My Mother's Legacy

My mother passed away twelve days ago at the age of 90. Like some of you, I always said that I didn’t want to be like my mother. I lived with her weaknesses, and strengths aren’t always evident to those who live up close. But time brings perspective, and I now identify much to learn from her life.

Why Another Ministry?

This was originally posted on THE AROMA OF INFLUENCE blog at www.beyondordinarywomen.org, the website of the new ministry founded by Kay.

Is there need for another ministry, especially at a time when so many great organizations request funds to help those living in poverty and with injustice? Is our mission necessary to the extension of the kingdom of God? As I asked God about beginning Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries, I sensed that his answer was yes.

Why?

The First Holy Saturday

Christ's body lay in the tomb; his life and ministry appeared to be over as the stone was rolled over the entrance to his grave. It was a day of mourning and shock for his followers whose hope was gone. To   many others, it was a time of relief if not celebration. For God it was a Sabbath of silence.

What if the story ended there? What if Jesus had remained in the tomb--a footnote in the history of the Jews, a would-be Messiah, another prophet silenced by powerful leaders who protect themselves at all costs? What would that mean for you and me and our relationship with God and our hope for a new world to come?

Cliff Diving

No, I haven’t ever done this myself. I am not much of a swimmer; I hate heights; and I am scared to death of hitting rocks. There is no way that I would literally dive off of a precipice, but I have jumped off the cliff with God.

I think of Abraham, whom God called to leave behind his country, family, and home to go to a place that God would show him (Gen. 12:1). In those days country-hopping wasn’t very easy. There was no airplane flying Abraham to this new land to look it over and consider God’s instructions. Leaving his land likely meant that someone else would take it over. It is always more comfortable to stay where we are than to risk something new. The situation sounds pretty cliff-like to me! Abraham faced a line of decision, which crossed would mean no turning back.

When God calls us to the edge of the cliff, he urges us to trust him enough to jump.

A Prayer for a New Year

Instead of making resolutions which I can never keep, I am asking God to do some things in my life this year: