Author: Wendy

The Power of Group Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
One praying Christian is a threat to evil. Two or more gathered in prayer, is a force to be reckoned with.
One praying Christian is a threat to evil. Two or more gathered in prayer, is a force to be reckoned with.

I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer this summer. I’ve believed in the power of prayer for as long as I can remember. My mama always said our prayers with us before bed time and we always blessed our meals. But, I wasn’t always comfortable praying out loud and I certainly wouldn’t have put my hands on someone while I was praying.

That seemed a little bit over the top for me. I thought that was something that maybe those snake handler Christians would do.

This summer on my mission trip, while we were touring the homes we would work on, tragedy struck in the family of one of our volunteers. A close family member was struck and killed by a tree branch on a beach during a school trip. She was quietly asked to step off of the bus where she was given the news. Those of us on the bus were given the news too. She was devastated.

The excited chatter of new friends and old acquaintances stopped as she got back on the bus and took her seat by me. I held my breath. What could I possibly say to this stranger I had only met a couple of hours earlier? She sat with tears streaming down her face. I told her I was so sorry for her loss and she quietly nodded her head.

Our director got back on the bus and asked us to join together in a prayer. As she began, I put my hand on my seat mate’s shoulder. I don’t really know why, but I felt lead to. At the same moment, the man in front of me did the same and the woman across the aisle from us placed her hand on her back.

It was a powerful moment and as she quietly sobbed, I could feel her drawing strength as well. I could feel the Holy Spirit at work.

She decided to stay the week and complete the mission. She said she was surrounded by family to support her. It was an unbelievably strong testament. No one would have blamed her for leaving. We became good friends as the days passed and I feel blessed to have met her.

We prayed a lot as a group, over the week. We held hands almost every time. We began and ended each day holding hands in prayer on our work sites. We also ended each day with a prayer back at the church with everyone joining hands and sharing something about their day.

A few days ago, I was having coffee with a friend who has really been struggling physically. We talked a lot about prayer and my trip and when I went to leave, I asked her if I could pray with her. She agreed. But, then I found myself putting my hands on her neck that was hurting her so badly, as I prayed for her to get some relief. I was just as surprised as she was, but she said later she felt better.

I think we seriously underestimate the power of prayer, especially when we pray in groups. God is always listening, but the Holy Spirit seems particularly energized when we gather in a group in Jesus’ name. Remember Pentecost?

I’ll admit it can be uncomfortable, but the results are amazing. Maybe it’s worth a try.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Remaining Close to the Vine

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This is that time of year when many of us have a tiny lull before life gets crazy. Summer break is winding down and school never starts gently and peacefully. Nope, school starts like a freight train. From that very first open house event, everyone wants your time and money.

PTO wants you to volunteer to help with a dozen events. Sports teams want volunteers to man the concession stand or sell something. I have seen three posts already in the past week for sports teams fund-raisers. There are committee positions that need to be filled too. The teachers ask for help with supplies in their rooms and volunteers for various celebrations and events.

And that’s just the schools. Many churches take a summer break too and when school starts, so do all of their programs. They need volunteers to teach kids from ages four to eighteen and volunteers to help with youth groups. They need volunteers to lead adult Sunday school classes. They need volunteers to help organize various events. They need volunteers to sit on committees. They need volunteers to visit people, to greet people and to make meals.

Let’s face it, churches and schools, need lots of volunteers. I was thinking about all of the entities that need assistance this time of year. They are all good and worthy causes. We would often love to help them all, but truthfully, we can’t.

I came across this broken branch of my tomato plant that illustrates this perfectly.

When the fruit gets too heavy and too far away from the main trunk, the branch will break underneath the weight.
When the fruit gets too heavy and too far away from the main trunk, the branch will break underneath the weight.

This tomato plant had huge, bright red tomatoes growing on it. I kept giving them just one more day to get a little bigger and a little redder, but while some of the large tomatoes were ripening, smaller ones began growing bigger and the weight on the branch became too much. Something had to give and it broke.

The same can happen to us when we say yes to everything we are asked to do, or that we feel we should do. All of the opportunities I listed above were good, but one person can’t do all of them. God calls each of us to do different tasks because we are all gifted in different areas.

Jesus said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

It seems to me that this is a really good time to spend some quiet time in prayer before the chaos starts. We can ask God for direction in the coming school year. What should we say yes to? What is He calling us to do? What things are just going to frustrate us and eat up our time and peace?

We should also remember that sometimes when we say yes to things we aren’t called to do, we are taking someone else’s place who was called to do that task. We can’t do it all and the call to follow Jesus isn’t to stay as busy as possible.

He says he will give us rest, not make us run a rat race. When we are too busy, we can’t hear God’s voice. Maybe we should hold that truth a little more closely. Let’s choose wisely and intentionally this year.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Nail Lesson

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This nail reminded me we are supposed to do good whenever we can, not whenever it's convenient.
This nail reminded me we are supposed to do good whenever we can, not whenever it’s convenient.

I was walking across my kids’ high school parking lot last week, when I came across a nail. I barely noticed it, as I was really hot and making a beeline for my car and to some sweet relief from air conditioning. I stepped right over it. My car was in sight. I was so close. But, a little voice in my head told me to go back and pick it up.

I tried to ignore it. It was sooooo hot. But, in my heart, I knew that little nail would plague me for the entire day. I grudgingly turned around and retrieved it. It was small and rusty and I put it in my pocket.

I drive in that parking lot fairly regularly. It could easily end up in my tire or in my daughter’s tire. But, I knew that wasn’t really the point.

The little voice convicting me to go back and pick up the nail was about doing what was right for everyone who might drive through that lot, not just the people who are close to me. The Holy Spirit was trying to teach me a lesson. I think maybe I got it, this time, even if it was with some resistance on my part.

It’s easy to do the right thing when we’re not stressed or in a hurry. Doing the right thing when it’s like a hundred degrees outside and all you want is to be indoors, is another. It’s also more difficult to do the right thing when we are tired, or funds or low, or when we are angry or hurt.

It’s also easy to do the right thing when we are helping ourselves in some way. Are we more eager to write a check to help fund a building where our kids can have the ideal youth space or are we more willing to write a check to fund a building that will provide housing for people we have never met? That’s a tough one; isn’t it?

When Jesus called us to love our neighbors, there wasn’t a little set of parenthesis that said when we feel like it, or if we’re not too tired or stressed. He also didn’t mean to only love the people who share our DNA or the people we happen to call friends. He said our neighbors, period.

I’m guessing he meant any person who crosses our path. If we can help, we are supposed to. So, I picked up that nail and held onto it as a reminder. Don’t get me wrong, I probably miss the call to action way more than I get it, but that day, I got it.

I’m going to try to listen more closely. Maybe you will too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Crushing the Soul Worms

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You can miss this guy if you don't look carefully, but doing so can be disastrous to your fruit.
You can miss this guy if you don’t look carefully, but doing so can be disastrous to your fruit.

I was tending to my tomatoes yesterday when I spotted it, the dreaded tomato hornworm. You have to look really closely or you will miss it. It blends perfectly with the plants and at first glance it seems rather harmless. Looks can be deceiving. It can wreak havoc on a tomato plant in record time.

Lush and healthy plants can go to leafless stalks in no time flat.
Lush and healthy plants can go to leafless stalks in no time flat.

These pests feed constantly, eating everything in their path including the leaves and fruit. The only way to keep the plant safe is constant vigilance. Once you spot the first one, you have to constantly look for more. The best way to control them is to crush them.

That tomato worm reminded me of the enemy that Christians face daily. He too, can camouflage himself and blend right in, looking rather harmless. Things like skipping church to sleep in seem like no big deal on the surface. Sure, we all get tired and need a break, but when we aren’t careful, very rarely, becomes twice a month and we have cut our regular worship in half.

When we do things to tear down others instead of building them up, like participating in gossip, we leave a crack for a worm to slip through. When we allow ourselves to become focused on the negatives in our lives instead of the abundant blessings, we can leave room for discontent and out of that, leave a foothold for the enemy.

I believe that Satan’s attacks on us are often worm like, subtle and slow, but still inflicting serious damage. But, just like that tomato worm, his attacks can be halted too. Just like controlling the tomato worm, we have to be vigilant.

We have to be in regular prayer about situations which can harm our souls. We can ask for wisdom and discernment. The Bible tells us God will give it to us. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

We can also read the Bible. God’s word is truly the best way to keep the soul worms out. It’s like super pest control.

Another great way to help us keep out the soul worms is surrounding ourselves with other strong believers who will help us keep watch.

When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, we can produce some amazing fruit. We just need to keep in mind that there is an enemy who would love to destroy it. But, thankfully, we have been given all we need to crush him beneath our feet, just like that pesky tomato worm.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Equipping the Called

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“God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.” Rick Yancey

I volunteered to help with my son’s band camp yesterday. It’s July in Georgia and needless to say unbelievably hot, you know, like a hundred degrees in the shade. The moms all sat under a huge tent with ice, water and Gatorade for the band kids whenever a break was called.

It was hot in the shade. Thankfully, when they broke at noon to go inside for lunch, they remained indoors for the rest of the day. The moms had done our duty and after some cleaning and packing up, we were free to go home.

As I trudged to my hot car in the sweltering heat with sweat rolling down by back, I pondered how it was possible that I had been able to work for an entire week in heat like this on my South Carolina mission trip. We didn’t stop at noon either. We broke for lunch and kept working until 5:00 or so.

We also didn’t sit around under a shaded tent. We were out in the sun. We did start earlier, 7:00 instead of 8:00; maybe it was easier to acclimate that way. Could one hour make a difference? I didn’t think so.

Then a favorite quote popped into my mind. “God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.” Rick Yancey

Of course that was it. I was able to join with others and work in that oppressive heat for a week because we were doing God’s work. We were each called to be at that place at that moment for that purpose. We were being obedient. We began each morning in prayer for safety and the strength to stand the heat. God provided us with what we needed to get through the day.

Why wouldn’t He? We are all His children and when we are answering His call, He will equip us. It doesn’t matter how impossible or insurmountable the task me seem. It doesn’t matter how ill-equipped we may feel. “All things are possible with God.”

And that I suppose, is a true definition for faith. I’m going to remember this little lesson the next time I feel in over my head when God calls me to serve. Maybe you will too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Praying About the Good Stuff

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The moments that make us happy are just as important to God as the ones that make us cry.
The moments that make us happy are just as important to God as the ones that make us cry.

My daughter is getting her driver’s license in a little over two weeks. In order for me to feel like she’s road ready, I have made her my personal chauffeur this summer. I have had her do a ton of driving. Since we have been alone in close quarters, we have chatted a lot.

We have always talked a lot, but our conversations during the school year tend to be about all of the stresses in her life and believe me, teenage girls are stressed most of the time. From school, to friends, to boys, there’s rarely peace.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that we have the kind of relationship where we can talk about all of the things that trouble her. I’m always ready and willing to listen to all of her complaints and to offer her advice, but our summer time conversations have been a breath of fresh air.

When we have ridden around this summer, it’s been to do errands or to drive to my parents’ house. There have been no deadlines and very few worries. We have talked about things like our vacation, mission trip, music, movies, her cousins, her birthday, and other happy things. I have truly enjoyed being in a car with her this summer.

I’m sure I will miss it when she gets her license.

As I was thinking about my summer blessing of all of that happy time with her, I began to think about my prayer time.

I’ll have to admit I’m often guilty of spending much of my prayer time asking God for things or complaining, kind of like my teen does during most of the school year. We are supposed to take everything to God in prayer, so there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking Him for help or talking to Him about our disappointments and heartaches. That is authentic prayer.

But, how often do we just thank Him for an awesome day? How often do we share something with Him that warmed our hearts or made us smile? How often do we just say thanks for a beautiful sunset or for food on our table? I’m guessing He would love to hear about all of the good stuff too. That is also authentic prayer.

Riding around with my teen this summer reminded me that taking all things to God in prayer shouldn’t stop when things are going well for us. He wants to hear about our good days as well as our bad. Perhaps you needed a reminder too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Loving Our Neighbors

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We didn't have to travel far to find neighbors to love.
We didn’t have to travel far to find neighbors to love.

Over the past few days, I’ve written about an amazing ministry that I was able to participate in, in South Carolina. I’ve written about the many volunteers, who graciously gave their time and resources to be the hands and feet of Christ for the week.

Today I’m going to share a little bit about the people we served, the Smiths. The house that I helped work on belonged to an elderly couple. They were both in their eighties. They had been hard workers all of their lives. They even had an in ground pool in the back yard that had trees growing in it. They had a huge garden at one time, that now sat dormant.

I imagine at one time, their home was the talk of their neighborhood. They were members of a fairly large church and only stopped attending when their cars stopped running. Mr. Smith had been a contractor at one time. Mrs. Smith had worked at a fabric store.

They were proud people who simply had the misfortune of getting old and sick. They could easily be my neighbors or yours. They could easily be me someday or maybe you.

When I began picking shingles up off of the ground, Mr. Smith approached me and told me he had a lawn tractor with a cart and he could pull it up for me to load them onto. He said it would take me forever to get it done on my own. He didn’t want a hand out. He wanted to help. He and I spent all afternoon chatting as I loaded shingles and he would drive them to the dumpster for me and wait for me to unload them.

Mrs. Smith stayed inside the house and always invited the girls inside to have coffee with her. She couldn’t stop bragging about how hard they worked.

Their roof had been leaking for quite some time. The ceiling had caved in, in the front and back rooms and the floor had completely rotted out in the back room. Seriously, it was being held up by the carpet.

When everything was replaced and the back room was repainted and carpeted, Mrs. Smith was like a child on Christmas morning. That was the room she spent most of her time in. Having survived two broken hips, she didn’t get out much.

On our last visit to their home, the couple thanked everyone with huge smiles. Mrs. Smith invited us all back to visit. Mr. Smith said something I will never forget. He had emphysema and was very hard to hear, so if you didn’t lean in, you would have missed it.

“I just can’t believe someone like you would ever help someone like me,” he said.

I was stunned. What did he mean, “Someone like him?” What made him feel so different from us? Was it because he was poor? Was it because he was old? Was it because he no longer had his business or health?

As followers of Christ, I don’t know that we always do a good job at loving our neighbors. I often get requests from people to donate to their overseas mission trips to Africa, South America and other far away places. But, what about our neighbors down the street? Can we in good conscience drive by the house with a tarp on the roof because their roof leaks, on the way to the airport to fly to our mission trip?

The story of the Good Samaritan says that our neighbors are anyone who crosses our paths. Are we reaching out to our neighbors? How many people would help others if a program like Salkehatchie existed in their town? What if they were able to serve by paying a couple of hundred bucks and giving their time instead of thousands for a plane flight?

These are issues that have plagued my mind since my return. I think we can do better. I’m going to try to organize some kind of outreach in my own community. Perhaps you are inspired to try something in yours too. Who knows what kind of difference we can make?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Christians Who Walk the Walk

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The sheer number of volunteers on my Salkehatchie trip was amazing. We had an awesome group of church ladies who got up well before 5:00 AM every morning, and made us breakfast. I’m not talking about cereal either. We had eggs, bacon, and sausage biscuits. They always greeted us with a smile and kind words too. They were the very picture of cheerful givers.

There were volunteers who brought us popsicles everyday too, which was a welcomed break from the sweltering Carolina heat. There were some sweet ladies who brought us cobbler and ice cream one night. There was a couple who donated and drove their tour bus so we could all ride together to tour the work sites.  Someone even put Bible verses and a treat, on our pillows everyday when we were out working. When I inquired who did it, I was told it was the Salkehatchie Fairy.

Daily treats were left by an anonymous volunteer called the Salkehatchie Fiary.
Daily treats were left by an anonymous volunteer called the Salkehatchie Fairy.

No matter how small someone’s contribution may have appeared on the surface, it made a huge difference to those of us on the front lines, like the cases of water that kept showing up at the church, or the two coolers full of drinks that were dropped off at our work site, by Good Samaritans.

Then there were the seasoned site leaders who taught newbies like me which end of a nail gun was up. My site had three men, a retired police officer, fireman, and Naval fighter pilot and a young school teacher, who had been participating in Salkehatchie since she was 14. She even had her own purple hammer.

I found it interesting and inspiring that all of the adult volunteers had spent a life in public service and even in retirement, continued to serve. Our teacher could have spent her summer taking a much needed break, but she too, chose to serve in the crazy heat. I was intrigued by a ministry that could earn so much loyalty from such a diverse group.

Of course, they were all deeply tied to one another through the love of Christ, who can use every single one of us for his purpose, if we are willing.

I have always felt like the best way to earn the respect of teens is to interact with them. It’s easy to tell them what they should do. It’s an entirely different matter altogether to walk the walk with them. These volunteers did just that.

Not only did they work patiently side-by-side with them all day, encouraging them along the way, but they made the effort to get to know them too. On the first day, our site leader called a break for everyone to have water and a snack and share something about themselves. Relationship was the biggest focus of the mission. He let the teens know they mattered.

When the kids on our site decided they wanted to do a talent show later in the week, the fireman and policeman learned how to Whip and Nae Nae. The teacher already knew how. The adults weren’t concerned about looking silly because they were building relationships with the teens. It was pretty hysterical.

Perhaps we could all learn a little something from all of those volunteers, truth like every single contribution to God’s work matters. Those popsicles were a blessing in that heat. There’s no bronze or gold medals. God can use all of it.

We could also be reminded that we are never too old to serve. But, perhaps the most important lesson from all of those volunteers is if we want to win more souls for Jesus, then we need to interact. We need to do, not tell. The doing can make all of the difference.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Endless Possibilities With God

Posted on by Wendy
The wake up crew.
The wake up crew.

On the first day of my mission trip, we went around the room and introduced ourselves. That kind of thing is usually kind of awkward, but in this case, there was lots of joking. Many of the people already knew each other and everyone was incredibly friendly.

There was one teen in attendance who used a walker. His name was Duncan. He had cerebral palsy and appeared awfully frail to me. To my shame, I wondered  how he could possibly participate. My understanding was that we would be in extreme heat and up on a roof all week. I silently doubted his ability to contribute to the mission. It was a very foolish assumption on my part.

There once was a giant named Goliath who had the misfortune to have underestimated a boy that he thought was small and frail too. He failed to understand that the boy had a heart for God. It proved to be a huge mistake on his part. That small boy changed the fate of Israel for ever.

There was a mighty king of Egypt who doubted that an outcast, shepherd who stuttered, could lead thousands of people out of bondage. He too, underestimated the power of any person, no matter their physical limitations, who has a heart for God.

As it turned out, Duncan was the first teen up every morning and he summoned all of the others, with a trumpet. It was really difficult for the other kids to complain when they dragged themselves out of bed to be met by his cheerful smile.

I also learned there was plenty to do on the work site besides roofing and there were several kids and adults who couldn’t get on a roof for various reasons. Duncan proved to be a dynamo. He scrubbed kitchen walls which hadn’t been scrubbed in over a decade. He painted. He installed cabinet knobs. He helped get roofing nails off of the ground. He even helped leave Salkehatchie’s iconic calling card in a unique way.

Each year, the volunteers leave a reminder behind of their service.
Each year, the volunteers leave a reminder behind of their service.

He never quit early. He stuck it out in the sweltering 100 degree heat with everyone else. His tireless dedication was an inspiration to everyone around him.

One evening the kids were having a scavenger hunt and they were divided into teams. Duncan couldn’t run around with the others, but he sat at the table and thoughtfully read each clue. Time after time, the other teens would return and ask him where they should look. They would lean in as he made a suggestion and off they would go. He was usually right.

God showed His face to me and to all of us, in so many ways that week through this very special boy. He reminded me that everyone is a unique creation of God. We all have a purpose and a part to play in the Kingdom. Duncan played his part beautifully that week.

Duncan also reminded me that, “All things are possible with God.” Sometimes I need a reminder. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Salkehatchie Series

Posted on by Wendy
This sign went up when we started. We would replace it with a signed cross when we finished.
This sign went up when we started. We would replace it with a signed cross when we finished.

I went on a mission trip in June, all the way to the great state of South Carolina. I encountered God in so many places and faces while I was there, that I decided I should write a series on it. There are so many God sightings I want to share that I couldn’t possibly cover it in one post.

The Salkehatchie mission was started by Reverend John Wesley Culp in 1978.  He lived in Hampton County, South Carolina. He said, “Some of the worst poverty is in middle class America. The poverty of loneliness, lack of communication, emotional and spiritual poverty… These kids are dealing with divorce, estrangement, drugs. They need hope as much as the people who suffer material poverty.”

Hmmm, I find this quote to still be true today. He named the camp after a river that flowed through his town. His goal was to have the youth of his church enter the homes of people across race and socioeconomic lines to offer assistance and along the way, learn that these people were really not much different from them.

The first group had forty kids and adults. They worked on four houses. They slept in a local elementary school and showered outside with a garden hose. Today, there are 48 camps across the state of South Carolina.

One man’s inspired idea has touched thousands of people. When God is involved, one person can make a huge difference.

The volunteers take a week and repair and replace roofs, ceilings and floors. They sometimes replace plumbing. They paint and replace light fixtures as budgets allow. But, the focus of the ministry is on building relationships. All of the campers youth and adult alike, are encouraged to interact with the homeowners and with each other.

They are encouraged to build lifelong relationships with other campers because Christ centered relationships last. Youth have to be 14 to attend and it was amazing how may older people had attended since they were 14. Some of our volunteers had been volunteering for over 20 years.

Everyday begins and ends with a group prayer with the homeowners. Friday is a short day that ends with a cross being placed in the front yard. Later in the day, the entire camp gets to tour each other’s houses and see what was accomplished. The kids speak and share and the homeowners speak. It’s incredibly moving.

Area churches feed the campers all week. They always hugged as and told us what good work we were doing. Many of them wanted a picture with us. A pastor at one of the churches we visited, shared that a Salkehatchie group had worked on one of his relative’s houses.

It’s amazing how much support and recognition the ministry gets from other South Carolina residents. When we were buying items at Wal-Mart for the family who I worked with, we told a stocker, we were with Salkehatchie. He was so excited as he shared that a Salkehatchie team had worked on his family’s house, three years earlier. He said they repaired the roof and floor and that it had changed his life. He proudly said that the cross was still up in the front yard.

I left the store feeling once again, truly amazed at the unlimited possibilities when our plans are God-inspired. Of course, I felt that way the entire week, but more on that later.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂