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There Came a Time

14 July 2009 2,344 Comments

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This past Sunday I had the absolute honor of speaking with the wonderful people of Talking Rock First Baptist about missions.  This was my first time speaking before a congregation that I did not know.  I was a little nervous, to say the least.  While I was sharing my heart about missions, I felt the Lord speaking to me that I would not be a stranger to speaking before crowds of people.  This thought began to terrify me, all I could think was – I’m not ready, and I don’t have anything to say.  However, God’s peace came over me and I heard him whisper, “Good, I don’t want you to say anything.  Let me speak through you.”  The pastor and the congregation of Talking Rock were so gracious and kind to me.  I have never felt such encouragement from people that I had not known before.  My wonderful Aunt Janice set up the speaking engagement for me, and I could not be more grateful to her.  She has been a huge support in this adventure, and I am so blessed to have her.  Her daughter, Christy, has also been a great encouragement to me.  She has a powerful blog, saturated with scripture and messages of support.  You can check out her blog HERE.

I really felt like this opportunity was the beginning of something big for me.  I enjoyed sharing my heart for missions and for those around the world.  I spoke about Philip and the Ethiopian and how “missions” moments are ready to happen everywhere, we just have to be listening and obedient.  After the service, a quote came to mind that I felt was so true in my life – “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” ~ Anais Nin.  Sunday I began growing, and I am looking forward to the growth that will happen on the field.  I know at times it will be painful, but in the end it will be worth the risk.

In other news, the Photo Contest for missions will be ending in a few days.  You can view all of the portfolios HERE and my personal pictures HERE.

I am really excited about the new look and feel for this blog.  I want to say a huge thanks to my friend Chris who has helped me come up with this site.  I also have my friend Eric to thank for the wonderful header.  Eric is the visionary behind Creating Color, a website full of stories about people who are bringing new life to a black and white world.

May we all be attentive to the Lord this week as we look for ways to make ordinary meetings miraculous, and as we take the risk to blossom.

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