Facebook Ministry

Facebook has certainly changed our lives.  For the longest time I avoided it. Then, as my twentieth high school reunion approached, I realized I wouldn't know what was going on if I were not on Facebook.  So, I gave in, or rather, signed up to join the fun.  While I have chosen to take part, I completely understand and respect those who choose not to participate.



Getting a Facebook account has turned out to be a blessing for me. As long as I can control my time spent on it, Facebook is a place of encouragement: I get a chance to encourage others, and others encourage me.



I don't know about you, but for me there is comfort in knowing that I am not alone in this crazy journey of life. Kimberly's 6-year-old threw up last night, Carrie's washing machine is on the blitz, and Janene's car is in the shop, again - things like this challenge our family as well!  Some people post uplifting and convicting Scripture verses that minister to my soul, and there are plenty of hilarious cartoons to give a chuckle. At our house we love to keep in touch with foreign exchange students: those who are here, and those who have returned to their homelands.



With needy matters scattered across every page, Facebook is a terrific way to know how to pray for people. It has given me insight about those I am trying to reach, especially neighbors and teens in our church. Also, as a blast from the past, it has put me back in touch with former students, now young adults.  And our joyful conversation, rooted in the past, continues in the present and, Lord willing, on into the future.



How can Facebook be a ministry for you?  

Do you look at it simply as a place to vent and show off pictures?  I hope that you see it as more than that, as the ministry opportunity it is.



A few months ago I started a Facebook group called Kitchen Music.  Combining two of my favorite things in the name, it is a meeting place for fellow cooks.  We share recipes, food related stories, ask questions, and once in awhile I'll post a Bible verse like, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8)



Last autumn, I introduced a new feature called, "Recipe of Encouragement."  On Mondays I post a specific person (such as pastors wives, singles, cancer fighters, and around the holidays neighbors and prickly relatives, to name a few) to focus on encouraging, along with ideas how to minister. Others in the group reciprocate with feedback: ideas and what they are doing to reach out that week.  It's a blessing!



One dear pastor's wife wrote in and said the best thing that can be given for her is prayers, as she often feels like she is under Satan's attack. Another pastor's wife joyfully recalled once when some teens in her church blessed them at a restaurant by insisting on paying for their meal. I hope these ideas and reminders will help Facebook friends take time to show appreciation to their pastor's wife this weekend and continue to pray for her in the future.



As you go about your day as a woman on a mission for God, ask Him how modern technology, even Facebook, can be a tool of ministry for you.  How can you creatively use your computer for God?  I feel I should apologize for repeatedly using the word "encouragement" in this post. But, really, can there ever be too much encouragement?



Image courtesy of http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/

The Appointment

Yesterday my husband met with his boss for a yearly review. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be given an excellent assessment, but I still prayed for him and was anxious to find out how it went.  His appointment got me thinking, when have I gone to God, my "Boss," for a review?  So, I wrote the mysterious sounding appointment on my calendar for yesterday afternoon and wondered what it would be like.

It's not that I never meet with God.  Most mornings my first conscious thought is, "Thank You, Lord, for today" or "Help!" or, preferably, both.  And every day I spend at least a little time in His Word and in prayer.  My ideal is to have three hours, surrounded by stacks of Bibles, concordances, biblically based commentaries and my laptop (with someone else preparing lunch so I'm not distracted, of course), which is about as common as a polite hippopotamus.  Reality is somewhere in the middle.  Not that it replaces much needed quality Bible study, but the older I get, the more secure I am in the reality of our relationship, God and me, talking with Him whenever, wherever I am.  (I'm love studying and praying ... my weaknesses are being still and listening.)



So, there it was, my shining moment, my official meeting with God to find out how well I'm doing on my mission for Him!  If my meeting had been in a professional office, I'd have meticulously dressed and groomed myself, preparing the exact words I was going to say and perhaps practicing my smile in the mirror (at least I've heard of people who do that).  I would have been early, with no hint of scrambled eggs on my breath. But, no...

Hello, Reality

Even though God didn't care that I had not curled my hair and was wearing crop pants, a t-shirt and sneakers, I failed.  It was a Midwestern mess of my own making:  while working on "important" things time got away from me, and my three-year-old doesn't sleep as long as he used to ... and zlip ... there my afternoon went. I felt miserable.




God used my irresponsibility to show me a glimpse of how I'm doing.  To add to the pile, It hit me afresh that I am not graded or judged by God in comparison with:

The women in my church

My neighbors

My mother/mother-in-law

My mentors

Other mothers

The Proverbs 31 woman

My pastor's wife

Elisabeth Elliot, Ruth Bell Graham, or Beth Moore

My sisters

The girl I used to be

No. It's way bigger than that!  My Creator God is my example, His holiness my grading scale.  Gulp. What a relief that God has provided a way to forgive my sins and restore our relationship ... it was paid for by Jesus on the cross, my only way of salvation.  There's nothing I can do to earn His favor.  I am a recipient of His priceless love gift.

And thankfully, God understands my struggle with sin, not expecting absolute perfection right now.  Not to say He doesn't want obedience - there's a difference.  God wants me to obey Him and depend on Him every hour of every day.  But, there is a process ... and, being the wonderful awesome God that He is, He takes full responsibility for the sanctifying of my life.


However, anyone who doesn't have tunnel vision realizes she is not "off the hook" of responsibility:

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8

Why did He do that?  And what does He ask from me when I can't begin to resemble Him?

"That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."  Philippians 1:6

God Understands

How I spend my time matters to God.  Isn't it encouraging that He knows what life is like, because He came to earth as a man?!  God knows our hearts, our schedules, the demands on our time, the interruptions, that our five-year-olds were being grumpy and disobedient, our teenagers missed the bus, the toilet overflowed, the electricity went out, and that we've had insatiable cravings for chocolate since before breakfast.  Is He angry with us?  No. He loves us more than we could ever imagine, still!

When we need mercy, He shows mercy:

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities (sins).  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those that fear Him." Psalm 103:8, 10-11

When we need forgiveness, He offers free and full forgiveness:

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:13

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrightousness."  I John 1:9

When we are pitiful, He pities us:

"As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities them that fear Him."  Psalm 103:13

Today I am looking forward to my appointment with God for my mission review.  I'm preparing to meet Him this afternoon while my boys are resting.  And if things spin wildly out of my control, it's going to be okay.  With my whole heart I thank God for His love and patience.  He's the best Boss I could ever have.



Image courtesy of http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images

Why "Women On God's Mission"?

All women are on a mission.  Whether we like it or not, we have a huge impact on everyone around us.  Starting at home and reaching out into our communities, God can use us in tremendous ways.  So, let's get into the Word and then get up out of the church pew, ready to make a difference in someone's life today. 

This ministry springs up with prayerful humility and anticipation, because I believe it’s what God wants me to do.  It is not that I think I have any remarkable new insight nor any flashy talent to entertain.  God has placed you and me here for a special purpose, modern day Esthers "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).  Are we wisely investing our energies and talents to make a difference for God’s glory?



I have to write.  No, my husband isn’t requiring this of me, nor is it a prerequisite to serving in our local church.  Simply, if I don’t write, after a short while I start getting jumpy and grumpy; after I write, well, I feel energized, peaceful, joyful.  That in itself is lame reasoning; but, the more I stifle my urge to write, the more I realize this isn’t a fabricated fancy.  Therefore, writing must be something God has given to me to use for His glory, here and now, not waiting on the shelf until I have more time.



The best thing I can do is to point you to Jesus.  He will never fail you.  He loves you so much that He gave His only Son to die in your place.  What do you think about Jesus?  What is your life saying to others about what you think about God?



We as women have incredible power on those around us.  Just as Paul in his mission for God, we can be used of God to turn our world upside down:



"'These who have turned the world upside down have come here too ... saying there is another king—Jesus.'"  Acts 17:6b



Even if I am the only one impacted by my cyberspace scribbles, I know that this is something I must pursue.  And if anyone else happens to be uplifted or challenged, I will be overjoyed, because I'll know God used me.  What a privilege to be a woman on God's mission!