OK so I was listening to a new app on my phone (Holy Ghost Radio) and I do not know who the speaker was, but he said something in his sermon that really grabbed my attention (not that I wasn't paying attention in the first place :-). The speaker said "You may think you don't matter and that the role you play in your church doesn't matter. You may think that if you weren't there, no one would notice... but you are WRONG! You ARE a key!" It really was like God smacking me in the back of the head!
Here lately I have felt more and more like what I do doesn't matter to anyone but me. If I were to fall off the face of the earth, no one would notice. I have also been feeling used, like some people only talk to me because they need me to do something for them. It takes a toll on you mentally and physically. When this minister made this statement it hit me like a ton of bricks. He went on to say that whether we realize it or not, all of the little things we do, whether it be cutting the grass, cleaning toilets or washing the windows, are vital to reaching the lost! We are called to be the "body of Christ". When we think about a body, we first think about the arms, the legs, the head... the "big" parts of the body... but what about all those little parts that keep everything going? Every part of our body is important... even the tiniest little parts are important! Don't believe me? Break your pinkie toe and see how much harder it is to walk when that toe isn't in place! Each one of us is a key to making sure the Body of Christ not only functions... but grows.
Stephen Curtis Chapman has a new song out that expresses quite well, this point. I'll post the lyrics below. Basically the song says regardless of who you are or what you do, God made YOU to do it, so do it to His glory. So don't get discouraged, rebuke that spirit that is fighting you and telling you that you don't matter, and PRAISE GOD IN YOUR MINISTRY! Whatever you do to further the Kingdom of God is your ministry! Do it with pride and love in your heart knowing that you are doing a work for God!
Steven Curtis Chapman - Do Everything Lyrics
You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
OOoh ooooh oooooh
Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day
Little stuff big stuff in between stuff
God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do
Well maybe you’re sitting in math class
Maybe anekatips on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you’re working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you’re dining at a five star
Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are
Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don’t ever forget to do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do
Ooh oooooh
Every little thing you do
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I'm Such a Slacker!
Wow, it is already August and I haven't posted ANYTHING this summer! I know I am SUCH A SLACKER! To fill you in on what's been going on... No, I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth and I haven't forgotten about you... I completed my Associate's Degree in Web Design (with a 3.89 GPA). I am now mid-way through my first class towards my Bachelor's in Communication/ Technology.
With my last post I promised to tell you about the amazing project I completed for Mother's Day... This year we decided that the main focus for Mother's Day needed to be on our church's First Lady. After all... if our Pastor is like a Spiritual Father to most of the congregation, that makes her our Spiritual Mother doesn't it? So rather than just include a bunch of pictures in a slideshow and the usual feel good poems in the bulletin, we did something a little different. I gathered short quotes, messages and statements from as many members of the church as I could, and we included them as an insert in the bulletin. Sister Manley was able to sit and read these short little messages. Some made her laugh while some made her cry; others just made her feel appreciated and loved. This project was really quite simple, yet meant so much to a wonderful lady. One of the elders wrote a poem that left most of us in tears.
For this project, I used Microsoft Publisher. I simply selected a new document and chose Booklet as the document type. I created effects by making little snapshots in photoshop of curly brushes and edging that I liked. Saved the snapshots and pictures and inserted them into the bulletin pages, then used the "Order" option to send the inserted images to the background. The hardest part of this project was getting everyone to turn in their messages in a timely manner. There is always going to be that one straggler who doesn't turn their information in on time, and gets offended when their information doesn't get included. I had someone turn in their quote at 10:00pm Friday night, when the information was requested to be turned in by the previous Wednesday. Regardless... try not to get frustrated because after all... these projects aren't about us. Below is a screenprint of what some of the pages looked like.
Oh and for added touches... download some free fonts so you can have a variety of fonts on the page(s). http://typenow.net/ is a great resource for free fonts. If all else fails just do a Google search for Free Fonts and you will have hours of web surfing pleasure. If you don't know how to install the fonts on your computer, all you have to do is save the fonts to the C:\WINDOWS\fonts folder on your PC (I can't help you if you have a MAC, I don't know how to install anything on Macs). Be warned... once you start searching through fonts... you will look up and hours will have gone by without you even realizing it!
I promise I won't wait 3 months to post again! Not sure what the next topic will be but I can promise it will be sooner rather than later :)
With my last post I promised to tell you about the amazing project I completed for Mother's Day... This year we decided that the main focus for Mother's Day needed to be on our church's First Lady. After all... if our Pastor is like a Spiritual Father to most of the congregation, that makes her our Spiritual Mother doesn't it? So rather than just include a bunch of pictures in a slideshow and the usual feel good poems in the bulletin, we did something a little different. I gathered short quotes, messages and statements from as many members of the church as I could, and we included them as an insert in the bulletin. Sister Manley was able to sit and read these short little messages. Some made her laugh while some made her cry; others just made her feel appreciated and loved. This project was really quite simple, yet meant so much to a wonderful lady. One of the elders wrote a poem that left most of us in tears.
For this project, I used Microsoft Publisher. I simply selected a new document and chose Booklet as the document type. I created effects by making little snapshots in photoshop of curly brushes and edging that I liked. Saved the snapshots and pictures and inserted them into the bulletin pages, then used the "Order" option to send the inserted images to the background. The hardest part of this project was getting everyone to turn in their messages in a timely manner. There is always going to be that one straggler who doesn't turn their information in on time, and gets offended when their information doesn't get included. I had someone turn in their quote at 10:00pm Friday night, when the information was requested to be turned in by the previous Wednesday. Regardless... try not to get frustrated because after all... these projects aren't about us. Below is a screenprint of what some of the pages looked like.
Oh and for added touches... download some free fonts so you can have a variety of fonts on the page(s). http://typenow.net/ is a great resource for free fonts. If all else fails just do a Google search for Free Fonts and you will have hours of web surfing pleasure. If you don't know how to install the fonts on your computer, all you have to do is save the fonts to the C:\WINDOWS\fonts folder on your PC (I can't help you if you have a MAC, I don't know how to install anything on Macs). Be warned... once you start searching through fonts... you will look up and hours will have gone by without you even realizing it!
I promise I won't wait 3 months to post again! Not sure what the next topic will be but I can promise it will be sooner rather than later :)
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