freedom has a price

with today being memorial day, i wanted to pause and say a big thanks to the men and women who serve our country. many of them are friends and friend's spouses, and i'm grateful that they have chosen to faithfully and courageously serve our country. so, as you grill your burgers and cruise around the lake today, take a minute to pray for our military and their families. after all, they've sacrificed to make today possible.

happy memorial day!

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

feeding children everywhere

yesterday, i had the opportunity to volunteer to fill food bags for children in ghana, africa. one of my coworkers asked if i would be interested in going and it took all of 0.2 seconds after reading the email to join in with a resounding YES!

i had never heard of feeding children everywhere before yesterday, but i must say they have their system down to an art. and when we were there during our lunch break to fill bags, they were already at 60,000 bags for the day (and counting!). i took a few pics while we were filling (quite the challenge since i was responsible for pouring the veggies in and handing bags to the people weighing them...and couldn't miss my turn or i'd throw the system off).

anyway, moral of the story is that i love what this organization is doing and i hope you'll make time to volunteer and serve somewhere this week. there are so many needs around us waiting to be met if we'd only open our eyes (but that's another topic for another day). i always walk away encouraged with a renewed perspective, and i trust that my efforts will be a blessing to those receiving the final product.

step 1: secure bag under funnel (thanks for the demo, Libby!)

step 2: salt (and some other stuff that i never figured out)

step 3: veggies (my station)

step 4: lentils

 step 5: rice

bags ready to be weighed 

 

bags are sealed and ready to send!!

amy, lisa, libby, and me. aren't the hairnets classy?

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

pure and undefiled religion

y'all, isn't my friend Joy gorgeous? i tease her all the time about how photogenic she is. i've never seen a bad picture of her. no one has. i've tried. i even creeped back into facebook pics from before i knew her. nothing. it's incredible! but what i find even more gorgeous and incredible is her heart. this girl has a huge heart for the orphans and widows of Africa, particularly Uganda (where she's living right now). she has a heart that serves without ceasing. she has a heart to carry His name to the nations and proclaim the gospel to all people. she has a heart to nurture and love. no matter where i am, my prayer is that i, too, will have a gospel-driven heart like Joy.

"pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:

to visit orphans and widows in their distress,

and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

james 1:27

"hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

proverbs 13:12

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

wrestling with expectations

credit: pinterest

this seems to be a theme in my life right now. i've said something to this effect both to myself and others numerous times lately. so as nice as it would be, i can't expect the people around me to have a heart to serve just because i do. i want them to have that desire for their own sake and for the sake of making much of Christ by being servants in a self-consumed society. but i can't expect that from them. it's their choice. God has to work in their heart the same way he worked in mine.

i also can't hold other people to my personal standards. if they don't know the Lord, they don't operate under the same set of moral principles as i do. and as much as i want them to, that's the Holy Spirit's job, not mine. i get to serve them through a gospel-minded lifestyle and love them well. and if they do know the Lord and are choosing to set their gaze on temporal things, then i get to show them what it looks like to live a life focused on the eternal instead.

i have a tremendous opportunity to live the gospel every single day. and so do you. live it well.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

in my sight and on my mind

There’s a war inside of me. Recently I’ve been confronted with the issue of poverty and homelessness. Men and women stand at every intersection in Tampa with their backpack, sign, and reflective vest. Some even have coolers of bottled water to sell in hopes of making a small profit to support their family. This is where the war inside me begins.

I can’t ignore their pleas. I can choose not to respond, but I cannot ignore. I am already aware. My heart breaks. I can choose to respond. I can help. But I hesitate. On one hand, I do not want to enable unhealthy behaviors and feed an addiction. On the other hand, who am I to judge which individual is worthy of my assistance and which is not? Am I not just as helpless and needy in the sight of my God?

After a little digging and research, I’m humbled and challenged. God clearly has a heart for the poor. And I have a responsibility as a disciple of Christ to meet the needs of others. Not to judge. Here’s a peak at some of what I found.

“If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

–Deuteronomy 15:7, 11

“The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

–Proverbs 14:20-21, 31

“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

–Proverbs 21:13

 “‘He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know Me?’ declares the Lord.” –Jeremiah 22:16

“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”

–Ezekiel 16:49

 

As a disciple of Christ, I am commanded to help and be openhanded in meeting the needs of others. And after further digging, it’s clear to me that God blesses those who generously and genuinely care for the poor as an act of service to Him. Now my challenge is to find practical ways to do that (without judging) and not be careless with my resources in the process. I’ll welcome any ideas and input y’all have.

So the world may know,

Bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

quote of the week

"one thing i know: the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

-albert schweitzer                  

this one is one of my all-time favorite quotes. i first encountered it in college when one of our athletic directors used it in a charge to the graduating senior student-athletes. it gripped me. because it's true. the weeks that go by where i am so consumed with my own life and what i need to be doing are some of the most miserable. but when i step back and take a look at the needs of those around me, my own chaos tends to diminish. and i encounter a joy unspeakable. i wouldn't trade it. i love making someone's day just a tad easier, brighter, happier, smoother, etc. even better when they don't know it was me. :)

hope you're all off to a great start to your week. challenge yourself to find a way to serve someone each day for the next 7 days. you'll be surprised how easy it is when it's on your mind.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.