Monthly Archives: April 2014

Matching Gifts of Love

DeLonna

This is me and my beautiful friend Delonna. I have introduced her here before…but today is an extra special day so I wanted to tell you about something amazing that you can be a part of!

Delonna is a God-sized dreamer and fellow GSD website contributor. She has only been in my life a little over a year, but I feel like she has been a friend forever.

She has the BIGGEST heart for orphans. A year ago she started an organization called Clothed in Love. Her heart’s desire is to sponsor 40 children with profits from her non-profit.

Isn’t that amazing?!

Right now, after only a year, she has sponsored 15 children! I am so so proud of her!

Delonna is also a woman with a servant’s heart and is currently on a plane, right now, headed to South Africa for a mission trip!! 🙂

Then in July she is headed back to Africa as a part of the Baby Watoto Global Team. She is going to visit an orphanage where she sponsors some children and will get to love on them in person!!

Trips like these cost money and today, on the 1 year anniversary of the start of Clothed in Love, we have an opportunity to help her meet the remainder of her goal.

An anonymous donor has contacted her and offered to match up to $1000 of the funds raised for the 24 hours of April 10th!

You can read more about it here on her Pure Charity webpage.

If you can give $10 today…it will become $20.

If you can give $50, it will become $100!

Ok I don’t need to give you more examples, you get the math!!

I am just so excited about this for Delonna!

I feel called to not only support a dear friend, but to show love to orphans even when I can’t actually go to Africa myself.

Today is the day friends.

I am asking you to pray and consider how you might be able to help make this trip financially possibly for Delonna.

Go here to make a tax-deductible donation and support a wonderful cause…and make your dollar go farther with this amazing, one day only, match! 

Seeking to be the Light

candle flame

Sometimes the darkness in this world can be overwhelming.

I don’t even watch the news much anymore because I rarely find anything encouraging. Maybe that is hiding my head in the sand a bit…or maybe it is protecting my heart.

I easily gravitate towards the negative.

It isn’t something that I like about myself, but it is a part of who I am.

I have to fight it. To not get caught up in the “drama” and go down that dark path.

Recently I, and many of my dreamer sisters, were told “no” to an opportunity that seemed like such an amazing God-sized dream.

I will be honest with you and tell you that I really thought this time might be “it”. My spirit was crushed a little when the “no” came….the lies that I wasn’t good enough started creeping in again.

And I felt without words.

Have you ever been there? Chasing after what you thought was your God-sized dream only to discover it wasn’t in the cards for you. At least not now, not this time.

So I had to ask myself if this one thing was going to define me?

As writers, dreamers, want-to-be-speakers….we are bound to hear “no” from time to time. In fact we may actually hear “no” more than we hear “yes”!

But that doesn’t mean that our words aren’t important!

In fact it is the very reason that we must keep moving forward, keep offering hope to others!

As followers of Christ we are called to be a Light here.

Matthew 5: 14-16:  14 And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. 15 Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. 16 You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

I love these verses in Matthew. Such a reminder that I need to be letting my light shine everywhere I go.

Why?

So that men and women everywhere may see creation at its fullest, may see my devotion to God and turn and praise God because of it.

We are called to be a light, ultimately, so that God can receive praise and glory!

This world isn’t about  me (I know big shocker right?!) 😉

I am here to be a light in the darkness. (<==== Click to Tweet)

I can use this space for my glory…or for His.

I hope that I am always choosing the latter. That the words that spill on to these pages are ones of hope and encouragement and ultimately point you to Jesus.

So while the “no” stings, it doesn’t need to define me. My life has been a series of “no’s” that have eventually opened doors to some amazing “yes” opportunities!

I am called to be a light here, in all seasons.  The good and the difficult because none of this life would be possible without Him.

I can’t ever forget that!

It is always an honor to link up with my fellow God-sized Dreamers. Want to join in on the fun? Jump over here to read more!

GSD Link Up Picture

Photo Credit: Identity Photogr@phy

You Are Not A Failure

Sailboat 1

When I was 16 I knew that I wanted to be a Physical Therapist when I “grew up”. One of my dad’s best friend’s was a PT and he allowed me to go to the clinic after school and shadow there to see what it might be like.

Before I even started college I had hours of volunteer time built up. I loved it. I felt like it was the perfect job for me and set my mind to achieving my goals.

As a Junior I was pre-accepted to the private college of my choice, located in my hometown, with scholarships. It was the college that my parents had both graduated from….everything was falling into place, perfectly

I had no doubt that this was God’s plan for my life.

My first semester of college was tough, but I worked hard and did well. Then in my 2nd semester as a Freshman I took Organic Chemistry. It was HARD and didn’t come easy. I studied and studied for my first quiz….I think I got 20 out of 25 wrong.

A complete and miserable failure.

I am sharing the rest of the story over at God-sized Dreams today – join me there won’t you?!

Original Photo Credit: Derek Keats

The Copper Anchor – April Impact Opportunity and a Giveaway!!

Lisa Print modified 1

Sometimes following our dreams can be risky.

The world may tell us that we are crazy or that our dreams are out of reach….

But if you are following God’s plans for you, Oh, the places you’ll go!

My dear friend, and amazing blog designer, Lisa Larson is following a BIG dream with her husband and kids. She recently shared that they are pursuing adoption.

A big, and at times scary, dream…but one they feel God calling them to.

I have had the opportunity to get to know Lisa over the past year and LOVE her heart for others. Yesterday she opened her new Etsy shop.  They hope to sell these beautiful digital prints, like the one above, so that they can raise funds to help with their adoption costs.

Lisa has so much talent in design – I mean have you seen the beautiful details on my blog? She used those God-given gifts to create some amazing prints. I had a hard time choosing which ones I wanted to order!

I picked out 4 that I will print and use in our toy room!

I would love to help Lisa and Jerad meet their fundraising goal so it seemed perfect timing to feature their shop as my April Impact Opportunity!!

Lisa hasn’t asked me to post this….I just really believe in her and their desire to add another child to their family through adoption.

Would you consider making a purchase to help too?  Right now the digital prints are only $5 and $10!! Once you purchase the digital download you will have access to the print to copy, share, print etc.

A friend on FB suggested that they could even be made into a canvas print! With all the deals I find for canvas prints, I loved this idea!

Following big dreams aren’t easy, and sometimes they take some hard work and a lot of faith….but the journey can be amazing can’t it?!

Thank you for helping to support Lisa and her family! And even if you can’t purchase a print right now I know they would love all the prayers they can get!

For fun I decided that I am going to give away one of these print downloads!! You can get one entry by heading over to Lisa’s shop and coming back and leaving a comment with your favorite print. You can get additional entries for sharing this post on FB and Twitter and if you purchase a print of your own that will give you another entry! Please just leave a comment for each entry separately and also make sure to leave your email address so that once I have a winner picked I can have Lisa send you your pick of prints direct!

Giveaway will remain open until Monday April 7th!

Linking up with my fellow dream chasing sisters today over at God-sized Dreams.

GSD Link Up Picture