The Story Behind Everyday Encouragement
Everyday Encouragement is what I consider to be my “Life Ministry,” meaning it is something I incorporate into each day of my life, no matter where I may find myself. My purpose in this ministry is to use my gifts and talents to encourage others whom God places in my path. The daily mission is to listen to my heart as I interact with others, and allow God to lead me in whatever direction He desires as His vessel of encouragement and love. In a sense, I am a “domestic missionary,” obeying the call of God without having to leave my home town. The mission fields for this ministry are the ball fields and playgrounds where I sit to watch my boys play, the grocery stores I visit, the school where my children attend, the doctor’s office waiting rooms, the banks where I do business, my office, etc. Wherever I journey, I try to listen to God’s calling and obey His directives, providing encouragement…everyday…to someone God places upon my heart.
This blog came as a result of a desire to reach out in the Internet community as well. My goal is to post as God directs and pray that the right people will land here and read His message to them of encouragement, love and hope.
The ministry of Everyday Encouragement is a great example of something good emerging from tragedy. The divine inspiration for this ministry was born at a time of personal loss in my own life. After losing a beloved family member, I was in a period of sustained mourning and could not shake the overwhelming sadness that clung to my heart. My spirit seemed to lift when I would step outdoors and breathe in the beauty of God’s creation. I soon began photographing various scenes from nature. When I downloaded the photos in my computer, I was amazed at the intricate details of God’s handiwork, and I felt the urge to share those images with others. An idea soon sparked to begin printing the images on greeting cards, inscribing a verse on the inside, and mailing them to friends and family who needed to know that someone cares and is thinking about them. By doing that simple gesture, I was blessed by knowing that I was helping others who were hurting. My focus soon shifted from my own internal sadness to the desire to help others who were in pain. Based upon the gracious reactions of the recipients of the cards, it dawned on me that this was destined to be my new ministry. God had used this sad event in my life to point me in the direction of my true purpose here in life. The greeting card ministry began as the main focus of the ministry, but it has now branched into many new arenas, including this blog. My prayer is that all who journey here will be “encouraged in heart and united in love.”
Statement of Purpose:
“My purpose is that you will be encouraged in heart and knit together by strong ties of love, and that you will have the rich experience of knowing Christ with real certainty and clear understanding. For God’s secret plan, now at last made known, is Christ himself. In Him lie hidden all the mighty, untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:2-3
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory… Forever. Amen