MY FAVORITE THINGS

Dec 9

Day 9 - Invest in Something Greater Than Yourself

blog pic favorite things

If we are not careful, our lives can evolve from one season to another with only the remembrance of gray mediocrity. We can spend a lifetime doing nothing more than driving to and from work, wondering if the coffee pot is turned off and fretting about the upcoming and daunting insurance payment.

Life is meant to be so much more than all of that ... but you must be the one to make it more than all of that!

Invest in something greater than yourself!

Discover a cause, a person or a ministry that resonates with your soul and then become involved in it.

Pray for this cause! Add this ministry, person or cause to your daily prayer list and commit to invest yourself in longterm prayer for its longterm success. Nothing ever happens of any eternal value without people who are committed to prayer. Billy Graham had 3 women who prayed for him from the time he was a young evangelist. Although we don’t know their names, how great is their reward!!

Give financially to this cause! We can all give something, isn’t that true? Sometimes it is not how much you give but just that you give. Not all can give large amounts, but we can all give something. I love writing checks to young people going on missions trips! I feel that I am investing in their God-ordained destiny! I almost feel that I am going with them as they go to feed their hungry, love orphans or build a new school on foreign soil. Sometimes my checks are as little as $10 ... rarely are they written for more than $50 ... but the joy is there in the small and large gift!

Become personally involved with this cause, person or ministry. Volunteer to stuff envelopes. Go on a missions trip. Send someone else on a missions trip with this ministry. Tell other people about this ministry or cause. Give of yourself, your time and your talents. Call the office or the person in charge and ask what you can do to help promote the ministry.

When you look back at your this year, it won’t be the hours spent in front of the TV that will make it a memorable year. It will be the time that you invested in something greater than yourself that will determine the value of how well you lived. Trust me. I know.

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Carol McLeod

Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN. A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers. Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain. She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY. Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN. A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers. Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain. She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY. Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!