Created {Guest Post by Chloe McCormick}

1 Corinthians 6 : 19-20

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

Hello lovelies! Before I start this post, can I just say what a blessing and privilege it is for me to be doing this guest post today! I have a huge heart for encouraging others in their walk with Jesus and I am so thankful for this opportunity. My blog is Sweetness With Christ where I try to blog at least twice a week if possible:)

You are all amazing! Christ paid a huge price for your sins-just because He loved you that much. He knew that you were worth dying for, because He created you to do mighty and great things for His sake and glory. The Lord did not create you to sit around and be quiet for Him. No. He created you to wholly serve Him and others with all of you heart and all of your being! You are created for great things :) You are created in the image of Christ- what an honour! To know that Jesus made us for something greater that we may not even know or understand should make the very hairs on the back of your neck stand up! You are one of a kind, unique and precious in His sight. You were created for such a time as this, to share the love and hope that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

I want you to know today that if you are in a hard place today, God is not done with you. He never will be done with you. When we are in a terrible situation, that is often when God uses us most and tests us more deeply to see how genuine we are about loving and serving Him. Never, ever underestimate what you can do for the Lord! If you are struggling at thinking of what you could do for God, or struggling at the thought of why you were created- seek your Heavenly Father in prayer and simply ask Him to show you what He wants you to do. We can't expect God to work if we don't ask Him to work through us first! Get into the Word of God and ask Him to show you verses that will encourage you in your Faith, and which will be a reminder of how precious you are in how you were created.

So today, I pray that you will know just how precious you are. I pray that you will know that Christ created you for an AMAZING purpose, that no-one else can fulfill, only you! Be encouraged today friends that Jesus loves you with a vast and never-failing love, and He wants to see His Children rise up and be mighty and faithful warriors for Him and for His Kingdom:)

God Bless you all and have a great day:)

Chloe x

Being Mission Minded << Your Time to Speak guest post - Mrs. Lori B >>

So often when we think of missions we have this idea it means going abroad – over seas - to share the Gospel with those that are lost and have never heard the name Jesus Christ. It seems so glamorous in it's ideal situation. After all Jesus did tell us in Acts 1:8 that “ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” But does that really mean that each of us must travel to the ends of the earth in order to share that sacred name; Jesus? It is my opinion that we, in fact, need to rethink what being mission-minded truly means according to the Scriptures.

Let us first explore Acts 1:8. When Jesus spoke this “Great Commission” He wasn't suggesting we all jump on the next red-eye flight bound for Tim-buck-too. He says that we will be witnesses of him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost. Let me create a word picture – think of Jerusalem as your home; your neighborhood. Judea could be the city you live in. Samaria is the bigger picture; your country – the US. And of course the uttermost will be the places that you may never think of going (traveling abroad). So in this verse he talks of ministering to everyone... starting from those closest to you. But the where does it really start?

I believe it all starts at home.

Please don't misunderstand me... there is a definite place for people traveling across our boarders to tell others of what God did for us on the cross. I believe Christians (as a whole) have lost sight of the big picture. We see so many suffering and lost lives via the media, visiting missionaries, church bulletins that I think our lens is clouded as to what He first called us to – the family. I believe being mission-minded starts in the home; serving God selflessly and then extends outward with a motion like a drop of water in a cup. But what does serving God selflessly look like for a twelve, fourteen, sixteen, twenty (some) year old young lady look like today? A married woman?

It looks like a rose, emerging from the soil, beautifully giving credit to its Maker's design – blooming to be what it's suppose to be, exactly where the gardener has planted it, in its perfect time. Giving glory to God in everything.

We are each a rose, God is the Maker (as well as the gardener). He planted each of us, regardless of the season we are in, exactly where we are. He makes no mistakes, therefore if you are still in school, do your school to the glory of God. If you've graduated, waiting for Mr. Right to come along, be the helper at home that gives glory to God. (did you know learning to serve your earthly father as you would your husband is not only good practice, but also glorifying to God?) If you've crossed over into the blessed union of marriage (even motherhood) – learn to glorify God by becoming the best helpmeet (mother) you can be for those God has entrusted to you.

You see... being mission-minded is more than travel, glamor, and verbally sharing the Gospel with everyone you meet. It is learning the heart of God and allowing Him to have that ripple effect through us, through our family. That's why I believe family is the foundation. We must strive to be women of purpose; to live our lives discipling our children and loving our husbands. We must direct our children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. We must be intentionally living with a generational vision. Our home must be our first mission field. Our family must be those that we purpose to effect first. Our children should be foremost on our list to disciple.

I understand it's a difficult place to be; not knowing when and where God has you going next. Especially when you want something so badly. God tells us He is a light unto our path, a lamp unto our feet – with that light, from that lamp - we are only allowed to see a short distance. He offers to guide us and protect us, but we must be in His will, being obedient in faith that He knows best. I would like to encourage you to stay the course and not give in to the earthly ideals of where your mission field “should be”. There are plenty of opportunities for being mission-minded in your home, in your city, in this country. Allow God to grow the vision of His mission in your heart. And if you seek Him and his kingdom first, everything else will fall into place.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Don't forget about the current giveaway!  The winner will be announced July 29th and will revieve homemaker's journal divider pages!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post!

<< Your time to speak >> - Release the talent you were born to use

A dear friend of mine agreed to do a guest post for this years blogoversary party.   I knew her writing would have an impact on others like it has had on me :)  So without further ramblings from me ..... Toria's guest post ..... enjoy ;)

:: Being a visionary...it's often talked about and yet not many people know how to apply it to their lives. It becomes like a shadowy image dancing right out of reach, big dreams that seem impossible but we still desire to be a part of. Dreams that have titles of "missionary", "artist", "author", "musician", "mother", and so the list goes on, a never ending trail of possibilities that just doesn't seem possible for us.

They're not possible, because we couldn't possibly do them better than the person next to us. 

We don't want to try and flail our arms in defeat as we fall again to the hard, cold earth. We don't know where we fit in or where we should add our voice. We don't even know what avenues we should meander down in search of our purpose on earth, what paths will bring the most glory to God through our life.

Most of us, I believe, have been sitting there in the shadows for too long. I know I've been there too long. You graduate high school, know you have your whole life ahead of you...and you freeze, not knowing where to go or what to do. We don't know how to thrive.

 I have realized that you have to look backward in order to look forward.

My brother is a musician. Within three days of ever picking up a guitar, he taught himself how to play and was fingerpicking Yiruma. He has so much talent that it makes me a little sick- because I wish I could play as effortlessly and compose such beautiful pieces as he does.

 But you see, my brother's always had talent. Looking back, I see him dancing and bobbing his head to the beat as a toddler. I hear him singing his own good-morning songs as a child. I find him at the piano... again.

 Yet, my brother doesn't believe he's a musician, becauseit's always been there. Music is just something he does. Where I can see amazing potential, all he can see is the professionals that to him are so much better. It's the same for you, for me. Sometimes you have to look back to look forwards- something in your childhood, maybe, that you still hold a love for. An event that happened and changed your life. Something that is so a part of your DNA that by now you just glance over it and say, "It's not special....it's just always been there."

Sometimes we hold the vision tighter than the Vision-Giver.

I wasn't made to be a musician. I could want it desperately, but that's not the Father's vision for my life. Most of the times, we go looking for our purpose outside of the skills and talents God has given us, because they don't seem "special"- they've just always been there. They're not as exciting as the talents someone else has. But, God has a vision for all of our lives, and we need to embrace and thrive within it. His vision for me may not be the things I want but He's given me other talents, deep down inside of me, that He wants to call out and use whether I like it or not.

For years people have told me that I'm a writer, that I have a way with words, that I should write books. Most days, I don't believe them. I laugh a nervous little chuckle, shrug my shoulders and change the subject.

My talent became mundane, because it wasn't new to me. It lost it's sparkle under years worth of dust, afraid to be let out.

While my brother tapped out tunes as a child, I surrounded myself with pen and paper. My childhood was spent with notebooks of stories, drawings and doodles in my math book, too many hours staring out the window in a world far away.

It's easy to run from your talent, but to truly be filled with vision you must embrace it. You can't look outside of yourself and copy the life of someone else.

Your talent is just as important as the person next to you, no matter how different it is.

Embrace the vision. Reclaim your passions. Release the talent you were born to use. Go forth boldly in paths that God has made you- even from your beginning days- to run in. ::

 -Toria from His Irish Flame