You Are Wonderfully Made: A Reflection on God’s Design

 

Mary had a little lamb

Mary had a little lamb

God’s Loving Design for You

Each person is a unique expression of God’s loving design. While we may all feel alone or lonely at times, it is important to remember the divine truths about our existence.

God Created You with Intention

• You are not an accident! Isaiah 44:2 reminds us that God is our creator and cared for us even before we were born.
• The Bible assures us, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me” (Psalm 138:8).

Your Body, Mind, and Gifts Are Carefully Designed

• God chose every detail of your body—your race, skin color, hair, features—and gifted you with natural talents and personality. Psalm 139:15-16 celebrates this thoughtful craftsmanship.
• Though much emphasis might be placed on spiritual gifts, remember the beauty and intentionality in all the other aspects of your being.
• The creative process did not stop at childbirth; God has been molding and shaping you over the years with meticulous care and love.

Your Uniqueness is a Gift

• He placed you in a unique family and gave you a one-of-a-kind personality.
• God has provided you with unique abilities and woven a distinctive assortment of motivators into your life’s fabric.
• He made you absolutely unique for a purpose, driven by His love—Ephesians 1:4 affirms His motive for creating you.

Your Role in God’s Creation

• God designed the world’s environment for us to live in—James 1:18 highlights this intentionality.
• Of all His creations, YOU are the most important. God made you for a reason, a purpose, as part of His divine plan.

Embracing Your Unique Journey

• God’s design for you is precious, perfect, and tailored uniquely for you. He made you exactly how He wanted you to be.
• Your parents, regardless of your childhood experiences, were the ones He chose. Even if we had less-than-ideal childhoods, we can work through struggles and learn to forgive.
• Guess what? We all had less-than-ideal childhoods. Yet, these experiences are part of the intricate story God is weaving for each of us.

Conclusion

You are God’s special creation, designed with love and purpose. Embrace your unique journey, knowing that you are precious in His eyes and perfectly made to fulfill His divine plan.

God’s calling and your legacy.

If you found this post encouraging, you might want to forward it on to your friends! We all need encouragement!

Finding peace with God.

Plannng and it's importance

Pray, Plan and Prioritize...then delegate.

But don't get hung up on planning...the LORD can intervene at any moment and you can change direction! Keep your ears open!

"You already know the ultimate destination of your journey: your entrance into heaven. So keep your focus on the path just before you, leaving outcomes up to Me" Nov 19th Devotion from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

A few notes on "Planning" from the book of Proverbs:

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths." Proverbs 5:21

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD'S purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Proverbs 27:1

We have to remember that these are observations...reality, not promises from the Bible. Our actions have consequences.


So, be sure to pray before making plans...and continue to pray!
______
My TWEETS _________________________________


Finished a good book recently: WHO  by Geoff Smart and Randy Street.

"The most important decisions that business people make are not what decisions but who decisions." -Jim Collins, Author of Good To Great.

That also goes for non profit organizations!
 Good book: Good to Great in the Social Sector. by Jim Collins

WHO
WHAT
HOW

It's relatively easy to figure out What to do and also How to do something.

Maybe a more important decision is WHY we do what we do.
What are our motives? Have we sought the LORD on what we plan to do?

Then the rest becomes easy.

A good book for figuring that out is " Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

If you don't know WHY, You can't know HOW.

"All great leaders have clarity of WHY; an undying belief in a purpose or cause bigger than themselves. It's not Bill Gates's passion for computers that inspires us, it's his undying optimism that even the most complicated problems can be solved. He believes we can find ways to remove obstacles to ensure that everyone can live and worked to their greatest potential. It is his optimism to which we are drawn." P. 134

“If the leader of the organization can’t clearly articulate WHY the organization exists in terms beyond its products or services, then how does he expect the employees to know WHY to come to work?”
― Simon Sinek, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action

Let me know your thoughts!
Have a great day!

Is Jesus the only way to Heaven?

My latest blog post

Why I Get Up in the Morning

 To continue in my relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ, so that  I can:

1.     Be close to Him

2.     Worship Him

3.     Be a fragrant offering to Him

4.     To be a reflection of God into the world

5.     Be Holy as He is holy

6.     Show His love to the world…my family and neighbors

7.     Be an encouragement to people who He brings in my path

8.      

Pastor Matts sermon on August 25^th 2019  Prayer as Soul Shaping

     Prayer As -Soul Shaping With God.

Praying regularly for others

My limitations do NOT limit what God can do in prayer!

Colossians 1:9 

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[

Praying for knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding…

Praying to Live Worthy of the Lord

Colossians 1:10-14

 ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[a] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1                 Bear fruit of the Spirit

2                 Knowledge of God

3                 Patience

4                 Joy and gratitude

Bottom Line:

Living it out…not just knowledge or words, but Blooming Where I am planted …now.

Finding your place to put your gifts & strengths to work, making a difference for eternity

"...Embodying the love of Jesus Christ in the city and the world."  A good vision or mission statement!

The Journey of Life:  To Be God's people..."Embodying the love of Jesus Christ in the city and the world"!

How can one do that?

Start with prayer!

 "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."-Albert Schweitzer
 
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 

 If we truly are Jesus's hands and feet in the world...how can we be good stewards and invest our lives for His glory?  So we can truly make a difference in the world!

●  When searching for Nonprofits to invest in...either as a volunteer or as an investor, what should I be looking for and why?
 
● Start with your church! Look at your churches' website. What is their Mission statement and Vision for your city and the world?

●  It should jump out at you!  And then a clear statement as to how you can serve with them to help fulfill the Lord's vision both for your city and the world! Simple! 

● Maybe even a few short "Serving descriptions" with a 3 minute video of a volunteer telling what they do?


● What is your PASSION? 


● This is the most important item to consider. Need some help in clarifying your passion?

●  Now you need to know your Strengths!  Strengthsfinder 2.0. 

● The $19.99 version is great to use. It gives you your top 5 "Strengths" of the 35 "Strengths."
You get a beautiful 16 page printout of your "Strengths" and how to use them. 

●  If you still aren't convinced to do the "Strengthsfinder 2.0" Assessment...contact me and I will send you my 16 page printout. Just a sample of what you would receive. 


● Set up a visit with your church Volunteer Coordinator, or your favorite non profit.
Be sure to bring along your Strengths" printout to show them and ask how you can use your "Passion" and "Strengths" in advancing their Mission and Vision! Simple!

● Do they have a plan to integrate your Passion, Gifts and Strengths into their ministry and outreach?  Don't get discouraged. This may be something new to them. Set up another meeting.
Are they interested in seeing how your "Strengths" can be a vital part of them fulfilling God's vision and mission with you partnering with them or are they just looking to fill an empty position? Has anyone in their organization taken the assessment?   Maybe you spoke with the wrong person? May be time to move on...

● Don't give up on your church!  Send them a link to this post! 

What one church is doing helping people assess their S.H.A.P.E

Your Spiritual gifts, Heart or Passion, Abilities, Personality and Experiences.
You can take an assessment and they will get back to you with possible places to use your S.H.A.P.E. It's a good assessment, but they don't look at your "Strengths".

Would love to hear your experience! Connect with me on Linkedin or Twitter. 

Meeting for coffee to further discuss your opportunities! 

This Blog is searchable...by Keyword.  Try Strengths, Ministry, Calling, Volunteering, Mission,Vision, Faith, S.H.A.P.E, Passion, Boomer, Eastbrook...to see previous posts going back 8 years. 

   
●  With the thousands of non profits out there...how can I evaluate them?

●  With our instant access to information on the internet, we are probably already searching and can easily get confused. What are we really looking for and why?

●  Even if we don't know it...we are looking for an organization that aligns with our passion...our desires. We all want to make a difference in the world, don't we? 

● The best way is to start as a volunteer with an organization if possible.

 ●  So start by looking at their website!

●  What you want to find immediately when looking at their website:

 1. Mission Statement

2.  Vision Statement or their strategy for reaching their mission.

A great place to start to volunteer is in your own neighborhood...and you set the schedule!

●  This is what I am telling charities that they need on their website!
The Basic info you need on your site! 

●  But what are donors really looking for?

●  You already had some idea of who you wanted to donate to!


 ●   It's all about Passion and Relationships!  What am I passionate about? A Clue

 ●   What is Passion?  "..passion is morally neutral. It is simply a strong feeling or deep longing  for something." ..."Passion is the God-given ability to feel so deeply about something that it causes us to move toward the object of desire. This passion stems from an urge given by God-a burden, an emotional response to a need or opportunity He wants us to move toward. It's not a feeling that we experience and then lose easily. It's persistent and powerful. We can't ignore it."  Discover Your Destiny by Bill & Kathy Peel.

"The thing is to understand myself, to see what God wishes me to do...to find the idea for which I can live and die"-Soren Kierkegaard
 
 "The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” —William James

"...Embodying the love of Jesus Christ in the city and the world."  A good vision or mission statement!

●  So, what is your passion? 

●  We must have clarity about the Vision and Mission of an organization. If I am looking for a charity that I can volunteer with, I look for people I respect who are practical-minded. I want to be sure it's the sort of project that I can bring something of value to, and in which I'm being involved in a meaningful way. So I always ask myself: Is it a mission I believe in? Do I believe in the people who are in it? and does it use my talents and gifts in a way that engage me?"

●  So one of the best ways to evaluate a charity is to volunteer with them...if they are in your area or have a local chapter...like The American Red Cross or The Salvation Army...just two examples!  They are looking for volunteers! They have FREE training, both online and classroom . ●  No matter what your passion, gifts, abilities, past experience, personality etc. are, each of these organizations has a place for you!  You just have to have patience and talk to people at the organization...and start getting connected. The same for any organization.  These are just two International organizations that have local chapters around the country within easy driving distance. Obviously, there are probably other similar organizations that have local chapters. 


●  When contacting an organization...consider calling and talking to Communications  Director or Volunteer Director.  But do your research on their website first!

●  This is what you want to immediately see and clearly understand!

 1. Vision Statement

2.  Mission Statement

3.  Their Strategy for reaching their Mission

4.  It's also great if they have some testimonies from reciepients of their ministry! 


●  There's a lot of noise going on in the world. We need to listen to God speaking to us and that it is God that is speaking.

●   When I stand before Jesus one day, I want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant". Isn't that what you want to hear?
So what are we asking ourselves as we view their website and consider if we should invest in their cause?
So what is God calling me to do?
We all know there is no I in TEAM.
What is God doing in the world through this organization?

●  Can I be a part of their TEAM by donating to Our cause?  As a volunteer and or investor. Yes, it's our cause!

●  If we are already volunteering with an organization...do we feel a part of the TEAM?
How?
How do they communicate with you?
Newsletter?
Phone call for funds?
Phone call to see how you are doing and if you would like prayer?
If you are on social media, do you promote your favorite organization? Tweets and Retweets.
Status Updates on Linkedin. Does organization acknowledge your efforts? 

Have I prayed about how I might be a good steward and use God's funds to further His cause through this organization?

●  Do I need more help in evaluating this organization?

●  How To Make Wise Choices When Investing Your Funds In A Charity! 

●  Where Would You Like to Volunteer?

 

●   If you have questions about the non profits mission and if they are TRUE to the founders original mission, Is The Organization You Want to Volunteer With, True To Their Mission? and why it is important!

 

●   Has your favorite non profit drifted away from it's original vision and Mission?   A good read on this subject of "Mission Drift"

 

Finding peace with God

  I welcome your thoughtful insights. Richard

N

Reflections on The Parable of "The Unforgiving Servant." Matthew: 18:21-35

Why did Peter ask the question?

Was he repeatedly hurt by a brother? Or is this just a story that Jesus told to illustrate a point or teaching?

The obvious lesson of the parable is “Unlimited Forgiveness”

We can all agree on that!  Right? Ok?

But there may or can be more to the story as Paul Harvey used to say.

Something specific that the LORD wants THIS group to understand.

When we are repeatedly hurt…and really do forgive the person…are we immediately healed of the hurt?

Not necessarily!

Example of friend who was repeatedly hurt…and forgave the people…but had a sort of “low grade fever”. As he said.  Not really incapacitated, but like feeling alittle under the weather so to speak. 

Divorce, estranged family members, etc.

Some things are easy to forgive. But there may be bigger things that we haven’t fully dealt with. Maybe don’t know how to or what to do next.

Process:

1.    Need to see the person, not just in light of how he or she hurt, wronged us,…, but through God’s eyes.

2.    Then we can/may see him or her as the wounded and weak one he or she really is.

3.    Whether the person unintentionally or intentionally hurt us, the process is the same.

4.    Forgiving people who hurt us on a day to day basis enables us to forgive those who have deeply wounded us. Not just a one time event.

5.    Healing starts with asking Jesus into this process and into our heart and mind. Only Jesus can heal completely.

A few steps:

6.    Name the ways you were hurt and the sin done to you.

7.    Perception vs. Reality…

8.    Tell God how you feel. Speak from your heart.

9.    Ask Him to show you what He does with the sin that was done against or to you.

10.Ask Him to cleanse and heal you. 

11.Now, choose to forgive the person.

12.Easier said than done. You already have forgiven the person,,,right?

13.Ask God to forgive the person.

14.Now confess to the Lord the sin (your sin) of holding onto unforgiveness and it’s effects on you…all these years. 

15.Relationships MAY be restored…not maybe not always.

16.Reconciliation is NOT always possible.

17.It may take time…

18.Forgiveness has been started.

19.Healing may take time.

20.With Jesus living in us and empowering us to forgive…we can then forgive those who have hurt us. 

21.“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…Mat. 6:12

22.Unforgiveness effects our relationship with God and others.

23.It’s NOT just an issue we have with one particular brother…

24.It effects ALL our relationships. Our spouses, children, parents especially, and the our co workers, neighbors, friends, relatives, CHURCH members!

What is Sin? Real or imaginary? Perception is Reality!

   

1.   Who are the people in your life you need to forgive?

2.   How do you see the effects of unforgiveness in your life?

3.   Any fears about forgiving?

 Forgiveness is the great evidence that we have become new creatures in Christ and that the Spirit of Christ lives within us. 

·        Personal Reflection

·         

·        Sometimes we think we have already dealt with a person or an issue, yet it comes creeping back into our hearts. That’s because there can be layers of unforgiveness, especially if the offense was severe or happened over a long period of time.

·        Sometimes we may hold unforgiveness, bitterness and even resentment in our hearts towards a person. We may even hold some bitterness toward God for allowing some things to happen in our lives. 

·         

·        Even after we may have consciously forgiven someone, we may still have recurring memories of the situation...

·         

·         "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you." -Corrie ten Boom

·        Closing prayer:  

·         

·         

·        Heavenly Father, I ask that You heal now the wounded places in my (our) soul(s). Heal my memory of those offenses so that I can look back on them realistically, knowing that they were hurtful but also knowing that You Lord, have healed the hurt. And use those experiences for the healing of others that I have come in contact with. 

Some other thoughts on forgiveness

 

The Key to Joy!

 

Spiritual Laws & Forgiveness 

 

You can see my posts on Twitter.