Category: Building Christian Character

As Christians, people should be able to look at us and see Christ. People should be able to see who we serve in the way we act.

Inspiring Through Action

Posted on by Wendy
Shining the light of Christ can inspire others to do the same.

On a recent Salkehatchie mission trip to South Carolina, my group was working on a roof. If you don’t know anything about roofing, you first have to remove all the old shingles and every single nail. Then you have to replace any boards that have rotted underneath those old shingles.

It takes a while and it’s a lot of manual labor to cut out the old boards and haul up the new ones with the right measurements.

On top of that, the new shingles have to be hauled up on the roof. They come wrapped in bundles and they are heavy, very heavy, but if you broke the packages and carried them a few at the time, it would take forever.

This year, our site leader asked the man who delivered the shingles if he knew anyone with a shingle lifter. That’s a cool little contraption that lifts the shingles to the roof on a little elevator. Turns out he did know someone with one. His son-in-law had one.

Our site leader called him and he agreed to come and help us out. He drove from an hour away to get to us and it was understood that there would be a fee for the services.

When they arrived in a big white van, we found that he and his partner were very nice guys. They joked with us and picked at the kids as they lifted the shingles to one side of the house.

When they were finished, the owner asked our site leader if he was making any money on the roof. When he told him not only was he not making any money, but that the teenagers he saw before him had all paid to be able to come and help with this project, he was stunned.

He actually stopped and addressed the teens and told them in a world where kids only cared about themselves and their electronics that he was thrilled to see a bunch of them giving up time in their summer to help someone. He was well aware they could have been doing something else.

He left without charging us a penny for his services and offered to come back to lift the shingles to the other half when we were ready.

I thought about that man long after he drove away, long after that roof was done. I thought about how we so often talk about being the hands and feet of Christ and letting our light shine. But, we often miss how our doing that inspire others to do the same.

Some teens doing their part in light shining encouraged someone else to be a part of our mission too. Isn’t that what we are all called to do?

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

A Reminder to Pray

Posted on by Wendy
Prayer creates a safety net.

On a recent mission trip that my family attended, I found myself sidelined with an injury. As I sat down, annoyed at my misfortune, I was reminded that I had also been sidelined with an injury, on my very first day, on my very first trip, three years before.

I had been picking up shingles and turned my back in just the right way that brought me to my knees in pain. I walked and prayed, afraid to return to the roof. I took some ibuprofen. At first, I asked God to please stop the pain in my back.

I knew He had brought me there for a reason and I couldn’t imagine that it was for me not to participate. I ended up repeating the verse over and over, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

I spent that day getting to know the homeowner and hearing his story. It was a blessing. I woke up the next day very close to pain free and I went back on the roof.

I was a little wiser this time and I prayed and watched. Another adult had a minor injury too. When the third approached me looking for something in the first aid kit, I went on alert. Three could not have been a coincidence. We were under attack.

I began to diligently pray that God would keep us safe and that Jesus would intervene and remove whatever it was that we were fighting.

By Tuesday all was well. The rest of our week proceeded without incident.

But, the lesson remained with me long after I returned home.

When we are doing God’s work, we tend to think we are somehow bulletproof. We forget that is when Satan is most likely to come after us and so we let our guards down.

Think about it, if we are out doing what we are not supposed to be doing, Satan will leave us alone. Why bother? But, when we are doing God’s work and following Christ, we have targets on us.

Fortunately, we have the Armor of God to protect us. However, armor is no good sitting in the corner. We have to put it on and Ephesians 6:18 says to pray always.

It’s easy to focus on the safety of the physical, but we sometimes forget that the spiritual is a serious force to be reckoned with. The Bible tells us that the unseen is where our biggest fight is.

Make no mistake, we can win because Jesus will win. But, along the way, we are called to be vigilant.

A small injury reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing Beyond the Surface

Posted on by Wendy
Seeing beyond the surface can produce amazing results.

On my family’s recent mission trip to South Carolina, my hubby and son were assigned to Site 2 to work on. The home had been recommended to our team and required a massive amount of work.

It needed a roof. The bathroom floor had soft spots and holes in it. You could literally see the ground. The sink was broken from where a family member had fallen on it after having a stroke. The kitchen had holes in the floor and ceiling, and had to be completely gutted.

I remember thinking how badly it smelled when I toured it. I later was reminded of those thoughts, when a pastor pointed out that poverty has a smell that you never forget. His words brought tears to my eyes when I realized I had missed that fact.

The homeowner, Eric, was a man who lived with his mentally disabled mother. She wasn’t very verbal and went to a day care every day while he worked. He didn’t have much to say as we walked through his house. His shirt was on inside out and backwards. He didn’t seem very grateful to me.

I later learned that when they went in to look at the house, he never made eye contact, and at one point, told them to do whatever they needed to do and went into a room and closed the door.

I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know if I would have continued with the walk through. Did he not care that help was coming?

But, people much wiser than I am were in charge. They recognized what I would have considered apathy, as utter and complete embarrassment at his situation. Imagine your house falling down around you with roaches running around and a bunch of people in nice clothes and cars asking for a tour.

He needed help. He wanted help. He was too ashamed to ask. Have you ever been there? Have you ever missed a chance to help someone who has been there?

Personally, I can answer yes to both questions.

The people from Salkehatchie, told him with the amount of work required, that he would have to do some of the tearing out himself, or they would never be able finish.

When our group arrived, he had done just as he had been asked. Turns out he was grateful for the help.

He was working during most of the work, so the kids didn’t get to spend much time with him, but the work they did transformed not only his home, but Eric as well.

When the entire camp toured the house on the last day, the change was amazing. There was a new roof, new carpet, new paint, new bathroom floors and ceilings, new cabinets and sinks, and a brand new fresh smell.

And perhaps most importantly, Eric was changed too. He had a smile on his face as he was presented with a Bible. He had on a clean shirt and he stood up tall. He even asked where the carpet came from so he could put some in one of the bedrooms.

It seems that the work done for him inspired him to continue it. Isn’t that amazing?

Eric’s story reminds me to be very careful and prayerful when deciding who we extend a hand to. Because sometimes those people who we judge as ungrateful or unworthy, are the people who need it most of all.

Perhaps you needed reminding too. I pray I never forget.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Embracing Mary

Posted on by Wendy
Taking time to remember that we are all called to play a part in somebody’s village, could change how we see everything.

I was reluctant to sit down and write this post. I have so many things going on at the moment. My family is heading to South Carolina tomorrow for our Salkehatchie mission trip. There’s laundry to be done. There are suitcases to pack and where did I put my work gloves?

But, even as I yearned to get my to-do list checked off, I also felt a quiet voice which told me that I needed to take a time out and prepare myself spiritually for my trip as well.

It wasn’t loud or bossy. It was gentle, but persistent. It reminded me that quiet reflection time with Jesus trumps all we can physically do every single time. So I shushed my inner Martha for a little while at least, and attempted to embrace my inner Mary.

As usual, when I obey the calling of Christ, I was not disappointed.

I was reminded how life changing this particular mission field has been for my daughter. This will be her 4th trip. When she went the first time, she was so quiet and shy that she just did her best to scoot out of everyone’s way. It earned her the nickname Scooter. Everyone there calls her that. It’s a name she wears now with pride, one that she will treasure forever.

This year, she has been asked to bring her guitar and lead all of our worship songs in the evenings. She’s been practicing for days, which makes me give thanks for Vanda, her guitar teacher for seven years. Vanda’s time and love contributed to a gift that my daughter will carry for the rest of her life.

It’s so amazing when we have those special moments when we can look back on what has been and we can see God’s fingerprints all over our past. I’m so very thankful for the mighty village that God has gifted both of my children with.

I am reminded that we all have the opportunity and the calling to be a part of somebody’s village. We have the choice to make a positive kingdom impact on everyone’s lives that we touch. We have no idea the difference that a word of encouragement can make for someone or for that matter, we have no idea what kind of difference just sitting with someone and listening to them can make.

There are even times when a silly little nickname can change someone’s life forever. I’m glad I took a time out. Perhaps you need one too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

PS Due to the fact that I will likely spend much of next week on a roof in South Carolina, I won’t be posting next week. But, I’m super excited to see how God will reveal Himself on our trip and I look forward to sharing with you back here. My family would appreciate your prayers.

Building Strong Faith

Posted on by Wendy
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Last Sunday, our pastor spoke of the trials that had befallen a woman who was seeking to answer her calling to the ministry. The more she pursued her calling, the rougher her life had become.

I have also heard him speak of his own early beginnings in the ministry where he loaded up a U-haul truck with all of his belongings along his wife and young family and headed to where he was sent. On the way, their truck was stolen along with all of their earthly possessions.

He talked of being angry and not understanding why God wasn’t rewarding him for being obedient.

But, he also spoke about the amazing grace of a congregation who jumped in and provided for every one of their needs. His family could not have experienced that love, that blessing, if their truck had not been stolen.

The Prosperity Gospel is wildly popular these days. It goes something like, if we follow God, we will receive everything we have ever wanted in worldly goods. Nothing bad will ever happen to us. It sounds so good that it’s very tempting to believe. Unfortunately, it’s contrary to the scripture.

What we find in the Bible, is that the closer we get to God, the rougher life sometimes gets.

My pastor explained it with a football analogy. If you see Nick Chubb run and make a touchdown and feel inspired to play football, then you would join a team. The coach would never give you the football the first day and tell you to run it. There are endless drills, and lots of running, and lots of blood sweat and tears that seem like they have nothing to do with being a star player.

But, the coach knows the truth: Star players are not born. They are built.

Anyone who remembers the original Karate Kid, remembers Old Mr. Miyagi, “teaching” Daniel-San the art of karate. He had him painting fences and waxing cars. It looked to the student like he was simply doing chores. But, Miyagi knew what he was doing and in the end, he was teaching Daniel-San to be a fierce fighter.

And so it is with us in our Christian walk. God wants to make us warriors who can do anything He calls us to do. He wants us to be fierce and wise. He wants us to be able to glorify His name and build His kingdom in any circumstances, not only the ideal ones.

Strength can only come from hard work and perseverance, and overcoming what sometimes seems like the impossible. Fortunately for us, the longer we walk with Jesus, the more we come to understand that nothing is impossible with God.

Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Hearing and Acting

Posted on by Wendy
The strongest foundations are built on rock.

I recently came across a passage in Matthew 7:24-27. It’s often called, “The Wise and Foolish Builders.” It’s a familiar story for me, one I learned in Sunday school as a child. I think there may even have been visual aids.

Jesus tells the story of a wise man and a foolish man. He says that people who hear His words and put them into practice are like a wise man who built his house on a rock. When the rain came and the streams rose and the wind blew, his house did not fall because its foundation was on the rock.

Then, He says that people who hear His words and do not put them into practice, are like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rains came; the streams rose; and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash.

But, as a child, I couldn’t fully appreciate the importance of foundations. Sand and rocks were things I played with, not things I would build on.

Fast forward and I know all about sandy ground and sink holes and what happens when houses aren’t built on sturdy ground.

I’m also much more aware of Jesus’ wording here. It’s not enough to hear His words. In other words, sitting in church once a week, or tuning into a television sermon and simply listening, doesn’t fit the bill. He says to be like the wise man, we must first hear his words and then put them into practice. Hearing is not enough.

Our faith is not passive. It also requires some doing. That doesn’t mean we have to go on mission trips in far off lands. That doesn’t mean we have to become pastors. It means we have to do things like love God and love each other. It means we have to care about the widows and the orphans, and all of those who are less fortunate.

These are the actions that grow our faith and we need our faith to be strong because in both instances, Jesus said the rain and the wind came.

Storms come at us on this side of eternity whether we are faithful or not, but those who are wise and listen to Jesus’ words and put them into practice, are able to stand, for their foundation is built on the rock. That beats the alternative any day.

A story of sand and rock reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy

Choosing to Trust

Posted on by Wendy
Frustration is certain on this side of eternity, but trust and obedience is a choice.

One morning last week I was struggling. I was running late for work. I had a million things on my mind. My to-do list seemed impossibly endless, and I was having some serious doubts about my decision to return to work full-time after being at home with my kids for so many years.

The list of tasks waiting for me on my desk that morning seemed insurmountable as well. As I drove, fighting the urge to speed, I prayed. There are those days when we just need to call out the name, “Jesus.”

The Bible tells us that there is power in His name and at the moment, I felt completely overwhelmed and powerless. Hadn’t God led me to this place? Hadn’t I listened very carefully? Had I heard wrong? As doubt and uncertainty filled my restless soul, I desperately pleaded with Him to show His face to me in all of the chaos.

And in my own despair, I weakly asked that I be given the opportunity to be His face too.

I was only two minutes late to work. My day was busy as expected and I had to go and run some school errands. When I arrived at the grocery store to pick up some sandwiches for a meeting, they weren’t ready.

I had ordered them hours earlier. They were supposed to be ready, but they weren’t. They only had three done and I had ordered seven. The woman working there was very apologetic. I smiled and told her it was fine.

As I waited, I read the daily devotion I had neglected earlier that morning. As I waited, I took some deep breaths and felt a calm come over me. As I waited, I acknowledged that this situation was completely out of my control and to be honest, so are the majority of the situations in my life.

There was a line forming in the deli and they were very busy. The woman who was making the sandwiches breathlessly told me that there was only one more to go. I assured her that it was okay.

A moment later, an older gentleman with completely white hair, wearing hiking boots, carrying a shopping bag, walked up to me and said, “You are being very patient.”

Then, he just walked away. I was stunned. I had no idea who he was, or where he came from. I called back, “I hear it’s a virtue!” He grinned and kept walking.

Moments later, my order was complete and I checked out. I walked out of the store much lighter than when I walked in.

I always stand amazed at the way God reveals Himself in so many small ways. I am also amazed at how He blesses us when we choose to bless others.

Frustration is going to happen on this side of eternity. But, obedience and trust is a choice, a choice that often leads to unexpected blessings.

A trip to the store reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Best is Yet to Come

Posted on by Wendy
To begin the next chapter, we have to turn the page on the old one.

Last week was a blur of activity for me. I work in an office of an elementary school, and it was the last week of school. The activity was nearly constant. We had visitors and speakers. We had a flood of parents coming for lunch just one more time. We had a step up day where each grade level got to visit the next and meet the teachers there. We had a day where the high school seniors who attended our school as children, came through in their caps and gowns and walked the halls one final time.

We had fifth grade graduation to middle school. We had lots of parents and grandparents with lots of cameras all along the way. The kids were all smiles and happiness. But, the parents, had tears mixed with their smiles.

The parents know that each step in their child’s journey is a tiny step away from them and towards independence.

My own daughter, graduated from high school last week. My week was mixed with joy and sadness. I cheered for her on honor’s night as tears slid down my face. I celebrated with her as she donned her royal blue cap and gown, and my eyes swam with tears on and off all day long.

As she marched in with her graduating class, I thanked God for the gift He entrusted me with almost 18 years before. I thanked God for her health and for her beautiful spirit. I thanked God for the friends He has blessed her with along the way and for the new ones He has already sent her to travel with her along her new leg of her journey.

I thanked God for my family who made the trip to come and be a part of her big day. My heart was filled with joy and sadness as I fought tears.

I knew that her world and mine would change forever once she crossed that stage and received her diploma. I knew that it would be the end of a beautiful chapter in both of our lives.

But, I also knew and embraced that it was the beginning of a new chapter as well. As I have poured my heart and soul into loving and nurturing her all of these years, Jesus has done the same. He has sent many other prayer warriors along the way and I know that she has been protected on her journey whether she knew it our not.

I also knew that she would continue to be protected. And as I heard her name called out, I cheered loudly for her, allowing some tears to escape. I felt Jesus hold me close and a little voice inside told me the best is yet to come.

This is how it’s supposed to be and although this mama’s heart mourns a little for the past, I also can’t wait to see where God will lead her and what big things He will do with her.

Change can be hard. But, we simply cannot begin new chapters until we turn the page on the old ones. A high school graduation reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Blessings in Adversity

Posted on by Wendy
Adversity has a way of forcing us to de-clutter our lives.

A few nights ago, my hubby and I were cleaning up the dinner dishes. I opened the cabinet door underneath the kitchen sink to get out the dishwashing detergent and I found everything in that cabinet wet. There was standing water inside the cabinet.

My heart sank. This was not good. We had a leak somewhere. I reported my findings to my hubby who also doubles as our resident plumber. He joined me as we proceeded to remove everything from the cabinet to dry it off and find the source of the leak.

I have to admit that I was kind of surprised at the amount of stuff that had accumulated under there. I would love to say that I’m one of those people who does yearly spring cleaning and tosses out the things I no longer need, but alas, I am not. We have been in our house for twelve years and I don’t think I have ever cleaned that cabinet out.

I found cleaning items I haven’t used in years. I had a bunch of empty jars, that I had never used. I probably tossed half of the stuff down there.

After some investigation, the leak turned out to be from the garbage disposal. We bought a new one and replaced the leaky one.

I was amazed at how organized and neat the cabinet was after I put the thinned out items back.

That leaky sink made me take stock of what I had and throw away what I didn’t need. It also reminded me that adversity has a way of making us do the same in our lives.

When unexpected and unwanted circumstances rain down on us, we realize that we too, need to take stock of the baggage we have accumulated, whether physical or emotional. We find ourselves asking if the baggage is worth hanging onto. While things like anger, fear, resentment, guilt or pain that we are carrying around, may have served a useful purpose at some point, do they still serve a useful purpose now? Is it possible that those things are just cluttering up our hearts and souls?

When adversity strikes, we often find ourselves praying a lot more and through prayer, we are often able to let go of the negative and hold on to only what we need. It takes a lot of energy to carry those things around and we need that energy to deal with whatever the storm may be.

Eventually the storm passes and when it does, we find our heart and souls more grateful and lighter because we threw away the stuff we no longer needed. I find a lot of grace in that knowledge.

Perhaps you needed a little grace today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

What We Plant

Posted on by Wendy

We get to choose what we leave behind.

Last weekend my hubby and I attended a celebration service in honor of the passing of one of our church members. He was an older gentleman who was a retired horticulturist. He loved to plant things and had been in charge of planning and planting all of the landscaping at our church. He was also an adult Sunday school teacher and he loved the Bible.

On the day of his passing, he worked on the grounds at the church and then went home and worked in his own garden. He went to sleep that night, next to his bride of 35 years. Sometime during the night, Jesus called him home.

As the pastor and the speakers talked about all he had planted, it occurred to me that I will think of him each time I drive into the church parking lot. When you plant a lot of things, you leave a lot of life behind. You leave some beautiful reminders for those who are still living on this side of eternity, of your time here.

It also occurred to me that he planted some different types of seeds in his Sunday school class. Those seeds have sprouted as well. The members in that class have likely spread some seeds of their own, that they got from him. Those too, are beautiful reminders of his time here on this side of eternity. His memory will live on for a very long time, physically as well as spiritually.

My grandmother planted trees and flowers that are still growing and thriving and she’s been in Heaven for forty-seven years now. I never met her, but I’m named after her and I’ve always held the stories of her close to my heart. Although, she’s not physically here, her memory lives on, not only in the physical plantings she left behind, but in the spiritual ones too.

It seems to me, that we all have a choice of how we will spend our time on our finite journey here. We can spend a lot of time being angry about what was or wasn’t or what is or isn’t. We can spend our time mourning the past. We can spend our time fearing the future. We can spend our time focused on all of our shortcomings or on our own greatness, or we can plant.

We can plant physical seeds to leave reminders, but more importantly, we can plant spiritual seeds of the faith, hope, and love, that is Christ, and those seeds will never die.

A celebration service for a faithful servant reminded me of the many choices before us. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂