A Gift for Rachel

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

A picture may be worth a thousand words but still leave a person speechless and that is how i am feeling as i look at this picture.Some will look at this picture and see a pretty little girl with a doll but i see the goodness of God expressed through an unexpected gift from an anonymous friend.
The package arrived in the mail yesterday, much to everyone's surprise, and it was addressed to Rachel. The family gathered around as Rachel eagerly opened the box to reveal the contents inside. What she uncovered is the doll you see proudly displayed in the picture above. Her name is Felicity and she is an American Girl. Rachel is a big fan of the American Girl series, so to say she was excited would be putting it very mildly. Felicity came with a horse and several beautiful dresses. Also enclosed in the package was a letter that read:

Hello, my name is Felicity.
Sometimes blessings come in different ways. It doesn't really matter from where or how---you're just supposed to say thank you to the giver of all good things, the Lord.
Please love me and take good care of me.
I want to be your very best friend!
Love, Felicity

It is the message of this letter that comes to mind as i see Rachel in this picture and watch her play with Felicity. Felicity is Rachel's gift but she has been a blessing to Jeremy and me as well. To think someone would go to such lengths to make our little girl's eyes light up because they knew it would mean so much to her brought tears to our own eyes.
Thank You, Father for the gift You have given Rachel in the form of a doll named Felicity and thank You for the gift of friendship. I pray that this sweet soul will be blessed as You have blessed us through them.

Got Passion?

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"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17 Question #2: Interests and passions: What do you enjoy doing most? If you had a free day to yourself, what would you be found doing? It comes as no suprise that my interests and passions all invlove using the gifts, talents and skills listed in my answer to the first question. Exhortation and service: i love listening to people as they speak. I really am interested in hearing their stories,hopes and anything else they want to share. I used to wish i talked more but i am starting to realize that sometimes people just want to be heard. They aren't necessarliy looking for me to come back with answers or quick responses. I thank Jeremy and Tonya for helping me come to this realization. Being a listener helps me to better serve, which is something else i love to do. I also love to read. Fiction,non-fiction,biographical,poetry...you name it i'll read it! Books are like friends to me. They teach and inspire me. Then there is my love for music, dance, writing, photography, creating and nature. Could i fit all of this into just one day? If i sit here much longer i am sure i can think of more to add to this list but it has been fun to think about. The sad thing is that it has taken this challenge to help me consider my passions. After so many years of trying to be what i thought others thought i should be i lost sight of who God created me to be. Now i just want to focus on becoming that woman.

First Question

"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom, through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 The first question in the weekend challenge asks what we think our gifts,talents and skills are. How do we believe God has equipped us? In my attempt to answer this question honestly and confidently, i have been reading through 1 Corinthians. Chapter 12 deals with the different spiritual gifts and their diversities. Earlier this year i took an online quiz to help determine what my gifts were. The end results showed that i am an exhorter and a server. I was really pleased with those results and felt they were quite accurate. For the longest, i kept the printout in my Bible. Now i can't find it. When i do find it again i will post the link for anyone who might be interested in taking the quiz for themselves. Anyway, i do feel pretty confident of my gifts. However, when it comes to my talents i am having to think a little harder and dig a little deeper. As someone who loves to listen to and encourage others i feel i am a much better listener than i am a speaker. I communicate much better with pen and paper or through the keyboard as i am doing now. So i guess you could say writing is one of my talents. There are others i am sure but i am having to pray and keep my eyes and ears open as God reveals them to me. And now we come to skills...again, this is something i am praying about. Well, so far i do believe this challenge is proving to be an eye opener. It is causing me to consider things that i have neglected to think about due to busyness, distraction or fear. This is one challenge for which i am very thankful. Hope everyone else can say the same. Anyone who cares to join us, jump right in!

The Gift

Life is a gift not to be kept in the box, but to be opened, shared and appreciated. Make the most of the life you have been given and thank the Giver of life everyday for this precious gift.

Let me tell you About my Children

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3 Sooner or later it was bound to happen. As i have already stated and many of you already know, i am a Mama. And now the Mama in me is coming out! You have heard enough about me. Now let me tell you about my children! Yes, there are four of them and three of them are boys. Rachel is the oldest and the only girl but don't pity her, she can handle herself nicely. She is a tomboy, you see, and so proud of it! Brogan (far right) is the oldest boy who loves "Indiana Jones" and wants to be an archealogist one day. Reece (far left) is our middle man and resident commedian with a very contagious laugh. Sawyer(middle) is the "baby boy". You can see in the picture he is no baby and he isn't even the smallest but he is the youngest so that distinction is still his. He is also the one who is most likely to turn out like "Tom Sawyer". Little did we know that when we named him he would be so much like the character himself. Each child is so special and a gift from God. As they grow each day i learn a little more about their strengths and talents. They share their dreams and fears with me and i want to hear it all, to encourage them the best i can. My biggest hope for each of them is that they will be comitted Christians, bold in their faith. Jeremy and i want them to be better and stronger than we have been in our faith so we are as honest as we can be about our failures and weaknesses. We try to show them God's love so they know that nothing will change our love for them but more importantly that God's love for them is unchanging and eternal. I think they are learning quite well. For the gift of children i am grateful. Thank You, Father!

A Book, a Blog and Inspiration

The inspiration for charis-ma comes from this book, "The Creative Call", by Janice Elsheimer. Elsheimer is a creative writing and language arts teacher and her purpose in writing "The Creative Call" was to help the artist realize his or her talents and draw closer to God, who has given us the gift of creativity. The book is set up to be used individually or in a group. There are eight weeks worth of reading and writing exercises. At the end of the eight weeks the reader is treated to a guide for an artist retreat. I am presently starting my fourth week which deals with forgiveness. Trust me when i say God is working on me through this book. When i started "The Creative Call" i expected to learn more about myself and God's intended purpose for the gifts and talents He gave me. What i did not expect was how God would use the book to open conversation with so many others who say they enjoy drawing, sewing and other creative pusuits but they do not consider themselves creative or artistic. As someone who has believed this way myself for many years i have been fascinated by their stories. As God opens my eyes to the potential He has given me and as He encourages me i want to encourage others as well. Charis-ma gives me that opportunity. This is my place to share my growth as an artist with anyone interested. Here i will also share my struggles,hopes,dreams and whatever may help those who stop to read. I will also share what inspires me, whether it is music,quotes or articles-whatever the source of inspiration if it can be shared i will post it here! Of course, this would not be much of a creative blog if i did not share my own creative works as well. There may not be a whole lot of that right now but as God works on me that will change. If you have made it this far into my first post i am grateful and also hopeful that you will be back to enjoy charis-ma. Please visit often and let me know how you like your stay here!