Planking

Planking is pretty funny.  It cracks me up how something so simple has caught on in such a huge way. The part that's funny is that it's completely random and unexpected. The video I've attached keeps me laughing at how very creative people can be in their "Planking". :)

Recently I've been praying for ways to sacrifically serve others, to show them the love of Christ. 

My parents are complete opposites, and I joke that because of their crazy opposite gene's, I turned out to be an Introverted-Extrovert. Which means I can't stop talking or doing Extraverted things but as soon as I do, I'm embarassed, lol!

So that makes what I'm about to say Really hard on me. :)

I've started praying for the Lord to lay people on my heart that have a need.  Everytime I do He brings at least one person to mind.  There's a difference between Him doing it and it being a random person I'm thinking of - He plagues me with this person, brings them to mind repeatedly and as soon as I start to try and push it aside He makes it even louder.  (He has to do this because I struggle with praying and then immediately being sucked back into "Life" and forgetting what I prayed. Does anyone else do that?) 
So then I begin to pray that the Lord would lay on my heart how I can serve them and show them the love of Christ. 

Side Note: Who He brings to mind is not always non-Christians. It's often sisters in Christ! We must never have the mindset that the only people that need the love of Christ are non-Christians.

Everytime He answers it's random. Completely out of my comfort zone - Makes me feel like a weirdo to ask ... Random. 

~Insert Introverted-Extrovert and minor freak out of "Lord, Really? That...? But what if they're offended?  What if they think I have ulterior motives? What if, What if, What if...?"  
Think Moses at the Burning Bush, questioning, and you've got the embarrassing picture.  :)

I KNOW it's crazy!  I just asked, HE just answered - why can't I just trust?

You know the first "Planker" had to have been dared by his friends.  He had to feel a little bit awkward. ok, maybe alot! But he had alot of friends cheering him on, laughing in the back ground and taking pictures to put on Facebook. :)

We don't want that audience.

Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

We don't want to earn anything from this random act of Christ's love. Our only desire should be to Glorify God through our lives; by being the Hand's and Feet of Jesus! Not trying make a friend or earning their affection, like a self-serving politician. It's to point to Christ only!

My point is- surrendering to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus, comes at a sacrifice, comes at a little risk of embarrassment.  But my prayer is that this mindset will one day become such a part of the Christian Community the way that "Planking" has such a part of the world!

Because attempting to do some of these things makes me feel as awkward as I would feel by Planking on an Airport Escalator. :)

HIS clay,

Melissa Bradley

Don't Forget to Link-Up your Love Story!  :)

The Ministry Hat

Colossians 3:23

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Do you wear a ministry hat?

I used to. I used to go to work and be myself and if the situation arose to witness or minister it was awkward trying to slip on that "Ministry Hat", because everyone had seen me as me.  I felt awkward playing the role of a christian after spending a whole lot of time being plain ol', silly ol' me.

I don't know when the Lord first convicted me over this, but it is my life now. I no longer "have opportunities to minister," my life is my ministry. I don't put on a ministry hat. I pray that every word spoken, every action taken will be Glorifying and pointing to God. Do I still slip into the "Old Skin" from time to time. Yes! I definitely struggle with it when my 2 or 4 year old says for the thousandth time "I'm Hungry. I'm Thirsty. I'm not sleepy."

When my life is not about me, I'm not so easily inconvenienced. My house is not my own, we have been blessed by God to have it and we will use it to HIS Glory alone. My time is not my own. My sleep is not my own. Even on days I am rushed at the store, it's not about me.

2 Tim 4:2

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction

Whether I am speaking to a child, the President of the United States or even my own Pastor, I see it as my ministry. My ministry is to be ready in season and out of season to share and encourage in the name of Christ. To show the Love of Christ, and to be the hands and feet of Christ. Not when it's convenient, looks like a good time or practical but NOW! 

Galatians 1:10

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

As I write this, despite the deep conviction and how much I desperately try to fulfill and live this out; I see so often how I fail. I don't want to write this and make it look like a heavy burden. It's not. I'm a Mess Up, but it's a really cool journey, and one I am grateful that the Father has placed me on. 

I do however, encourage you to Pray for the eyes of Christ as you walk through your day.

Pray for the Lord to show you areas in your life that you have a hard time letting Him Lord over, and pray that he will remove the idol of convenience from your grip.

My Life is ministry! I no longer just wear a hat!

Don't Forget
Enter the Beautiful GiveAway!

His Clay~


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Glorifying God in the Mundane

Being a Stay-At-Home-Mommy, even though it's limited, there are still a lot of places I go. I go to Walmart, Subway, the Hub (local coffee house), Kroger, Church etc.

I call it being a Green Light Disciple. How can you be used in the every day? God Slapped me a year ago with this, so I almost feel foolish sharing this with you because I am so new that I can share way more failures than victories. 

A year ago I considered Student Ministry my current and only ministry. That's Junk! I am blessed that the Lord wants to use me in that way but that's 10% of my week. What am I gonna do with the other 90%? I'm going to be a Green Light Disciple! I don't stop, I don't slow down, back down or not think of it just because I'm in a bad mood or have had a long day.

If the Lord clearly states that the Fields are White for Harvest, (John 4:35) If I have not lead one person to Christ in a years time...am I being a disciple, or living life according to me?  If I have poured myself out. If I have taken every opportunity I have to share the gospel and I have not "seen" fruit, God does with it as He wishes, but at least it's not out of my disobedience.

Isaiah 55:11

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

As I hop in the car I pray for the Lord to open an opportunity for me to minister or witness. Even if it's just building a relationship with people who work in these places. Which is usually all that it is.

I am TERRIBLE with names. I joke about it but I'm not kidding, I have been asked my own name before and I stuttered because I could not remember. Pretty pathetic, huh?  I am trying to remember their names, so that I can start up a conversation where we left off the last time I saw them. I pray for the Lord to give me HIS Eyes to view the people I come in contact with. To make me sensitive to His Spirit leading to be sensitive to the broken ones. (I am still very new at this so I have disobeyed and failed many times.)  

It has at times been a word of encouragement, stopping to pray with someone-(that's intimidating), once when we weren't sure if we would have enough money to make it to the next paycheck, at Christmas time, I knew HE was telling me to give a family I saw walk into Walmart a $25 gift card-(He will remove your idols from your hands).
Actually, when I knew I was supposed to do that I was scared I was going to call my husband and he was going to say, "No, it's not there." So I almost didn't even call, but I did and it just so happens my husband had just been praying for the Lord to use him and show different ways to be used etc. HaHa, I had called at the end of his prayer. He said my phone call was like a punch in the gut. If my God's not cool!

I sell ThirtyOne! Yeah, it's extra money and I love their stuff but, it drags me out of my comfort zone. I meet ladies I never would have otherwise met. Since it's a Christian company I get to share my faith at every party. Sometimes more than others. I don't have a spill or anything just how the Lord leads and what fits.

These people I run into at these different places I pray for, often. I pray for them as their faces go through my mind. Once I went into the coffee house and I was the only one there, I had been trying for a long time to get to know this lady, when I got there she just fell apart because she had been having a horrible week, she knew she could fall apart because she knew me. I've been talking to her for a while, she knew why I go there. I have been building that relationship. 

As I write these things I can tell you shamefully WAY more times of disobedience than obedience, because all of this is new to me and SO out of my comfort zone. For instance the moment that the lady fell apart while talking to me, I should have stopped and prayed with her. I KNEW  I was supposed to, but I was too scared that she would think I was weird, or being pushy, or that I might offend her, but that's not my decision to make! If the Lord is speaking to your heart OBEY! HE is their Heart Master, HE knows whats going on in their heart and what words need to be said. He is the GOD of my mouth. Where's my faith? 

If you would be encouraged by hearing more failures I will happily share them with you, but I will choose to keep this post from being the length of a Master's Thesis. I do not claim to know squat on this subject because I am such a Rookie, but I really want to share with you what I am learning because I wish I had someone telling me how to have extreme faith in the everyday. I know so little compared to what I want to know. 

I do so little compared to what I want to do, and I have yet to lead someone to Christ through this - I'm telling you, I'm a ROOKIE, but I'm not going to let that intimidate or stop me from doing what God's called me to do.

Casting Crowns - Here I Go Again

Be a Green Light Disciple!

I am determined to see God glorified through my mundane. Well, I see my everyday as mundane but if I allow Him to use it, He can make my mundane Miraculous.

His Clay~

    

New Territory

Chris Tomlin - God of This City



I am writing today for "Five Minute Friday."  Haven't done this before. I have 5 minutes to write, without editing. Yikes, this may not be pretty.  The topic today is: New.

and Go...

I am new to Kentucky. I am new to this area.  I don't know many people, but God has radically burdened my heart over this place.  I hear missionaries and people talk about how badly they want to go into foreign missions and how they want to do this and that, and you wouldn't believe the people in the foreign countries, and I am SO blessed by these people lives that are called in this direction, but as I look at the faces in Danville, Ky that's what my heart cries out! "Do you see them! I wish I could come back to my church and show the faces of the broken people I've encountered that week!  "Love them like Jesus." "Teach them Jesus," I want them to KNOW Jesus! As I walk through Wal-Mart I pray for each person that I walk past and pray for the Lord to plant a seed in their heart and use me, somehow, just use me!  I want them to experience God in a radical way. I want to be used as a tool of God to reach this area. I would love to visit and minister in Africa, Asia, China, S. America. But this IS my foreign Country.

I love these people! With a ridiculous Love that can Only come from what God's doing in my heart and life, because there is no reason for it other than God has placed it there.

It's hard to get to know people. I sometimes feel like an outcast, not sure if I'm imagining it. Not sure if it's a stumbling block Satan has put there to slow my passion down. Don't know. I really struggle with feelings of rejection. However, I know that GOD is the one who brought us here, GOD is the One Who is cultivating us. He is my keeper and sustainer and in HIM I will put my trust.

Time's Up...

Game On!

I had the privilege of going to see some amazing girls play some Super Fab Softball last night.  Gosh I love playing softball, not that I'm necessarily any good at it but it is definitely my favorite sport to play. 

The game however, made me reflect on my spiritual walk and the current church. As a christian I have to admit I've had the problem of living most of my life in the dugout. Watching the game go on, watching some people hit homeruns and making excellent catches. While I'm comfortably chewing my bubble gum and sipping my Gatorade in the shade, and at times making some nasty critical remarks about the ones out in the field fumbling the ball around.

As time goes on I feel that we have WAY more people settling to sit in the dugout than out in the field playing.

The first time I saw that my life was being lived in the dugout, it stinking blew me away. It was a game changer in my book and it was so simple.  I went out to eat with my friends Amanda Lark and Lauren Parnell.  We were at Wendy's and before they payed, one of them asked the guy serving us, "Hey, we're about to say the blessing, is there anything we can pray for you about?" 

What the heck? Was that not awkward?  I'd never seen anyone mention their faith like that, yeah through conversations or relationship building or whenever it was within your comfort zone or convenient but Never Random dude you don't know.

Over the past year, I have realized that throughout my life I've heard some amazing Truths Preached.  You ask me a biblical question and I will probably be able to give you an answer, because I've heard it and heard it and heard it but not often have I seen believers living these biblical truths out in everyday, day to day life. I wrote about ministry a few months ago and this kinda ties in with it. 

Truths:

• There's Power in Prayer
• The Holy Spirit dwells in the lives of believers and is Always at work around us.
• Christ Raised people from the dead, Christ worked miracles through the apostles and leaders in the early church, and He still does it today.
• God desires to have a Personal Love Relationship with you.
• God desires to use you in your life on a daily basis.
• He has a plan and a purpose for your life
• etc., etc

God spoke to my heart back in September (don't know why I remember that being the month) and I realized my ministry does Not begin and end with the Youth.  I don't go out to the playing field @ 10am on Sundays and 6:30 on Wednesdays. In Truth thats supposed to be our dugout time, our Game Plan time.

My Game is All Day Every Day Seeking God to Open My Eyes to His hand at work around me. I pray as I turn on Facebook that God would speak through me to anyone who chats me, Not to be annoyed by it but to see it as an opportunity to minister.

I'm a stay at home mom and God has a plan for my life to use me, and even though I'm stuck at home, alot, God still desires to use me (that is in no way a complaint, I am SO blessed to be home with my children and I know He's using me in the lives of my Jax and Pait, but I'm not going to allow that to be my crutch and keep me from being used outside of the box either.) 

As I hop in the car to head to the grocery store instead of being annoyed at the mom with a Crying baby saying, "Lord is this You drawing my attention away from myself and opening an opportunity to minister? Even if it's through a smile, uttering a prayer for her or Praise the Lord an opportunity to share the Gospel?

As I hop in the car, even as I go and spend time with the teens not only Lord open my eyes to them and their needs and let me be used in the lives of the teens,but praying for everyone else I may cross paths with that God may use me in whatever way He chooses.

Lord let me be used in the nursery if the Sunday School teacher gets stuck in the nursery during Worship service too.

If I'm running late to Sunday School and I ALWAYS am, Lord, are You hindering me from making it on time because You desire to use me in some other way this morning, open my eyes to it? 

Praying for the mom in tears beside me as I drive down the road.

Praying, Praying Praying for God to Open my eyes to how He wants to use me, and for me to take my eyes off of my self and to look for His hand at work around me and joining Him in His work. 

Letting go of my comfort zone and saying Lord whatever it is that You are leading me to do may I do it without Hesitation and complaint. My ministry is in these little day to day things.  It is not in my routine.  I want my life to be Game On!

Game On, at the end of an exhausting day where all I want to do is grab some supper for my hot, exhausted crying babies and saying "Lord Fill my mouth with Your Words, to minister to this woman at Subway. Lord, I Know that my children are climbing on the table behind me, and hopping from seat to seat but keep them safe, send Your angels to protect them :) and may I Speak the Truth, because I may be the only bit of Jesus this woman sees!

Get the Junk out of the air conditioned, Wide Screen TV, Surround Sound, with my Gatorade and Chewing Gum, Dug Out and Get In the Game!

Game ON!

Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.