hcfwomen

A Surrendered Heart

March 24, 2022March 24, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

I’ve got to start off by being completely vulnerable with you all that for years that word, Godliness, was very intimidating for me. You see it’s a bit scary because as an individual, I know who I am in the most inner part of my heart. I know what I struggle with in my mind and heart. I know the ins and outs of what I do or don’t do when people are or aren’t around. It’s easy to let those things, and even shame, dictate whether or not I feel that I’m capable of living a Godly life and leaving the old self behind.

Certainly, I’m not the only one out there that has felt that way.What do you think of when “living a Godly life” is mentioned?

I used to think of certain people in my life that love God and seem to have it all together. I would think of the women in our church that look like they had perfect marriages and families compared to me. I would see them walking into church looking like they had it all together. I just knew that they didn’t have any junk they were carrying around like me. But boy was I wrong!

A lot of this way of thinking came from my upbringing. My parents met at a revival and, shortly after, dated and got married. I’m the oldest child and pretty soon after birth, I attended church. The church we attended was a super strict religious church. The beliefs they taught were more about works-based righteousness. You worked very hard to be a good Christian, please God, and also please the people in the church. Your life was only supposed to be good and blessed because of Jesus and yet, if you messed up, God was mad and was going to punish you, maybe even kick you out of His kingdom. That way of life also transferred into our homelife and, to be quite honest, this instilled my belief of how I saw myself in God’s eyes.

The truth is, as people, we genuinely mess up. We have faults and shortcomings, none of us are without those things. Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned and we fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

I can look back at all the times in my life, where I walked as a defeated Christian and was very unsure if godliness was even something I possessed inside of myself.

All godliness means is the quality or practice of conforming to the laws and wishes of God. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like something we will continue to do throughout our whole lives as a Christian. It’s not just something we arrive at one day. It’s derived from the Greek word “Piety” in which the original translation comes from the word “Eusebes” (Yoo-Seb-Ace) which means a deep reverence devotion, the type of devotion in how a child is respectfully, devoted and loyal to their parents.

It’s so simple! All God is saying is that when we come to know Him, He wants us to live in such a way that our lives would reflect that we are respectfully, devoted and loyal to Him because He is our Father and we are His children.

2 Peter 1:4-8 tells us that by God’s divine power He has given us everything we need for a godly life and also that He has given us great and precious promises. Those promises enable us to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. Every promise listed in that scripture is who God says we are. If He says it, then friends, let’s start believing it!

What God has shown me is that I live out GODLINESS when my DEVOTION to him leads me to do the HARD work for Him.

So wherever you find yourself in this area of godliness in your life. I pray that you give yourself grace. God loves you and He is for you. He is our good Father who has our whole lifetime to perfect His work in us. All He wants is a heart surrendered and devoted to him.

Philippians 1:6 says “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

We would like to thank Brenda Martinez for writing this blog post.

God's Presence, godliness

The Essence of Godliness

March 10, 2022March 10, 2022by hcfwomen1 Comment

Editor’s note: During 2022, we are focusing on the scriptures found in 2 Peter 1:3-11. These verses teach us about God’s divine nature. We pray that as we reflect on God’s nature, you will see all that He has created you to be! For the month of February, we are focusing on God’s characteristic of GODLINESS.

The way my brain works, putting words on paper is not quite the same as speaking them out of my mouth. When it comes to writing, I seem to not have the words to say or the order in which I want them to come out; however, I would never pass up the opportunity to share a word God has laid on my heart.

Anyone who knows me knows I stay busy with my extra-large family and my work as a therapist. God has graced me with the ability to speak words that are needed in the moment even when I feel I’m not prepared enough. He somehow always fills my mouth with the words I need when I feel inadequate in my own strength.

When I think of Godliness, like most people, the first thought that comes to my mind is perfection. For many, it is often compared to doing everything right or making the right decisions.

As God’s creation and His child, the really cool thing is He does see me perfect, not because of what I do or have done, but because of the finished work of His son and our Lord Jesus Christ.

It makes you think if God can see me in this way, how should I see others? In my line of work, during countless therapy sessions, I have discovered that some of the most humble and gracious people I have encountered are homeless, addicted to substances, and society offenders. Some may know God, others may not, but some say they have an active relationship with Christ.

They say things like: they depend on God to survive. They rely on Him to live and they call on Him daily. My fleshly instinct may lead me to judge with thoughts like, if you’re a Christian how come you are not being more “Godly” or Christ-like?

Part of what God has shown me about Godliness is it is not necessarily about a devout religious practice but a reflection of Kingdom work. As much as I see strongholds, I see a work that is in progress that only God will complete. Scripture tells us in Philippians 1:6 that “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I may see a person differently that society judges as unworthy or messed up if I have my Kingdom lens on. This is the message shared with us in 2^nd Peter 1:3-5. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through or knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. God gives us the assurance that through Him, we can participate in His divine nature that enables us to look past the corruption or sin to see his signature on all creation including His children.”

The essence of Godliness is reflecting the nature of the Kingdom of God in the course of everyday life. In my world, it may mean being dressed in the character of God and look past judgment and shame and guilt to love or help those in need.

I see parallels in working with clients and patients. In the therapy world, we call it Unconditional Positive Regard. The Definition of Unconditional Positive Regard is when you show complete support and acceptance of a person no matter what the person says or does. This approach is very strength based and helps with empowerment motivation and confidence building.

I see Godliness as embracing a Kingdom reality of being able to look past human flaws, to long to see people set free from strongholds, to see people the way God sees them.

We would like to thank Katie Ssejjemba for writing this blog post.

General

Being Filled with Godliness

March 3, 2022March 3, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Godliness. What an inspiring word! I want to be filled with Godliness, overrun with passion and love, consumed by the presence of God, but I fall short every single day. Sometimes I feel so limited in my understanding of what that looks like, but our generous, unfailing Father sent his son, Jesus, to be the perfect example of how we, too, can aspire to be Christ-like.

So what does Godliness look like? Jesus; he prayed, washed the disciple’s feet, fed the hungry, loved people unconditionally, wept with the brokenhearted, healed, forgave, redeemed, and so much more. If I’m honest, this just doesn’t sound like me. But I want, more than anything, to be more like that. So in following Jesus, reading scripture, spending time in prayer, I feel closer, fuller, and more like Him as I immerse myself in His truth.

John 12:49 NIV Jesus said, “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” Jesus himself sought to only live securely on the vine of God the Father. He was filled by spending time in prayer, and he sought only to live in a way that would make God proud. Jesus walked daily with purpose. He aspired to reach people with the good news of salvation, and as believers, we are called to do the same.

Are we speaking only what the Father instructed us to? Do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves the way that Matthew 22:37-40 instructs us? Probably not, but God has given us a road map to success. The creator of the universe has handwritten instructions that can guide our lives in the direction He wants us to go.

I remember as a child reaching up and grabbing a hot pot pie right out of the oven, and it landed on my legs. As my parents tried to wash it off my skin was coming off also. They took me to the ER because I had 3rd-degree burns. My mother had warned me not to touch the food because it was very hot, and my 4-year-old year old mind was hungry right then and did not want to wait. In my haste to eat, I wound up injuring myself. Our God instructs us in His word and through the example of Jesus, not to rule over or be domineering in our life, but for our safety. He knows that sin produces pain and emptiness. Godliness in our behavior is for our benefit. All God’s instruction is for our good.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” There have been many times in my life that I have felt the enemy had set his sights on me. In these times, I would press into God to find solutions. He never failed to show me His path. Unfortunately, sometimes I choose my way, and just like the pot pie, I find myself in pain. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “for I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I seek his presence more every day. I want my life to be a reflection of God’s amazing love toward me. I want to live like Jesus, touching people’s lives and making a difference in the world around me. Even though I know I can never be Godly on my own, the Holy Spirit fills me, changes me, and I know God is present and evolving this broken vessel. I now can have hope for my future because of His character. Godliness is our opportunity to show the world His amazing grace and love toward us. So I ask God to give me the wisdom to study, and implement His word into my life and help me reflect His Godly nature.

We would like to thank Jo Rowell for writing this blog post.

Forgiveness, Love

My First Love

February 24, 2022February 24, 2022by hcfwomen1 Comment

As a six year old little girl, my first memory was of fear and hate. My parents were alcoholics and Daddy was a mean drunk every weekend. Having an outhouse meant you used a coffee can after dark to relieve yourself. This was happening one night when my seven year old male cousin walked into the bedroom where I was. Daddy came in immediately after and whipped off his belt. He was so mad that I would “allow” a boy to come in while I was using the bathroom. The whipping didn’t stop until my shoes were filled with blood. That was when Daddy got worried that I would get an infection. He laid me on top of an ironing board and poured a bottle of rubbing alcohol on my back and legs. That was when I not only felt hatred toward me, but I felt hate toward another. This was how life continued until right before I turned fourteen.

I would spend most of the summer with my cousin in the country. We would hoe cotton to make money for school clothes. They were in the habit of going to church on Sunday mornings and I would go with them. One particular Sunday, there was a missionary conference and different missionaries would do the preaching. That Sunday evening the one preaching kept talking about how “Jesus loves you”. It seemed like I was the only person in the room.

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak, but He is strong.

Those words resonated through my soul. I accepted Jesus as my Savior that evening. For the first time in my life I truly felt love. I knew that those words were true. Jesus loves me!!! I didn’t even know what the word love meant until then. Jesus was truly my first love.

The weekend drunken tirades didn’t stop, but there was something different now. I knew Jesus was with me and would never forsake me. 1 Chronicles 28:20 says that, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” I felt his presence and knew that I had a loving Father that would never harm me. Daddy could beat my body, but my soul belonged to my heavenly Father.

My Father continued to work in my life and I could feel the Lord nudging me toward forgiving Daddy. I wasn’t easy to persuade, but God never gave up on me. I eventually succumbed to the gentle nudges and forgave not only Daddy, but Mama as well for not sticking up for us. I started praying for them both, knowing that they were in the same place I was before I found the Lord. They didn’t understand love either.

My mother accepted the Lord first, then when Daddy was ninety years old, he came to know Jesus as his Savior as well. We have such a loving, merciful Father! Love is a Person!

I don’t know how I would have survived my childhood without having Jesus’ presence with me and I know I don’t ever want to live a single day without my first LOVE.

We would like to thank Naomi Jones for writing this blog post.

Love

A Recovering Girl Boss

February 17, 2022February 17, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

I’m a recovering “Girl Boss”. Present tense because I am still in recovery, so this post will be about my journey so far and not about the finished product. I fully support women owning businesses, working full time, and getting equal pay, but I bought into the lie that I could do everything on my own and didn’t need a man or God to help me achieve big goals. I read all the Rachel Hollis books and attended her movie theater event. I thought if I just applied a few efficiency practices I could be successful!

I remember reading a blog post about Rachel Hollis’ theories not being based in biblical truth and I just brushed it off. I can’t entirely blame Rachel Hollis for my “Girl Boss” mentality, but what I learned from her intensified this mentality.

I believe in productivity and achieving big goals, but the part I was missing was depending on God to achieve those goals through me and seeking His knowledge when setting those goals. It got to a point where I was prioritizing my needs and my job over my husband and the needs of my family.

I knew the life I was living needed to change. God changed my life drastically soon after. He slammed some doors I thought were wide open, I quit my full-time job, and I became a stay-at-home mom. What a transition that was! I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom, but the Lord did, and He knew this was what I needed. This new role has forced me to completely rely on God’s plan for our family.

You might be wondering, “What does this have to do with our theme of love this month?” 2 Peter 1:3 “his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM WHO CALLED US by his own glory and goodness.” The only way I can love my husband and my family, is to first love God and get to know Him better. For the past year, I have devoted time each day to spend with God.

Salley Sweeney came to Harvest back in October, and then again in January, to speak about loving our husbands. Her message has really helped me to take the next steps to loving my husband even better. The first point she made was about submitting to our husbands. Ephesians 5: 22-30 used to make me roll my eyes and think, “Why should I submit to my husband? What if I’m right or my idea is better?”

Thankfully I married a man who can handle my sass and God gives me grace for it. Verse 28 says, “In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.” This is why wives should submit to our husbands, because he loves us as himself. She went on to talk about respecting, honoring, and prizing our husbands.

“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”- Matthew Henry

We love our husbands by being his helper and being by his side. We can love, respect, and honor him better when we put God first. It’s through “our knowledge of Him who called us,” that we can love big.

We would like to thank Chelsea Criswell for writing this blog post.

General, Love

Empowered in Love

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Empowered in Love

“Seek Me.” The Father beckoned me with one outstretched arm behind him as he proceeded to move forward. He looked back at me and smiled, encouraging me to come along.

God gave me this short blurb of a vision a few months ago and my first response was to crumple and childishly call out, “Wait for me! I just want to be held.” This is similar to the whines my boys give me when they want to be carried out of our Tahoe and into the house. I often fall into the trap of timidity and blindness to my own abilities in Christ but in that moment God spoke a new word to me, “EMPOWERED.”

It is out of his extravagant love that he has called me, and you, to be more than just held and comforted. In the Song of Songs the lover of our souls meets us first right where we are in our immaturity and needing his gentle affection but it doesn’t end there. Song of Songs 2:10 reads. “The one I love calls to me: Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. Come away with me! I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful one.” My tendency is to shy away from such a calling, making excuses for why I’m incapable but that is when I am living out of my flesh and not realizing the power that is in me through Christ. This month’s focus is set out of 2 Peter 1:3-10 which calls us into his divine nature.

Everything we could ever need for life and godlinesshas already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness.
2 Peter 1:3.

What a treasure I hold inside me already having all that I need through Christ. He loved me too much to let me live a timid, powerless, unloving and undisciplined life. Instead, he calls me to be empowered with, as verse 8 says, “virtues (that) are already planted deep within.” Verse 9 explains that our eyes are closed when we lack these things because we don’t believe it for ourselves.

Looking back I have clear memories of people who loved me calling me to “arise” when I was blind to what was already inside of me. My husband and I used to work out together, before having our boys, and I often got frustrated with him as he gently encouraged me to jump higher while doing wall squats. I saw myself as weak and tired in those moments but I can easily see in hindsight that he believed in me and my strength. I also had a dear friend tell me once that I could go inside to work out before she arrived. The shy side of me took such offense to her suggestion to start working out by myself. I laugh now but I cried then not realizing that I was fully empowered to walk in that gym by myself and get my workout on. They saw in me what my eyes were closed to. And I can’t even count the number of times I was encouraged to pray and speak out truth by the men and women who knew that I was and am more than able.

I believe out of God’s loving kindness he is calling you and I to be fully empowered. “For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 When I am timid, my eyes are on myself allowing fear to keep me from sharing and enjoying the love of Christ. There is freedom in experiencing his divine nature and truly believing his word. It will look different for each of us but I’m so grateful that I am called to more than timidity and instead called into his divine power. And what a blessing it is to have a community of women around me pursuing our Father in the same way.

We would like to thank D’Anna Coleman for writing this blog post.

Christmas, Faith, Giving, God's Presence, Holidays

Jesus is our Gift

December 30, 2021December 30, 2021by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Editors note: For the month of December, our theme is “The Gift of Jesus” and our focus verses are found in Luke 2:10-14. “but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

What better scripture could describe “the gift of Jesus”? God gave us His one and only son to give us the best gift: Jesus!

Can you imagine giving one of your children to save a corrupt and dying world? I can, in some ways, and I can’t because I was never blessed to have any children. I know how devastated I was not to have any, so I can’t imagine giving one up, not even one. So how did God feel to give us His son as a gift?

A few weeks back Amber Curry talked to us at Among Friends about the Samaritan woman that Jesus asked for a drink of water. She was astonished that a Jewish man would even talk to her, much less ask for a drink. And Jesus said to her, “if you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Living water to a Samaritan woman! This was unheard of in those days, but He offers it freely to us as a gift.

Remember the story of Abraham and Isaac? The Lord had given Abraham a son in his old age and then He asked him to give him back as a sacrifice. Abraham was going to obey and the Lord told Him not to lay a hand on Isaac. The Lord said to him: “…you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:12 And God provided a ram as a sacrifice in Isaac’s place. What a precious gift from God to Abraham!

In James 1:17 he warns us not to be deceived because “every good and PERFECT GIFT is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” Jesus was and is that perfect gift offered freely to each of us for our salvation.

As a child, we would go to church occasionally and I would go with friends every once in a while. When I was in junior high, I went with a friend and was introduced to Jesus as my savior. I didn’t understand some of what I heard, but I fell in love with Jesus. I knew I needed Him but still didn’t understand all of the gift of salvation. I served Him for 21 years at that church, but still didn’t know all I needed to know. I would feel very condemned for not knowing, but I served because I really loved Jesus. I fell away for a few years because of the condemnation I felt, but I never lost my love for Him. I lived with condemnation for too long, but He never left me like I left Him. It was a true gift from God that He never left me. Jesus is my gift! “For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT OF GOD is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Now we are in the Christmas season, giving and receiving gifts from our friends and loved ones. The stress and concerns to get everything done and to make everything PERFECT in our homes. Decorating with lights and garland and cooking all of the things that our family loves. These things are all good and a blessing. But, sometimes during this time we get so busy that we can leave Jesus, our best gift, out of all of the preparations. I know I have before, but this year I have been trying to let some of it go and focus on the true reason for the season, THE GIFT OF JESUS. Matthew 6:21 tells us that “where our treasure is, that’s where our heart will be.” This scripture is usually used when talking of tithing, but if we have Jesus as our treasured gift, He will have our heart. I know I don’t need anything else!

In Acts 2:38 Peter tells us to repent in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Then he says; “And you will receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.” When we think of a good gift to give to someone, tell them about Jesus. And because God gave us Jesus as a gift, we also get the gift of Holy Spirit. When you hear the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving”, think of Jesus.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you. May He give you peace during this season of celebrating Jesus, our true GIFT.

We would like to thank Debbie Crosby for writing this blog post.

Christmas, Faith, General, Holy Spirit

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts

December 23, 2021January 20, 2022by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

December is an exciting time of year. The anticipation of Christmas morning: opening gifts, fellowship with family, singing carols…When I was a little girl, I knew Christmas was coming soon the day that the Sears catalog arrived in the mail! I would sit for hours checking the items that I wanted to add to my Christmas wish list:

A new baby doll ✅
A new pair of skates ✅
A new bicycle ✅
A new pair of pajamas ✅

I was always so excited to see the latest, greatest toys and I would picture how I would feel opening those gifts on Christmas morning!

Spiritual Gifts

Fast forward many years later and my wishes have changed. I’m not looking for a new baby doll, unless I’m shopping for my granddaughters. As far as skates, are you kidding me? I don’t need to break a leg…or a hip…I could use a new bicycle or a treadmill and I’m all about a new pair of pajamas. However, the gifts I’ve been searching for lately cannot be found in the Sears Christmas catalog.

What I’ve been thinking about lately are spiritual gifts. I find myself “checking off” my wish list in the Bible just like I did as a little girl with the Sears catalog:

The gift of wisdom ✅
The gift of prophesy ✅
The gift of healing ✅
The gift of tongues ✅

However, God has been speaking to me lately about what these gifts are all about.

Lessons learned

To begin with, all gifts that I check are not gifts that I’m ready to get…yet! As a little girl, I had a long list of wishes, but didn’t always get what I had on my list. My parents loved me so much and wanted to give me good gifts. My parents would’ve never given me a gift that I wasn’t ready to receive. For example, they would’ve never given me a bicycle if I hadn’t learned to ride a tricycle. Or they would not give me a new car until I was responsible enough to use it correctly.

Each child in my family received different gifts. My parents didn’t give me the same gifts as they gave to my brother and sister. They were older than me and had different desires than me. My parents knew that I didn’t want a football and they knew my brother wouldn’t appreciate a Barbie. They were good, good parents and gave us appropriate gifts because they loved us. They got to decide what was best for each of their children!

Just like my parents, God loves me and wants to give me good gifts.

He knows when I’m ready to receive certain gifts and even though I have them “checked”, He decides when I am ready to receive them.

Maybe I’m ready to receive the gift of wisdom, but maybe I’m not ready to receive the gift of prophesy. Does He love me any less because He doesn’t give me the gift of prophecy? Absolutely not! I have a friend who has received the gift of tongues. Does he love her more? Is she a “better Christian” than me because she received that gift and I didn’t? NO! God is a good, good Father who knows what gifts we need in order to grow His kingdom.

1 Corinthians 12:11 says that “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.” God gets to decide when I’m ready to receive an extra gift!

Be content in all things

As a little girl, I don’t remember a time when I woke up on Christmas morning and was disappointed because I didn’t receive a certain gift that I had checked off in the catalog. I was content with the gifts that I was blessed with.

I am content with the gifts that God has given me through the Holy Spirit. Do I want more? YES! However, I trust Him to give me the gifts when He says I’m ready for them! Psalm 37:3-4 says to “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Using my gifts for others

I remember one particular Christmas, I received an Easy-Bake Oven. I was so excited to use that gift to “bless” others. My dad ate lots of tiny brownies that I made using this amazing Christmas gift! It was a gift that kept on giving!

God gives us spiritual gifts, but they are not meant to be consumed on ourselves. As we receive, we give it away and then more is given to us. When I feel like I’m not doing enough with my gift, I need to step back and reflect on how God is using my gifts to grow His kingdom. Recently when attending the Holy Spirit class at church, I heard something that struck a chord with me. I heard that we need to “establish evidence of how God is using your gifts that He gave you.” Begin to write down how God is blessing you with the gift of wisdom, or the gift of prophesy. Has He blessed you with the gift of healing? What have you done with that gift? Whatever gift you have received, use it well and I believe that He will bless you with more gifts!

Trusting that your gifts are good

I never doubted that my parents would give me good gifts! Although they threatened telling Santa to put coal in my stocking when I misbehaved, deep down I knew that I would get good gifts for Christmas. You can trust God to give you good gifts as well! Luke 11:11-13 says, “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Merry CHRISTmas!

You can trust God, our good, good Father, to give you gifts that you need to receive in His time. I pray that during this holiday season, you unwrap your gifts and receive your spiritual blessings with the same kind of excitement as receiving the Sears Christmas catalog in the mail!

Be Blessed.

We would like to thank Vickie Young for writing this blog post!

Christmas, Faith, Family

Serving Jesus by Serving Others

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

One of my favorite books to read to my children during the month of December is The Giving Manger. It’s about a dad who carves a wooden figure for his kids each year and this year he carved a manger. The kids are disappointed because they thought they would be receiving something greater. The dad goes on to tell them they will receive more gifts than before by serving one another. Each time they serve someone, they put a piece of straw in the manger. At the end of the book, the dad put a wood carving of baby Jesus in the manger.

This time of year it is so easy to get caught up in my to do list. I get overwhelmed with all of my children’s activities, the traditions I want to continue in my home, and all of the family gatherings. What I love most about the book is how it reminds me that the best gift I can give is to serve someone else. Matthew 25:40 says, “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” When we are serving others, we are serving Jesus.

The humble birth of Jesus reminds me that how I serve does not have to be extravagant, but it’s the little things that can be most important. Things like doing a chore for another in my home, serving coffee to a friend, running an errand for a friend or family member, or just being a good listener.

This next part is for all of my mama friends out there. I’m in a new season myself this Christmas and I am a stay at home mom for the first time. The repetitiveness of chores can be draining at times and I tend to get frustrated with it. Today I had a friend over to my home for coffee and I was reminded that I do the chores in order to serve others. My home isn’t spotless by any means, but today it was a safe space for a friend to bring her one year old and enjoy some social time. To my working mama friends, I would encourage you to save energy to be a servant in your home. I know that I often gave too much of myself to my job and my family would get the little scraps I had left. I’m not saying do your job poorly, but I am saying it’s okay to say no so that you can say yes to something more life giving.

When we are serving others, whether it be big or small, we are serving Jesus. The heart of Jesus is shown to others when we serve them. I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

We would like to thank Chelsea Criswell for writing this blog post.

Christmas

We are a Gift of Jesus

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. Jesus is our ultimate gift, and this verse is one that I think of often during this time of year. We have been given the most amazing gift, one that allows us to know Him, walk with Him, and the best thing of all, to live with Him for the rest of eternity. Nothing can top this gift.

This season of our life has really shown me that Jesus goes with us no matter where we live or work. Moving to a new town is an adventure but leaving what you know behind is hard. One thing that it has taught me is that those people we choose to do life with are another aspect of the gift of Jesus. I look back and I can see all the different gifts in everyone, and I know that all of them combined make up the body of Christ. Everyone represents a part of who He is because we are all made in His image and are equipped with different gifts that we are to use to further the Kingdom of God.

A few examples are that I see the gift of Jesus in that friend who lives across the street that I can run to whenever I need help with parenting my kids in a kingdom way or the gift of prayer when I call the Pastor’s wife because I am going through something, and I need someone to agree with me in prayer. I also see Jesus in a friend we can go to when we need help discipling our son because he is going through things, and we want to make sure we are setting him up on the right path. The gift of love is in a couple that I serve with at church who are always there and give the best hugs and in someone I work with that sees things in me and helps me develop my giftings to give to those around me. You see, each and everyone of you has a gift inside of you that Jesus gave you that is special. This gift is to be shared with others and when you do, you are sharing the gift of Jesus. I always knew I had friends who could speak life into us but didn’t realize how much of a gift they were until we moved. What this has taught me is that wherever God places you He has a plan for you and new ways to show you His gifts. It may not be the same, but it is always for a reason.

A good friend of mine once shared a word she received, and it was about a glass jar. When you fill a glass jar with water it eventually fills to the top and overflows. The water then spreads and touches everything around it. We are to be just like this jar. We are to fill ourselves up with Jesus and we do this by spending time with Him in prayer, worship, and the word. As we fill ourselves up, we will eventually overflow and then everything we touch spreads the gift of Jesus. It could be that hug we give someone at church, the cup of coffee we buy for the person behind us or the friend who reaches out to us because they need help. Every one of us is a gift of Jesus. When we are walking in our calling and our purpose, we bring that to those around us. Love on those around you, spread the gifts that God has given you, and allow those around you to speak life into your life because in the end it is really God speaking to you.

We would like to thank Kaylene Vanbebber for writing this blog post.