Day 4 -INCHA ALLAH

Verse of the Day:
Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. James 4:15

In the country of Niger where the tribal language is Hausa a common phrase is "Incha Allah" which means "if it God's will. When people ask, "Can we meet at 4:00?" the response is Incha Allah. As we practice the gift of giving, let's not get crazy about the gifts, trusting that God will use us for his purpose should be enough. It is quite possible that you won't immediately recognize a gift that you have given. Perhaps God didn't need anything from you today. We need to trust that God is in charge of this process and we need to answer the call to give with INCHA ALLAH.

As Niger is close to my heart, a gift for me is for you all to keep the people of Niger in your prayers as their country has recently experienced a military coup. There is a movement toward becoming an Islamic State which could endanger the religious freedoms of our Christian brothers and sisters there, but I am sure that their response would be Incha Allah!

Day 3

The verse of the day:
"Now you are the body of Christ." 1 Corinthians 12:27

Each person's hand is unique and has a defining print, so when we touch things we leave an impression. What type of impression will you leave today?

"I give you my hands to do your work.
I give you my feet to go your way.
I give you my eyes to see as you see.
I give you my tongue to speak your words.
I give you my mind that you may think in me.
Above all,
I give you my heart that you may love through me.
I give you my whole self that you may grow in me.
so that it is you Lord, Jesus
Who lives and works and prays in me."
Taken from the book, You are the hands of Christ.

Day Two

Verse of the Day:

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many" John 6:9

I recently shared the story of the feeding of the five thousands with the mission team in Texas. We were discussing not withholding anything from God but giving all that we have. Jesus takes the small gift that the boy offered and turn it into an overwhelming abundance. The lesson that is interesting is that Jesus took what one had to give and turned it into enough. Just imagine what God can do with your small gift when offered to others in thanksgiving.

Remember no gift is to small when given with love.

A simple gift!

Remember how I told you that it is hard to think of 40 gifts of giving. Well I got to work this morning, and one of my associates, Susanne came in all sad saying someone "egged" her car and she just couldn't understand why people do that. Then we got an announcement that a past employee and very dear friend to the owners and many others here, just committed suicide. It is a very sad morning at my office. I did not know the gentleman, but I could feel everyone's sadness. I put my coat on, filled a Tupperware of warm water and went out to wash the egg of Susanne's car. She came out in tears of hearing the news could not believe that I was outside cleaning off her car. We shared a hug and I let her cry on my shoulders and continued to scrape off the egg.

You see, this gentle gesture made Susanne's day a bit brighter. Thank you for giving us the gift of giving.

Wendy Rochelle

Ash Wednesday - Day One

Today is the start of the challenge to spend the season of Lent in the practice of giving. This is not my idea, it came from the book "29 Gifts". The book detailed the life of the author giving away 29 gifts in 29 days and how it impacted her life. I started to give away 29 gifts. It was amazing how little opportunities popped up and how much joy came my way. Starting the day asking God to show me where he wanted me to give each day gave me a focus that I normally don't have. It made each day exciting as I watched for opportunities to serve others. The fact was most gifts were small and seemed somewhat insignificant, but hopefully not to the receiver. Sometimes the littlest things mean the most.

I have been amazed how many of you have decided to join the journey. It is a gift that you have given me. Forty days is a long time and knowing that others are joining me will help to keep me focused each day. I will try to post something each day to help encourage us has we trust to be lead to "be doers of the word". Please sign on to be a follower and share your stories of giving that you find meaningful to encourage others.

The verse for the day:
"Do everything in love" 1 Corinthians 16: 14