Jennifer O. White

Thanks to Jody McPhearson of the Redefined Project for guest posting today in the ongoing Because of Jesus series.

Can you picture a dark alley? It’s late and the only real light is coming from a window up above. There is a young woman there, who is surrounded by would be muggers. I think that we both know what could happen to her. She could be mugged; she could be raped, or even killed. What do you do? What do I do? Fear can cripple us to the point we do nothing. But how could we do nothing?

Because of Jesus, my compassion outweighs my fear. I heard a sermon recently where I took this quote from. “Compassion should drive us even when finances scare us.” -Pastor Richard Burrell- I was moved by this quote! In fact, it shook me to my core. I went home and added to it.  “Compassion should drive us even when finances scare us, even when fear paralyzes us, and even when no one else seems to care.”

The scenario that I mentioned earlier is one that faces our children and our young people.  Every day they are being surrounded by those who would harm them.  Literally and figuratively!  Sometimes it’s people snatching them on the streets, (human trafficking, prostitution, and gangs). Sometimes it’s the media, i.e. magazines movies, television shows, music, “celebrities”. We all acknowledge it, but the question is who will do something about it.

I will! Because of Jesus!

Here is why.  I love Jesus! I love Jesus because he first loved me. Because of the love I have for Jesus, I will follow his commandment to love my neighbors.   How can you love someone and watch them hurting without stepping in?

Because of Jesus, I’m filled with compassion for those young people that are hurting. It is this very compassion that drives me, even when it scares me. I am not a college grad, I am not wealthy, I have no experiences, nor powerful connections, and many may see these as weaknesses.  But, (which cancels out the last sentenceJ) I boast in my weakness.

Because of Jesus!  I am Impacting Communities, Encouraging leaders, and Inspiring Hope!

For more inspiration on following Jesus into a life of active compassion, connect with Jody on facebook.

I just watched this video and I’m speechless and inspired.

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14

Keep loving. Keep giving. Look to Jesus as your example of love and allow the power of His Holy Spirit minister to you and through you to your spouse.

Last weekend six fabulous women joined me for 24 hours of sharing, laughter, prayer, and GOOD FOOD. This is our second “Revelation Weekend Retreat” together. We named it that because God uses our time together to reveal His love for us in special ways. Our theme was praying for our husbands and our marriages.

I’m so grateful to have these women in my life. Women I can trust to intercede for me. Women who hear from God. Women who are willing to be real with each other.

We took shifts providing food. GOOD FOOD! The recipe I just HAD to have and share with you is the Oatmeal Cake.  Really! It sounds (wink)  healthy and it’s super yummy! Seriously – I could not stay away from the cake very long!

Oatmeal Cake

1 c butter
2 tsp salt
1 c brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 c flour
4 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
5 cups regular oatmeal (not quick cook)
2 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and sugars until creamed. Add the eggs, oats, baking powder, flour, spices and salt. Add buttermilk and mix well well.

Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 30 – 40 minutes. Use the toothpick test to make sure it’s done.

Fabulous Options: Serve in a bowl with any combination of fresh fruit, half & half, nuts, brown sugar, raisins, and toasted pecans.

I know you will enjoy eating and serving the Oatmeal Cake. And I really hope you make time to retreat with people you trust and who call you up to another level of trusting Jesus’ power and love for you.

I am blessed to have another group of loyal and fabulous friends in Louisiana better known as my YaYa’s. We have been together for at least 13 years and have survived too many deaths, one major hurricane, one round of breast cancer, chemo and radiation. We’ve celebrated one new marriage, a 10k completed, and watching one amazing boy grow up.

I am rich with so many wonderful friends. Stay tuned for future posts about how they enrich my lives as well. I am truly blessed.

Thankfully God saw fit to introduce me to Becki Dudley. She’s a very special lady and not just because she’s my boss’ wife.  In her I see the gentle, peaceful, love of Jesus. I’ve asked her to share a piece of her Jesus story with us. Enjoy!

I spent many years being “religious” before I understood what being a Christian truly means. I was addicted to being right and doing right. I went to church, studied the Bible, prayed. I thought I was on the right track…

…until I was challenged at a conference to see the Bible as more than just an ancient book of truth. To see it as one way that God is actively speaking to the world TODAY. Scripture says that he is “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” God is constantly speaking…are we listening? I began to read the Bible with a new focus -one of actively listening to God, not just learning what it said about this or that. Was it possible to know God personally? Did he even know who I was? After all, I had been trying to impress him for years – had he noticed?

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-13)

 The door opened WIDE! He began to speak into my heart, calm fears, encourage, guide, convict, & remind me daily of his love for me. All I had to do was ask. What else could I do but give him my heart? I had only known him with my head before. I was living life out of a fear of disappointing him. The love changed everything! 1 John 4:18 says “Perfect love casts out all fear!”

This journey toward eternity can be hard at times. But I know that God himself is with me, that he loves me. I am not alone and never will be. You CAN experience peace and joy in the midst of hard times. Real peace and joy. The kind you can’t really put words to – but it comes from understanding that the God who “spoke the universe into being” knows you intimately, loves you deeply, and will ultimately heal you completely.

Jesus is Lord.

Becki Dudley is happlily married to her husband, Tim.  They share 6 adult or nearly adult children and step-children. Becki spends her time managing their home (lovingly dubbed the “Dudley Bed & Breakfast”), and running a small internet based business, She enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, reading, and good conversation. Whenever a spare minute arises she daydreams of living on a small farm in Northwest Arkansas…
If you’d like to read how the love and power of Jesus Christ has transformed lives, click here to be inspired by the  Because of Jesus series.

Is it ok to take care of yourself? Are you last on the list of people to care for? Do you feel selfish taking time to rest or workout or even get away for a day?

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple
and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  ….. for God’s temple is sacred,
and you together are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV

Do you think of your body as sacred? Do you regard it with reverence? Have you dedicated or devoted your body to the service of God?

Based on this Truth, I’d say we need to be taking care of ourselves. But sometimes we forget we are important, sacred, useful for God’s purposes.

It’s hard to imagine this happening to a church building. It makes me want to find the person to blame or organize a crew to make the repairs this weekend! How does it make you feel?

So did you wake up today feeling like you look like this church on the inside and/or outside? Have you put yourself last one too many times?  Do you struggle with the truth that you are valuable to God, sacred?

The King (also your Creator) is enthralled with your beauty.
Honor Him for He is Lord. Psalm 45:11

How will you honor Him with your body, His temple?

Take time to talk to God about taking care of yourself. Ask Him for His perspective, wisdom, leadership, guidance, and help.

Stay tuned for “Taking Care of Yourself Part 2″. I’ll share inspiration for caring for your body, mind, and spirit as God’s sacred temple.

Today’s Because of Jesus post is by my beautiful Louisiana friend, Leslie Lamb. The power of Jesus saved her and I’m so thankful!

Everyone has a story, that moment, where life took a turn, where our faith became our eyes, where what we thought we knew of God became so much more than we expected. Some are in the midst of that story, some have yet to experience it, and some, like me, are living out the rest of the story.

I was seventeen years old. I had come to a place in my life where the choice was set before me to live or to die, and I had chosen death. I had been saved at the age of six and baptized at the age of twelve, and I knew that what I was thinking was a sin. But, it didn’t keep me from thinking it, from plotting it, from being convinced that God would understand. Some would say I had given up hope. I hadn’t given up Hope, I had merely lost faith that I could live, or that the life I lived mattered.

Of all the places you imagine Jesus finding you, on the pink tiles of a girls dormitory with a blade to your wrist, is not where you would wish it to be. But that is exactly where I was, and His voice was real. His whisper was intentional. It washed over me like a wave almost tickling my ear. It was strong and powerful, and He only spoke two words, “For Her.”

A happy ending would be to say that I threw down that blade, reached out to God, and I lived happily ever after. The truth is, it was a long climb up a steep hill of pain and realization and healing, but with each step I took, He led me. The journey became a dance. It’s when I began to write, anything and everything. It’s in writing that I heard His voice most clearly. It’s as if the Holy Spirit would come alive through my hands. I wrote out all my problems, my hearts deepest groaning, and my Savior’s answers would find themselves between the lines.  We’re still dancing.

I’m not the greatest writer, anyone can do what I do and probably do it better. I simply write my heart, His heart in me, and my passion is to offer life and hope to another teenage girl that has given up faith that her life matters. Because of Jesus I’m alive, and because I’m alive I live to extend hope to the hopeless, sight to the blind, and long to see the lame dance! I am living for her. See, there is a generation of girls that feel that they will never be invited to dance with the Prince, but I know, they are merely wallflowers. His invitation is for one precious girl at a time. It’s my job to introduce them.

Leslie Lamb is an author and speaker. She is called to educate and to equip teen girls in this generation to live out their callings, to have hope that their lives do have purpose, and to find the encouragement to live out that purpose. She has had 2 teen fiction books, “Kiss, Bang, Boom! Book One: Zella’s Story” and “Paper. Rock. Scissors. Book Two: Celeste’s Confession” published and is working on her third, with many more stories developing. She was just announced as Director of LeadHer Academy – the teen division of a woman’s ministry called LeadHer, developed to encourage and equip women to influence their communities for Christ. She often says “It is out of our pain, God births passion.” and that is exactly why she does what she does. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and two daughters.

This Easter, I am wrapping my mind around these two concepts:

“The cross was Jesus’ best day because He did the will of His Father, because He glorified and pleased the Father through His obedience, and because He finished and fulfilled the work the Father sent Him to do. The cross was His best day because it meant the day of salvation, the day of redemption, and the day of our eternal hope.” Roy Lessin, What was Jesus’ Best Day?

and…

“Imagine, the measuring stick of the power promised to us is the same strength that raised the corpse of Jesus Christ from the dead!” Jim Cymbala, Spirit Rising

Because of Jesus, we have Easter. We have the counter culture example of Jesus’ love for us and His Father. His obedience that led to a horrific death. And we have the supernatural, unlimited power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from a dead man living in us.

I want to grasp the simplicity and the depth of Easter. I want to grasp it so tightly that I can’t help but share it.  I want to grasp it so that I will live humbly in His presence every moment.

Enjoy today’s guest post from a dear lady and friend, Judy Groll.

I love the LORD because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath! Psalm 116:1

 I walked by the suitcase on the floor of my bedroom several times during the day. My daughter needed me to help with our grand little sweethearts for a few days and upon my return emptying the suitcase was a procrastination of mine. All to do was bending down and pick up the contents; pull out the dirty clothes in the separate bag enclosed and put away the rest of the items. However, I walked on by with more important task around the home to tend to.

A picture of Christ through the scripture above quickly passes my thoughts. Christ never procrastinates because He always has the final answer to our problems in the works. Pulling out the unnecessary nuances from our lives, while showing mercy for our shortcomings, in order to answer our prayers according to His will not ours, is a gift we sometimes walk by focusing more on the length of days until the answer is given than the gift of mercy itself. Because He not only hears my voice but also, bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath.

Just knowing after I pray and seek Him, He bends down to listen, no matter what the circumstance is in my life… gives me the encouragement and motivation each day to overcome all obstacles in my way is a blessing I never want to take for granted. The suitcase and dirty clothes may have been an obstacle in my way each day but just know you are never an obstacle in Jesus’ way. He’s ready to hear your hearts cry, show mercy for your need, listen to every hidden desire and concern, and answer every breath you pray!

He’s Listening…. don’t wait to pray!

From my heart2home to yours,

Judy “GG”

After serving in fulltime ministry for over 15 years, Judy has worked as a Women’s Minister, Young Married Adult Director and in other areas of church ministry such as dealing with marriage, single life, and the family. She now works out of her home as a novice writer, blogger and small group leader to a wonderful group of ladies and caregiver to her almost 80 year old mother who suffered a stroke 5 years ago. (Be sure to watch for “Momma Stories” on her blog! Her mom’s a hoot! She has been married to Dennis Groll for 32 years this December and they have a beautiful daughter, Lindsey and son-in-law, Stan along with two precious granddaughters,  Anniston and Charlotte.  They are also blessed with a very kind hearted son, Matthew who is apprenticing as a Chef in New Orleans.  Please check out her new blog www.ggsheart2homenotes.blogspot.com

For more inspiring Because of Jesus posts, click here.

For a free copy of 60 life changing devotions click here.

In the last week, I’ve had some downtime. Precious downtime. Those few and far between moments when I can be still.  And I found myself playing catch up on email, Facebook, Pinterest, Words with Friends and Draw free.

DANG IT!

I’m currently reading Abby Lewis’ book – Blossoming out of the Valley: Finding Peace and Stillness with God. YES – Stillness.

But I have so many options for my time, for my focus. Yeah – I make sure I read the Bible and pray. But am I still? Still enough to hear God?

I was still enough last week to realize I have to eliminate more options. I had already deleted Facebook and email from my cell phone. But I replaced them with Words with Friends and Draw Free. Today, I deleted 10 apps from my phone including those two very fun, creative, challenging games. Not because they were bad for me. Not because there is a rule as a Christian that you can’t play a game on your phone or have any fun. It is because I need to find a way to be still.

Psalm 23 says that “He leads me beside quiet waters and refreshes my soul.” I am pretty sure I am missing the still, quiet waters and refreshment when I fill every spare moment with something for my brain and hands to do.

As I read My Utmost for His Highest today (April 1), God confirmed to me that He is leading me into a closer relationship with Him. He is the source of my desire to delete these distractions.

  “… we must put a stop to such distractions and get into such a living relationship with God that our relationship with others is maintained through the work of intercession, where God works His miracles.” Oswald Chambers

He created within me a desire to pray for others. I lead people in prayer regularly. But how great is my prayer life if I can’t be still? How can I know Him and His will? How can I pray for others and myself if I’m mentally exhausted?

I want to be radical in my pursuit of Him. I am willing to be weird so that I can hear His voice and have my soul restored. May He continue to lead me in choosing what is best (Him) over what is good.

What distractions could you delete this week? What good things need to be eliminated so you can enjoy the BEST?