The Joy Of Sharing Your Faith - Testimonies Included!!!

Hello again!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. As mentioned at the top, it was revamp and resurrection time! I felt prompted by Holy Spirit this afternoon to begin writing and sharing again, only this time, with a new focus: Share my personal experiences as I share the love of God with people. Simple.

This last week I sensed I needed to pull away from watching TV and being entertained (yes it's been a problem) and instead, spend more time with the Lord listening, reading his word and the like. So I did. Oh ya, and I also binge-watched videos of an awesome preacher just preaching the simple truth of the gospel on You Tube. :) It was a life altering, paradigm shifting week to say the least!! I was reawakened to the love of God and his acceptance of me and the necessity to share His heart and love with others. I realized that I was so stuck in the happenings of my own life and how selfish I truly have been. Wow! To be honest, things have often felt pretty depressing as I haven't been physically well for a long time. I know God is my healer and I am believing for the outworking of complete healing. I believe his word and receive it by faith. In addition to the health issues, the challenges my husband and I have continued to face throughout our marriage of two and a half years have been less than desirable. Hubby and I are good but our circumstances have often been overwhelmingly difficult and very much beyond our control most of the time. What I'm saying is that we all have our own struggles and challenges but we must learn to adjust our perspective of them, live according to God's truth (and not according to how we feel) and carry on our mission by His very sufficient grace. What better way to do this then to fall in love with Jesus over and over again every day by spending more time with him and by sharing His love with others?

Since this shift, I have stepped out to bless others several times and the result has been wonderful! People have been blessed and touched as have I! I feel like a new person with so much life, hope and joy! I'm not talking about preaching from every street corner here, I'm talking about going about my day with the awareness that every person in front of me is the object of God's affection. I don't need to feel 'led' in order to love someone, pray for them, buy their groceries, share a meal, etc. Jesus already told us to go. It's not just about getting people to say a prayer to get into heaven but about them having an encounter with a loving God who cares about their situation.

Paul says, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Philemon 1:6

Did you catch that? Paul talks about the benefits of sharing your faith - a full understanding of all we have in Jesus! Wow! Who knew?!!! Amazingly, I can totally relate to this. As I have been a light wherever I've gone, the understanding of the grace, mercy and goodness of God is so amazing I become more in love with Jesus and only want to do more.

I promised some testimonies. Below are some examples of acts of kindness and sharing that I (and my hubby for some also) did just in the last three days. Please understand that this is not a brag-a-thon. I only hope to encourage you to become more aware of others around you, to step out and to be a conduit for the love of the Father to flow through. :)

*Made a meal for an elderly couple in my neighborhood. They were so touched. The wife was in tears. They both have health issues and they have a family member struggling with suicidal tendencies and I was able to pray for them. We all hugged several times and they thanked me over and over again.

*Brought a housewarming gift to a friend in my neighborhood.

*Volunteered to feed a relative's cat while they were away. They were so blessed and grateful as they didn't know what they were going to do with their cat.

*Helped love on a brother by cleaning his home as he was unable to due to severe pain. He was super blessed and thankful.

*Spoke to a cashier while buying groceries. Told her God loved her and thought she was amazing. She blushed and was grinning from ear to ear. So sweet as her countenance is often down and she is sometimes 'prickly'.

*Gave a 60% tip to a waitress who I later found out had worked more than a 12 hour day. *note: Christians are often known to waiters/waitresses as the cheapest customers of all on Sundays. :)

*Gave a stranger carrying bags of groceries in the pouring rain a ride home. We found out he is from the Congo and he lives in the complex directly across from us. Now we can invite him and his family over for a meal! As he was getting out of the car we said, "God bless you," and he said, "thank you, thanks God."

Being kind and doing good to others is so much fun!!!

Blessings to you as you step out!

Crystal

Testimony Time! Prayer for a lady who lost her phone - Daily Dose of Enc...

Surrender! Just Let Go...

Surrender? Let go?....Ya right! Easier said than done!

First of all, what does it mean to surrender? Dictionary.com defines it like this:
1. to yield (something) to the possession or power of another;deliver up possession of on demand or under duress.

2. to give (oneself) up, as to the police.
3. to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion,etc.
4. to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
5. to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.

6. to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.

7. the act or an instance of surrendering.
8. Insurance . The voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.
9. the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.

The type of surrender I'm going to share about today has mainly to do with the position of our hearts and lives before God. It's about yielding, giving over and letting go.

In the midst of the busy-ness of work and play as well as the pursuit of my goals and dreams (which I believe are God-inspired), I hear His still, small voice asking me to surrender to Him; particularly my future. Even though I have a bit of a sense of what the future may hold, there are so many unknowns! I'm sure you can relate. Like most people I like to be in control and holding the reins of my life (but also want God to have a say too!). I like having some sort of a plan, even if it's somewhat vague. At least it's a plan. I confess that I have sometimes found myself jumping the gun and doing things at the wrong time and/or the wrong way. I have not always taken the time to seek the Lord in detail and given him room to speak and provide more specific direction so that I would remain on course. But, I'm learning...a slow learner at times. :) 

One area I'm learning about is patience...and...waiting for the right time for the fulfilment of things God has put in my heart. Man, that is hard! As you probably already know, patience is a fruit of the Spirit and is super important in life and in the kingdom of God. God graciously provides opportunities for me to learn patience. Sometimes it drives me crazy but I know that the outcome is growth and maturity and that I will be more like Christ. That is His desire for you too! 

He desires for us to yield and to give ourselves over to Him completely. A surrendered soul is beautiful to behold.

Do you remember times in your life when you were completely surrendered to God and His purposes? Do you remember times when you were not yielded to Him and life just seemed more challenging, stressful and difficult? I do. The times of complete surrender were amazing and peaceful and I felt close to God. I had peace even in the midst of challenging circumstances. I also remember times when I fought letting go of things and it was awful. I was stressed, miserable, sleep-deprived and lacked His peace. I felt further away from God because I was resisting letting go. Not a fun place to be and I'm not looking for a repeat!

There's a scripture in the Bible where Jesus says, "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal."   John 12:24-25 (The Message)

"The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender." William Booth, Founder of The Salvation Army

"We find by losing. We hold fast by letting go. We become something new by ceasing to be something old.  This seems to be close to the heart of that mystery. I know no more now than I ever did about the far side of death as the last letting-go of all, but now I know that I do not need to know, and that I do not need to be afraid of not knowing. God knows. That is all that matters."  Frederick Buechner

What is Father God asking you to surrender and entrust to him today? Will you join me in taking a few moments to prayerfully surrender and let go of those things you know He doesn't want you to hang on to for your own good? He desires that you be completely free and completely at peace. He is the One who holds all things together and He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!
 

"Let go and let God."  Unknown

Blessings to you all! 

Crystal

Never Give Up!

Hello again!

I thought I'd let you in on a little secret. My life goals are written on 8x10 sheets of paper taped to my bedroom wall. Sounds a little funny, I know. They are there as a reminder to help me stay focused and to keep me moving toward them; to remind me to keep making decisions that will help me attain those things in the future. Some of them will probably take years to realize; others not as long. Some of them require a lot of money in order to accomplish them but just because I do not have the money in my hand yet, doesn't mean they won't be fulfilled. I believe they are dreams and goals from Father God and if He put them in my heart, then there is a way to make them a reality!

I don't think anyone has ever accomplished anything great without challenges and opposition. The greater the prize, the greater the price one must be willing to pay in order to get it.

I'm reminded of a parable from the Bible which says, "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!"  Matthew 13:45-46 (NLT)

I am impacted by the tenacity of the merchant and the price he paid for just one pearl! To him, it had the greatest value and he was completely willing to sell EVERYTHING he owned in order to get it! Wow!

Have you ever given up (or felt like it) on something you knew or sensed you were meant to do but the road seemed too tough or it was more than you thought you could bare? Perhaps you (like me at times), need to be reminded to not give up, even when you face opposition and challenges. If you have a real dream or goal from God, you will probably find that it resurfaces at various times in your life. It won't let you go. In my experience I have often found that the resurfacing of the dream was God's way of telling me to hang on, to not let go, to keep on believing and to keep taking those steps no matter how small they may be, because eventually, I'll get there. The dream will become a reality if I don't give up. I've also found that it is important to have the support of others who believe in me and who believe in the dream with me (even if they are not doing it with me).

Who do you have in your corner? Who cheers you on when the road is rough? I'm sure there is someone. May I encourage you to allow them to support and encourage you on your journey? Their support can make a huge difference! I know it has for me!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith..."  Hebrews 12: 1-2a

In closing, I thought I'd share a picture of what I believe tenacity and perseverance looks like. Makes me smile every time I look at it. :)

 

May God give you the grace and strength to persevere and go after all He has called you to do and to become all He desires you to become! 

Keep on keeping on! Don't give up! 

In Him, 

Crystal

Courage To Try

Hi there!

When was the last time you thought about trying something new? What was it? Did actually you try it out? How did you feel when you followed through?

If you've been reading my blog you will notice that I've been in a season of trying some new things. I've only mentioned a few. There are more. I'm really starting to get the hang of it! :)

We are creatures of habit. We often do the same thing over and over again simply out of habit - even when we're tired of it. Sometimes we 'wish' our lives were different or that we could change things. We want to do something great; something that changes the world or at least the world of another for the better. The truth is that we all have the potential within us to do great things!

Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

It takes courage to try something new. There have been times in my life that I've not followed through in doing some of the things God has called me to do because of fear; fear of the unknown, fear of failure and fear of what others might think. I will not allow fear to hold me back from doing what God has called me to do any longer!

Recently, I read some quotes about courage and thought I'd share them with you.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." Nelson Mandela

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." Ambrose Redmoon

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." Michael Jordan

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." Aristotle

Not only must we believe in our ability to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others, we sometimes need reminding that God believes in us too!

So, join me in trying something new! Do something you've never done before, even if it is small! We all have to start somewhere! :)

Enjoy the journey!

Blessings,

Crystal

What's Your Dream?

I recently read a great quote which said, "The poorest of all men is not the one without a nickel to his name. He is the fellow without a dream... [He is like] a great ship made for the mighty ocean but trying to navigate in a millpond. He has no far port to reach, no lifting horizon, no precious cargo to carry. His hours are absorbed in routine and petty tyrannies. Small wonder if he gets dissatisfied, quarrelsone and "fed up." One of life's greatest tragedies is a person with a 10-by-12 capacity and a two-by-four soul." Kenneth Hildebrand


I can relate to this quote on many levels!


Most people I know have a dream...or dreams. But...How many of us actually believe that we will achieve the dream? How many of us are willing to do the work to make it happen?


I have a few dreams; many of which have been on the back burner for quite some time...until now. I shared one of them with you in the previous blog (See blog from Feb.20.12). There is much to do in order to get to the point of fulfillment but I believe it is possible and I am prepared to follow through on whatever is necessary for it to become a reality.


My heart in writing this blog is not just to tell you all about my life and my dreams but to spur you on and encourage you to dream and actually DO what you only hoped you could do!


I believe that one has to actually be able to 'see' the dream; actually know what it would look like, feel like, sound like, smell like and taste like - as if they are already there doing it. If we don't know the answer to these things, how will we know that it has actually come to pass? We must know what the target is so that we can aim for it and hit it.


Zig Ziglar once said, "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."


How true this statement is!

Below are 4 questions to get you thinking about your dream and what it will take to make it a reality. There are other things that must be considered but this is a good start (more to come later). I would encourage you to find a quiet place, grab a pen and a note pad and begin to think about and jot down answers to these questions. For each question, write down everything that comes to mind no matter how detailed. 

1. What is your Dream?
2. What will it take to get there?
3. How will you stay on track?
4. How will you know that you've achieved it?


I would love to hear your feedback on how this exercise went for you. You are welcome to make a comment below or email me at: yourlifeonpurpose@hotmail.com.


Have fun dreaming!

Dreams Do Come True!

I've been singing and songwriting since I was 10 years old. During those first few years I thought my songs sounded 'so cool'! Years later I remember listening to the the recording of them I had made on a cassette tape and thinking, "Oh my gosh, they sound sooooo corny!" Now, I cherish them. I cherish the wonderful and weird things that inspired me to write them. Since the age of 12 or 13 I wanted to record an album. When I was in grade 8 my singing debut started in my little home town. The song people continually asked me to sing was 'I Will Always Love You' as sung by Whitney Houston. She was my favorite singer (and still is). From that time on, friends, family and various town folk who had heard me sing told me I should do an album. I thought, "One day I will." 

When I was 17, I auditioned to be one of 10 people to record a song on an album called New Talent Canada. It was being produced by a small recording company based outside of Kelowna, BC. They invited me to record a song on the album which of course I happily agreed to! I had the privilege of recording a song I wrote. The album itself didn't really take off but, as you can imagine, I was incredibly grateful for the invitation and the experience. I was a little closer to my dream of recording my own album.

It is now 17 years later and I know without a doubt, that it is time to make this 'dream' a reality. I've been in 'someday' mode for a very long time. In December of 2011 I had a strong sense that I should only focus on one big goal and that was to do all the prep work so that within a year I would be in the studio recording my first album. So that is what I'm doing and I'm totally stoked about it! There is a lot of work to be done and money needed but I don't care. I have set my face like flint to make it happen as I believe Father God is the one who planted this dream in my heart to begin with! 

God is a dream giver but He usually requires that we, by faith, begin to take practical steps toward the dream. I'm trusting that He will lead me through this process and will provide divine appointments with the right people along the way to make it a reality. 

I want to share a song I wrote in December of 2011 with you. I wrote it during a time of uncertainty. A season of my life had closed and I had no idea where God was taking me. Even now, though I see glimpses, I still don't have it all figured out. I only know that He knows, and that's enough. I have included a raw, unedited, un-instrumentified recording of the song for you to listen to as well as the lyrics. Just click on the link below.

http://soundcloud.com/crystalsings/lead-on/s-8wUA4

Lead On

I can’t say that I know the future

I can’t say that I always understand

I don’t know where the bends in the road are

All I know is I’m holding Your hand

   

I can’t see where I’m going

But I’m with the God who is all-knowing

So lead on

Lead on

Lead on

I will follow

  

Words & Music by Crystal Lalonde

Copyright December 2011