" Today, little ones allow my words to become REAL and PERSONAL in someone's life."
And packed inside these 5 little photo albums is scriptures personalized with each persons name. This is my favorite so far and I think we will continue to do this. There is just nothing more powerful than speaking God's word over someone so personally.
And if you would please keep these five special beautiful people in your prayers that they will come to know the Lord in a new and personal way.
We are technically a day behind since yesterday was Dec 1st but a sick toddler kept us from venturing out. So today will be our Day One and we know that God will be faithful to double up the blessings for someone ;)
And in case you missed my message about how all this came to be you can read it HERE
Today's Message:
"Today little ones, let's go warm up someone's body, heart and soul!" Love, Jesus
We began praying throughout the day about who we were to give to give this special gift too. And then we learned of a family a street over from us that had lost their one year old granddaughter a month ago( Her dad accidentally ran over her) So sad and heartbreaking!
We knew immediately this was the family we were to bless today. Maddie quietly laid the package against their mailbox and ran back to the car.
And if you would please join us in praying for this precious family. I can not even begin to imagine what this family must be going through. :(
I put my shoes and was getting ready to head out the door when my kids yelled out; "Mom! Where are you going?"
To which I replied "I am going to find Jesus!" Yea. That got me a few weird looks to say the least;-)
Our beloved Jesus statue( that we have had for years) had broken and I really wanted to replace it and thought for sure I could find a replacement especially this time of year. Right?
I pulled into the first store....
I thought for sure this store would have what I was looking for. I mean it has Christmas in the name of the store. I begin to walk through aisle after aisle. I found tons of santas, snowmen, decorations, lights and the list continues. But NO Jesus, not even a glimpse of Him.
And then went to 3 more stores only to be disappointed again. NO Jesus, NOTHING. Not even a glimpse.
My last stop was a Christian book store. SURELY Jesus will be here! An employee approached me and asked if I needed help and I told him what happened to our statue and asked if they had another one. He then looked at me as though I had two heads and said "Oh my. I don't think we have anything like that.
Sigh.
Jesus was no where to be found and it broke my heart. Christmas is all about HIM and yet it seems He has been completely pushed out and REPLACED.. How are others suppose to come to know the TRUE wonder of Christmas when there is not even a glimpse of Him anywhere to be found?
And it was in that moment that God began to breath something beautiful in my heart.
Christmas is not about STUFF. It's about PEOPLE. It's about COMMUNITY.
It's about BEING Jesus to those around us.
Because it's not about us FINDING Him.
It's about Him SEEKING us..
And He desires to do that through you and me.
And through that the
"Smith Family 25 days of Christmas" was born.
It's not a new concept really. But rather one I think we all need to be reminded of.
Every day we will do something that is blessing to someone else. Something that brings Jesus into someone's life.
Simple things. Random Things.
Things that will make even a small difference in the lives of those around us as so many are desperate for even just a glimpse of Him.
And to make this really come alive for my children. I decided to print out a photo of Jesus and attach His message of what He wanted us to do TOGETHER for the day.
And our prayer this Christmas season is that this will create a ripple effect in the lives around us and instead of Jesus having to be searched for or replaced. He will instead live out His presence through us...
Through these little acts of kindness and sharing His love and as we are faithful in the little things...
His presence will begin to draw others toward Him and they too will receive the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas....
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. " Isaiah 9:6
I have struggled. I have prayed. I have cried. I have
prayed. I have wrestled. I have prayed. I have knocked. I have prayed. All in
the name of ministry. No one told me stepping out in this radical calling would
be so hard and take everything I have. Oh the passion that consumes my soul.
The lives of so many young girls hang in the balance. They need hope. They need
healing. They need Jesus.
And I wanted to know WHY. Why aren’t these visions you gave
me happening? Why are other ministries growing while I feel like I am
constantly taking two steps forward only to fall again. Why Lord?
And through that still small voice I heard the Lord speak.
“Amanda,
how old is Broken Within? (It will be a year old next month Lord, so 11 months?)
“Right, and what is an 11 month old able to do? Are they able to walk? Run?
Speak? Some do, yes. But most are just learning to walk. Most wobble as they
take those first few steps. They see the prize on the other side and they want
with everything inside them to get to that goal, and so they stand and take a
few wobbly steps only to fall again. But they get back up and try again with so
much excitement you think they would burst.Sure there is frustration in not being able to run and get to the prize
quicker. But the process of learning to walk is sometimes more important than
the goal.
And the same is true with you my child. I notice every wobbly
step of faith you take. And I beam with proudness. I know that you want to
start running and someday you will be able too. But right now allow me to help
you learn to walk in this calling. Allow me to hold your hand and lead you to
where you need to go. Allow yourself and this ministry to mature in My timing
and trust that I birthed this ministry inside of you and I will bring it to
completion. "
Ah. What a sweet and precious moment with My Jesus. I am
sure people on the highway thought I was crazy with tears streaming down my
face. I didn’t care. My Jesus was there. He was real. He hadn’t forgotten me.
He hadn’t overlooked me. He hadn’t ignored my pleas. He wasn’t mad at me for
doubting. He had come. He had spoken right into the depths of my soul. And I
was ever so grateful.
The Lord has done such incredible things through Broken
Within these past 11 months and I have literally watched this baby of mine grow.
There have been times of sheer exhaustion. Times of wishing someone else would lighten my
load. So I could just rest. Times of rushing through those precious “baby”
moments to get to the bigger stuff. Oh but how I yearn to cherish the “in the
moment” with my “toddler”.
By watching God’s love encourage so many young girls.
Seeing real and authentic friendships being born. Allowing God’s hope and
healing transform lives. It’s not about me or the things I have done or will do
in this ministry.
It’s about JESUS. It’s all about Him.
And there is also YOU.
I have known from
the time God “conceived” BWM in my soul. That this ministry was never to be a
one woman show. That I could never do the things God was calling me to do
alone. I needed like-minded women to link arms with me and God has been so
faithful to send those women my way. BWM has welcomed writers, mentors and prayer
partners on our team. And what a treasure you are to me. Thank you for your
willingness to serve and make a difference in the lives of precious young
girls.
But I also know that not everyone is called to write, speak,
mentor or pray for this ministry but I do believe that everyone has a place in
this beautiful community and I want to give you an opportunity to invest if you
feel called to do so.
Up to this point I have avoided asking for financial help
for Broken Within projects. Until the Lord made it clear it’s not about money.
It’s about linking arms and giving YOU your place in this ministry. And It’s
about Real lives. Lives of precious young girls who so desperately need the
healing and hope of Jesus.
And in this season of Broken Within there are two (wobbly)
steps of faith the Lord is calling me to.
1st: To step out and start a Teen MOPS program
in the Triad. This will be the first Teen MOPS program in the Triad and the
second in the state of NC. The need is so great and as a former Teen Mom it is
an honor to step out and pour into the lives of these precious young moms and
encourage and equip them to take their place as mothers who pour into their
children with the love of Jesus. But in order to do that they first have to be
poured into. It will take a team of passionate women to run this program. But
the first step I need to take is to purchase the curriculum and pay for the charter
fee.
2nd To attend the She Speaks Conference in July.
I have known about this conference for a few years, but never felt called to
attend until this year. This is a season of growth for me and this ministry.
There is so much I have yet to learn about this calling. So much to learn about
investing, teaching, speaking and writing so that I can be better equipped to
pour into the precious young girls God places in my life. It would be such an
honor and blessing to attend this conference and receive all that God has in
store for me as I sit in His presence.
And to be able to take those first steps toward these two
callings. I will need to raise a total of $ 1,324.
·$400 for the Teen MOPS curriculum and charter
fee.
·$ 925 for the She Speaks Conference( Includes
Hotel, Pre Conference/Conference materials and Meals)
( You can learn more about these ministries in the links below.)
If you would like to link arms with me and invest in Broken
Within in this way you can do so here:
And know that YOU are so incredibly vital to me and the
lives of so many young girls that will be blessed by your gift. I can’t even begin
to describe the impact your gift will have in this ministry and from the bottom
of my heart; I want to say THANK YOU for choosing to join the BWM team in this
way! May God bless you!
After much prayer and seeking a way to raise money for future Broken Within projects.The season has come for me to use what’s in my hand ( My camera ) and begin to use my gift of photography to bless others!! Yea! AND I am SO excited to announce that I now have the opportunity to do both Weekday and Saturday appointments!! Which means my session price will be DRASTICALLY reduced!!
Sessions are now available from 8-11:30am M-F and 8-1pm (Saturdays)
NEW Session Prices:
$35 ( 30 min session)
$65 ( 1 hr session)
Please see my website for session details and to book your session!
mommyness, reclaiming hope for orphans, adoption, magic erasers, crayons that leave no marks!( then i would'nt need the magic eraser! lol), my coffee machine letting me know that my crack is ready:), capturing memories through a lens, encouraging through words, funky clothes, chocolate, hugs with a friend, giggles under the covers..gosh i could on and on...thats what the blog is for!! hehe!
I am honored to be a writer for the M.O.B Society! Click on the link to check it out!:)
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