Day 40: Living with Purpose

Wow! another 40 days of purpose!

God has been good during these 40 days as always. I think I said before this is my third time reading the 40 days of purpose book. I was thinking and looking over all my notes from this read and my previous 2 reads of this book and God has truly matured me.

Now I have to be honest about the purpose statement at the end, the first time I read it I did not even attempt my purpose statement. The second time I read it I actually recorded a date that I would start to write and a timeframe for me to complete it. I did not start the purpose statement on the date nor did I finish it by my recorded timeframe. So what about this time, "they say" the third time is the charm. Well I have started my purpose statement.

Now this is what I want to encourage everyone else to do, don't do what i did. Please start to draft your purpose statement today. It might take you some time to complete it. Get a journal, write down the five questions and get started thinking and drafting your answers TODAY. I am serious don't let this opportunity leave without getting your purpose on paper. The best way to stay on purpose is to write it down. Don't worry, it might change and grow but write it down.

But if God has shown to you your purpose as you write get busy operating in your purpose. Don't let writing stop you. I have to be honest I was a little discouraged that I did not follow through on writing my purpose statement but God who loves me reminded me that writing it is not the issue living it is what counts. With God's help I have operated in his purpose for my life and have grown through some of my fears. God has trusted me to work in his kingdom in new and different ways. He has allowed me to do things that I know if it wasn't his will I would not have been able to do. He has trusted me with some additional assignments that I am sure that I did not think of because I am asking him now - God are you sure you intend this work for me. Everytime I ask him, he continue to confirm - yes YOU. So I guess it ME.

So think of the thing that won't let you go. It might be a word, a phrase, a place, etc. Write it in your journal and you have just started writing your purpose statement.


Blessings,
Felicia Kennedy (aka Flea - yes at one time I was a size 0 and now ......)

Day 39: Balancing Your Life

This blog won’t long at all. Why? You ask. Because it is hitting way to close to home. Lately I have been feeling out of sorts, actually “unbalanced.” So today’s devotion is right on time, yet challenging. There always seems to be so many things to juggle and I struggle with where to find the time to fit things in. As I look as the purposes we have explored, I wonder where the “non-church” things fit in….So I made myself a little chart to try to encompass my life within these 5 purposes, to see if (1) it can be done and (2)have a wholistic approach to this so that I am not trying to track a bunch of unconnected things. So here’s my stab at it:

Worship	Fellowship	Discipleship
Church Private worship My body is God’s Temple Exercise Eat right Regular medical exams	Church family Maintain Relationship with those who may not necessarily be part of Church Biological family Friends and Signifi­cant relation­ships	Read the Word daily with an eye toward application Pray daily and without ceasing Attend Bible study weekly Tithe-we grow through giving, Jesus said that where our treasures are, there our hearts will be also
Ministry	Evangelism
Produce prayed over, prepared sermons and Bible studies Develop ministries and ministry leaders in Body of Christ	Develop stronger sermon invitations Take advantage of everyday opportunities to share the Gospel Invite 1 person to Church each week Show the love of Christ in daily living

Because I work in ministry full-time, my ministry section is my job section. For those of you who work in secular professions, you can place what you do in the Evangelism section because we witness by being good stewards of our jobs and working with excellence, integrity, and love. I challenge to begin working on your own charts and continue to develop them. See how what you fits into these 5 purposes and check up on yourself regularly.

Day 38: Becoming a World Class Christian....

Back in the day, when it was said that somebody was "on a mission" it usually meant that the person was not available mentally or physically for any activity outside of what is good for them. These individuals would go about whatever business they had with little thought about those around them. All that mattered to these individuals were making it to their destination.

We all have a mission in life. We are all born with drive and that drive will take us where ever we want-for the good or bad. But as believers, we must be mindful of how we chart our destination. When we accepted Jesus Christ into our life we also accepted the "Great Commission" -- the "Go" of our salvation. Where are you going with the Good News? Are you sharing the message with your family, friends, coworkers, stylist or barber? Have you talked with your neighbor about what God has done in your life? Are you willing to go overseas with this message? I know some may be thinking, "How should I go about sharing the Good News?" While walking up to someone and just proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel may work for some, but for the rest I would suggest that you look for an opportunity. Look for an opening to talk about how good God is.

I like what Rick Warren said when he mentioned "Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers" (p. 300) In addition to looking for opportunities and openings, don't forget to pray. Pray before you approach someone. Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

God will use our unique SHAPE to share his word. Therefore we should not undermine our purpose just because it does not resemble someone else's assignment. Just because a person is not in the pulpit or listed among the elders in the church or carry the title of deacon or deaconess, does not mean that they are not equipped for the mission that God has called them to. Use what you got to get the message of the gospel out to the world.

Are you willing to ask God where you should "Go" with the good news that he has placed in your heart? I am!

~Tammy (aka Enerpeace)

Day 34: Thinking Like A Servant

If serving other people was the in thing to do I think more of us would do it! In life we are often caught up wanting to be "down", desiring to be popular, and wanting to be known, seen, acknowledged, and valued. The problem with this is that frequently in order to be acknowledged, valued, or popular we do the things that other people are doing or we do the things that we believe other people expect for us to be doing. Now this isn't always bad because a lot of times this means we try harder, run faster, give a little more all so we can come out on top and do our best. However, our lives are not about us or our personal successes! No, our lives are about doing what God has called us to do! Our lives are about being more like Jesus and being a servant to other. It is so hard in the society we live in to put others before ourselves when we are constantly receiving messages from the word that say, "Do you!" The very first point in today's lesson is one that blessed me, "servants think more about others than about themselves." I appreciated the explanation/reminder that this does not mean that we are called to think less of ourselves, but simply to think of ourselves less. I think that if we could just put down our worries, frustrations, and schedules long enough to help, serve, support, or encourage someone else then maybe God could work our stuff out without us further complicating things by always trying to "fix it." I believe that God wants us to lose our lives by adding to and sacrificing for other peoples lives. Jesus' life and ministry was all about servitude and although he is celebrated now, during his service he never received the Young Man of the Year Award or an award for leadership or service everything he did he did it out of a sense of call from God and a love of God's people.

We cannot get caught up in what other people are doing or not doing, we must simply push on and do the things that we know are right. I can remeber being in High School and hating my god-father for making me get up every single Saturdat at 9am to study for the SATs and so every couple of weeks I would muster up the courage to tell him that I didn't understand why I had to be up studying on a Saturday morning when everyone else in the WORLD was sleeping! Each time he would look at me and simply say don't worry about anybody else, just do what you have to do! And I believe that this is what God is saying to us right now, it doesn't matter what anybody else is doing all that matters is that we serve, we make a difference, we tithe, we worship, we encourage others, we live like we have some sense! True servants of God can't be caught up in what other people are doing or saying because thay are too busy trying to serve and please God!

I think the picture above of the Walmart smock with the popular slogan of "How May I Help You?" is one that reminds us that we should live our lives constantly seeking to serve others and to serve God. So, on today I am going to do my best (it's harder some days than others) to forget about myself and to be of service to God and God's people. I don't need a title, a robe, a plaque or a position what I really desire is to be of service to God and God's people. On today are you willing to wear the attitude of the blue smock in your spirit?

~Min. Shareka aka Swift Turtle

Day 32: Using What God Gave You

“It’s been a long , long time coming but I know a change has come!

Is it just me or does today’s reading fit perfectly with last night’s events?! BARACK OBAMA is the President of the United States of America, a BLACK MAN and we are alive to see it and had the opportunity to make it happen. Like many of you, I am grateful, thankful, excited, overwhelmed, joyous to the point of hysteria, and yet am having trouble taking it all in. I feel like Mary—“the Mighty One has done great things for me; Holy is his name” (Lk. 1:49). My mind knows the fact, an overwhelming victory with record numbers of people having participated in the democratic process. But my heart, it’s about to burst from this news and even though we know this is an historic moment and event in the history of the WORLD, we have not even begun to grasp the significance of what has just happened. But this I know—Barack used what God gave him!

When you look at this race for the White House, Barack really used his SHAPE to serve. He didn’t allow people’s criticism about what he did not have to cause him to focus on his (perceived) lack. He worked with what God gave him in the form of his innate gifts, talents, passions, and experiences. One of the major criticisms to Obama early on was that he was a “community organizer” and therefore not ready to lead a nation. But Barack used what God gave him and took that community organization model and grass roots level campaigning and organized a nation poised and ready for change. The things they said would count him out are the gifts he used to get in. And the results have been profound.

It really makes me wonder what God could do in our lives and in the world through us if we did the same? What if we said, “Yes, we can” and had the courage to use what God gave us rather than focus on what we don’t? What if we realized for real that God has already equipped us with whatever we need to serve? What if today, we thought, acted, and lived like that was true?

I am going to make my list today of my gifts, talents, and passions and then use them. Because that’s what God have me.

Day 31: Understanding Your Shape

"It is this last category, painful experiences, that God uses the most to prepare you for ministry. God never wastes a hurt! In fact, your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt" (Purpose Driven Life, p. 246)

Very few people know that I am a high school dropout. As a teenager, I would have been considered a juvenile delinquent had I been caught in the various acts of social transgressions I committed. For years I looked outside of myself for answers to God calling in my life. When the answer was not clear, I would borrow someone else's vision to validate and give shape to my life. Could anything good could from my life experience? My response to this question was an adamant no. As a result, I lived my life as fugitive running from my past in hopes that it would never catch up to me. But one day it did.

A few weeks ago I was facilitating a staff meeting at my office. New Jersey Youth Corps (a program for at-risk youth) was one of our guest speakers. As I was introducing the presenters to an audience who appeared to be tired and bored, I ended my introduction with the following statement, "The New Jersey Youth Corps is very dear to my heart as I am alumni from this program" Suddenly it seemed as if I had everyone attention. All eyes were on me from that point on. If that was not enough, one of the Case Work Supervisors asked for me to share my experience as a participant in this program. Following the presentation and with a trembling voice I began to disclose to my colleagues, boss, and visitors the events that led me to dropping out of high school and how I got back on track -- which was a result of my conversion and godly counsel from an older sister in Christ.

Had it not been for me excepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior and becoming actively involved within my local congregation, I would have never meet Jean Hunt Garroway - the sister who mentored me as a babe in Christ and provided me with information about the New Jersey Youth Corps. If I had not joined the New Jersey Youth Corps, I would have never obtained my GED and received the encouragement and support I needed to apply and gain admission into Rutgers University-where I obtained my Bachelors of Science degree with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology. My employment with the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) coupled with my belief that communities of faith are viable change agents to address social and educational decay within our cities pushed me to pursue and obtain my MPA (Masters of Public Administration) from the School of Public Affairs and Administration. It was through my studies in this program that I explored the intersection of religion and public administration. “Adding Religion to the Mix of Social Service Delivery” was the title of my capstone policy paper and the area where I am developing my muscles in ministry.

Truly, God can transform your misery into a ministry. This is the personal experience that I offer to my church at Worship in the Grove.

Yours Truly in Christ,

Tammy (Enerpeace)

Day 30: Shaped For Serving God

Tommorow is election day! Keeping with the spirit of this election season, I would like to remind everyone to get out and Vote!

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Before God created us, he had to consider what our purpose would be on Earth. We know that part of our purpose includes worshiping God. God also had to consider how we would fit into this Earth and fulfill this purpose. God has given each of us different talents, qualities, and skills. None of us are exactly alike and we each have our ways of expressing things. This was not by accident, but was by design.

What's interesting about our gifts and talents are that they are constantly shaped throughout our lives. God has placed circumstances and situations in our lives to help grow our gifts to help worship him and fulfill our purpose in life.

This chapter focuses on your gifts. God gives each of us gifts that are to be used for ministry. There aren't any gifts that God has given us that can not be used for serving him. From the technology focused to the orators, God has provided all of us with specific gifts that can be used to lift his message. These gifts are not something that can be learned or studied. These gifts are specific to individuals that can only be given to us by God.

This entire chapter reminds me of how the United States elections work. You have many different people with different views and different beliefs. Each person goes to the polls to express thier views and vote for the person who you believe best represents your views. Ultimatly, everyone is voting to help better the United States and our society. Everyone serves a different role in the election process but the ultimate end goal is the same.

Our purpose in life is similar. We are all different people with a different set of skills, talents, and gifts. All of these different gifts work together to fulfill the purpose of worshiping God.

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Don't Forget To Get Out and Vote!