Serving Others

There are two types of people in the world: Those who serve and those who need serving. Each can't do without the other. The server needs someone to serve and the one being served needs someone who is available and willing to serve them. In our lives, we can see patterns of when we have played the role of one or there other. It is a balance and a joy to be active on either of the two sides. The server enjoys the gratitude that comes from the appreciation of the served; the served enjoys the selflessness that comes from what the server bestows. And thus lies the impact of Christian living: to be a servant to others and share the gifts that God so graciously serves to us, each and every day!

Yesterday, the girls and I had the highest privilege of serving Greensboro's homeless community through our participation in Service Under the Bridge; launched by the 16 Cent Ministry. Even our guys came out to support! It was a scorching hot day. Sweat dripped from every area of the body and there was not a fan in sight. Yet, it was such a beautiful experience and as I watched the crowds form and offered spoon full of cole slaw, I reflected on the goodness of God! How he loves us all! No matter where we come from, or our economic status, we are dearly loved by our creator!


With blue gloves on and smiles offered, we hugged new friends, shared laughs with strangers, made hot dogs with chili and passed out cold water bottles. Some people gave thanks, others took their food quietly, but regardless of the reaction, it was evident that lives were touched... especially ours!

I was so proud to serve along side my Pearls yesterday! Their love and beauty shone like the stars underneath that dark and uncomfortable bridge. I truly saw Jesus at work within us all and I pray that our Savior was pleased!
I challenge you all to find a way to serve someone this week! It could be in a little effort, like helping a stranger with a task. Or maybe you know of someone whom you could anonymously pay a bill for.
The sky is the limit when it comes to serving, and the reward is everlasting!

If you and your group would like to participate in Service Under the Bridge, or if you would like to come solo, please visit this website for more information. Who knows... maybe we'll see you out there next time!
http://www.16centsministry.org

Serve with your whole heart! Be Jesus in someone's life!

~Pearls

How to Pray for Love

The Wedding season is once again among us! David's Bridal commercials are popping up everywhere, Facbook accounts increase with engagement announcements, reception pictures, blinged out rings and white gowns. For many of us, we can smile at every invitation and picture we come across. For some of us, it is a painful reminder that our time has not yet come.

My friends and I often have these discussions about relationships, marriage, dating in purity and waiting on the Lord. There are books, social communities, advice columns and magazine articles to help guide us to "the one" but, to honestly put it, there is no absolute solution, remedy or proof to determine the sure fired way of procuring love. Dating sites are not a guarantee, racing towards the pew to get a good seat by the cute guy in church is as silly as it is disappointing and reaching to get a good look at the guy in the checkout line in front of you, only to see that he already has a wedding ring, is just plain embarrassing! Truth be told, looking for love can be exhausting and frustrating. Yet, for the believer, we know that love is not based solely on only acquiring it, but also on offering it, as well.

Trust me...I know the highs of relationships and the deafening lows, but through it all, God has been faithful! Within my 10 year window frame of dating,  I experienced countless heartbreaks, broken hopes and burning tears. I'd been rejected, cheated on, lied to and ashamed. But God is good!

About the age of 24, I found myself at a place where I needed direction, because my own impatience and attempts for love were failing miserably. I remember my mother telling me, "Trina", until you fall in love with Jesus, you will never understand or appreciate how God created you to be loved".
This coming Monday, my husband and I will be celebrating our second year of marriage. For 3 years, we dated in purity: I was a virgin, he was practicing celibacy and we were determined to stay committed in obedience. I was 28 years old when I walked down the isle and I am thankful for such an incredible blessing!

Through it all, my mother's words never left me... there came a day when I realized that I HAD to learn to fall in love with Jesus! His love illuminates our understanding of what true love was intended to be. In other words, the world has it's version of love, but it will never fulfill us. It is temporary and contingent. It is self seeking and based upon carnal emotions that are here today and gone tomorrow. But the love that comes from God is eternal and when we trust our love to Him, he brings us someone who will not only understand God's love, himself, but will also be experienced enough to share that same love with us. He won't be perfect:  there will be mistakes and struggles, let downs and misunderstandings;  but through it all, the eternal love of God will overshadow where both of  you lack.

In this wedding season, where smiles and celebrations seem to be flaunted and plastered in every direction, I think about those of you who are struggling in your singleness, searching for meaning, relationships and fulfillment. I promise you, none of those things will exist outside of Christ. If you want someone to share your heart with, start with Jesus. Invest in a love relationship with Him, first, and allow Him to mold your heart in preparation for the one that He has created for you. In this way, you will find meaning, fulfillment and purpose that you will be able to share with that someone special. 

While you are waiting, wait for the Lord. Share your heart with Jesus! Tell Him about your anxiousness, disappointments, sadness and expectations. Pray that He begin to prepare your heart and create within you a love that is stronger in giving than it is in receiving. Ask for discernment to recognize the one that God will place in your path and pray for a spirit of contentment in your waiting process. Finally, pray for your husband as well. Not just that he will come, but that he will be strong in the Lord. Pray for his family and his friends. Pray over his finances and his future. Cover his struggles and temptations in prayer (because believe me, he will have them!). Pray over his exams in school and over his accomplishments. Ask God to prepare His heart for you, as He prepares your heart for him and I promise, "Mr. Man" may not show up the next day, but those prayers will not go out in vain!

Pray without ceasing... Pray for love!

~Pearls

Is Christianity Still Relevant?

abc.go.com

Last Thursday, a crowd of comments swarmed Facebook regarding the topic of religion vs spirituality after a post was uploaded featuring women co-hosts on ABC's The View. In the video clip, the stars discussed on the morning talk show their personal opinions, acceptance and reactions of modern day religion and the path to God. Raven Symone, America's sweet heart and child star from the Cosby Show and Disney's That's So Raven show, made some rather interesting remarks in regards to her personal beliefs and opinions on the matter:

"Every religion has it's time and place and then we start evolving [as a human race]...I have a personal rejection to religion itself, but spirituality is through everybody, no matter what God you praise to."

abc.go.com

She also states on the show that she was focusing her lifestyle on New Age montras, light and energy. Her words were said with such confidence and the crowd gave a roaring applause, but I wonder, within the inner being of her own heart, is Raven, along with the others in our world, truly satisfied with the condition of their souls? Or are they, like many, on the search to find fulfillment within their own means? And if so, is the debate to convince themselves or those around them?

Scripture tells us to be careful of false teachings or of words that lure us into self-gratification..."tickling ears" is what the Bible calls it:

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
~2 Timothy 4:3

There is no doubt that we are in such an era, where people willingly reject what is true and sound in exchange for what is comfortable and for what allows them to maintain a certain lifestyle without responsibility for God's word. Everyone feels they have their own personal path to God, yet scripture is very clear that there is only one way to the Father, and that is through Jesus, His son!

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is through His Son. Whoever has the Son has eternal life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life" ~1 John 5: 11-12

The next day after this video was posted on Facebook, the girls from Pearls of Hope had a very riveting discussion on the matter. Here are some of the comments they shared:

"I understand there may be people in the world who profess Christ but they are not setting the best examples and it's unfortunate, but people have been rejecting him since he came into the world. That's a choice. You are choosing not to believe, don't blame the next person and use them as the representative for the entire body. Try him for yourself." - Brittany

"It bothers me that all of those ladies seemed to try to make excuses for the world and themselves and blame it on religion for the reasons they're conforming to this "new age"...(people) think they are saved because they believe in God or his existence but then choose to live their own way because they don't know what's required of them because they're not seeking God and his kingdom and staying glued to his word!" -Amanda

"Although people like her make me sad, I feel like they just need the right experience to change their whole perspective. There is still hope for her and those with that mentality as long as they are breathing. We really have to pray hard for them."- Ariel

In a nut shell, no matter who you are or what you've heard or what you've read, God's word must be the source of our lives and the means by which we make our decisions, because He is God. If He says it, we know it is truth, because God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). Yet, our society defies the very nature of God by rejecting His word and clinging on to their own intellect, opinions and views. And worse, they demand that we, those who belong to God and are called of Christ, to assimilate ourselves with their perspective and their views, expecting us to quietly "respect" their life choices, while they openly reject ours. It is a difficult condition that the Christian has found themselves in: to boldly proclaim Christ to a world who has rejected him, or silently disagree in our hearts for fear of being rejected ourselves. Yet scripture tells us that they will reject us- well... not really us, but the Spirit of Christ who lives in us (Matthew 10:22). 

If we are to be effective Christians, we must not align ourselves with the world in regards to things that are contrary to the Bible. In love, we must allow the courage of the Holy Spirit to raise up within us and declare, "No. This is not right. There is only one way and there is only one path, and this is through Jesus!"

The women on The View, regardless of their personal opinions, each have a soul that is precious to God. But I wonder how many of them truly understand the Gospel message? How many of them, in their own power and in their own attempt at goodness, are trying to pave their own path, despite the fact that God has already paved one for them and for us all? The issue isn't Spirituality vs. Religion...even the Devil and his demonds are spiritual! Religion is man's own attempt at righteousness, which we know is disgusting to God (Isaiah 64:6). So the question then isn't spirituality or religion...The real question is, Do you want a relationship with God or not? If you do, it's only possible through Jesus! All other attempts, forms, beliefs or traditions will not make the cut. It's only through him that we are reconciled to God. This is the way of God. Any other route leads away from Him, away from His light and away from His kingdom.

Here are more scriptures on the matter:

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Romans 1:20 For God's invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life!

We invite you to watch the clip and to share your thoughts, comments and questions with us! We'd be happy to pray with you or explain God's plan of salvation with even more detail with you! Please know that, no matter where you are in life, you will never go too far that God can't reach out and bring you to Himself!

Our prayers go up for you and for all those who are still searching!

~Pearls