The Art of Serving

Please give me a moment to clearly lay out the importance of this concept that has been covered up for years by the extreme opposite approach. This one subject, I believe, can totally revolutionize the future success of everything we do. This one subject is called serving.

First, let us look at the definition: The act of one who serves. The definition of serves is: To work for, to be a servant of, to be of assistance to, to aid.

I was once told by a very wise woman that the key to being successful in this life, was to find someone who was doing what I wanted to do and serve them. I really didn’t understand what she was saying at the time but, today more than twenty years later, I understand a little better.

We live in a society that tells us in order to get ahead you must look out for number 1. That not only doesn’t work but, it actually does the exact opposite. Take for instance a marriage, a marriage is suppose to be two people becoming one. Do we normally see that?

Typically, instead of serving our spouse, what I have witnessed is, each spouse only being interested in being served. What if, that were turned around and the reason people got married was so they could have someone to serve? While we ponder that, let’s look at something easier to digest.

Let’s say we always wanted to become a photographer, we went to school, we bought the equipment, we’ve done everything to prepare ourselves for this great adventure. So far we are loving this. Now, instead of getting a job, we decide to find the best photographer in the world and approach them about becoming an assistant for a minimum wage, if any at all. Wow, I can hear panic in the readers now. Catch your breath. Did you catch it yet?

Think; just for a minute. What if, we were the best photographer in the world and someone approached us, to be our assistant for little or no income at all. What does that do to our attitude? Most people would expect for us to pay them more because well, we could. But, this person said, “no, I just want to help you accomplish your dreams.”

First we would probably think hmmm…what is the catch? Then, when we realized there was no catch, what would we do for a person like that? Imagine all the things we could do, because of the assistance of this one person?

Imagine having a spouse like that? Wow, what would your marriage look like now? Imagine having a job like that? Going to work would take on a whole new meaning? Life could be so good if, we had assistants and people who served us, right? Now imagine we’re that spouse who serves like we would want to be served? What does our marriage look like now? Remember, what we would do if we had a spouse who longed to serve? Imagine what our spouse would do, if they had a great spouse who longed to serve?

Now, imagine if we were the greatest employee our company ever hired? What would that look like? What if, we never got a pat on the back for it? What would that look like? Let me start to answer these questions.

It would look like it is suppose to look like, if we all decided to serve the way Jesus served, we would accomplish what He said we could do. Everyone we ever encountered would be attracted or repelled by us, like they were Jesus. We would accomplish things we never thought possible, we would have more favor than we knew what to do with and no one could ever have a bad thing to say about us that was true.

1st Timothy 3:13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance of their faith in Christ Jesus!

Matthew 18:4 says whoever humbles himself like a little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Mark 9:35 says, if anyone wants to be first he must be last and be a servant of all.”

Very different than what we have been desiring and learning our whole life. If we still don’t agree, let me ask a few questions. Has looking out for number one really worked? If the people closest to you were interviewed about who we are, what would be said about us? When we are taking our final breath, what are the things we wished we had with us, at that moment? Last question, does looking out for number one, really get us what we want?

Let’s become what we were designed to be, a servant. How about we become a picture of serving and, then we will become number one in the eyes of the One that really matters!

I am fearless

I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS! I was saying what God says about me in my class, called,”Inspired Speech”. Our assignment was to say what God says about us! What most people don’t realize is the POWER OF WORDS! The bible says, LIFE and DEATH are in the POWER of the tongue, and those who love it will eat of its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

We are always listening to words, spoken and unspoken! Maybe we have been told by our parents that we will never amount to anything. Maybe our spouse tells us we can’t do anything right. Maybe our children tell us we are incapable of even making a meal. I was once told that I was so dumb that I couldn’t put the lid on a jar of peanut butter correctly. The insults over the course of my life have been mountains upon mountains.

We have all been told the lie….sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me!  I have spent my life trying to teach my children the importance of words. I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS!

I remember as a small child hiding behind walls, to stay clear of the hateful, violent words that cut like a knife. I remember climbing out of windows to get on the backs of one of my horses to run as far away from hateful words as I could get. Words that were not even directed at me. Words kill or bring life!!! I have not had an abundance of relationships where people say, you are fearless, you are bold, you are kind, you are compassionate….etc., until moving to Kansas City and going to World Revival Church, a place full of the LIFE of Jesus!

My whole life I have tried to overcome the words that have been spoken over me, to me, about me, and that I started saying about myself. But until I took this class, I didn’t realize how bad I still was affected! In “Inspired Speech” we have had to speak on different subjects by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What I realized by having to do this, is FEAR has controlled most of life. Fear of failure, fear of dying prematurely, FEAR!!!!!

Three years ago, I fell off a horse and I thought it was over. At the end of a long and painful recovery I was totally incapable of going near a horse. I had been riding for over 30 years and had taught, trained, and showed horses. I had traveled and rode with some of the best riders in the world. Yet I found I was unable to go near a horse, except one that I had, for 29 years. He was the only one I trusted.

After taking this class and realizing the effects that FEAR had on most of the decisions I have made, when asked to say what God had to say about me …..All I could say was….I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I am FEARLESS, I can scale any wall, I AM FEARLESS! That is what Jesus died for, to set us free from all tormenting things. When we have His power, working in our lives we can be through Him, FEARLESS!  I tried my whole life to overcome these words with self effort….to no avail. Now only through the power of what He says about me can I be FEARLESS!

I now can ride a horse, I will scale a wall, and I am jumping over all the things that has held me back from all I was meant to be. What were you meant to be? What has held you back? What do you believe about yourself? Have you believed the truth based on what God says about you…or do you believe lies? You too can be FEARLESS, when you listen to the one, the only one who has the right to say who you are…The one who created you…the one who can empower you to be what you were created to be…..FEARLESS!!! In HIM!

 

Hope Live

Have you ever had one of those hopeless situations? You know, you buy a house and 3 weeks after you buy it, you become disabled and can’t work but you don’t qualify for disability. In trying to get a job that you qualify for, as you watch the mailbox collect all the letters of intent to sue because you have no money, you walk into the interview for a job you were born for and  the human resource person looks at you like the air you’re breathing somehow is offending them. As you hold back the frustration and thoughts of hopelessness you manage to hold your composure only to walk out and see that they have repossessed your car while you were in the interview! HOPELESS, or is it?

Once our family had the privilege to hold another child in our lives. Each day I would pray over the child, feed the child, give loving discipline to him and hold him close in our hearts and lives. We also prayed for his parents to get better. We will call him Elijah. Elijah in just a few weeks went from a being, violent, uncontrollable, and sick, to being full of peace. He took naps now, he ate real meals, and slept through the night. He was beginning to show real affection and the hope of a changed life seemed to be happening right in front of our eyes!

Three weeks after Elijah came into our lives he left. As much as I wanted him to be with his family, I knew they could not provide for him what we could. Not that we are great, we just offered something they did not have, or did they? I silently grieved over the loss of this little boy for years. When his name was brought up at our house, I wanted to run into my room and cry for his life. I would usually start praying with cries of desperation for his life, knowing we would never have him in the safety net of our home again. He was 1½ when he came into our lives. I would think, he doesn’t know Jesus, he won’t remember all the songs we sang, or all the things we did. He can only have one destiny which is the destiny of his family. The thought of a life being stolen from God was more than I wanted to handle.

I remember very clearly going to Jesus and saying,”I don’t know if you can see this, but no one seems to care!” I had been so close to Jesus, He would wake me up in the morning, He would keep me awake at night. I worshiped him day and night and spoke of him to everyone that I came in contact with. I wanted the whole world to know of His wonderful, majestic, beauty and how he saved me one day in my living room when no one else seemed to want anything to do with me. Then I said,” I can’t do this anymore!!” “This” meaning, put myself out there for Him and watch people spit in His face. I did not want to be a part of watching the enemies of God seemingly win. Not after all He had done for me, in my mind I must have failed and HOPELESSNESS took over my life.

I thought this would be just another blog, but it is painful just to remember! This event began a chain of events that almost destroyed me completely. The event being, my rejection of the will of God for my life. Inadvertently by me saying no, I said, “NO” to the most beautiful thing there is. A few days later I repented, I couldn’t stand saying no to Him, but in my heart I would not let myself get to that point of vulnerability again. I closed the door even though my words confessed something else.

A few months ago I was able to see Elijah, I dreaded the thought of seeing that precious boy. I did not want to see what he had become. I imagined doom and gloom, all the worst case scenarios were racing through my mind. Finally I was able to see him, I stared at him, watching every move he made. He did not know who I was, and that is o.k. I just want him to excel in God and have the life he was predestined to have. What I seen shattered every precept I had held with high esteem.

He seemed to be FULL of LIFE! I could see the EFFORTLESS steps he took, he seemed to almost be floating! I could see the Glory of God all over him. I sat and cried, I could not hold back the tears! After about one hour of watching him, I asked his mother if I could speak to him? She said,”SURE”! I looked him in the eyes and said, “Elijah you ARE a spokesperson for God. You WILL reach a multitude of people, ALL of your life will glorify God!”

In an instant his mother turned around as though something had grabbed her! She said,,”EVERYONE tells him that!!! When he was 4 he walked up the aisle at our little church that has NO life and gave his life to the Lord. We had no idea of what he was doing!”

I just smiled and then REMEMBERED……. I repented for not believing that God could answer my prayers. I repented for thinking I needed this boy around me in order for God to be real to him. Who did I think I was? I learned a lesson in HOPE that I will never forget.

Our hope is to be in who Jesus IS, not what we see, think, or even believe. Jesus is bigger than what we believe!! He is who He says He is, whether we believe it or not makes no difference. Jesus is bigger than our environment, our friends, our economic system, our attitudes, our traditions, even our beliefs! I believe all things are possible now!! But the bible says, you believe because you see, but it is greater to believe without seeing. Whoa to me to have to see to believe!

I am sharing this story so that you might BELIEVE without seeing! My HOPE LIVES in a huge way today, I will never make the mistake of not believing in what I cannot see. I can see so big now, but we never see big enough. Daily I challenge myself to let HOPE LIVE in me to a greater degree! I say to you, HOPE LIVE! He is who he says He is! I would challenge you, the reader, to not let your HOPE be dictated by anything except for the word of God! Get a bible on audio, in paper and online.

Any struggle you go through, find scriptures that tells the truth about that situation and let your HOPE LIVE!

The Day That LIFE Opened The Door

“Gina died,” Jole told Robert over the phone with tears.

My husband, Robert, has two sisters that live in Ohio, Gina and Jole, he also has a sister in Georgia. We decided to go to Gina’s funeral but what we had to overcome to get there was a MOUNTAIN. When Robert  talked to me about going, I had said nothing and finally I said, “I will only go if we agree to be LIFE to all we come in contact with. If we can’t be LIFE I don’t want to go!”

That may sound extreme to the average Joe, but to me it is normal. If I can’t be life, I don’t want to go anywhere. Due to the death we faced, we had to be that much more committed to BE life. You see I had been surrounded by death my whole life. It is the worst feeling that there is. I have gone to more funerals than I care to remember, I have felt the weight of hopelessness and depression for most of my childhood and adult life. I have seen futures stolen in an instant due to death. Since coming to World Revival Church in Kansas City, Mo. I have felt more life in the last 2 and ½ years than all the other years of my life. I know that LIFE in abundance is possible. It is the very life force of Jesus that brings new life to people. I have that inside of me and I can choose to give it to others, but I must choose to and not get distracted by what I am surrounded by.

After having our family agreement that we would stay focussed and BE LIFE, we packed our things and hit the road! Within less than 24 hours of our departure, I had to be EXTREME LIFE to a woman who I had not seen for 5 years. She had once lived with us and unfortunately had made some choices that brought us all heartache. That situation had altered the whole family. It had left what would appear to be a stain that could not be removed. I had let her mother know that we only wanted her best, but to no avail there was a WEDGE! This woman would be one of the first people I would see.

I couldn’t wait, I thought I am so excited to see her, what does she look like, what is she wearing, finally we can put the past behind us. After 20 minutes I realized she did not want to face us. It broke my heart. Why are we so quick to continue in a separated life when we were meant to have wholeness in every area of our lives”. After about 30 minutes I looked at my husband and said, ”I will be back, I am going to go and talk to her!” He looked at me with kind of a fearful look and then I said, “It’s o.k.,everything will be….o.k.!”

As I took my faith steps, while praying and breathing in LIFE, what I faced, I was not prepared for! The last time I saw her she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen! Young with a baby, long curly eyelashes, you know the type. What was before me was a frail, weak, lifeless person who was scrambling to survive. I looked at her and I smiled with love ooozing out of me. Soon I felt myself start to loose it, so I turned away as though I was looking at something else. My body began to shake as I started to sob….JESUS HELP HER! As I could no longer hide, I turned with tears running down my face and said, ”You need to LIVE! “ She walked up to me and I grabbed her and held her as tight as I could without harming her. After a few minutes I said, ”You need LIFE”, she said, “I feel LIFE and it is coming out of you!”

Words cannot come close to describing what went rushing through my heart in that second, but what I mostly realized was the faithfulness of Jesus. I was so grateful that through His mercy and kindness, He could begin to erase the devastation of a series of bad choices. It is never too late! We are never too far gone! Life can come in, in the most unusual ways and places or events. We cannot limit the way He chooses to align people to Himself. We must get out of the way and just be LIFE!  He is life! There is no death or darkness in Him. I also realized how easy it is to love. I had never loved anyone that much before, I had never longed to see someone’s life change more than that instant!

There is so much more to this story and it is good! But for now I want to really encourage you that God is in the business of LIFE! If you are lacking it in any area, ask Him for it.

A Different Learning Style: “Kinesthetics” (Who Knew)?

Have you ever wondered why some people seem so smart, yet can’t even remember your name? If you have ever wondered that, then maybe you need to check out the word KINESTHETIC. kin·es·the·sia (k n s-th zh , k n s-). n. The sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints.

I remember being in school and feeling like the dumbest person there. Everyone could read and memorize names of anything. Meanwhile, as they all seemed to be gathering more brain cells, I was riding horses in my head and figuring out all the complexities for my next ride. I used to think I was just distracted. Later I learned that, I had a completely different way of learning than what most schools accommodate. Things may have changed, but I wasn’t accommodated when I went to school.

The common methods of teaching are reading, (visual), or listening, (audio).  Kinesthetics may be taught in a physical exercise class, music, or art. Even in the physical realm of sports, I have found most teachers use the analytical side of teaching, rather than the kinesthetic aspect. Which we call left brain vs. right brain.

As a child I could do anything physical, but after having a c-section most of my strength was gone. That left me impaired, to say the least, when I was paying $50 per hour in the 1980’s for my Dressage schooling. I wanted to become a Dressage trainer.

I was made fun of by my instructor, and I put my body under so much stress, while angering every horse I rode. What was happening to me was more than being physically handicapped; my real handicap was the manner in which I was being taught.

A person must be taught kinesthetically to ride a horse, dance, athletics, singing, and…etc. If not, you may become mechanical at what you are doing, instead of appearing like a natural. Teachers and students before writing yourself off, open up and look into the arena of kinesthetics.

We kinesthetic learners, learn best by doing. I do, do, do, and do until I get it right. I can run any computer program, if it is shown to me while I do it. If you show me anything and I don’t do it while your teaching me, I may need retraining for years.

If you let me do it while you coach me, one or two times, I will master the skill. We are doers, and while you’re talking we have solved every problem to solve in our book, still waiting for the point in which you’re talking about. When you finally give us the point, we have rearranged the way it should have been told to us, and can teach you a better way of teaching. We are not arrogant we just see and learn a different way.

To sum this up, stories that are colorful with facts worth remembering, are the only way we remember what you say. We must live the experience, so give us a story we would want to live. When teaching us talk like this, “when turning to the left you’re shoulders should feel like this,” explain how it ‘feels’. Talk to us like this,”when jumping your horse over the oxer, allow weight to fall into your thighs like a heavy wet towel.”

Ask us a lot of questions after giving us short bursts of information. Ask us; “How would you describe what you feel?” Then repeat our words back to us, that carries more weight in our ability to utilize words.

I don’t think that many people have attention deficit, I think we’re losing children’s attention by teaching methods that only reach the masses. We are not the masses, we are in the pockets and need to be lifted up.

When you talk to your child, co-worker, friend or spouse and you see them get a glazed over look don’t be offended, you just may be speaking in a language that they can’t easily follow. Try a new approach and see if you have a kinesthetic learner in your midst.