Day 30: "Shaped for Serving God"

I just LOVE this chapter! LOVE IT!! Welcome to ALL the readers & thanks for following along as we go through the daily chapters of The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

Today we continue to LEARN more about our own PERSONAL ministry. Today BEGINS the discussion of helping us understand our SHAPE.

I remember as a college student I encountered all kinds of students that had all kinds of different beliefs OR were REALLY confused about their beliefs & I remember being questioned by a classmate of mine...one where I really enjoyed his company & the discussion he brought to our class. See...I used to ALWAYS wear a necklace with a cross on it, not the same one...I had one in EVERY color, BUT he asked me, as we were walking from class..."You don't really believe in that, do you?" He pointed & I asked what he was talking about. He said..."Your cross...I just don't want you to be disappointed one day." I said: "You don't believe in it?!" I was TOTALLY shocked. I had a phone call coming in & I walked to my class & he walked to his. Our next class was quite awkward to say the least. I didn't even know how to talk to him after that. I'd be lying if I didn't confess that he got me to thinkin' about things. I never questioned IF God was real or not, but put myself on a journey to try and really wrap my head around some of the tough things. What I concluded & where I am now is the thinking that: God would not have created us how he created us, if there wasn't some PURPOSE behind it. All these emotions & thoughts & relationships & knowledge & skills & talents & EMOTIONS (I know I said it twice!) just can not be for nothing. Why? How could anyone not acknowledge that part of us? I mean if our jobs, our money, our luxuries were stripped away from us...wouldn't we still have WORTH? Wouldn't we still have EMOTIONS? Wouldn't there still be a PURPOSE for them? That is why I believe that when our physical body dies...it turns to dust, but our DEEP innards...you know our SOULS...don't just disappear. I can't understand it all...only our Maker can & I TRUST & have FAITH that he made us for a purpose, because he sure didn't HAVE to.

Another thing this book has taught me, or made me think about is how God PREPARES for the Plan Bs & Cs & Ds & even Es & Fs & Gs in our life. He has our life mapped out. He KNOWS what our purpose is & he knows how to get us to see it (this chapter teaches you that). He also KNOWS that the devil is going to try and detour us EVERY chance he gets. That's what leads to the Plan Bs & Cs, etc. I think about when I REALLY make a plan for something...I mean REALLY put everything into it & do the research (no shortcuts) & KNOW what things could POSSIBLY come at me. There is no way of me knowing if they will, but it is the BEST way I can PREPARE myself to be prepared to COMBAT it. When you study like this...you LEARN your competition (just an example) or your drawback. Many times you become SO educated about it...you could teach a class on it. That is how God is with the devil...at least that is what I believe. First of all he created his being...he knows how he operates. Secondly, he has been dealin' with him for SO LONG that he knows the kind of tricks & kniving schemes he will try and put into play. He knows what member of his army, he'll send after you. God has a counter for EVERY trick the devil can throw at us. Earlier in the book we learned that there are some situations where the SPECIFIC job you're in is not the IMPORTANT part in God's overall plan. For example....You could have offers from 3 different companies, but all 3 of those companies will allow God to develop the skills he wants to develop in you. The specific job you choose is kind of irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. God knows several ways to keep you on your journey to learning & SHARING your purpose.

We are going to start to learn about our SHAPE!! This was REALLY eye-opening to me.

S-Spiritual Gifts
H-Heart
A-Abilities
P-Personality
E-Experience

Today we will learn about our Spiritual Gifts & our Heart, but first I just want to share something. It USED to be REALLY hard for me to understand people who didn't think like I did...and honestly I just couldn't figure out a way to understand their way of thinking. I used to think they were just WRONG and that was it. As I got older...I realized that EVERY person has REASONS for thinking they way they think, or emotions that hang them up on things, or DIffErent experiences that cause them to see things in a different light. This chapter really drives home how we are ALL created COMPLETELY UNIQUELY. Every one of us has a different mixture of the "SHAPE" recipe that makes us uniqUe.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS: "These are special God-empowered abilities for serving him that are given only to believers." How SPECIAL is that?! This chapter goes on to tell us how all of our gifts our different & how our gifts actually help others, just like the gifts of others are meant to help us. God keeps us NEEDING each other! This is a REALLY important part from this chapter: "Two common problems are 'gift-envy' & 'gift-projection.' The first occurs when we compare our gifts with others', feel dissatisfied with what God gave us, and become resentful or jealous of how God uses others. The second problem happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate about it as we do." My experience of not understanding others is shown in the second problem. We ALL experience things, but the more AWARE of the problems you become...the quicker you can PUMP THE BRAKES on them.

HEART: "The Bible uses the term heart to describe the bundle of desire, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. Your heart represents the source of all your motivations - what you love to do and what you care about most." What Pastor Warren goes on to discuss in this section is SO good. It makes me think of this internal struGgLe I've been having with myself about what direction I should go with my auction business. Let me tell you...there are ALL kinds of auctions...ALL KINDS & sometimes it is hard to know what direction you are meant to go/supposed to go/which one is an opportunity/which way is a diversion.... I've been guided to & from several different ones including: general consignment auctions, benefit/fundraising auctions, & estate auctions. I've learned a lot in the last couple months & have gotten some of the BEST ADVICE from some of the BEST in the industry, that has provided some clarity to me. Here is what I have learned, b/c (BEFORE the convention) I have gone in the WRONG direction (for me) based on the advice of others....others that I fully respect. Just because someone can see ALL the reasons that a certain business direction will work GREAT for you...does not mean that YOU can see how that business direction will work for you. YOU have to know & you have to WANT to do it. I had been guided away from the direction I want to go...because others in my field didn't necessarily see things how I saw it & THEY had experienced certain difficulties that made them want to deter me from that road. There are some areas of this industry that I truly don't know if I'd like or not. There's only one way to figure that out...go & do it. Just because I learn about an area I'm NOT familiar with, DOES NOT mean that I can't grow MY business in the direction that I KNOW I CAN. You can be an ASSET to your company...at the same time you are an ASSET to another. It all depends on your HEART...Do you have a DESIRE? Do you HOPE to grow from the experience? Are you INTERSTed in it? Do you have the AMBITION to go after it? Do you DREAM to be well-rounded in your trade?

I'm gonna share 4 more quotes from the book that really say it all for me:

"Your emotional heartbeat is the second key to understanding your shape for service. DON'T IGNORE YOUR INTERESTS."

"How do you know when you are serving God from your heart? The first telltale sign is enthusiasm."

**Side note on this one. That year when I did VERY few auctions & I called the Ledbetter Fireman's Auction in October...I got in the car with my Uncle & his girlfriend & said: "This is what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing! I just NEED to figure it out. I'm not sure HOW I'm gonna make a living at it, but this is what I'm supposed to be doing."

"When you don't have a heart for what you're doing, you are easily discouraged."

**A PERFECT example of this for me is the JOY I get when doing a benefit auction vs. a consignment auction.

"Whenever you do what God wired you to love to do, you get good at it. Passion drives perfection."

"Point to Ponder: I was shaped for serving God."

Daily Bible Verse: "God works through different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purposes through them all." 1 Corinthians 12:6 (PH)

Daily Question: "In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?"

From my journal the first time of reading: Auctions, fundraising, raising money for people and causes, event planning and coordination, spreading God's word to the masses, playing with children and teaching them.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!! If you haven't yet...GO GET THIS BOOK!!

God Bless!
Heather Schoenst Kaspar
TXL 17037

Day 28: "It Takes Time"

Welcome back readers & WELCOME to new readers! Today we move on to Day 28 in the book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

Today's topic is something I still struggle with & probably will for quite some time. Mainly because we are conditioned to be timely & get things done & meet deadlines & time is money & we are only here for a short time & time just flies by.... You hear what I'm sayin'?

Then sometimes I feel like I'm sitting on things....wasting time...because I have learned over the years...that if you feel rushed...you're trying to jam a round peg into a square hole & there is something better out there.

I feel like this chapter was written about me.. The book says: "God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness." I just talked to a friend yesterday about some things...one being the last consignment auction I had & how I was sitting there, BEFORE the auction even started, a little upset about the turnout, BUT already going into PLAN B mode or Problem-solving mode. I went on & endured the struggle, accepted the struggle, learned from the struggle, but I wanted to get on with it. Move through it FAST, put it behind me, forget about it...kind of forget it even happened. I KNOW it doesn't define me, but it TICKS me off.

But then I think back & realize how much SUPPORT I had from SO many people. How I had NEW SUPPORT I didn't know I had. How we really made SOMETHING happen...even if I didn't really like that something. How I experienced new things....things I'll do again & things I won't. How I discovered new NEEDS I have. How new members joined my team & how well it worked.... I can't FORGET all that.

The OLD me wants to JUMP & GO & DO something....anything. I plan on having a follow-up consignment auction...& with my INTERNAL team I have changed the date of it....probably 4 or 5 times B/C when I take a moment to relax my thoughts I get a clearer picture of the time I need to make it better. It really is like an internal struggle inside myself to CHILL OUT & then as soon as I do...I feel like I'm WASTING time....

Here is something interesting & many of you (like I did the first time) will think that you KNOW what you have not given over to God. :) You don't have a clue. Just like I don't. It took me a minute to realize that. The book says: "You may think you have surrendered all your life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot of your life that you aren't even aware of. You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment. That's okay. Once Christ is given a beachhead, he begins the campaign to take over more and more territory until all of your life is completely his." You have to submit to that. You have to allow that. You have to have FAITH in that.

I have a Ribbon Cutting/30th Birthday Bash/Business Kick-Off Auction benefiting the Buck Up Auctions Scholarship Fund coming up NEXT Friday...July 18th (my actual bday) & I am REALLY feeling that strUgGle with time within myself. There are things that need to get done that I know will have to get done & I know MY normal way of getting it done, but I'm just not sure it is the right way. I am also aware of the crowd turnout for the last auction & even though I know THIS IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT ANIMAL I've got that lingering there in the back of my mind. Then this chapter reminds me: "God has promised that 'he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.' Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

Some of you know the why/how/reason I started this auction business (there are really several). Some of you also know that when I started this journey I wondered why I hadn't thought to do it sooner. As I learn & I grow & I look back...I can see ALL the things that I have experienced. I remember how my family called a family meeting when we found out Dad had to have a transplant & we decided that we were going to FIGURE OUT A WAY to raise the money. I remember organizing & helping & gathering items for ALL the benefits we put on & I REMEMBER...when they were all completed & we raised close to $100K & (even though my Uncles & Aunt Jeanette (GOD BLESS THEM) still had to buy Daddy's land to make up the difference of what was needed) we closed that gap & got done what needed to get done. I also remember me sitting by myself a week later & REALIZING EVERYTHING that had happened. All the SUPPORT that showed up from our small communities, the press we got that we really didn't know we were getting, the complete strangers that showed up bringing items to people they didn't even know, Businesses we didn't do much business with donating items, friends coming up with ideas to raise MORE money..........& just thinking that THERE IS NO WAY WE REALLY EVER BE ABLE TO PAY THESE PEOPLE BACK....sitting there thinking this THANK YOU I'm writing to put in the papers just doesn't even begin to SHOW how much we appreciated it & HONESTLY...we didn't even know how to show it. Everything seemed so small when you compared it to what EVERYONE else helped us to ACCOMPLISH.

So.....although some of you have heard me say that I don't know why I hadn't become an auctioneer sooner or that I hadn't really thought about it... GOD was conditioning me in a way (that I totally did not understand) more than 10 years ago. AND...believe me when I say I feel like I'm crawLING right now, BUT I must remember: "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." Philippians 1:6 (NIV).

I used to sit and think about why people give when they KNOW it will never be returned in the same way. Over the years I've learned that there are always people in our lives that we will NEVER be able to pay back...the same way. Sometimes it is because they believe in the cause OR in the people OR in the idea OR in the organization. Sometimes it is because they feel COMPELLED to do it for any plethora of their own reasons. Sometimes they rest assured that the seeds they are planting in others will GROW and prosper in a way they couldn't do on their own.

 Well...when I sat down to type I totally did not expect it to take me back to that part of my life. AMAZING how things work out ;). I am BLESSED & you are ALL blessings to me. You know it really is all about God's time & maybe we should all do our best to be blessings to others while we wait for his direction.

"Point to Ponder: There are no shortcuts to maturity."

Daily Bible Verse: "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." Philippians 1:6 (NCV)

Daily Question: "In what area of my spiritual growth do I need to be more patient & persistent?"

From my journal the first time of reading: I need to trust and seek God's timing. I had a lesson in this today. I tend to bit off more than I need to chew and today's chapter and conversation with my auctioneer friend - guided me to what needed to happen. (Zapp Hall/Chelsea's Meadow Auction).

Let me give you the condensed version of what the Zapp Hall & Chelsea's Meadow Auctions mean. As a company we had this guerrilla marketing idea to raise awareness for ourselves by going tent to tent auctioning off an item & the winning bidder could choose from a selection of charities that would receive the money. Me & another gal are literally WINGING-IT. Just goin' out & talkin' to people, getting the OK from landowners, etc. Long story short....(BELIEVE ME...you'll hear more about these two auctions) we got in a situation where we were pretty much going to have TWO fundraising auctions in the same day with LESS than a week to advertise the both of them. One wanted to do a consignment auction where the buyer's premium went to the cause. Well...an auctioneer is the only person that can solicit/discuss/initiate consignment agreements. Considering I had another auction committed to that day it was literally IMPOSSIBLE to pull off. So...I was bummed because the way BOTH of these two auctions came about was GOD AT WORK & so I was brainstorming...thinking.....trying to figure out a way to pull them both off...the easiest way possible & not DISAPPOINT both parties. Well....after a talk with my Auction Teacher & my crew & getting to a point where I KNEW I'd either lose one auction or they'd agree to do it the ONLY way we could pull it off. I made the phone call. They agreed to do it the way I suggested & we raised right around $6000 at EACH auction. Considering we had a week's time or less to pull this off I'd say it was a HUGE success. God will ALWAYS provide a way....ALWAYS... Sometimes we have to slow down our racing thoughts & fear of the perception of others or fear of not measuring up & just do what you can do, the best way you can do it. Will we do it the same way again. Some things...& some things we will tweak, but we wouldn't know unless we tried.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! His timing is RIGHT ON....TRUST that!

God Bless!

Heather Schoenst Kaspar
TXL 17037