Month: December 2013

“This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!” John 16:23-24 (The Message).

 

I learned a long time ago the principle of GWP: God Will Provide. I remember distinctly ten years ago, I had just returned to my career outside the home after maternity leave while my heart longed to be at home with my babies.  I was trying to figure out if we could survive financially with me working from home. I remember sitting supervising a visit, crunching numbers, and not seeing on paper how it would all work out. My husband and I, though, took a leap of faith, feeling God was leading us in this direction, and trusted He would work out our budget.

Ten years later I can honestly say He has. Our bills have always been paid, we paid off our credit card living debt free at one point except for our house, and even had a little extra money now and again for vacations and other fun activities. I have changed job multiple times, sometimes as a result of my own initiative and sometimes through no fault of my own, but always, God has taught our family the important lesson that He is the One who has provided throughout the years. It was never in our own strength.

Have you experienced a time in your life when it was very clear it was God who provided? We would love to share in that experience with you if you comment below.

© 2013 Cheri Swalwell

 

Good Morning Friends:

Spoken from the Heart: Journey from Fear to Faith is now available to buy as a paperback.  Is there someone on your Christmas list who needs a bit of encouragement this year? Maybe they are walking through a journey they were placed on that’s kind of scary (medical diagnosis, financial issues, job insecurity) or maybe they think they are hearing God’s voice to step out and try something new but are a little afraid to take that first step.

God placed it on my heart to write a book to offer encouragement to people, not just during the Christmas season, but throughout the year.  If you can think of someone who needs a little hope this year, it’s a great stocking stuffer or “just because” gift to let them know you care.  If you need a little pick-me-up or encouragement, it’s great to buy one for yourself as well. 

I have provided the link below to make shopping that much easier. 

http://www.amazon.com/Spoken-Heart-Journey-Fear-Faith/dp/0615929281/ref=&tag=cheswaficfrot-20*

* By using the above link, I will receive a small commission. 

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed”                   Proverbs 11:25 (NIV).

The first indication to me we were doing it God’s way was that a full hour and a half before the sale was to begin, we were ready. Normally, especially if it was planned last minute, I was scrambling around finding things to sell, pricing, and setting up tables, while becoming more impatient, stressed, and sweaty each minute. That particular day, I had time to enjoy a second cup of coffee, eat breakfast, catch up on emails, and write to a friend (hoping to bless her as well) before moseying outside to start selling. We had a steady stream of customers and this year, I chose to look at each individual family as someone to bless – not what I could get out of it, but instead what I could do to bless them.

I loved how God accepted my attitude of service and used it to bless us as well, although that wasn’t my intent. I heard the word “blessing” being passed back and forth more during the garage sale that year than I ever had. I greeted most everyone with, “My goal today is to make you happy, make me happy.  Everyone leaves happy.” And, for the most part, I believe that goal was accomplished.

I found that when you have a heart not for “What can I get out of this?” but “What can I give to others?” the blessings overflow. One particular woman came looking for boy clothes and when I offered her a price for what she had picked, her response was, “Well, if they’re that reasonable, maybe I’ll get some more.” God spoke to the mother in me and I quietly asked my daughter to grab a bag, then told the woman to fill it up and “keep going.” She had tears in her eyes when she left, and I invited her to come back the next day as “none of this stuff is going back in my house. I can either bless you or I’ll be blessing someone else.” As I sit here writing this on the second day, both my daughter and I hope she’ll come back. We’re ready to bless her again.

Another mother and daughter came looking for baby items. The little boy they were anxiously awaiting to arrive was going to be the first grandson/great grandson in the family. When I told them the price of what they wanted, the first words out of the great grandmother’s mouth was, “What a blessing.” I smiled real big and replied, “That makes me happy. Being a blessing is our goal.” They left thinking they were blessed when in reality, I’m the one who received the bigger blessing.

One by one, as people arrived, my goal changed from making money to giving blessings. It was, by far, the most fun I’ve had at a sale yet. Our whole family got into it. And the best part? We didn’t worry so much about how much money we got from selling things. I definitely didn’t need my calculator at all.

© 2013 Cheri Swalwell

 

“…when (tithing) becomes life to you, it will be one of the greatest joys in your life”

(Robert Morris, The Blessed Life).

It wasn’t a coincidence that on the first day of the sale, I finished reading a great book titled, A Blessed Life, by Robert Morris. Through that book as well as God’s word, I discovered far more than I had previously known about tithes, offerings, and sacrificial gifts. As a result of those teachings, which we’ll talk about in another post, God prompted me to wake up early and give Him the day – to put it another way, my firsts. I asked for two specific things: First, I wanted to sell a lot of stuff to make the garage sale worthwhile. We had some bills coming up, as well as a short family getaway, and a little extra money would make both of those more enjoyable, not to mention there would be less stuff to store. Second, in my desire to sell things, I didn’t want to be selfish, but instead I wanted to use this as an opportunity of service. I wasn’t sure how that would look exactly, but I wanted people who came to the sale to leave blessed.

In order to accomplish the goal, not well defined, I knew I needed God to fill in my outline. As had now become something I looked forward to daily, I circled our house, as well as the things we were selling, in prayer, asking God to be in charge of the day, the customers, and my schedule. Feeling peaceful, our family began to set up.

As I got the change ready in the cash box, I thought about adding a calculator. However, I decided with my new heart attitude, maybe a calculator wouldn’t be necessary and instead of adding every penny, we could look at ways to bless others.

Come back next time for the conclusion and to find out how God was able to get all the glory for our sale.

© 2013 Cheri Swalwell

Is there someone on your Christmas list who needs a bit of encouragement this year? Maybe they are walking through a journey they were placed on that’s kind of scary (medical diagnosis, financial issues, job insecurity) or maybe they think they are hearing God’s voice to step out and try something new but are a little afraid to take that first step.

God placed it on my heart to write a book which would offer encouragement to people, not just during the Christmas season, but throughout the year.

Spoken from the Heart: Journey from Fear to Faith is coming soon.  If you can think of someone who needs a little hope this year, it’s a great stocking stuffer or “just because” gift to let them know you care.  If you need a little pick-me-up or encouragement, it will be available both in ebook or paperback version so you can pick your preference of reading style. 

Stay tuned for the official announcement coming within the next week, just in time for Christmas.

“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out” Matthew 6:1-4 (The Message).

We talked last time how at the end of the summer my family put together an impromptu garage sale. We had been planning to hold a garage sale since the spring, but our schedules were so busy, there hadn’t been a good opportunity. Finally, toward the end of the summer, God opened up my schedule and I felt like He was saying, “Now is the best time…go for it!” Since I was sure God was giving me the green light, I obeyed. Humanly speaking, though, my schedule was still quite busy and I wasn’t sure how I would add a garage sale without going insane. God had taught me over the summer that when He speaks, He also provides…down to the smallest detail.

That point was proven multiple times all week. First, the weather was predicted to be gorgeous – not to hot, low humidity, and no rain. We don’t have a garage, so weather is a huge factor when scheduling the date. Second, my workload was lighter. That in itself was huge, and unusual, because it provided more time to organize, set up, tear down, and run the sale when I normally would’ve been working. Third, my parents and aunt willingly offered to come help set up and price so it was done in half the time, with more laughter and visiting than if I had the chore to accomplish myself.

Come back tomorrow to find out other ways in which my obedience was blessed.

Have you had times in your life when things seemed impossible, but you felt God speaking to obey?  If you obeyed, were there specific ways you saw God working on your behalf?  I would love to hear about them.

© 2013 Cheri Swalwell

“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love” I John 4:7-8 (The Message).

Last time we were together we talked about how Mary pondered all these things in her heart. What a great example for me to follow. I didn’t need tangible proof to remember how much my husband loves me, special friendships which had started out from complete strangers, or the blessings God provided at exactly the time they were needed. When I shifted my focus, I started asking God to provide the right people to buy the items so they also would make great memories with things I hoped would also become special to them.

I was glad to see my sadness wasn’t born from a reluctance to share with others. Instead, it was just a reminder of how truly blessed I am because of the love of family, terrific friendships, and a chance to serve my God who delights in paying attention to the details.

I learned an important truth that day. Memories are meant to be savored while things are meant to be shared. It’s exciting to think about what new memories will be made by others while being reassured that my precious memories will stay safely tucked in my heart instead of stowed away in someone’s trunk next to their newly acquired treasure. Besides, my heart has a lot more room than our sunroom or the shed for storage.

© 2013 Cheri Swalwell

 

 

“Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself”

Luke 2:19 (The Message).

 Our family had been needing to have a garage sale all year. Since we live out in the country, we usually try to schedule them in the spring as that yields the best turnout. However, this year we seemed extra busy and kept putting it off, piling more stuff in our sunroom without having a date set. Finally, at the end of the summer, God gave me the green light and said, “Here’s your opportunity, you might want to take it.”

Even though my schedule had lightened, it was still busy and I enlisted the help of family members to price and set up the tables. I was in charge of the “baby items” my children had outgrown and began to display the clothes neatly. As I worked, I got sad. I chalked it up to long days, lack of energy, and wishing summer would last another two or three months.

However, the first day of the sale I noticed feeling twinges of sadness periodically as well. I thought I was just being selfish, not wanting to part with “our stuff” and mentally told myself to get a grip. It was taking up space, we needed room more than things, and it would be okay

The morning of the second day, I realized where the sadness was coming from. It wasn’t that I wanted more money or that I was sad per se about giving up the items. My melancholy feeling belonged to the happy memories attached to particular items, rather than the items themselves. For instance, the creamy soft blanket my husband bought for me the Christmas we found out we were adding a “bonus blessing” to our soon-to-be family of five. The blanket represented more than something to wrap our new bundle in. It was a tangible way for my husband to reassure me that even though our new addition hadn’t been in our plans, God had planned our family this way from the beginning and he was as happy as I was. Or, the Floppy Seat on which our youngest sat during our weekly grocery shopping escapades. A great reminder of the wonderful friendship with a cashier who was there faithfully, every week, with a smile and a hug, as I handed her my coupons and she helped me bag my groceries. Or the clothes which were passed down from my nephew to our firstborn, then my friend’s child, then back for our youngest. Clothes that were so needed when we found ourselves starting over again four years ago.

After having figured out what was really being grieved, the sadness went away. In Luke 2:19, we’re reminded how Mary pondered all these things in her heart. Back in Biblical times, they didn’t have photographs to remember special occasions and I assume clothes either wore out or were handed on down the line until they were used as rags.

Have you ever felt the same way?  Feelings are stirred up without knowing the original cause until later?

© 2013 Cheri Swalwell