smaller than me and didn’t have the means to purchase such expensive clothing and shoes. When she came over to pick it up she was in tears. She was just so thankful for it. I had never been so full of joy as I was when I realized just how much this was what she needed.

I realized later that God had no need to put me in the middle of this blessing. He could have had that sweet lady from church provide the clothing directly to my neighbor friend. We all worshiped together and they knew each other well. But… I had asked God to allow me to serve His daughters in some way and He provided it.

The spirit of God lives inside of you. His desire is to love and serve all of His children. If you ask Him to provide a way for you to minister to others then He most certainly will. It may come in the form of bringing a piece of pie to the neighbor, designing a flyer for a benefit dinner, creating cards for someone who is ill, growing a garden to share, or even providing clothes – that you never purchased – to give to someone in need.

We must stop entertaining the thoughts that we have nothing of value to offer. We must stop feeling as though someone else could always do it better or that what we have to give just isn’t good enough. Those are all lies. God’s word does not return void. It absolutely accomplishes what it set forth to do (Isaiah 55:11). His word tells us that as we give to others then we ourselves will be refreshed. Not only that, I can’t think of a better way to take my mind off of me than by serving someone else.

The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Prov. 11:25

Amy Bayliss is a true Cajun princess who is on a mission to minister to women via the World Wide Web. Her preferred method of ministering is through writing but she can often be found with a microphone strapped to her head and caught in her hair while speaking to lost and hurting women. She has a heart for encouraging and equipping them and she is a firm believer that a woman’s first ministry should be to her family.

Her passionate pursuits saturate such endeavors as A Woman Inspired online conferences and small groups for women; Heart of the Matter Online, a leading parenting and home education website and online magazine; and Internet Café Devotions which ministers to thousands of women on a daily basis. She is a regular columnist for some of the Christian circuit’s most popular blogs and her ramblings have been published in several publications.

You can also find her blogging about her online adventures, and beyond, at her personal stomping ground, AmyBayliss.com.

Amy, her husband Ryan, and their three boys live in the heart of Louisiana where they worship and serve under Healing Place Church, the birthplace of Servolution.

“Lord Jesus, do you have a great massive truth to reveal to me or just a simple thought to set my day in motion?”

Those were the words I jotted down on my journal this morning, prompted by a thought shared by Oswald Chambers on January 9 in My Utmost for His Highest:

“We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God.”

Almost immediately I heard in my heart, “I desire truth in your inmost parts.”  Psalm 51:6 says just that:

“Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

He desires truth.  He must — for He is, as part of His very nature, TRUTH!  And so if it is His desire, it should be mine as well.  It’s what the Holman Christian Standard Bible refers to in this passage as “integrity in the inner self.”

Not just the truth of what is perceived to be truth by anyone looking on the outside of me, what I allow them to see, the surface.  But truth in my heart of hearts, deep calling unto deep, when there is no one looking.  Truth that is marked by sureness, reliability, faithfulness, stability and firmness.  For if this kind of truth doesn’t permeate those hidden, secret places — the inmost places and inner parts — what others see is only a shadow of the truth, hidden behind a mask.

Where hypocrisy and lies die, truth will thrive.  Spiritually speaking, where something dies is an altar and that something is a sacrifice.  Where He requires the death of something, He will bring new life.  We are living sacrifices…every day called to die to what our nature desires and awakened to what the Spirit desires.  Dead to us, alive to Him — crawling up on the altar every single minute of every day, leaving something there and then moving and breathing along with Him.  When He moves and breathes in His children, marvelous things happen.  Our identity in Him is firm and sure.  We do not doubt and we do not waver.  We believe Him.  We trust Him.  We are safe.  We are secure.

We find truth.

God, make me someone who is so filled with truth that anything less cannot take root and even begin to surface or survive.  Help me put off any lies and hypocrisy in my life that may be keeping me from experiencing Your abundance, Your power.  Anything that You remove from my life, fill it with Your Spirit and Your wisdom because not only do You desire for truth to be a resident in the innermost crevices of my soul, but You want me to also be a wise woman — finding wisdom in my inmost being.  Truth and wisdom…learned from You…that’s what I want, Lord!

Dori Cook is wife to her very best friend, the mother to two amazing kids, a daughter, a friend — but more importantly, a forgiven Child of God. She would say that His Word really is life to her and without Him she is nothing. Her greatest joy — outside of Christ and family — is studying God’s Word and hearing Him speak directly to her and her circumstances. She is a freelance writer and a database manager for a non-profit organization. You can read her blog at http://yourwordislife.blogspot.com/.

Clean clothes.

Clean water.

Good food.

Opportunities for employment.

Safety.

Shelter.

Warmth.

We take such things for granted.  We assume that we can shower or wash a load of clothes whenever we want.  We can go to our pantries and refrigerators and find food – and if we don’t see what we like, we can go to the store and get something different.  We are protected from the rain, the cold, the heat, the ice.  We are warm in the winter.  We are cool in the summer.

Too many people – including families, including children – do not have these simple blessings.  According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, roughly 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a year.  With the recent decline in the housing market and the increase in unemployment, more and more people are finding themselves on the streets.  Their livelihood, their physical security, is taken from them.  Many of them struggle to keep hope alive, as they struggle to keep themselves and their families alive.

They need our help.  They need Jesus.

My mother-in-law is eccentric; a look at her frog collection or the giant E.T. in her living room would make that clear. One of the best things about her, though, is her compulsion to serve others. She is always taking food to someone, giving someone a ride here or there, or donating her time to church activities. When she hears of someone in need, she doesn’t stop with, “Wow, that’s a shame.” Instead, she goes on to think, “What can I do to help?”

Nellie has a definite compassion towards people who are down-on-their-luck, especially the homeless. In an effort to help them, she has come up with a wonderful idea, one that we will start doing in our family, too. She makes little care packages for the homeless people that she sees standing along the roads, and she calls it “Touched by an Angel Ministries.” The packages currently contain:

a bottle of orange juice and/or water

a pack of trail mix

peanut-butter or cheese sandwich crackers

can of Vienna sausages

little tub of applesauce

little tub of green beans

trial-size antibacterial gel

plastic fork & spoon, napkin

small copy of the New Testament

All of this is just tied up in a clean plastic bag, and given to whoever is in need. Nellie keeps these bags in her van at all times, so that she’s ready to help out.  Most of the supplies can be easily purchased at a dollar store or in bulk at a warehouse club, and can be tailored for any climate, situation, or budget. 

Some ideas for adding more items to the care packages:

new socks

warm hat, gloves, scarf

poncho

pre-paid calling card

travel-sized wet wipes

travel-sized first-aid kit

beef jerky or other non-perishable snacks

travel-sized toiletries

We will be putting together some of these care packages as a family, and teaching our children about sharing our blessings and taking care of those in need.  Assembling these care packages would also be a wonderful service project for Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, church youth groups, clubs, and Sunday school classes. 

I think this is a great way to reach out and to be the arms of Christ to people in need. It would also open the door for helping people further, and for sharing the story of Jesus with them.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…”

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:35-36, 40

To learn more about homelessness in the United States, visit the National Coalition for the Homeless:  http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/

Jeni Allen is a veterinarian-turned-SAHM.  She blogs about faith and family at Peace & Carrots.  http://jeniallen.blogspot.com

The building inside the prison yard has another fence around it. A very tall fence. With a call button entrance. Once you hear the buzz of the chain link gate’s lock open, you cath the door quickly. It wil lock back almost immediately. You approach the segregated pile of brick walls. You are entering a new world of prison life. This is a minimal movement facility. Some women are chained and shackled just to take a shower. It houses those with behavioral issues, health issues and the two women who wait on death row. Upon entering the two massive steel doors, you walk into an expansive room that serves as the go between for all four pods. If you look up, you will notice on the second floor, a panel of bronze glass. Officers are located behind the glass, hidden from view, but aware of all your movements. Each pod houses 24 – 30 inmates. It is not very often that I get to go up into the most locked down building at our institution. I take such an honor very seriously. I have also learned the hard way to prepare myself spiritually for the dark world that can envelope you. The enemy works overtime on the midst of women in lockdown.

The Warden gave me permission to bring a guitar player, my friend Al, into the pods and sing some Christmas music. We would walk in, sing five songs and move on to the next pod. We had a time frame of two hours. The first pod we entered is the most notorious for containing the most depraived women. The officer opened their pie flap doors so they could hear better. A few women refused to have their doors opened. I began to sing and slowly they made their way to the 12 x12 window in their cell doors. The Christmas Song. Silent Night. Oh Holy Night. Go Tell it on the Mountain. Mary, Did You Know. Some continued to talk. A few wrote messages to each other with their fingers, tracing letters and nodding their heads. Many just intently listened with smiles on their faces. When we finished, I made my way around to touch any willing hand. I kept repeating the words “You are not forgotten. You are loved. Merry Christmas. God bless you.” Looking into the eyes of such broken women. Some gripped by mental illness. Some manipulative. Some tearfilled, puffy eyes. Sharing a message of love and HOPE. These would be the words that remained on my tongue for the next several hours. It is the place Jesus loves to visit. The reason HE came.

After our first concert ended, we were ushered through a short corridor into the next pod. This was the pod for all the newest inmates. When you come into the institution, you must stay in this pod for thirty days. During this time you are evaluated for any health issues, visited by the chapel and educated about your new home. Transitions in this place are exceptionally hard. This is a pod with limited movement and there are metal tables with fixed chairs in the center of the pod. Once we arrive and plug in our amp, we hear it. It is an odd sound I have never heard in all my five years of serving at this institution. The popping sound of simultaneously opening cell doors. There are two ways to open a door here – with a key or with the push of a button. The electronic device is pressed and the selected doors open with a the chorus of a pop corn maker. Pop. Pop. Pop. I see the little indicator lights beside the cell door flash and then see the doors slightly swing ajar. Women dressed in blue emerge from the door. Some walk solemnly, some briskly move toward the center of the room. The upper floor residents manage the stairs with ease. I now know I will be able to look all who have been allowed out of their cells directly in the eye. I tell them who I am. I invite them to come to choir when their thirty days are past. I speak the obvious …”now, I am not going to stand in front of you girls and have this big grin saying Merry Christmas as if this Christmas is anything close to merry. I know you would all rather be sitting at a family table. But this year, this is your reality for whatever reasons brought you here. And I am going to tell you that God knows your address and LOVES you deeply. I am here just to remind you of this fact.”

There were tears when I sang Silent Night. Tears that were hard shed as women who are new tend to keep a mask on pretty tight. As we ended with our last song I said “And now I am going to hug you because I’m a hugger. If you don’t want a hug, too bad, cause you are getting one anyway. Deal with it.” And with that I made my way around all the tables. I embraced women with big smiles, stern faces or slightly awkward expressions. Most turned to me with open arms. A few just kept their body facing toward the table and I wrapped my arms around them anyway. One ultra tough woman was icy cold. I persisted. “Now seriously, I am gonna hug you. Come on, you can do it! She meagerly lifted up an arm and patted me, giving a weak smile. I responded with “Now there! I am proud of you.” I heard “Thank you” whispered in my ear more than 100 times. Along with God bless you. My response – “It is an honor”…

And it is an honor. I can’t manage to love anyone without Him. He is the One hugging. He is the One loving. I am loving Him much because I have been forgiven so much. This is my story. God visited me time and time again in my own prison that I crafted with my own hands. It is an honor that God chose to give me a second chance and I do not intend to waste it!

Tina Hutchison has been described as a “fireball full of energy with a genuine spirit that is nothing short of contagious,” and she brings something fresh into the mix every time she ministers. Tina is a gifted speaker, singer and writer who loves God with a passion. The founder of Holding Out Hope Ministries, she serves both women in the church pew and those incarcerated in the prison system.  Leading a choir of inmates each week at the Tennessee Prison for Women has been a life changing experience for her.   Tina has learned that when women experience the genuine love of Christ, they have the opportunity to experience real life change. 

At home, her first ministry, she is raising three sons with her husband of 22 years.  God has transformed their marriage and so it is no wonder that restoration and freedom is at the heart of God’s message through his daughter, Tina.   Her greatest desire is to be a “see-through servant,” who doesn’t block the view to Jesus.

When I was a young girl, I’d slip my feet into my dad’s boots. They reached my knees or higher, and my feet slipped forward as I stepped and upward as I lifted my feet. He had big shoes to fill, but I felt special to have them on.

We’re not going to fit into God’s shoes, but the slipping and sliding is totally worth it. I’d rather fall down and get hurt walking in God’s shoes than wearing anyone else’s! Including mine. Wearing shoes-too-big is like humility, reminding me that I don’t fill someone else’s shoes, particularly God’s. I need to watch my steps. I’m going to slip and slide. I need to concentrate. I’ll trip and fall. But it’s an honor to walk in God’s shoes. It helps me keep perspective.

As a Christ-follower, I’m called to be humble. That doesn’t mean I consider myself as worthless. I don’t put myself down or let others put me down. Being humble is seeing myself as God sees me. Yes, I’m unworthy of being in a relationship with him, yet he desires me to be in a relationship with him. Not only did he create me in his image, but he has a purpose for me.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Humility is about a proper relationship with God. When we say “I can do this,” we take God out of it and fail to acknowledge his existence. We become the focus. When we say “I can’t,” we fail to rely on God and his strength. We deflate ourselves or inflate ourselves, and both are wrong. We’re not the source of the air. God is. We must acknowledge God. We can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. God, says…Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. – Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT)

Our culture tells us how important we are and how we can be independent, relying on no one. God says no such thing. We cannot survive without him, literally. We’re dependent on him for our creation, provision, guidelines, discipline, and so much more. If we separate ourselves from him, we are sorely deceiving ourselves. God doesn’t say that we’re to consider others better than us because he created them better than us, or they’ve earned more recognition, or anything else that creates division. He tells us to consider others better than ourselves, because Jesus did so.

Jesus humbled himself by coming to earth: God as a human, living on earth. Think about it. All the everyday junk we deal with…Jesus lived as a man. Would it have been any easier for him to be humble because he was God? Absolutely not! Yes, he was God…but human while on this earth. Never doubt for a moment that he didn’t experience the same frustrations, temptations, and anguish you and me experience. (He just didn’t yield to it.)

So when we’re told to consider others as better than ourselves, let’s keep it in context. God doesn’t want us to be a doormat. He tells us to look out for the interests of others but requires we’re disciplined in our own daily lives as well. The details of our daily lives should only be God’s priorities for us. We’re called into obedience to God…in humility and much more.

He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. – Psalm 25:9 (NLT)

God knows just what we need when we need it.

God can do all things.

And that’s all we need to know.

Your worth is in him, my friend, and no one, including yourself, can make you worth any more or any less. Will you slip into God’s boots today?

Susan H. Lawrence is passionate about connecting individuals and teams of people in purposeful and healthy ways. As a Ministry Consultant, I strive to equip women in leadership to meet the needs of other women while balancing their own needs. We all need support and encouragement! I live in central Illinois and love to encourage women through writing and workshops. You can read her blog at http://susanhlawrence.blogspot.com/.

Years ago, as young marrieds at Texas A&M University, my Chris and I had mustard-seed faith. We asked the LORD for the little things–a parking space, pay our electric bill and help through a class or test.  And each time, we put out our small piece o’ fleece, God provided help.  From this we learned that His character and purpose over us–our relationship with Him–was such that we knew our God cared about our details.  He cared (still cares!) about us.

One day, my Chris has a presentation in one of his engineering classes.  Though prepared, Chris had one aspect of it that he did not comprehend.  At the end of his presentation, the class and teacher could ask him questions. Chris had told me before he left to pray for he did not have the answer, if they asked this particular question.

So he went to class and presented.  When the question and answer time came, sure enough he was asked the question for which he did not know the answer.  As the question was asked, God gave my Chris a gift of an answer.  Immediately, God placed in Chris’ mind an understanding and insight into what before Chris did not have.  It increased our faith!

Still to this day, it increases our faith.  For we know without a shadow of doubt that God is able to place within us that which we did not before know or understand.  He puts all within our grasp.

We learned that God is not only in the details, not only does He care for us, but also He makes our ability to know, do and understand limitless.  Can you imagine, then, what is within your grasp? 

Jim Cymbala in his introduction to his book The Church God Blesses states it this way: “Every advancement in the way people live has come about because someone saw what could be and was no longer willing to accept what is.  This is true of virtually all the inventions that have impacted human civilization.  Then men and women responsible for those breakthroughs imagined something that was not yet visible to the human eye.  Not all of those people were geniuses, but they all had vision.  They refused to yield to the idea that there was no better way to do thins and pressed toward something better, even though the process often required years of hard work and many failures along the way. Consequently, countless people in succeeding generations have reaped the benefits.”

What if, as believers, we began to ask for vision as to how to impact not only this day, but future generations? What if we asked to “see” needs round about us and began to ask the LORD for His limitless understanding in meeting the countless needs around us?

This year my heart for AWI is that we would begin to minister to those around us and impact our communities. For I believe the needs are all around us and we have often chosen to close our eyes. “Where there is no vision, God’s people perish.”

I challenge you this year to ask God for His vision.  I want us to see what we don’t see.  I want us to listen to our heart’s promptings from the LORD and follow through with the vision He is giving to each of us.  Do you have a heart for the people in Haiti, who just lost over 100, 000 people due to the earthquake?  Ask God for vision.  Do you see the same man along the side of the same road?  Ask for direction.  Do you see the small family at McDonalds and the mom is completely worn out looking?  Ask the Lord to lead you in being a light to that mom.

Needs are all around us.  Maybe our hearts have grown hardened towards seeing.  Begin to ask today for God to soften your heart and unplug your ears–open your eyes.  It all begins with Him…and then you and me being willing.

Holly Smith lives in Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. She is the wife of Chris and mother of Noah, Kylie, Tabor and Sydney. Holly and Chris have been married for 18 years on August 10th this year and have truly grown up together. They are the best of friends! Holly is a stay at home mom, who very much loves her job as a mom. On the side, she designs web pages and marketing pieces. It is a great way to pour out creativity! God has gifted her with a love of all things creative–from painting and wall-papering to scrapbooking and design-work. Also she write a couple of blogs.. One is a cooking blog called What Would Martha Cook? It’s about Martha in the Bible not the other Martha. The other is a devotional writing blog called Crown Laid Down. She began blogging in February 2007.