Let me encourage you that you are not alone in your suffering!

Jesus is here. He is there in your brokenness.

Right now. He’s with you.

But despite what you may be thinking, He’s not there with a wooden ruler, ready to slap your spiritual hand for all the wrong you’ve done! No, no, NO! His loving presence is with you to comfort, to console, to accept you IN all your mean, ugly, snotty mess! Let Him! Let Him love you, dear friend. Let His grace open your eyes to His love that wants to set you free from the desperation & loneliness you feel right now.

I’ve been there, more than I’d like to admit, honestly. I’ve been to that dark place – with lots of people around me that loved me – I was convinced I was alone because I didn’t ‘feel’ loved! Broken beyond repair. It wasn’t until I stopped looking to everyone else, and completely surrendered to Him, that I could hear His sweet Voice saying, “I’ve gotcha! You’re not gonna drown! You’re not going under, Daughter! I’m right here! Reach for Me.” I tend to be stubborn so it took me a while to get to that point of surrender. But He patiently waited and tenderly pulled me close to heal from my brokenness. And that healing wasn’t just for me! Knowing His unrelenting love has freed me to have a greater compassion & love for others in their mess too! And He does the same for you.

Life is a journey and while we may not always feel His love, He is faithful and never leaves our side. I read something the other day that has stuck with me. Perhaps it will you too. It is simply that

“You need Me every moment”

Let that sink in! I need Jesus every moment! You need Him every moment…

in the highs, the lows

in life’s joys & life’s blows!

(and lets face it, life just blows sometimes, doesn’t it?!)

While I was preparing this post, which I felt an urgency to do, I started listening to worship songs on YouTube (mostly to drown out my kids excitement of playing the Wii!) and chose a song I’d never heard of by Kari Jobe. I want to share it with you. The video is slightly cheesy (okay, really cheesy) but the words are powerful – close your eyes and let the words flow into your heart as Jesus is singing them sweetly over you.

One line of the song really stuck out to me.

“I’ll take you to my quiet waters

I’ll restore your soul.

Come rest in Me and be made whole.”

You are not alone. You need Him in this moment. Be refreshed in His presence today.

 Shine On!

Danielle

Once all the funds are in from the local events, they will be wired to Swaziland and the Bheveni children will be told that they can return to school for the entire year, without worry of being turned away!

I know many of you, like me, wish that you could be there to see the looks on kids’ faces when they are given the great news! Remember the hysteria created a few years ago when Oprah surprised her entire studio audience with a new car? “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!”

Yeah. It’ll be that, but x160!!

“YOU get an education! YOU get an education!

YOUUUUU get an education!”

The children will be shouting and spontaneous singing will break out! I can hear them singing now, “I just want to say, Niyabonga, Jesu” (Thank You, Jesus!) And of course, Make Maksohazane will immediately begin doing her African Praise Dance, with one hand in the hand and a war cry like you’ve never heard!

Let me remind you, Giver -

You did NOT go without lunch for nothing.

You did NOT plan a local Love4Lunch event in vain.

You did NOT just throw your money to the wind.

Your money is going to REAL kids in REAL need of a REAL opportunity!

Your prayers, your dollars, your efforts combined with the hard work of the natives & staff in Swaziland will bring change and opportunity the children wouldn’t have had otherwise.

I’m so proud of my Jesus & my community! You did not turn a blind eye or say, “Those kids half way around the world are NOT my problem!” You served them as Jesus in Disguise! I’m so humbled & grateful that you let His Love flow through you this Valentine’s Day! Guaranteed it was the best lunch money you’ve ever spent!

On behalf of the children, their caretakers, and Children’s HopeChest, I say a big fat thank you!!! Keep praying, keep giving, keep loving!

Shine On!

Danielle

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Our original goal was $5,000. I chose this because… wow! Five G’s sounded HUGE…  and my faith wasn’t big enough! Within the first few hours of the day, y’all proved that it was small potatoes... as was the next goal $8,500!

So we upped the goal again for a few reason:

1. Several people couldn’t participate yesterday but are giving up their lunches & donating today and later this week. You too can donate still here (without a code) HopeChest Love4Lunch

2. Two more localized events (in specific towns) still need to report their total funds raised.

and

3. The biggest reason is b/c last year it cost over $11,000 to providing schooling for all the Bheveni children. THAT was before 30 NEW children started coming! So it is a realistic goal to reach – $11,000 – will help provide educational access to nearly all the 160 orphaned & vulnerable children who come to Bheveni for food, love, and hope for a better future! Honestly, my faith in the Lord & in our community tells me we will quite easily surpass this goal as well!

And guess where we are? 36 hours into Love4Lunch &

85% of the $11,000 has already been raised!!!! 

CLICK HERE to see for yourself!

We are only $1,700 (15%) away!

The thought of each of the children being told, “YES! You ALL get to go to school this year” causes me so much joy for them that I can hardly describe it. Jesus is answering their prayers through us!!! He is making a way for them where there has seemed to be no way! If our God is for us, than WHO can be against us?

And let me remind you that your God is FOR YOU too! The seed you are sowing into their lives, is sown into fertile soil, and it will produce abundant, abiding fruit in them and in you!!!

He is faithful!

He is Jehovah-Jireh, OUR Provider!

Give Him praise, y’all and forget not all His benefits!!!!

So here’s one more opportunity to Give your lunch money & share the SWEET Love of Christ!

Shine On! 

Danielle

I pray today you are surprised by someone who goes out of their way to show their love for YOU! Of course, no amount of human love can compare with how captivated & adored you are by your Creator. What I find amazing about His love is that it can not be earned and it can not be stolen! His Love is perfectly eternal and ever-present.

Romans 8:37-39  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I want to remind you about Love4Lunch that is happening TODAY! What better day to spread the love of God all the way across the world!

Skip your lunch today and instead give those few bucks so that our Bheveni Carepoint children can return to school for the year. Children’s HopeChest has made online giving even easier than before. Just follow this link – NO CODE is needed at this link!

Love4Lunch QuickGive Page

(no code necessary here)

Thank you my lovely friends & readers!

Shine On!

Danielle

As you may know, so much of what I love to do is done through Facebook. I see God changing lives, especially mine. The community of children we pray for & support from a distance through Children’s HopeChest is solely connected through Facebook. I often talk about the Bheveni Carepoint kids on my blog, but rarely do I talk about the community that loves them like family.

Children’s HopeChest has several “Connect Communities” each an online group advocating for children at a specific carepoint in Africa, but of course, ours is THE BEST – filled with the most amazing, gifted, funny, snarky, chatty, tag-happy, generous, and excitable group of people I’ve never met.

Everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, they bravely wield the sword of their hand (their mouse) to harness the power of the world (the internet), to share a contagious passion that God has given them for a group of children most of them have never met. Through stories, pictures, videos, etc we have all become one big happy Bheveni family, hearts fully connected with each other and with the 160+ children we love so dearly. Only God could’ve knit our hearts together like this!

What I love about our online community is that they aren’t just sittin’ on their bums talking about how things ‘should’ change. They are making change happen. Changing lives in their local towns. Changing lives across the world. 

Don’t believe me? (Of course you do, but humor me.) I’m gonna prove my case.

Through the amazing dedication and teamwork of local Swazis, Adventures in Missions, Children’s HopeChest & sponsors, the children who are coming to Bheveni Carepoint have security knowing that their basic needs for a warm meal, clean water, basic medical care & abundant love are being met. But like any child, the goal isn’t just survival – we want them to THRIVE and be given opportunities to soar! But first their roots must be planted in a solid foundation known as education! 

In Swaziland, all children must pay tuition to go to school. On average it costs about $250 per year, per child to receive an education. Every. Child.

CLICK THIS LINK – GIVE LOVE!

Their school year started in January, and already children are being turned away from the school houses simply because they don’t have money.

I’d been asking God if there’s anything we should do to help. That’s where He & our Bheveni Family step up.

About two weeks ago I came across an awareness event that a missionary friend in Guatemala was doing on Feb. 3rd called One Day/One Lunch. LIGHTBULB!!! This gracious missionary said we could most certainly adopt her idea to raise awareness & funds for the Bheveni kids who were turned away from school.

Here’s the fork in the road. Some of you will think I’ve gone coo-coo for cocoa puffs, while others will think I’m suddenly somehow closer to God.

I assure you neither of those paths will explain what happened. While reading about One Day/One Lunch, the Lord opened my eyes to see exactly how to adapt it for our community of kids. The name – Love4Lunch, the date to do it, the concept for finding “Cupids” willing to take the idea into their offices, churches & local communities. All within like 10 minutes. For realz.

All God’s big idea. I’m just not that crazy and definitely not that smart.

My sole responsibility in this is to SPREAD the word. God is responsible for the results.  Shew! So I can do this! (Yes another fundraiser!) I can do this because I’m not responsible for how it turns out! If it’s a colossal failure, it’s not because of me! If it’s a success, it’s not because of me! SWEET!!!

So WHAT in the blazes am I talking about?

CLICK THIS LINK – GIVE LOVE!

LOVE4LUNCH!!!! L4L events are popping up all over the place thanks to God & our Bheveni community (you know, the ones who are chatty & amazing & yada yada yada…)!

- Here in Minnesota at least 3 local schools are giving their staff the opportunity to Love4Lunch.

-In Louisiana, a grass-roots fashion entrepreneur who is pregnant & really should be resting, is selling tickets to a noon hour fashion show at a fancy lakeside restaurant!

-In Texas, a company is offering a matching grant simply because their best employee asked!!!

-In Tennessee, H.O.S.T. (Helping Others by Serving Together) led by a woman who MUST be the granddaughter of E.F. Hutton. (Seriously, she talks, people listen!!!) is sponsoring a pancake breakfast, auction and even a blood drive on Tuesday!

-In Mississippi, Washington, Colorado, South Carolina families are skipping a meal together!

…and the list goes on! It’s happening! Individual people are giving up lunch & inspiring others to do the same, so life can be a bit sweeter for children most have never met.

How about you?

On Tuesday will you skip lunch & give the money instead towards the education of children who have EVERYTHING working against them, except God! Your lunch may cost ya $3.00 or maybe even $10 if you & a buddy head to Chipotle for a Barbacoa (which weighs about the size of a chubby newborn). Skip it JUST once!

If you don’t have a local event, you can give online quite easily.

CLICK THIS LINK – GIVE LOVE!

So I just wanted to share the love & enthusiasm that a G0d-inspired idea is creating!

Here’s to NOT having lunch together on Tuesday! XOXOXO

Shine On! 

Danielle

ps. There’s still time for you to ask your peeps to join you. Click this link to find out even more about how to spread L4L to your community of friends & co-workers. Love4Lunch Page

So why doesn’t He show up as much as we think He should? Why doesn’t He wipe out the evil we see everyday – slander, corruption, hatred? Okay, enough about the upcoming election…

Seriously, don’t you want to see God move? If you’ve spent any time with other Christians you’ve probably heard that phrase, “I want to see God MOVE!” For me, that means that I long to live:

-to see my boys grow up and become mighty men, fully in love with Jesus. No, not mamby-pamby Christian men who think being a Christian equates to being nice. God’s men in the Bible were often anything but nice – they FOUGHT for God’s plan, God’s will, and were willing to do & say anything (even give their very lives) for Him.

-to see the people I love know that they are not alone, that they are loved! Recently someone told me that they didn’t think I loved them like I should. Of course, at first I got defensive, “WHAT? How can you THINK that???” Then (okay, two days later) I realized it doesn’t matter if I KNOW I love them. That doesn’t count. They have to know it. I can do more to SHOW my love in this particular relationship, and so I’m trying to act on that love that I feel, so that they feel it to. See that? Love takes action.

-for His glory – not my own. What does that even mean? It means that I fall so deeply in love with my Savior – who paid the ultimate price to SHOW HIS LOVE – that my own plans, my desires, my need for approval take a backseat to His plans & desires. I seek to mirror His love. Somedays I seek this more than others, admittedly. When I start walking in my own plans & desires, I screw it up. Living for His glory to me means being a Light to a hurting world. When we’re loving & living for Him, His Light shines brighter through us to those we live & work with. When we’re loving & living for ourselves, our own so-called ‘Light’ shines. Know what they see? Not much. {SOAP BOX ALERT: Perhaps this is why people are fleeing churches at an alarming rate these days – they come through the doors and we don’t give them Jesus’ Light! We give them our ‘look how much we have to offer’ and ‘if you wanna belong here, you gotta look & act like this’ kind of Light! Our lights are shade compared to His Loving Glory. I think many of us realize this, but we’re not sure what to do about it.}

The solution is simple, peoples. Simple. I did not say easy.

Fall in love with Him!!! 

When you’re in love with someone, all you can think about is that person, right? You want to know everything about them and spend as much time with them as possible. What starts to happen? Have you seen couples that are attached at the hip? After awhile they start sounding alike, finish each others sentences, and in some cases even start looking alike!

That. That is what I long for. I want to be intertwined with Him. I want to be passionate for what He is passionate about. I want my heart to break for what breaks His. I want His joy to be mine, and my joy to be His. Don’t you?

The truth is falling in love requires action. 

I feel like I have so much to say on this subject. Guess I’m just excited to be able to put into words what I’ve been increasingly feeling – He is passionate about loving us and He pursues us relentlessly. He longs to be glorified & loved in return.

What kind of action will you take to show your love for Him? Perhaps it’s getting to know Him better by reading His word. Perhaps it’s forgiving or serving someone, even though they don’t deserve it. Perhaps it’s sitting quietly when you think you’re alone and say, “Jesus, I trust Your love. Teach me to show that love to others.”

Shine On! 

Danielle

Nothing says Jesus Loves You like a can of beanee weenees!

After learning & reading more in depth about Mary, the mother of Jesus last week and getting so much encouragement from her joyful trust in God’s promises, I decided to keep reading further in the Book of Luke. As you would expect, there’s more great examples of how we are to live our lives for the Lord.

This post has nothing to do with V-ice, but can I help that he coined the phrase 'Word to your mother' ever so eloquently???

Recently Pastor Jason Pence slapped me right in the face!

well…

his sermon slapped me

I mean…

the Holy Spirit convicted me through his sermon.

Convicted. Challenged. Slapped. You get the idea.

In short, his message was about the mother of all mothers. Mary. The poor, uneducated teenager who, upon learning that she was preggers, was like, ‘cool – whatever you say, Lord’.

Hold up – If Jesus even asks me to sacrifice a few days (okay, hours) without food, my first reaction is ‘get thee behind me, Satan! This can’t be God! I must have nourishment’ (yes, snickers & Pepsi count as nourishment, thank you very much)!

But not Mary. The Bible records that yes, she was greatly troubled/petrified/scared to death, but not once does she whine, complain, or try to get out of it. In fact she instantly began to worship the Lord in acceptance of His plan, no matter the personal, temporal cost. It’s my belief that she had been fervently seeking His plan long before the angel of the Lord appeared to her. 

In the face of public humiliation, she focused on God’s plan.

At the potential of losing everything including her fiance, her family, her very life she praises the Lord saying, “For He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His name!”

What did Mary have that I don’t?

Trust.

I’m convinced that she was able to immediately accept God’s will for her (and all the pain that came with it) because she loved the Lord more than anything or anyone and had learned how to hear His voice above all the other voices that told her this was coo-coo crazy.

Three truths Pastor JP presented:

1. God uses people who desire to do His will. Seriously ask yourself what you desire to do the most.

2. God uses people who decide to pay the cost. There is a cost. What are you willing to give up to be used by God? Approval of man? Your comfortable life? Your money & time? Are you willing to risk it all?

3. God uses people who dare to trust His promises! How much do you trust God? Enough that you can praise Him when He calls you to do seemingly crazy things like give birth to His Son? Well, that role is already taken, so no worries there!

Let me encourage you to pause today, lean in close to hear the whisper of your Heavenly Father calling you to know & trust His voice above the world’s fearful chatter.

Typically, God’s plan doesn’t lead you down Earthly Easy Street, but remember God’s plan is higher than your plan. {in other words, God is smarter than you!} The rewards for obeying & following His voice are eternal. Yeah, like, Forrrrevverrrrr! That’s why Paul says we are to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. We serve an eternal God and though we may suffer earthly trials, it pales in comparison to basking in his forever glory & riches.

I pray for you today, readers, that you would know your Heavenly Father’s great love for you.Because once you have experienced His unfathomable and undeserved love, a desire will awaken your heart to know, serve & risk it all for this gracious God who has redeemed your soul!

I urge you not to settle for the comfortable life or the so-called American dream of success & happiness. Life is about so much more than pretty decorations, political parties, fashionable shoes, counting calories, and being a ‘good person’!!!! Those things leave us empty and were never meant to fulfill God’s people.

As my mother often says, God didn’t call us to a soft life. (If you need examples, look to the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.) There will be many trials to overcome and many blessings to share. He has blessed us not so we can be comfortable and self-pleasing children, but that we can give more and live the great adventure He has mapped out for us! Just like Mary, your adventure holds many ups & downs but the good news is that He goes with you through each twist & turn and HE HAS ALREADY OVERCOME it all!!!

So I ask you, do you desire for God to use you to further His redemption story in the lives of others the way Mary did? Take a step of faith, surrender your plan, your time and resources and seek Him for the next step…

Then strap on your big girl boots and dig in your heels because God is about to take you on the ride of your life!

Shine On!

This just screams Christmas, doesn't it?

I’m willing to bet your morning inbox is filled with subject lines like this:

—>ONE DAY ONLY: Save 65% on a Burnt Chocolate Candle your Grandma will pretend to love

—>CLEARANCE!!! Imported handmade by a 6 year old in India knit scarf specially priced at $42.50

—>FREE SHIPPING!!! Don’t miss anyone on your list – Bulk order gifts to stuff everyone’s stockings!!!*

wowzer.

what.a.deal.

You can ask anyone who knows me, I love a good deal! I love the feeling that I’m getting something for nothing, especially at Christmastime. In fact there’s an adrenaline rush that goes along with it. Perhaps that’s why we Americans go ga-ga for 3a.m. Black Friday sales & Cyber Monday extravaganzas… we love getting a deal even more than we love giving the gift! 

I found a deal even better than all of this – the deal of the millennium!

You can give a gift that will be forgotten before New Year’s or…

You have the chance to change a child’s life forever!

Use Cyber Monday to Change the Story for a child in Swaziland, Africa and do it in honor of one of your family members!

Instead of spending $$$ to give Grandma the sweet smell of burnt chocolate, give her a gift that gives life. Spend the $$$ HERE, then write Grandma a festive note saying her Christmas gift is extra special this year, it’s bringing life & education to orphaned and at-risk children in Swaziland!**

All joking aside, if we as Christians truly believe Jesus is the Reason for the Season, if we truly believe heaven is for real, and that we are the Body of Christ here on earth, we will ACT on those eternal truths, we will GIVE as Christ has commanded… and we’ll do it with JOY!!!!

Learn to do right; Take up the cause of the fatherless

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because

   I was hungry and you gave me no meal, 
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed, 
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, 
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’ Matthew 25:37-40

Do you see Jesus in her eyes?

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. Matthew 6:20-21

As you will read if you click HERE, as a family, we are each giving up one Christmas present this year and instead putting that money to better, eternal use by participating in Change Their Story. As much as I want my children to love the holiday season, I don’t want them to love the greedy, commercialized version. Giving up one Christmas gift so that a child across the world can have a better life seems like a great way to celebrate Jesus’ birthday! I challenge you & your family to do the same – to Give it UP! You may be surprised how willing they are to put Christ back into Christmas!

Shine On!!!!

Danielle

—>> How are you making Christmas more meaningful & Christ-centered for your family this year? I’d love to hear your ideas & insights! <<—

*fine print: Hello Kitty bookmarks sold in bulk quantities only – must spend $200 to get free shipping offer.

**BONUS: Not only will you save & protect childrens’ lives, trust me, you’ll totally be Gma’s new favorite grandkid! Now THAT’s a deal!!!

You ARE the weakest link!

There’s been very few times in my life that I’ve been more aware of how weak I am.

I can’t say I ever walk around uber-confident or super close to God… but the past few weeks, faced with people & situations that seem beyond ‘fixable’ I am more acutely aware of how frail I am.

I find myself wanting to run away from the daily struggles that remind me of my frailty; to escape the magnifying glass of challenges, mistakes and failures…

I see my husband’s heart for orphaned and at-risk children, and join him in his desire to do more, to give our plans, our lives to answer the call of Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do right, seek justice; Defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

We’re both sick of life as usual and spending our time doing things that don’t have eternal significance. Yet the doors just haven’t opened for us to give our full-time attention to it so we sit with this desire for ‘more’, trying to be content where we are and faithful at our current jobs. Waiting is not our speciality.

The expanse between where we are and where we want to be seems too wide and too deep. The battle between reality & desire rages on and it has taken a toll on all of our relationships. It’s in these battles that I want to retreat and RUN for comfort and peace anywhere I can find it… usually into the arms of Facebook and chocolate.

Then I see my ten year old son, who was diagnosed with a form of autism called Aspergers Syndrome (AS), being left out & bullied at school because he’s weird and literally doesn’t know how to be a friend. Our family of four often walks on pins & needles not knowing when or where the chaos of AS will explode. I long to protect him not just from others, but from himself.

I’ve put off getting him the help he needs outside of school for several reasons, but mostly because I’ve been in denial & not willing to invest money I don’t have for the tools of therapy and other things he needs. I think to get him the help he truly needs, it will take every ounce of my time & strength and that there will be nothing left of me.

Someone slap me!  How selfish!

I seriously don’t think anyone can understand unless they have a child with special needs, how heartbreaking & lonely it can be for the entire family as they discover how to adapt and live so their child can learn and thrive.

I guess I just poured out my guts to you because I want to be vulnerable and stop denying that I am too weak to handle life’s curve balls. Don’t you ever get sick of pretending you’re okay?

The past three days especially, I’ve wanted to r.u.n. But unlike the days before, I’ve r.a.n. to Jesus. I’ve been crying out, “God!!!! I suck!!!!! I can’t get it together!!!!” (I think God likes it when we talk to Him as a friend, and not try to impress Him with religious vocabulary.) And do you know what God says? Well, nothing audible at this point, but I’ve been drawn more to the Word – to read His love letters to me

…to rest in Him

…to seek Him (not His plan)

…to fall in love with Him again (and not settle for phony fixes).

He’s reminding me that I am supposed to be weak. When I’m weak and I run TO Him, He takes that weakness, that humility that says “I can’t do it without You, God” and He infuses His peace, His comfort, and His strength to get through what life brings. This is what I want my husband and sons to see – Christ’s strength working through my weak hands & faint heart to pour His love through to them and others.

So instead of running away & hiding our weaknesses, lets all step back and realize God isn’t keeping score on how well we hold it all together. He’s waiting (with open arms) for us to run to Him, acknowledging our brokenness, surrendering our definition of strength, and trust Him for the journey and the outcome.

Has life gotten messy & confusing for you too? Are you waiting for a door of opportunity to open? Where do you run to when you are at your weakest?