Spoiler

Have you ever read the last chapter of a book first?  If you are a non-reader, like me then you just want the storyline, skip all the unnecessary and get to the point.  So, yes- I have to admit that I have done this on more than one occassion...too many to count.  However, I am training myself to become more of an avid reader.  I have found that it helps when you are reading non-fiction, christian books because you cant really 'skip' anything, everything is the point!
This week, I got the ending of a beautiful story before I ever knew there was a story.  I woke up out of a sound sleep and could not go back to sleep.  As I laid there and rested with my thoughts, trying to convince myself back into a deep dreamland, the same thoughts kept repeating in my mind. 
I finally had to get out the pen and paper on my nightstand and scribble down these thoughts.  Remember, this is at 3am, but it went a little something like this....

Dont give me the same worn out wishes and repeated requests. 

Leave your worn out requests at the feet of Jesus

and step forward in faith. 

Move past the things of your past and step forward to the next beautiful step of life. 

The Lord did not send His Son to die on the cross for you to relive your sin everyday  as if it is Groundhog day. 

Release it to Him, the author and illustrater of ALL things.   

Be Thankful today for where you are but better yet,

Where you are going!

I wake up the next day and dont know what to make of it.  Then, most of the week passes and I finally make time to get caught up on my bsf.  It is then I realized that, even though I had not done my lesson- God had already spoken the lesson in my heart.  My notes and study reinforced His message. 

Hebrews 6:12 

Do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Are you sluggish in your walk?

Do you bring your repeated requests to God?

Lay the sins of the past to death and move forward in Christ.

Dont look back, but straight ahead, knowing, ready, and expectant.

Not an ounce of regret and full of certainty.

This is forward moving to eternity!

Birthday Party for Jesus

Our Birthday Party for Jesus has become a family tradition.  We started just after the birth of our first child in an effort to center our Christmas celebration around Christ.  This party has evolved from a simple gathering of friends for birthday cake and reading the story of Christmas to an community outreach service project.  We have rotated our charity every year to bring forth awareness of charities in need in our community. 
This year our charity of focus was Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries http://www.karm.org/ (K.A.R.M), specifically their 13 family rooms.  New Life Inn is Knoxville's only long term shelter for intact, homeless families. In this depressed economy, more families are seeking shelter than ever.  I took a tour of the facility and was touched by the need to furnish these rooms with basic supplies, such as bedding and bathroom necessites.

We started by compiling a list of the needed items, created a registry to make donating easier, and then sent out information to our friends and family.  We prayed for an outpouring of support and that is exactly what  happened! 

We started with pulling a team together to give these rooms a facelift with a fresh coat of paint. It took two full days of painting, THANKS to everyone willing to give up their time and effort, all the rooms were completed! 
I was overwhelmed as we began to receive donations. Soon, our living room became overtaken with supplies. 
We ended up with a total of:
41 Bed in a Bag sets!  They have a total of 55 twin beds, so we were just short of getting a comforter set for every bed!
34 Sets of towels (That means at least 2 sets of towels per room)
13 bath mats (one for EVERY room)
13 shower curtains (one for EVERY room)
13 wall hangings (one for EVERY room)
8 laundry baskets
4 alarm clocks
4 sheet sets
1 lamp
1 microwave

That is over $2,500 worth of donations plus the paint and painting supplies!

The microwave wasnt even on their 'needs' list.  But when someone offered it for donation, I did not turn it down.  As we were compiling the donations at KARM, the VP excitedly said, "I just had a family THIS week praying for a microwave for their room!"  What an answered prayer!
It was a blessing to be able to be a part of this project, I know the families will be blessed because of the donations and support.  More importantly, every time we get to work on this type of project,

 We go expecting to give and we always end up getting! 
We were truly filled up with the Holy Spirit.

Thank you to each person that planted the seed for this project, for your prayers, for your support, for your donations, for your time, and mostly for showing kindness and compassion to those in need!

**I was hoping to show AFTER pictures but due to the weather, we have been unable to visit the shelter to be able to show the rooms refurbished.  As soon as I am able to obtain these pictures, I will update the post.