I'm Off!

I'm off to Film camp this week!
It's been a dream of mine for over a year now to learn how to make Christian films and participate in making a film. This week I get to do both.
God is not limited to just using our crafty talents to bless others. He can also use our film and acting talents. If you have a dream of acting or making a film, keep pursuing it! Keep following what God has placed in you heart. Keep doing what you know and let Him lead you. It will turn out better than you ever could have imagined.
And you can expect an update sometime in the next month for how the film camp went. God bless, Rose

Attitudes to Cultivate: Grace

By Rose H.

What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. No one deserves it, but it is given anyway. Grace says I pardon you from any wrong. Grace gives extra wiggle room. Grace looks at someone who has broken the rules and chooses to let it go.

Now does this mean that we never discipline people when they are wrong? No, but it does mean that do what is best for the person involved. Sometimes that means using discipline. Sometimes that means letting go of our ego and forgiving the other person.

As you grow in the grace of God, He will show you how to re-gift  grace. If you want to cultivate grace remember the times that He has shown it to you. As the memories come flooding back in, you will find your heart filling with grace for others.

After all we have all “been there” at one time or another. We have all been beggars at the door of God’s grace. But He never lets us stay there. He opens up the door wide open and extends to us the hand of grace.

I bet that you can name a few people that need your grace, your understanding, your love. Take some time to extend the hand of grace to them. Whether it’s just a smile, an e-mail, a forgiving word, a loving gift, or a chat take some time to extend grace to them.  

Seasons of Ministry

By Rose H.

In life everything has seasons. A time attached to it. Nothing (in this world) lasts forever.

Even ministry has its seasons and times. God may call you to do this or that for a time. Yet everything has a time. He always has us lay it down.

The trick is not to hold onto anything too tightly. Don’t clutch at ministry so tightly that God can’t give you something even better. That’s what He does. He never takes things out of our hands without preparing something infinitely more wonderful and special for you. Open up to change. Let the seasons flow. Do what you have been called to do for today, then if you wake up tomorrow and feel God’s call in a different direction, follow Him.

And if you have felt His call to move into something different, but were afraid to move, pray. Ask God to help you make the change. Courage and strength don’t come from us anyway. Trust God for these and move into what He has planned.

Seasons will come and go. Here on this earth we are confined to time and space. But God gives us works of love to do for today. Learn to flow with the seasons and enjoy them. 

Send A Letter

By Rose H.

Persecution for Christians didn’t end a thousand years ago. Christians are still being persecuted today. All over the world Christians are being imprisoned, tortured, and harmed for Christ’s name.

It’s a far cry from what we think of as persecution. Voice of the Martyrs has been a huge help me remember what real persecution is. With real stories, news flashes, and books they help you to the big picture. It always sends me into prayer for my fellow believers who are being tortured for Christ.

But there is something you can do. On their website [link here] you can send letters to prisoners. Voice of the Martyrs will let you choose what goes into the letter and then they print it out and send it to someone who has been imprisoned because of Christ. It’s a great way to send a little encouragement to their lives. And language is no barrier because VOM translates all letters and lets you see what the finished letter will look like.

This a simple way to encourage the persecuted in other countries.

It’s also a wonderful website to go to for news on the Church all over the world. For more information go to http://www.prisoneralert.com/       

Summer Camp

By Rose H.

During the summer most kids don’t stay at home. They are off to camp or go on vacation.

We do our best to make summers fun and interesting. We want to make time off enjoyable and constructive.

This summer why not have camp at your house? Instead of going somewhere, get the kids together and do some fun projects every day. Buy some fun food and enjoy some relaxed time together.

Or if you don’t have kids of your own yet, get together a group of kids and offer to do a week long day camp for them. Plan out crafts and activities and share Christ with them wherever you can. If you get overwhelmed, pull your friends in to help. It makes a great team project.

It’s a great way to strengthen and encourage those around you. Plus it helps build great friendships with others.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start planning, summer vacation will be here before you know it. 

New Ministry: Threads of Love

A nationwide effort to help preemie babies in the name of Christ. Check it out on the Ministries page!

The Story

 Since we celebrated the 2^nd Birthday of Homemade Ministry earlier this spring, I thought that you would like to hear a little bit about how Homemade Ministry began. Here goes …

            When I was getting ready to graduate high school, I knew that I wanted to do more ministry work when I finished school. I had always loved making things with my hands and wanted to use these talents to help others.

            The only thing was I didn’t know any ministries that took handcrafted items. I wanted make blankets to give to babies in the hospital, but I was clueless as to where to give them.

            Then one day as we were talking to some ladies that work at our library they started talking about a charity that they gave to called The Linus Connection. They made blankets, and then they would give them to this charity, that would then give them to kids in need. It was perfect. I had found a place to make blankets for.

            So I began working. I would make blankets and then give them to the ladies at the library, who would give them to charity. It was so exciting. I now had a place to make blankets for.

            After a while, I wanted to find other ministries that would take things for preemie babies since I had a heart for babies. So I did some research on the internet. I did find several really neat ministries and charities, but I had to do a lot of research to find the good ones. I became frustrated with dead ends or ministry links that were no good.

            So two years ago I started this blog called Homemade Ministry. It’s a blog where you can find out information about charities that need homemade things. I check out all these charities and then post a little bit about them with a link back to them. The idea is that you will find ministries quickly and easily, and to save people the trouble of having to do the research that I did.

            Since then I continue to keep crocheting and blogging. God continually helps me. I continue to work and write. There always seems to be things to do and new ways to serve.

            But for each new task God always provides strength. He helps me continue in my Homemade Ministry.

            Rose