Following her purpose

Laura Staszewski

Sometimes we think that the only really "called" purpose is one directly in "ministry." For instance, pastor, youth pastor, missionary etc. In the coming days I will be posting links to blogs of women who are indeed following their purpose whether they are "in ministry" or in ministry in their own world.

I found this first one when googling images for our tiaraladies website. I wanted some tiara pics and found this logo. It brought me to Laura Staszewski and her blog. What a wonderful woman of God, leaving family and friends to serve in a foreign mission. I love that she sees herself as a princess. Enjoy reading her blog.

http://lauraom.blogspot.com/

Crazy Love

Crazy Love--Lord teach me to love you so much that others will see you in me and think "she is crazy in love with Jesus."

I knew when we picked up Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" that it would bring conviction and confirmation to my spirit. For some time God has been telling me that I need to fall deeper and deeper in love with Him. I, in fact, know that if I crave God more than anything else in my life He will fill me to overflowing with His love. This overflow is what will give me the heart to love others deeply, to feel their pain, and to be a conduit for the Holy Spirit to comfort and draw others into that same love relationship with God. God who created them to have fellowship with Him.
So that's where the conviction overtook me--Francis doesn't pull any punches in his call to "Christians" to examine their walk with God. He tells us that we're either all in or all out.

Revelation 3:15-17 (ESV)

15"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.(A) Would that you were either cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked

Lukewarm? Not me God. Lord, how can that be? My goodness, I assist my husband in pastoring a house church, I minister at the nursing home, I'm part of several ministries to women, I love to do life purpose coaching, I find ways to encourage and teach younger women like Titus 3 says to do, I spend time in prayer and Bible study, I do all I can for my aging parents, I pray for my children and the generations to come. Lukewarm? How can it be that my heart cries out that I miss the mark so often? Why?

Okay, here comes the conviction part:

Deuteronomy 6:5-6
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Matthew 22:36-38 (ESV)
36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment

All my heart? Lord, I wish I could say that. Lord, I really want to say it. Lord, forgive me. Forgive my arrogance and pride in those things I "do" for you. Draw me into your lap as a young child Lord so I can hear your heartbeat and my heartbeat can join with yours. Break my heart with those things in the world that break yours that I might feel the desperate needs of others and respond with my whole being--not just the pittance that I offer you. The pittance that is comfortable, that I get satisfaction out of--a mere pittance of what you want from me--to love you with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength.

Remind me of your awesome power, your awesome love--the creator who came down to sacrifice Himself so that I can experience that awesome love and feel the awesome power in me and around me and in the world.

Lord, as I read Francis'chapter "People of the Lukewarm", as I saw the list of what lukewarm people will do or be like, I knew that in too many ways I could be called lukewarm. Am I willing to step beyond my comfort zone and throw caution to the wind? To allow myself to trust you so much that I risk it all. Lord I am willing to strip down my life so that I can more fully give my life to you and to others.

Lord, I want to be able to say that through your grace I want to be able to truly

Love God, Love Others and make disciples as I go

Freedom is just a moment away.

My wonderful hubby has a great blog entry on making a choice--to live in our pain of the past or to choose to be free to live in our destiny.

Check it out:

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=83714503563&h=q-sw_&u=5tFU3&ref=nf

Fresh Starts even in a Senior Home

This week I had the privilege of ministering at a local Senior Care Home. This ministry has been a blessing to me for several years. I go along with my dear friend Bambi who was the one responsible for encouraging me to be involved. We joyfully minister to these dear saints with hymns, Bible devotions and prayer.

Monday was a miraculous meeting for us. We felt the Holy Spirit moving throughout the hearts of the dear ladies who attended. We saw the tears of joy and hope that came into those sweet aged eyes.

I met Gertrude, a marvelous saint who smiled with the joy of years with God in her heart. She could no longer see with her eyes, but perhaps that allowed her to see more deeply into the heart of God. I met Lois who told me that she had ministered in her church for 64 years in playing the organ and the piano. She planned to teach children who could not afford to take piano lessons as soon as her leg was better in rehab. She wept for me when I shared that my own father was in a group home because of the ravage of Alzheimers in his mind. Dear, dear soul. How I cherish the thought that she will be praying for me.

We prayed for women who could no longer form thoughts enough to speak, to those who wept for their families. For Pauline I prayed that God would comfort her--the last of her family--she cried when she told me that she was so lonely, but could agree with me that she still had God to comfort and would at the called time be joining them--how they must be saying "we can't wait to see our dear Pauline". I looked into the sad eyes of a small woman and could only utter to her over and over, "you are forgiven, you are forgiven" as a tear trailed down her cheek.

The message God gave me to speak to the group was "A Fresh Start". That morning God spoke deeply into my spirit. That each day is a fresh start. I read from

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

"Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

A Fresh Start, whether we have known the Lord for 64 years or have never met him. This verse assures us that we can have a fresh start--a fresh start for a new life or a fresh start this very day because we've fallen away from God (in a big or small way).

A Woman's Purpose, This way to your purpose

What a wondrous thing to be a woman. God designed us all in a unique and beautiful way. Designed to take joy in our gifts, talents and God's gifts in our lives. Why then is it that women have a hard time finding that joy within themselves? I hope this blog will encourage and enlighten women of all ages to be the best women of
God that they can be.