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~

    

At War With Myself

Warning The Following Information May be filled with Run-On Sentences and a Bizarre amount of Grammatical Mistakes. Read at your own Risk: :)

(Also this is in no way a reflection of anyone but myself. I am Not preaching at anyone but this is what I've seen in my life and if this is you, too. I pray that this will open your eyes as much as it has mine.)

This is a response to my "Head Knowledge" vs. my "Life Outpour" following the Post "Lord of the Pawn".  

I came to the dramatic reality of how Poisonious Cultural Christianity is to todays American Churches, only a few years ago. My entire life I have been blinded to the reality of the call that Christ has laid on the hearts of His children. 

I have attended church my entire life. For years, because I was so used to sitting in the pew and hearing the word preached, I Knew when I heard a good message, because it was like heart medicine. Even the ones that stepped all over my toes.  It was like finally getting a cold cup of water on a hot Southern day.  It was good!
 But that was as far as it went - HEARING it. 

It's so frustrating to hear a good word but ok what next. How do I Live it out? How do I become Salt and Light?  How do I preach the Gospel to all nations? 

Don't get me wrong, I think the IMB in the beginning was a Great Idea, and it still is. However, I am afraid that too many of us have adopted that as a,
"Well, I'm funding them to go and do what I've been called to do." 

Or even
"Well, don't we pay the pastor and church staff to do that?"


You may not have said these exact words but is "That" what your life is living?

It has been mine. Think about it... You're trusting in these pastors who have also been brought up the same way, alot of words about outreach but very little, if any, out pour.  Alot of conviction but little, to no, Action.

What do we do? How do we do it? How do I become Salt and Light? How do I minister at every oppurtunity I have. And Its not by sneaking Tracks in toilet stalls. Do you think "that's" what Jesus would Do? Run, drop and hide?  Christ wasn't sneaky at all. He was compassionate and His words spoke deep to the heart!

I am not Ashamed of the Gospel because it is the Power of Christ unto Salvation! (Romans 1:16)
Tracks arent all bad, used correctly but have a relationship first. Build a relationship! Even if it is just a 5 min totally out of your comfort zone conversation.

Because frankly "christians" have given "Christianity" a bad name, and most anyone can spot a Fake from a mile away.  And if we're saying one thing and living another, "whats so great about what we're saying?"
Not many in our society are going to respond well to a secret bathroom stall cheesy track that falls out of your toilet paper roll. Because your too scared to open your mouth and talk with them personally.  I have yet to see or hear of a toilet stall convert.

The biggest, scariest, thing about what we're facing in this war with ourselves is - Where Do We Start?  We've not seen it modeled in our churches, or much around us. So we're learning from scratch. It's exciting to see God sparking a light in hearts around the world and friends around the world but you know what.  When you see Truth clearly, and you have no one to follow...it means God's Calling you to be a Leader!

The church has got to quit with the mindset of, "well they'll come to us. maybe if we have a great program, fun games, exciting activities. Ooo, Power Point, no media shout, no a Great worship leader, well it must be, this or that or maybe so and so isn't doing such and such." All of that bogs us down from the truth of the call. Christ called us to be "Fishers of men" What are YOU doing?

Does a fisherman sit on the shore, get a well decorated, state of the art boat, push the boat out and hope that the fish jump in? Heck No!  Go, Tell, Preach! Come on!  If you don't see someone else doing it, you think it needs to be done...it may be God calling You to do it!  Quit waiting for someone else to pick of the reigns of what you've been called to do.  If your scared EVEN Better! If God's calling you to do something and your scared it means, He's ready to rock your socks off! If God's calling you to do something and you think you don't have the time, the skill or it might make you uncomfortable or excuse, excuse, excuse...get ready for God to rock your socks off!
Remain in the word. Learn how to trust Him and Him only! Learn how to hear His Voice, Learn how to notice His hand at work around you.
 It is time we stop waiting for others to fulfill our calling!

Being a Fisher of Men means NOW! Not when it's convenient or during quarterly organized ministry church projects. NOW! Today! 

My biggest struggle right now is figuring out all the little ways God's wanting to use me in my everyday life, with 2 tiny, precious anchors at home.  Anchors: is in no way a derogatory term, it just means that it limits me.  Pulls me back home :) Yes, little things I am cool with, but full-time commitments to different ministries; it is impossible for me to remain consistent in.  Doesn't mean it's stalling me, it means I've got to find out how it all fits together, and I'm about to start stalking some missionaries. 

I've got to get out of this "Church Mindset", quit labeling full-time missionaries as "the Missionaries" and realize "Hi my name is Melissa Bradley, I live in Danville, Ky and I have been Called by God to be a Missionary in this town and everywhere these feet take me!

Lord, Use me however You chose. Move me out of the way. Move my weakness out of the way and fill me with Your strength. May I be Your vessel to be used however You desire!  Clear the path ahead of me. Fill my mouth with Your words. May Your words, Your desires speak Loudly from my life!

Your Clay,
Melissa