Day 8...The Barnabas Way!

I am walking through a book by John Sloan entitled "The Barnabas Way" (if you're interested, this book is offered in "My Very Favorites" column to the right of this blog post) and I'm really being challenged to take a good hard look at myself and my walk with God...are my sights set on the right things? Is the direction I'm taking in life paved by God? Am I willing to give the control handles of my life to God?

All of these questions seem easily answered until flesh enters into the equation. What about MY agenda? What about what I want? How will this benefit ME??

Barnabas (his story is found in the book of Acts) was a man of God. He was constantly reaching out to others. His giving wasn't necessarily extravagant, nor were the benefits of his giving when defined in human terms, but the Heavenly rewards were enormous!!

As the Beatitudes reveal...what is great in the Kingdom of Heaven will also benefit us most here on earth.

John Sloan reminds us in his little book that the benefits of living like a follower of Jesus with a Barnabas mind-set...showing compassion, reaching out, encouraging...are as follows:

• A new focus on people instead of things
• An opportunity to watch God bless, but not because we demand it
• Emotional health
• The joy of seeing people get back on their feet
• A front-row view of the Cinderellas in life who get an opportunity to start over
• A chance to help people discover their own happiness
• An antidote for loneliness
• The secret to genuinely discovering our purpose
• Discovering God is just and fair
• Experiencing God's unconditional love for ourselves and others
• Preventing ourselves from getting disillusioned about God

There are no promises made that if you follow the Barnabas Way that you will suddenly have a bigger house, more money, a greater ministry, or a better life.

There are no promises that you'll have less trouble...that things will all make sense...

John ended his thoughts with..."I can promise that if you look each day for one who is hurting, one who has lost something, one who needs encouragement from God, or one who wants the support of a friend, you will never lack for a divine encounter. Someone will be there every day...

And you will be his/her blessing!!"

During our second week of our 29 Day Gift Challenge, I am going to focus more on giving the way Barnabas gave (if you've not read the story of Barnabas in the Bible I would encourage you to do s0). I want to be constantly looking for the next person who needs help.

John stated that, "thoughts of hunting for a new sports utility vehicle or upgrading my wardrobe, or finding a better mortgage rate suddenly pale when I've identified a human being in need of help."

Many times I look at life and see a busy schedule...things to do, lists to check off, deadlines to meet...Barnabas looked at life and saw people!!

I pray that we all hear God's still small voice leading us to the people who need us the most this week and as we heed to that voice, we will reap the Heavenly rewards while we're here on earth and for eternity!



Can't wait to hear about your experiences and how God is working in your lives!!

Marisa
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Days 3-7!

Hi All!

I thought since all of us work very hard during the week, I would combine days 3-7 for you to pick and choose the days you'd like to share with us...those days which are especially meaningful to you.

I'm so thankful for each of you and for sharing this little piece of your life with this group! I feel a real sense of closeness with each of you.

Don't forget to read previous postings...they all are very special! Blessings to each of you as you travel along this road to health, healing, and wholeness.

Have a great week!!

Marisa
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Day 2!

I'm excited to hear how God used you today! This site is designed with the organic lifestyle in mind and with ways to attain optimal health. I don't believe anything contributes to our well-being like being others centered and giving to the needs of others.

Please share with us your story...

Marisa

BTW...Be sure to check out the posts from Day 1 if you haven't already! God is already using each one of us in such a mighty way!
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Please post about your day 1 adventure here!

I'm excited to hear how God used you today! This site is designed with the organic lifestyle in mind and with ways to attain optimal health. I don't believe anything contributes to our well-being like being others centered and giving to the needs of others.

Please share with us your story...

Marisa
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29 Day Giving Ideas!

Only one more day!!

I am going to use this day to pray and open my heart to God's leading. I want to "step out of my own way" and be receptive to the needs of others.

I am going to jot down giving ideas in this post that I think are terrific! Please feel free to peruse some of these suggestions and use all, one, or none on your 29 Day Challenge.

This site is not meant to be a prescription to follow precisely, but rather a facilitative place to get our wheels turning, generate ideas, and find support.

Giving Ideas:

1. Wish Upon a Hero ~  This is a site that was inspired after 9/11 and after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Oleans. It is a place where up to 3 wishes can be granted and unlimited wishes can be met.
2. Let's Say Thanks to Our Troops ~ Here is a website where we can send free postcards to military personnel overseas to show our gratitude and support for serving our country.
3. Women For Women ~ This is an excellent resource for women all around the world who have survived wars, civil strife, and other conflicts! This organization gives women the tools they need to become self-sufficient and stable. The organizations listed below donate a portion of their proceeds to Women For Women and many are supporters of the organic lifestyle...so, check them out:
• Organic Bouquet - Send a bouquet and they will send 13% of the proceeds to Women For Women.
• Flash Bags - Design your own adorable photo purse from recycled newsprints and color photocopies and benefit Women For Women International.
• Pangea Organics - Organic skincare products
• Olive Smart Bags - There are 6 stylish reusable bags...great for saving the environment and supporting a wonderful cause. Check out their story:

1. Thanks for Being There ~ Being there is about helping, sharing and unconditional support. And when someone is there for you, it’s good to take a moment to let them know they’re appreciated. This venue gives us the opportunity to say thank-you and express our gratitude.
2. Take a meal to someone who needs the extra help
3. Rub the back of someone hurting ~ This idea was mentioned by Faith, one of the members of our 29 Day Challenge group. I am very excited to read about her experience...what a thoughtful gift!
4. Create a gift basket
5. Create "kindness rocks," as shown on Cami's video ~ These rocks (purchased at a craft store) can have kind words painted on them and given out to people you'd like to touch in a special way. Encourage them to hang on to their rocks for an hour or so and then give them away to others they'd like to touch...and so on :)
6. Victory Junction ~ This is a site for children with disabilities and they are always looking for handmade items, such as, afghans, quilts, and teddy bears.

I hope this list triggers you to think about ways you can give over the next 29 days. Remember, a simple gesture is very precious and goes a long way in making someone's day brighter.

A colleague of mine, who has gone through much emotional pain over the last couple of years, said that a warm smile, a gentle touch, or just a simple, "How are you?" eases her pain and helps in the healing process. She said people will often avoid her because they don't know what to say. It is an especially sad and lonely place to not be acknowledged...in her own words, "Please, please, please say or do something! Anything is better than nothing!"

Thank-you for joining me! I appreciate all of you so much! Please don't forget to post each day about your giving...this is a perfect way for us to grow and learn from one another, not to mention glean new gift-giving ideas!

Marisa
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Healthy Inspiration!

Guess what I'm eating while I'm posting this new tidbit to you?? A variety of organic olives...yum!! One of the very best lacto-fermented foods...more about that later.

With all of the turmoil and strife everywhere we turn, I thought I'd commit this post to ways of making a lasting change in our own lives, as well as in the lives of those much less fortunate than we are.

Have you ever thought of immersing yourself in another culture? Maybe you have, but maybe not...well, me neither until I took a summer trip to New York City! I attended a culturally diverse church and volunteered for their summer lunch program. This program provided lunch, games, and fellowship for families who were going through tough times. There are 65 different nationalities represented in this church and I've never felt more "whole" in all my life than being in the midst of God's people, with all of the walls torn down. There were no barriers (not even language because a hug and a smile says it all). I knew in an instant that this was the single most important aspect of my journey to holistic healing...the building of relationships and reaching beyond my sphere of influences and outside of my comfort zone.

I came home from new York City forever changed, with an intense passion to "hear" the Words of God, as He molds and shapes me into His usable vessel.

I would encourage every one of you to consider a volunteer vacation. I can think of no better way to experience the culture and the people than to roll up your shirt sleeves and teach the school children, help build communities, preserve wildlife, and so on. I think it would be so easy to miss the most important part of this cultural experience if you were merely a "sight seer."

The beauty of volunteer opportunities is they are tailor-made to meet the needs of all of those who stress an interest. There are programs from a few days long to more than a year. There are a variety of different opportunities as well...you can bathe elephants in Bangkok, build structures in Bali and many other areas, teach children in Ecuador, as well as disadvantaged children in the United States. Trips vary in cost from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand.

There are several programs to help you organize your trip. In fact, many local churches organize volunteer trips on a regular basis. Here are a few reputable organizations to help you plan your journey:


Check out Charity Guide and Global Volunteers

I have communicated with the Tandana Foundation at great length and I am eagerly waiting upon the Lord for the financing that will enable me to take my next volunteer trip to Ecuador! They have even identified the family who will welcome me into their home with open arms. They are very excited for me to help with Jeorge's English and I, in turn, am very excited to learn organic gardening from Jeorge and Ximena! They are waiting with great anticipation, as am I, to have me teach the local children English!

You can just envision how this will do much more for me than I will do for them. Eight weeks in Ecuador equals a changed woman!

Here is Tandana Foundation

Please watch the video of the Tandana Foundation volunteers in Mali:



I would encourage you, especially if you seek the road to greater health, to look into a volunteer vacation. It certainly doesn't have to be on a grand scale, but, the impact it will have on your well-being will be nothing less than grand!

I can't wait to read your thought!

Marisa



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