Unveiled Living and the Ladies of BCC

Two heads are better than one! :) tee hee

This weekend I was honored to speak at the "Unveiled" Women's Conference at Baptist Center Church. What an incredible blessing the day was to me. As a Christian speaker, I could go in to these things thinking I'm there to bless them -- it's all about me sharing wisdom, blah blah blah.

The truth is, though, that speaking is way more a blessing to me than from me. It's a privilege to be permitted to share God's word with other women, one I don't take lightly. If I speak my words in my strength, well.... they'll get the gospel according to imperfect, sinful Karen. Not the strongest message. Trust me!

When I share God's word, prayed over, meditated on, internalized and applied, they get something different. Much better. They get God. (Not me!!!!!) When we study His word -- reading it to learn what God wants us to understand in our hearts, when we pray -- and listen, when we internalize and apply His truth, we are changed. Transformed from the inside out!

Sharing God's truth after I've learned it for myself, they get HIS hope, HIS love, HIS peace...

All I really add is the real life example, how God took a selfish, prideful, imperfect girl (me) and is transforming her more and more into a humble, patient, loving, forgiving, hopeful, peace-filled woman.

But, you don't have to be a speaker or have a platform to make the same difference. Friends, let's all live unveiled lives. Don't hide your blemishes -- be honest. Share. Especially how God is changing you from the inside out. Don't be so ashamed of your mistakes that you refuse to share God's redeeming love!

Praying for each one who reads this post today:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in the redeeming power of His holy spirit that lives in you and flows through you... (Romans 15:13). With God, ALL things are possible. Redemption. Healing. Forgiveness. Freedom. Hope. Love. Joy.

In the love of Jesus I pray,
Amen

How did you do?

Hey friends,
People keep asking, "How'd you do Saturday night?" To be honest, I've struggled with the question.

Looking at it as a "job," I did well. I said the words I planned to say. I didn't trip on the stairs, fall, or knock over the podium. I used visual aids without dropping or fumbling them. And I handled the stationary microphone just fine.

But that's not really a good measure of "how'd you do?" The measure of success when sharing Jesus' message actually has nothing to do with me at all. It's all about Him. If I did everything right and no one listened, I'd have to say I was awful. If I did everything right, they listened, and no one's heart changed, I'd say I did awful.

First Corinthians 13:1 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." Did love shine through my message and touch the people's hearts? If the answer to that is "yes," then I did great!


How did I do? Only God really knows. He's the one who can see into people's hearts. He's the one who knows if lives are changed. I can say that I was touched afterward when the emcee said, "I don't know about you but that left tears in my eyes." Did I touch his heart? I think so. A sweet member of that church's congregation took my hand in hers and said, "You know what you said, it goes full circle. Someone did that for me. It's time I go and do that for somebody else." God knows her potential. I pray for her -- and I hope one day to hear how she changes the world by giving back, "paying it forward" so to speak.


Another lady shared that she's going to serve at the iChoose Pregnancy Center. Yippee! She then asked me, "What do you do?" Wow... seriously! I hadn't thought about that question the whole time I prepared the message or gave it. She touched me.


What do I do? Like many of you, I serve faithfully in my church. But, it's not really about who's already in -- the message of salvation and hope needs to reach those who DON'T know it. Another way to ask that question is "Who knows of Jesus' love because of me?" When we got home from the event, I asked my husband that question about me. He seemed surprised. Then he rattled off a bunch of ways that I reach out to people in the community, especially teenagers and Walmart workers (hey, we all need a niche). 


How about you? What do you do? 

• Do you feed the homeless guy on the street corner?
• Do you invite people to church?
• Do you donate clothes to Goodwill? Or volunteer there?
• Do you mentor a kid -- maybe through a program like Big Brothers/Big Sisters?
• Do you give your time? talent? or treasure? to make a difference for God's kingdom here?

How did I do this weekend? Only God knows. I gave Him the best I had to give. When I get to heaven, I sure do hope He says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." How about you?

If you'd like more inspiration for reaching out to the lost and hurting in love, please check out this blog!

Powerhouse Thank You!

This weekend, I spent an inspiring evening with the Powerhouse Church of Jesus Christ family. This warm church in the heart of Raleigh is taking a stand for God's kingdom. What an honor to share in their building fund kickoff, A Glimpse of Heaven. The Powerhouse family knows how to celebrate! We enjoyed great food, great fellowship and great worship!

Me, Co-Pastor Marjorie and Pastor Wayne Sharpe

They launched the Powerhouse building fund campaign, with a vision to reach the lost and hurting in the community. Powerhouse isn't waiting until that new building finally materializes, though. The evening really included a challenge to begin now. They brought community service programs in to share about resources already available:

• iChoose Pregnancy Support Center. The church can change a mom's life, a dad's life and a baby's life by helping the girl facing an unexpected -- and perhaps unwanted -- pregnancy receive counseling and support.
• Raleigh Area Development Authority.  The church can serve families at risk of losing their homes by helping them secure services at RADA, which offers credit counseling, housing counseling and mortgage assistance. Families are the fastest growing homeless demographic. Resources like RADA can change their lives forever!

In Matthew 20:28, Jesus explains that "the Son of Man did not come to be served, BUT TO SERVE and give His life as a ransom for many." I can't wait to hear the impact that Powerhouse Church will have on Raleigh as the church steps up to serve like Jesus, radically impacting those who cannot help themselves.

Pastor Sharpe, Co-pastor Sharpe and Powerhouse, I lift you today in prayer. With thankfulness to Jesus for all He has already done and for all He has yet to do through you. May the vision God has laid on your hearts be fulfilled in a mighty and glorious way. May the City of Raleigh be impacted by the love of Christ as it has never been before. By the power of His name, Amen

Thank you for allowing me to share in your Glimpse of Heaven!

She Speaks: Four Questions, Answered.

Chatty Kelly asked us to share what we learned at She Speaks 2011. It's been a week -- and I'm still sifting through the information, trying to figure everything out. This was definitely the most information packed weekend I've ever experienced... Now put that in context: I went to law school, studied for and passed the bar exam! I never would have guessed a weekend at a Christian women's speaker conference could be more informative. That's dedication. I can't thank Lysa or the team enough... Now to those questions:

1. What was the best advice you got at She Speaks?

Share your story! God gave you a unique story that only you can share. Don't be afraid to share it. In our speaker evaluation groups, it was almost comical how similar some of our topics were. We spoke on the same scripture, but each lesson was unique. So cool to experience!

2. What was the best lesson you learned in a session?

The one thing that stands out most is humor is a great tool for writers and speakers. Jenny B. Jones shared how she uses humor in a pre-conference session and throughout the rest of the weekend, I was more aware of the effect of humor in a variety of situations. Especially with heavy topics, humor offers a release from the tension. Loved that advice! (Learned so much more this question was hard to answer!)

3. What are you going to do with what you learned/what is your next goal?

Since coming home, I made contacts with some people to let them know I would like to speak at their events. I'll be speaking at MOPS this fall and have another engagement already in the works. Now, to develop those talks so they shine God's glory even more!

4. Anything else you want to share (good, bad or ugly)?

Soooo.... Friday night, we shared our testimonies. My problem? I tried to fit "my story" into Andy Stanley's formula -- in three minutes! Unfortunately, I took out most of me. It didn't flow from my heart, but was forced. (My dear husband identified the problem the night before I left, "What are you doing? That doesn't sound like you at all.") I tried to patch it back together, but... well... We can learn from mistakes, too. Right? Saturday night, I recovered somewhat, thanks to God and a supportive prayer from Melissa Taylor. It never was quite me, but it "felt" better and flowed more smoothly. From now on, I'll take Andy Stanley or anyone else's advice, but I will NOT allow it to change who God made me to be! Just improve who He made me! 

Still amazed. Always thankful!