All posts tagged: encouragement

Why The Bird Sings: Faith for Creatives

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*Revised from August 3, 2015 “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” ~Maya Angelou We, as the artist and writers, the dreamers of the world, creative beings, fashioned in the likeness of our loving God and Father, share a beautiful thread of comradery with the birds who so sweetly sing. We write because we have a story to tell. We create because we have a vision. We dream because we have been blessed with a hope so gloriously written by Christ’s hands that we know it will not disappoint (ROM. 5:5). We don’t need to have the answers for every step we are led to take or the exact ins and outs that lead to our future goals in order to share something beautiful. We just need willing hearts to follow His lead and our voices ready to sing in the symphony of song that He has orchestrated for us! Lift up your voice, lift up your faith, and sing. “He has given me a new …

The Wisdom of Pursuit: Pursuit of Passion Pt 3

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*Revised from the “Postures” Series from July 2016 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” ~JAMES 1:5-6 Our passions are as vast as the sand of the sea. Even so, the way in which we are to pursue those passions are equally as vast and require wisdom, the wisdom of God if we are truly to hit our marks and be successful in a way that not only pleases God but allows us to be blessed and be a blessing to others. The Word of God tells us in that if any of us lack wisdom we should as God who gives unto us abundantly. To approach and pray to Savior in Faith and Wisdom is to approach Him with focused confidence in Who He is and who we are in Him as …

Faith & The Fast Lane: Faith for Creatives

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“But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.  For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” ~HEBREWS 6:9-12 Sometimes in the pursuit of our passion, the vision that the Lord has set ablaze in our souls, we find ourselves slowing down to a productive pace that does not match the zeal that is burning on the inside of us.  We look around us and see others seemingly tackling goals and gaining momentum with neck-break speed while we putter along. We wonder if our faith is enough.  The answer is yes, yes your faith is enough!  Your journey in pursuit of your creative passion and the calling that the Lord has placed upon your life …

Don’t Give Up in Your Pursuit by Pastor Robert House III

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The reality of living in a fallen world is that many times you may feel stuck, unfilled, hopeless, confused and even bitter. You put your full effort into making a change, pursuing something better in your life, fighting an addiction, changing your circle of friends or even connecting with family and then nothing changes. You have been lead to build a dream, you pray over your family and your marriage and nothing changes. Have you ever been passionately pursuing the will of God because you know what He told you and still find yourself empty? What do you do when nothing changes and yet everything changes. Where do you go when you feel like your prayers aren’t being heard. Your body aches, your heart cries, you know that you stepped into the miry clay and now trying to get out of it. You went right when God told you to go left and now your trying to make a U-turn. Pursuit, passion, change and finding a better balance to the brokenness of your life. In …

Steps & Leaps in Pursuit of Passion

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” ~PROVERBS 3:5-6 No matter how big or small the step you take toward accomplishing your dream, celebrate the courage that you displayed in the step that you took and the ones that are sure to follow. Each stone you put forth is one more to add to the foundation of your future. Be grateful for your progress and keep moving forward! Our Faith is what brings our Heavenly Father pleasure! Faith in Him is the greatest expression of gratitude and devotion, especially as we pursue the passion that He has seeded in our hearts.  Faith is not only defined by giant leaps but is often reflected in the tiny steps.  Keep stepping forward, confident that He will shine a light on your path as you seek His face and way toward your goal.  ~Poeima, Poetry in Motion

Five Ways to Maintain Creative Joy

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Being a creative person is a gift, one that is inherent to us all. Whether you are a writer or an artist, an educator or a parent imagining a new way to get your kids to eat their broccoli, you are operating in your creative nature. For those us who want to take our creative passion to the next level and turn our hobbies into lucrative business ventures, we run the risk of facing burnout. This burnout isn’t just from working nonstop on something awesome. This burnout comes from being unprepared for the reality in the shift that we are making. When our passion becomes a business there is another level of accountability that we have to step into, a level that is not as ‘fun’ as creating itself but just as necessary if we are to be successful. With that in mind, I want to encourage you on ways to keep the glow of joy in your creating even as you stretch beyond your comfort zone and begin to make your passion available to …

The Words We Live By

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Revised from September 15, 2015 “I don’t live by people’s compliments, because if I lived by their compliments I would die by their criticism.” ~STEVEN FURTICK Whose words are you living by (on)? Man’s OPINION of you will change, but God’s remains the same. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 “…It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” To live off the Words of God is to live and rest in the truth that you are greatly loved, fearfully and wonderfully made, that you are delighted in. These are the words of life. These are the truths that pierce the darkness and let the light break forth within us. Live off the Words of your Daddy God, spoken by the Word made flesh, our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the Light and He is the Life (JOHN 8:12). Let us all live off of life. ~Poiema, Poetry in Motion *Photo by Shelby Miller on Unsplash

Encouraged in the Wait: Trusting in God in the Trial

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Revised from November 29, 2016 “He [God] gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” ~ISAIAH 40:29-31 This passage from Isaiah is one that I’ve quoted many of times in my walk with the Lord Jesus. Often times I’ve felt it come up from within my soul during times of, you’ve guessed it, waiting! And although this scripture does indeed tell us, like many others found in the Bible, that the Lord is faithful to those who wait, the power of waiting in the circumstances that the Prophet Isaiah is writing on is what really moved my heart recently and I am certain it will do the same for yours. When the Lord spoke to Isaiah, giving him these verses it was in response to what was going on …

Dressed for the Appointment: Hope for the Promises to Come

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*Revised from December 26th, 2012 Six years ago I was led to write a short message reminding many of my friends on Facebook to keep holding on to the Word of Faith and promise that Christ Jesus had given unto them. Now, six years later, I am urged to do it again. The Lord laid this question upon my heart that only you can answer for yourself, really, and here it is. “Are you dressed and are you ready for the open door?” It is easy to be given a dream and a prophetic vision for your future/destiny/purpose, but it is a whole other thing to not only hold on to it but to be prepared for it at all times. With many of the trails that we face within the monotony of life, it is easy to lose hope in the dream, allowing it to be transformed into the elusive ‘carrot on a stick’ dangling just out of your reach. “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and …

The One We Serve: Faith for Our Labors

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I’ma tell you like Daddy told me, in everything you do give God the glory. Every opportunity you’re given, sing your song for TWO as you would for a THOUSAND…” ~JOANN ROSARIO The above quote is the opening verse from the song titled “Serve You Only,” by JoAnn Rosario. There is such wisdom in this quote, such encouragement that, to me, really puts life and actions in proper perspective. Sometimes, most of the time, we weigh the value of our efforts by the size of the audience or the applause we may or may not receive as a result of it. We allow the absence of accolades to force our minds into the abysmal depths of disbelief, thinking our work is for not. “No one will buy this painting. No one cares about this poem. Who is going to read this book? I shared the Gospel and no one accepted Christ as their Savior. Is my work in vain?” All of these thoughts, and we all have had them, lead me to the old saying, “If …