This past week I spent the day with one of my nieces and nephews. We had a wonderful day at the North Carolina Zoo. We saw all kinds of animals including elephants, bears and alligators. Until you spend a day through the eyes of child I do not think you can say you have lived. From the silliness of making animal faces to the skipping along the trails to climbing on top of the various animal sculptures, these kids kept me in stitches.
As the day started to wind down, we slowly walked back to the front of the zoo, dragging stuffed lemurs and giraffes they got from the gift shop not to mention our legs. As I drove back towards Raleigh my niece and nephew quickly fell asleep giving me some much needed down time.
I turned on the radio to listen to Christmas music and came across a sermon that interest me. The pastor said, "If this life was perfect, we would never want to be with our Lord in heaven, our perfect Savior in a perfect place." I was like, wow! You are right. I mean, even though I long for the mountain tops (and today at the zoo was one of them) having them every day would decrease the need to seek God..for heaven's permanent perfection. That perhaps these few glimpse of perfection, the mountain tops, is to give us a glimpse of what it will be one day when we are in heaven but multiplied beyond measure.
Thank you Lord for reminding me that this is not my home...you are my home and I do long to be with you in it. Matthew 10:7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Kris Swiatocho, Director
TheSinglesNetwork.org Ministries
YesMarketingandDesign.com
NavigateConference.com
FromHisHands.com
919.434.3611
2664 Timber Drive, Suite 307, Garner, NC 27529
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come to give life to its fullest. John 10:10
This past weekend I had the honor of teaching at Summerville Baptist Church in Summerville, SC just outside of Charleston. Charleston as well as Summerville are deep in history going back over 300 years. I love all the palm trees and old homes.
The lesson this time was Jesus, Single Like Me: He was Grateful. As I started to prepare for the weekend, the pastor called me for some last details. He shared that my audience would be a bit older. I was OK with that and felt fine. So when I arrive, I was expecting singles in their 40 and 50's but as they started to enter the door I notice how many were in their 60 and 70's. I began to question the message I had prepared. Perhaps it wasn't the right message. Perhaps I prepared it and not God. I mean, do folks over the age of 60 question why they are single like those 30's and 40's. Do folks with grey hair still shake their fist at God wondering why they are alone? Do folks with walkers, wheelchairs and wrinkles still hate having all the responsibility on them? Well, the answer to all of these questions was yes. I mean, sure, I had to tweak a few things as I spoke considering most of my audience wasn't waiting for the first spouse but maybe the second one. Or in some cases, mourning for the loss of their spouse. But overall, I was able to make some changes as I went along, as the Spirit led me.
Well, I finished my my message and waited to see if anyone would come up to speak to me. I mean, they seemed to be listening. They seemed to enjoy and affirm the message. But I needed to know for sure. I mean, why would God have me prepare a message for the wrong audience? Then, one by one they started to come up. A hug here, a kiss on the cheek there, following story after story. One lady said her husband had died and she missed him so much. That she hated being alone but thought of how she could be thankful knowing she could open up her home to a young person to stay. Another woman said she had never been married and was still mad at God but now realizes how wrong she had been. How she has wasted so much time being angry instead of living for the Lord. One man told me he was thankful as he is able to go where God wants him too. And yet another came up only to encourage me to keep doing the work of the Lord. She said she had never looked at her singleness as a blessing but now she had.
Wow, it really was God's message and not mine. Thank you Jesus for your words. For your perspective and for being thankful where you were until God moved you.
1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Kris Swiatocho, Director
TheSinglesNetwork.org Ministries
YesMarketingandDesign.com
NavigateConference.com
FromHisHands.com
919.434.3611
2664 Timber Drive, Suite 307, Garner, NC 27529
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come to give life to its fullest. John 10:10
Recently I spent an evening with my Sunday school class playing board games. We had a blast playing everything from Uno to Sequence to Bingo. I especially loved winning a prize at Bingo. lol. Upon first glance at my class you see mainly married folks, older than me with grown kids. You might ask why I would be in such a class? Why wouldn't I search out a class for singles or a class with at least some singles? Well, God's plan was way ahead of my plan. I joined the Open Door class due to two reasons: 1) I needed a class that met in the evening due to being in charge of greeters and having to work both worship services and 2) I was asked. God knew what I needed way before I knew what I needed.
Upon visiting the class the first time, I was literally welcomed with an "open door" and "open arms". They didn't seem to care that I was single. If fact for a class that was made up of mostly marrieds, I was surprise just how I did fit in. As a single you know it's hard to fit into the "married world" despite the fact that we are outnumbering the marrieds. That despite all the work of educating marrieds about who singles are and that we won't rub off on you, we still feel left out.
Well, this past Saturday I found out something that made me realize why I was fitting in so well. I found out that the majority of my class were single/divorced at some point in time in their adult lives. Several of them were single till their late 30's and 40's. So singleness to them was not a bad thing or something that had to be "fixed". They understood the challenges of being alone. They understood the positives and the negatives. They understood me.
Wow, how blessed I am that before I know things, God is ahead of me, preparing me for the future. And truly, my Sunday school class "Open Door" fits. Thank you Jesus.
1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him-- Kris Swiatocho, Director
TheSinglesNetwork.org Ministries
YesMarketingandDesign.com
NavigateConference.com
FromHisHands.com
919.434.3611
2664 Timber Drive, Suite 307, Garner, NC 27529
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come to give life to its fullest. John 10:10
Last week I was near St. Louis, MO doing a singles retreat. The retreat was sponsored by First Baptist in Arnold, MO. We had a ton of fun and I am very thankful for being there. No only did we grow closer to each other but also to God.
On Saturday a few of us went to dinner and then to dessert near St. Louis at a famous frozen custard restaurant named Ted Drewes. The custard was wonderful and reminded me so much of our own local Goodberry's here in Raleigh. But what was even more wonderful than the custard was what I was witnessing all around me. There were people from every walk of life. From different races to incomes to families to singles to those in cars and to those on foot. As I ate my apple pie custard, I observed how all of these folks came together, with all their different backgrounds, opinions and beliefs and somehow got along. They got along because they all had one thing in common, they loved Ted Drewes.
Hmmm, shouldn't this be the same with God's people. Shouldn't church on Sunday morning have many colors of people with different backgrounds and interest. Shouldn't church be filled with singles, marrieds, families, those on foot, those who drove, those with special needs, those that are lost, etc..Shouldn't God's church draw people from everywhere all for a single reason...because we love God and because He loves us? And that love helps us to get along, deal with conflict, deal with our differences? That loves is what unifies us?
Believe me, no one was fighting at Ted Drewes. Instead they were smiling and laughing. I pray one day God is as important to folks as custard ice cream. Then maybe we can serve beside each other because of our love of God, even if we don't always like each other.
Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Kris Swiatocho, Director
TheSinglesNetwork.org Ministries
YesMarketingandDesign.com
NavigateConference.com
FromHisHands.com
919.434.3611
2664 Timber Drive, Suite 307, Garner, NC 27529
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come to give life to its fullest. John 10:10
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