Life in the Banana Bowl

Life in ministry can cause this condition:

Yes, you heard right. Ministry life can cause a woman to join the banana bowl.

In my ministry life, I have joined the banana bowl many times.

At times, voluntarily. Other times, out of sheer necessity.

You see, although in reality I might feel like an apple,

sometimes the situation calls for a banana.

I totally believe that we should seek out, understand and embrace our God-given gifts.

Our wise Creator has built into our DNA to passionately serve through these giftings and our ultimate purpose is, in part, lived out using and growing these gifts.

However...

There are times in ministry where we are called to step out of our "comfort zones" and function in areas that we don't necessarily feel strong or comfortable in. Perhaps we haven't had appropriate time to pray about it or even prepare in advance. Maybe the situation completely took you by surprise.

But God might be saying "I want you here- doing this- right now."

It might make you feel like you're going bananas. Trust me, I've had many moments like that!

The truth is that when God asks you to become a banana- even for a season- He will give you the strength, courage and yes, even passion, to do the work He's asked you to do.

Feeling a little bananas?

That's okay. God has a plan.

Beauty of Love Divine

Check out this Sonnet by Michelangelo: The course of my life has brought me now Through a stormy sea, in a frail ship, To the common port where, landing We account for every deed, wretched or holy. So that finally I see How wrong the fond illusion was That made art my idol and my King, Leading me to want what harmed me. My amorous fancies, once foolish and happy What sense have they now that I approach two deaths The first of which I know is sure, the second threatening. Let neither painting nor carving any longer calm My soul turned to that divine Love Who to embrace us, opened His arms upon the cross. - On the Brink of Death , To Giorgio Vasari, Sonnet LXV WOW. This reminds me to think of life in reverse. It may seem weird, but looking at the end - or starting with the end in mind - can give us perspective. When we think (like Michelangelo did here) from the perspective of death, suddenly many things we chase after seem insignificant and deceptive. Things...

New Year Resolutions Worth Keeping

I can hear the audible sigh already. New year resolutions – why bother? Here’s the thing… often we trip over them because of our internal baggage. We start out with good intentions, only to end up in self-sabotage. • We want to be gentler on ourselves, but continue with negative self-talk We want to start (fill in the blank), but have no plan • We want to change a behavior, but don’t deal with underlying, contributing emotional issues • We want to get out of debt, but don't really want to do what it takes • We want to take steps towards a goal or a dream, but allow fear to hold us back What if we made our internal lives a priority this year? What if we focused on what we can do to build our character and energize our spirits instead of yearly external resolutions? A rich internal life makes us a better, more mature person. After all, everything trickles down from our inner lives anyway. This is why God makes the “heart” a priority - for all attitud...

Character Over Comfort & Control

Control. We all want it. We don't always get it. Sometimes we get it, then decide we don't want it. Sigh. In my life I've come to recognize control as an old familiar acquaintance, continually proving that my sense of having it is simply an illusion. Just when I think I have it, it's often yanked from my groping hands and there's not much I can do about it. When we feel like we are in control, we often feel pretty comfortable with it. You may tell yourself you've earned it. You may snatch it away from someone else and justify it. You may hoard it, thinking no one can hurt you. You may sacrifice pieces of your character to have it. You may hide behind it. When we feel out of control, we often feel frantic. Why are we afraid to let go of it? we feel weak we feel uncomfortable we feel ineffective we feel frustrated we feel exposed we feel like we are floundering, grasping we wonder what will happen and how we...

Michelle Renee Speaks

Search This Blog