1 There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
My friend and coworker was planting blubs of flowers yesterday, in the dark, before a storm. I asked her why we plant them now, she explained to me it's better to plant now so by spring they will be rooted and before a storm so that they settle.
Andy Stanley said "God does his best shaping and making during adversity."Just like these flowers God is going to root us more through the storm, the snow, the dreary weather of our lives more than the colorful, bright, cleared sky of our lives. It is during these times of Spring we begin to forget that we need God, that we need him in every decision, every move we make, every flower, and every cloud.
God has shaped me more in the past year then ever before, because I leaned on him. Every little prayer, every moment of silence, every inch of patience I received even after my patience was gone was from Him because God shapes us the most during adversity. When I am discouraged, tired to the core, upset, ready to quit He is there pushing me. Before this experience I did not realize how much I forgot about Him and it makes me feel so ashamed, but I know that is one of the main reasons i'm here.
I love Toms shoes, in fact I own two pair. They are my
favorite because they are comfortable, washable, fun, and they make me smile
every time I put them on. If you are not familiar with the Toms shoe brand they
are shoe and now glasses company that follows the one for one campaign. You buy
one pair of shoes or glasses, and they give one pair of shoe or glasses to
children in need. Some people say they are two expensive my response is well I
bought two pair, one for me and one for a friend.
Charity Water! An organization dedicated to building wells
and bringing clean water to communities in need. They asked for people to
donate their birthdays! Instead of asking for objects or money they want you to
donate water. By setting up your own Charity Water page and allowing people to
donate online. The organization promises 100% of the funds raised go to the
water campaigns and they fundraise for the business ends, brilliant idea.
ZOE ministries, or Zimbabwe Orphan Endeavor, is dedicated to
helping communities in Africa buy building school houses, providing farming
skills and animals, and much more. During their seasonal “Gifts that Grow” you
can purchase a farm animal to give to a community. The community learns how to
care for those animals and it becomes a sustainable source of income and food
for the community.
These organizations along with many more like them are doing great things but it is not enough to buy what they are selling because we can't buy God. It isn't enough to believe in what they are doing, we have to do good.
Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to DO GOOD while they live.
Giving money and buying products that help good is great but God tells us that we are to "be happy and DO GOOD." You can't just stop after you buy a pair of shoes, and a goat for a village.
As a society we have become lazy thinking that if we go to church, give our tithe, and give a little more for some side projects our job is done. We get to caught up in the Product.
We cannot be bothered to take one of our only days off to try and go to a soup kitchen, we would have to call and find a time. Our lives are to busy for the Process.
We make excuses..i'm tired, I need to do laundry, I tithed this week, it's my only day off, someone else will do it. You are holding yourself back. Person
I am just as guilty! Since I have dedicated over a year to being an AmeriCrops member in Detroit I often have these thoughts that "that is enough." The truth is it is never enough for our God. Our God who gave his only son to die on the cross for our sins and we are to self involved to get up on our one day to sleep in to go do exactly was he told us..."DO GOOD!"
We can not sit on the sideline any longer. We can no longer sit in our rocking chairs talking the talk, no more "bless her heart" we need to go out and have our hearts be blessed by Him. We have to put on our Toms and walk in them toward the messes!
Andy Stanley said at Catalyst 2012 "The greatest thing you do may not be what you do, but when someone watches you do what you do." You may get discouraged thinking "I cannot change the world I am only one person" but what if someone saw you going out there "walking the walk?" Then they decided to walk with you, then someone else, then someone else.
Some 250,000 people attended the Civil Rights March on Washington...it started with a walk.
1 There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: 
Andy Stanley said "God does his best shaping and making during adversity."Just like these flowers God is going to root us more through the storm, the snow, the dreary weather of our lives more than the colorful, bright, cleared sky of our lives. It is during these times of Spring we begin to forget that we need God, that we need him in every decision, every move we make, every flower, and every cloud.
God has shaped me more in the past year then ever before, because I leaned on him. Every little prayer, every moment of silence, every inch of patience I received even after my patience was gone was from Him because God shapes us the most during adversity. When I am discouraged, tired to the core, upset, ready to quit He is there pushing me. Before this experience I did not realize how much I forgot about Him and it makes me feel so ashamed, but I know that is one of the main reasons i'm here.
