You are adopted
If you came over from Encouragement for Today, welcome!
Just this past weekend, my husband and I participated in a 5k called Titus Task. It’s an amazing event created by Noel and Lori Tugwell. After years of not having children, they adopted a beautiful child from China. Then they began the process of adopting two more children from a Haiti orphanage, Louis and Titus.
Before the papers were fully processed one of the much-loved children died of malnutrition. The Tugwells were devastated. They flew to Haiti and brought Louis home, but they never forgot his brother, Titus.
They started the Titus foundation, which raises money to help offer matching grants to families who desire to adopt domestic or international orphans. Since the inception, many little ones have found a loving home.
There were many highlights of the race. First, the beautiful diversity of children running around doing what kids do, laughing, playing. Second, the immense privilege of running with our adopted angel, Luke — our 4 month-old grandson.
Luke and Richard were the first stroller/runner team to cross the line.
The smile on his face said it all. He loved it! (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
3:12 am |
To live free: thanks giving
I love Thanksgiving. In the Eller family it is a feast with at least 100 to 150 family members showing up. This is an actual table from our last Thanksgiving. It’s just one desert table (there were four), not counting the meat table, the salad table, the side dish table. Crazy, huh?
But to live free is not about this kind of thanksgiving, but rather thanks giving.
In Psalm 100:4 the Psalmist encourages us to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
The gates and courts he is speaking about are areas where only priests could enter. But after Christ came, that changed.
When give thanks we enter in to that special place of intimacy with God. It draws us close, in spite of our feelings or circumstances.
What might happen if for the next 24 hours you and I offered nothing but thanks giving?
A child talks back. (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
4:16 am |
How to throw a really great party
I just attended a really great party. One of the best in a while. I spoke at the Destiny Conference in the Bay area of San Francisco.
It was different than most of the conferences I have ministered at and I loved it. It was a little chaotic. A little messy. But a lot anointed.
God showed up in the midst of a crowd of women from a local shelter, women who had been incarcarated or addicted, and women seeking something more.
In Matthew 22, a man goes to great lengths to create a wedding banquet. When he sends out the invites no one can come. They have flimsy excuses.
So, the wedding banquet could go on with empty seats and throwaway food, or the host could fill the seats.
Which he did.
He sent his servants into the highways and byways — a.k.a. the streets and the hidden places — and he asked people to come. The good people, the broken people, the bad people. And soon the seats were filled and the prime rib was carved. But that is only part of the story. . .
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Posted by Suzie @
12:46 pm |
to live free: give, then give again
There was a time when I was stingy.
I said it, stingy.
I gave, sometimes even sacrificially, but the act of giving had zero connection to my heart.
The Bible said that God can change my heart, so I took Him up on it.
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Posted by Suzie @
4:37 am |
Sharing the truth. . . about sin
If you came over from Encouragement for Today, welcome.
I hesitated to share today’s devotion at first because the last thing that I wanted was to affirm anyone to use truth to hurt a woman trapped in sin.
That happens when people hold signs of hatred, or they use Scripture to make someone feel far from God’s grace. We can’t forget the image of Jesus at the well talking with the Samaritan woman, or writing a sermon in the dust as He knelt beside the adulterous woman. Those conversations didn’t keep the women down, but helped them find new life.
But I also believe that when you love someone, you are honest with them. You don’t let them run into traffic and get hit by a car without shouting out a warning, or leading them to safety. You don’t let them be abused by the enemy without letting them know there is another way.
If you feel God leading you to speak to a loved one: (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
4:39 am |
what you are saying
I just want you to know that I am very appreciative of you and your ministry.
We bought copies of your book, Making It Real: Whose Faith is it Anyway, for our youth group and are using it as a study.
Last night we were discussing Lesson Two which is”Dependently Strong” and today as I was doing the devotions in the book (if I tell the kids to do ‘em I gotta do ‘em too!) it just hit me that I am making those three mistakes!
It has always been a struggle to not give Him the first opportunity and to leave my road map in the glovebox. (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
9:28 am |
