A couple months ago I received a call from from the non-profit we support in our sales, OneVerse. They called asking if my donation was a one time deal or a monthly commitment. I then was able to explain to them Three Remain and the purpose behind it. They were very excited about it and so asked me to be interviewed for their monthly newsletter.
I never started this to bring glory to my name, but God's name. And he has been utterly faithful to act and bring glory and honor to his name. My God is so amazingly faithful, I cannot understand how he could be so good. But with this publicity has come quite a lot more business. I rely upon the Lord to help this business and I know he will show his faithfulness once again. He will be faithful to the end.
Here is the article written about God's business. He is faithful to go beyond our wildest expectations. All glory and honor be to my Savior, for he is certainly so good.
I hope you feel his presence today and are reminded of his steadfast love for you. May you have an intimate encounter with our God this Christmas season.
Scripture is eternal. It is the Word of God and will last forever. It holds treasures that will take forever to uncover and understand. Charles Spurgeon said,
"There is enough in the Bible for you to live on forever. If your life should outnumber the years of Methuselah, there would be no need for a fresh revelation. If you should live until Christ comes back upon the earth, there would be no necessity for the addition of a single word. If you should go down as deep as Jonah or descend as David said he did into the belly of hell, there would be enough in the Bible to comfort you without a supplementary sentence" (Holy Spirit Power p.20).
Enough. There is more than enough in this blessed treasure! What we know of the Holy Book, we will keep with us for all eternity. That is why it is so important for us to know it deeply and better than anything else in this world. It is a command:
"Seek and read from the book of he Lord" Isaiah 34:16
I watched this Youtube video by the poet Janette...ikz (Genetics) called I Will Wait for You.
It made me realize the bigger picture of the message of the Bible stories. I have grown up in the church my whole life and always heard the Bible stories. But I saw for the first time, the amazing character qualities as a whole that the people of the Bible hold. She goes into depth about the characteristics of the men in the Bible, and a few of the women. I love how she noticed the "attention to detail of Noah." These qualities are ones that God intends for us to have as his children. Going off of her list I wrote a piece about what the women of scripture show us, their sisters.
My God, my God, you cry out to us,
"My holy, set apart, daughters
Rise. Rise and become what I have predestined you to be.
For you are mine, and I have a glorious future for you.
I have knit you to be a Woman of God.
A woman with the
boldness of Esther's step, and
the unshakable loyalty of Mary Magdalene.
A woman whose hospitality of Lydia
aligns with the submission of Mary
which is engulfed in the tears of a praying Hannah.
I have formed you to have the
wisdom of Abigail
amidst the discernment of Deborah.
You were not meant for insecurity or doubt,
but rather to have the strength of Jael
and the tried faith of Sarah.
You are to forget your past and accept the name Christ has given you.
Redeemed.
Take hold of this redemption with the courage of Rahab.
I have destined you to proclaim my Truth
with the insight of the prophet Anna
and the endurance of Hagar.
You are my bride, my wife.
Act so, with the charity of Dorcas,
the selflessness of Martha,
and the humility of her sister, Mary.
I long to have you, with the warm closeness of Ruth.
Trust in my promises.
Follow me with the trust of Rebecca.
You are my Beloved daughter.
Rise.
You have been predestined before your first breath to be this woman.
But you cannot achieve his on your own.
You need me to refine you, try you, and stretch you.
But this purpose for which I have created you, will come to pass.
Indeed, my sweet, it shall come.
It will be difficult, but draw near to me.
I will redeem and restore the years that the locust have stolen away.
I will sing sweet melodies as I rejoice over the woman you are becoming.
You are beautiful, and I seek to create even more beauty in you.
My Beauty.
I yearn for the day when I shall bring you to my Father,
Presenting you with utmost joy, saying,
'Look Father! Look at my bride! Her beauty goes beyond the earth.
She is my bride, and she is a heavenly being.
She is beautiful.
She offered herself in utter humility to be molded and refined.
And look what I have created her to be.
I made her into the perfect image you held in your heart of her
from the day you created her.
She is restored. Redeemed. Complete.'
This is what I long to say on that day I bring you Home.
My love, this is what I have in store for you.
Let me shape you, let me form you.
My plan for you is glorious.
So rise. Rise up and declare on this day who you will be.
You will be the Woman of God displayed in My Word.
Hello sweet brothers and sisters!
Our God is so good! I would love to share with you all what he did this past weekend. We had a craft show where we shared a table with our sister company A Whimsy Willow.
The Lord was so gracious and the highest selling products were the Three Remain scarves and bracelets. He is surely faithful to bring glory to His Name, and that is the cry of this whole entire endeavor, that the Lord's name be glorified.
Picture courtesy of OneVerse.org
As a result of the great work the Lord did, we were able to give half of the proceeds of the Three Remain sales to OneVerse and translate 4 verses for the Arew people of Tanzania! Four verses may not seem like alot, but each verse is $26 dollars to translate. This money goes towards:
"Your OneVerse gift funds six major steps to bring God’s Word to a new heart language. They are:
Creating a first draft translation of the text
Forming a language team to review the first draft of the translation
Testing the new draft of the translation within the indigenous community
Checking the translation by translating the draft back into English or another major language
Professional language consultants to review and check the translation
A final check of the translation prior to publication
Undergirding each of these project steps are training and mentoring, consultation for translators, computers, printers, translation software, office supplies, transportation, salaries or the equivalent and other necessities." (Oneverse.org ; http://www.oneverse.org/faqs)
As you can see, it takes alot to translate even one verse. They must take the original Hebrew scripture and translate it into a language, taking into account the root words, tense, context, etc.
With the proceeds the four verses translated this weekend were:
John 5:18 "For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."
John 5:19 "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:20 "For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
I am so excited to see where God takes this endeavor. It was his inspiration that began it, and will continue it. Without Christ we "can do nothing," we only seek to glorify His Name and bring His Word to those who do not have it.
All glory to God our Father, who is faithful beyond our wildest dreams and expectations. He is so so SO Worthy. Praise the Lord, oh my soul, praise the Lord.
I have had this song for a while now, given to me by a friend, but I hadn't really listened to it until this morning. And when I did, I experienced some of the greatest comfort and peace. Please listen to this song, and let it saturate your soul.
I am all He says I am.
What does He say you are?
I am a child of God - He is my Father 1 John 3:1,2
I am Christ's friend - John 15:15
I am born of God - 1 John 4:7
I have been adopted by God - Romans 8:15
I am an heir of God - Romans 8:17
I am a joint heir with Christ - Romans 8:17; Galations 4:7
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing - Ephesians 1:3
I am a child of promise - Romans 9:8; Gal 3:14
I've been given great promises - 2 Peter 1:4
I'm redeemed and forgiven - Eph 1:6-8
I've been justified - made righteous - Rom 5:1
I have eternal life - John 5:24
I died with Christ to the power of sin - Rom 6:1-6
I am free from condemnation - Rom 8:1
I have received the Spirit of God - 1 Corinthians 2:12
I have been given the mind of Christ- 1 Cor. 2:16
I have been crucified with Christ - Gal 2:20
I am a new creation - 2 Cor 5:17
I have been made alive with Christ - Eph 2:5
I am God's workmanship - Eph 2:10
I have received fullness in Christ - Col 2:10
I am connected to the true vine - John 15:1,5
I am a willing slave of righteousness - Rom 6:18,22
I am a temple of God - 1 Cor 3:16, 6:19
I am one spirit with the Lord - 1 Cor 6:17
I am a member of Christ's body - 1 Cor 12:27
I am reconciled to God - 2 Cor 5:18
I am a saint - Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1
I am a fellow citizen in God's kingdom - Eph 2:19
I have been brought near to Christ - Eph 2:13
I am to be righteous and holy like God - Eph 4:24
I have direct access to God - Eph 2:18
I am a citizen of heaven - Phil 3:20
I have been rescued from Satan's domain - Col 1:13
I am hidden with Christ in God - Col 3:3
I am chosen of God - holy, beloved- Col 3:12
I am a child of light, not darkness - 1 Thess 5:5
I am a partaker of Christ - Heb 3:14
I am one of God's living stones - 1 Pet 2:5
I am a member of a royal priesthood - 1 Pet 2:9
I am to be a stranger to this world - 1 Pet 2:11
I am an enemy of the devil - 1 Pet 5:8
I am to be salt on the earth - Mt 5:13
I am to be light in the world - Mt 5:14
I am chosen and appointed to bear fruit - Jn 15:16
I am called to do the works of Christ - Jn 14:12
I am to do what Christ commanded His disciples - Mt 28:20
I have been given spiritual authority - Lk 10:19 Signs should accompany my work - Mk 16:17-20
I am a minister of a new covenant - 2 Cor 3:6
I am a minister of reconciliation - 2 Cor 5:18,19
I am to be an expression of life in Christ - Col 3:4
I am a partaker of a heavenly calling - Heb 3:1
I am all beautiful - Song of Solomon 4:7
I am loved - Jn 3:16
I am provided for - Mt 6:33
I am protected - Psalm 91:4
I am rejoiced and sung over - Zeph 3:17
I am a land of delight - Mal 3:12; Zeph 3:17
I am prayed over - Luke 22:31
I am a steward - Col 3:23; 1 Cor 4:2
I am washed clean and sanctified in the name of Jesus - 1 Cor 6:11
These are only a few of the things that our God says of you. Open the Bible and you will find something on every page of what he calls you. And above all of these,
Sweet friend,
The Lord is pursuing you. Oh is he pursuing you! He is ready to show you his vast and gracious love. His love never fails and never falters. You can slap him and spit in his face, and he will only have love in his eyes for you. THAT is our God. THAT is the blessed Savior who hung on Calvary for your sins, for your mistakes, for your disobedience. He gave his life in pursuit of you.
I think of Barabbas, the first man saved by Christ's sacrifice. I think often how or if it changed his life when he realized what this man was doing. Barabbas was in prison for causing a violent uprising and murder, and the punishment for this was crucifixion. And here was this man, who had done nothing but shown love and save lives. Barabbas's sin was directly opposite of what Christ's life had been, and yet Christ took his punishment.
Did Barabbas's see the face of Christ and understand what Christ was doing? History shows nothing about Barabbas after this account of being freed. I yearn to know how his life changed when he saw an innocent man hanging on the cross in his place. Would that change your life? Would you be forever changed if you saw a man before your eyes being crucified in your place?
Well it happened. He thought of you on that cross. Your name was on his lips. He knew the eternal glory you would receive by him dying for you. Will you turn your face from him? Will you nullify his sufferings because it does not suit your lifestyle or reputation? God is there, ready to abundantly bless you!
Some do not pursue God because it seems hopeless or too hard to know the wisdom past saints did. But friend, WE HAVE THE SAME BIBLE! We have the same book those saints had centuries ago.
"Some people do not expect to see Christ. They read the life of Madame Guyon, and her soul-enchanting hymns, and they say, “Ah! a blessed woman this.” They take down the letters of Samuel Rutherford, and when they read them through, they say, “Enchanting epistles! a strange, marvelously good man this.” It does not enter into their heads that they may be Madam Guyons, and that they may have as much nearness to Christ, and as much enjoyment as Samuel Rutherford. We have got into the habit of thinking the saints gone by stand up in elevated niches for us to stare at them with solemn awe, and fancy that we can never attain to their elevation. Brethren, they are elevated certainly, but they beckon us to follow them, and point to a something beyond; they invite us to outstrip them, to get greater nearness to Christ, a clearer sense of his love, and a more ravishing enjoyment of his presence.You do not expect to see Christ, and therefore you do not see him, not because he is not there to be seen, but because your eyes are held through your unbelief. I do not know any reason why we should not be full of joy this morning; every believing soul among us. Why hang ye those harps on the willows, beloved? You have a trial, say you. Yes, but Jesus is in it. He says, “When thou passest through the rivers, I will be with thee, the floods shall not overflow thee.” Why not rejoice then, since the dear Shepherd is with you? What matters it though there be clouds? They are full of rain when He is there, and they shall empty themselves upon the earth.
Make it your prayer this morning, “Lord, open thou mine eyes that I may see my Savior present with me, and after once seeing him may I never let him go. From this day forth may I begin like Enoch to walk with God, and may I continue walking with God till I die, that I may then dwell with him forever.” I find it very easy to get near to God, compared with what it is to keep near. Enoch walked with God 400 years; what a long walk that was! What a splendid journey through life! Why should not you begin, dear Christian brother, today, if you have not begun, and walk with God through the few years which remain? Oh to get up above yon mists which dim the valley! Oh to climb the mountain’s top which laughs in the sunlight! Oh to get away from the heavy atmosphere of worldliness and doubt, of fear, of care, of fretfulness; to soar away from the worldlings who are always earth-hunting, digging into its mines and prying after its treasures, and to get up there where God dwells in the innermost circle of heavenly seclusion; where none can live but men who have been quickened from among the dead; where none can walk but men who are crucified with Christ, and who live only in him. Oh to get up there! where no more question concerning our security can molest us; where no carking care can disturb because all is cast upon the Lord, and rests wholly with him. Oh to live in such an entireness of confidence and childlike faith that we will have nothing to do with anything now except with serving him and showing forth the gratitude we owe to him who has done so much for us. Christ has called you to fellowship with himself, and he is not in the grave now. He is risen! rise you! He is ascended! ascend with him and learn what this meaneth, “He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." - Charles Spurgeon "Eyes Opened"
Friend, call to him. He is faithful to hear you. He loves you greatly sweet child. Go, he beckons. Run to him, in this very moment. Do you hear his still small voice? "Come, come sweet child of mine. I have loved you with an everlasting love, and I will continue to love you in my faithfulness. Come, let me love you."
Hey guys,
Driving down to school this past weekend, I was thinking of what this semester would bring. I like to have an idea/vision of what I see for each semester. This semester the Lord has put on my heart taking the risk of witnessing to every person I have a chance with. It has already blown my mind how he has abundantly reinforced that vision in just a few short days. I was thinking about how it is my last year in college (crazy I know!) and how I won't have the same opportunities I have now ever again.
My mom read a book this past summer called, "Take the Risk" by Ben Carson. On the drive home from Florida she told me a bit about what it was about. She mentioned how in the book he talks about how life is too short to care what people think or trying to avoid awkward moments. For some reason that has stuck with me since. It made so much sense to me.
We all know those awkward moments in the elevator when someone comes in and it's just the two of you. There is that short time span when it is ok to say something and then it soon passes, and you are left wishing the elevator would hurry up already and open. Most people just avoid the risk of an awkward conversation or chancing an uncomfortable interaction. But why? Why are we so afraid of AWKWARD? What effect will it have on our life if we fumble over some words, or have an uncomfortable few seconds of silence while trying to think of what to say?
All of that to say, why don't we take the risk more often? I think we are afraid of what that person will think of us. When in all honesty...if we don't know them and might not ever see them again, or even if you do, it doesn't matter. Those words will never physically hurt us, and we probably will never even know what they thought.
So as I think of all those situations, I think why not use those moments to make someone's day with a simple "Hello, how's your day going?" or a short compliment? You never know what could come from that short opener, and who knows, God could use it to start a whole conversation, or even use it in a series of events that lead that person to Christ in the end.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 says, "...we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict."
Paul was not speaking out of his own courage and self-confidence. No, he spoke because he had confidence in his God! He was in physical conflict while preaching to the Thessalonians, and yet he continued to preach with boldness! because he knew the God he spoke of and had confidence in God's faithfulness.
1 Thessalonians 2 continues in verse 4, "...so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
I love this. It is exactly what this risk-taking is about. We cringe back from saying things to people so often because we are not bold in ourselves and don't want to make them feel uncomfortable or awkward. What we should be doing is boldly sharing the love and encouragement our God offers to us daily!
A person's soul is worth far far far more than any amount of awkwardness or uncomfort. If that soul is saved from eternal hell than for goodness sakes, by all means let there be however much awkwardness is necessary! God is faithful, he will open doors, and if that person does reject your words, then it is not upon you that their soul will be separated from God. Like verse 4 says, we do not speak words of truth to please men, but to please GOD.
It does not matter if the person wants to hear it or not. Of course you discern in your spirit whether or not the person is being receptive and you remain respectful, but the point is to take the risk. Just try it. You might meet some amazing fellow believers who are also inspired to take the risk with others.
Imagine if every believer on college campuses began taking the risk of telling anyone and everyone about God? That my friend would be a reformation.
I pray that this generation become like Martin Luther (the German monk who spoke truth into the misguided Catholic Church) and Charles Spurgeon (became a pastor of thousands at age 16). I want to see this world changed so dramatically, and how amazing would it be to see the young people of this world lead the way to the Savior's arms?!
God is so ready to love every one of his children. He will use you. All you have to do is allow him to. Just pray right now, ask the Lord to take you off the shelf and use you as his vessel that will flow Living Water across this dry and parched land. It is dying of thirst for True Love.
Will you join me in this vision? Will you take the risk?
While at church recently, my pastor spoke on Malachi 3. The sermon was entitled Robbing God . I highly encourage you to listen to this sermon. It is exactly what this culture and country need to hear.
This summer much of my time was spent investing in my first business A Whimsy Willow, and gathering inspiration for a future house. Nearly most of my time was spent in either of the two, if I wasn't with family or friends.
My pastor, Afshin, said many things that were like a two edged sword straight to my heart. I realized that my time was more invested in what is temporary. It was a hard reality to face but the words God spoke through Afshin were exactly what my soul needed to hear.
Afshin spoke of how only three things are eternal: God, His Word, and the souls of men and women. Nothing else will go with us to heaven. That is why it is so important to invest in all three areas! First, invest in your relationship with the Lord. He is your Creator and loves you dearly. Strive in your relationship with him to know him better and to learn more about him personally. When you know more about him, you won't be able to help but love him more.
Secondly, invest in the Word! God's word is powerful and "does not return void", ever! (Isaiah 55:11). THERE IS POWER IN THE SPOKEN WORD! Spend time daily, hourly! in the Word of God. For it feeds your spirit and helps it grow. The Word of the Lord is alive and is so worth investing your time and energy in. It is not just a book. No, not just a book at all. It is the Word of God, living and breathing.
Lastly, invest in the souls of man! In the end when we all must face the closing of our eyes to this world, the only thing we will take with us is our soul. No money, cars, houses, clothes, jewelry, degrees, jobs, nothing. This world is but a blink, and it is our job as believers to help show others the love of Jesus Christ. This does not just mean be kind and compassionate. This means risk everything that you may save a soul from eternal hell!
Charles Spurgeon gave the most poignant sermon I have found on the subject of saving souls: Compassion for Souls . In this he talks about how "You may know the truth of the doctrine, but you do not know the doctrine in truth if it makes you gaze on the wrath to come without emotions of pity for immortal souls." Please, I beg you, read this sermon. It will move mountains in your heart, if not bring tears pouring from your eyes for regret of not having done more earlier in your life for the lost souls.
If nothing else remember this from Spurgeon, "It ought never to be that a soul should perish of ignorance within a mile of where a Christian lives." "Let it be said by each [believer],'If a soul perishes, I, atleast, will have done all in my power to reclaim it." (pg.13 Sermons on Women in the Bible, Spurgeon).
It is worth our every ounce of energy to invest in these three things. For in the end that is all that matters, all that will last, all that is eternal.
All of that to say, this new venture of mine, Three Remain, came about from that simple sentence of Afshin about the three eternal things. I was sewing other projects when the Lord inspired me to create this. "You will create for me. You will invest in what is eternal."
So here I am, telling you about this new venture in hopes that you will join me in this eternal investment. First we seek to glorify God, and grow in knowledge and affection for God. Secondly, we seek to invest in God's word and see it "run ahead" (2 Thess. 3:1) to all people. And thirdly, that the souls of people might be saved through this invest in God's word, and the knowledge of the basis of this project.
50% of all profit from these products goes directly to OneVerse , while 25% goes into the supplies needed to make these products.
The money we have is not ours. It is God's. He knows what we need, and will always provide for us. So let us return to him what is his, and invest in what three things will remain: God, His Word, and Souls.
I never started this to bring glory to my name, but God's name. And he has been utterly faithful to act and bring glory and honor to his name. My God is so amazingly faithful, I cannot understand how he could be so good. But with this publicity has come quite a lot more business. I rely upon the Lord to help this business and I know he will show his faithfulness once again. He will be faithful to the end.
