Free to Give

Over the next several days I wanted to share some wonderful tips about saving money. It seems that many women I talk to are eagerly looking for good deals and ways to save money. But why? Why do we want to save money? Why do you want to save money?

Is it to simply pay your bills due to a job loss? Is it save for an upcoming vacation? Is it to get your "emergency fund"? Is it to save more on the things that aren't any fun...to spend more on those things that are really fun? Is it to be more "green" and more aware of your environmental "footprint"? Why do you want to save money?

I asked a friend of mine named Alysia to share her thoughts on saving money. I have dabbled in some of her ideas...even before I knew her. I wanted to be more organic, have less chemicals in my home, etc. But, for some reason, though I was extremely excited about these wonderful ideas...they didn't really IGNITE my passion enough to really get behind them. The Spirit was priming my pump...but it wasn't until spending some time with my sweet sister Alysia that the Spirit began to work and encouraged me to save in order to be free to GIVE! Oh yeah!

The few dollars we are able to save on spending just a few minutes (and I really do mean a few minutes) each month to make a few items that cost the most on our grocery and Wal-Mart list...add up to more and more abilities to be a blessing to someone across the street or across the world. THAT is something worth getting IGNITED about:) And that is exactly what has happened. The Spirit has inspired my friend Alysia who has given feet to much of my desire and that has left me SO encouraged and challenged and convicted! It has challenged me to be more Spirit led in the way I view my purchases and the things I THINK I need;)

One of the most wonderful things that she has said to me...is that their family desires to live and eat like the rest of the 90% of the world. They eat snacks like popcorn and granola and fruit like children around the world might eat (if they eat at all!). They seek to position themselves ready to be called to overseas mission life at any time and ready their children for the same. They are living simply...so that others can simply live. Oh, what a glorious life!

So, for the past few weeks and months I have been secretly testing out all her ideas (she gave a talk to a women's group where she compiled what the Lord has given to her and shared them in 14 pages!! It's awesome!!). I wanted to see how long these ideas would take, how much they really cost, how they worked, and to see which ones would work for our family.

Oh, boy they are GREAT! It's been so fun to involve the whole family in whipping up great snacks, cooking simply meals, sitting down to eat a simply meal that might be eaten by children who are hungry and truly have it fill our tummies and be yummy and be SO thankful! Jay and I have had so much fun trying things out after the girls are asleep...and then involving them when we figure out what we did wrong:) Summer is a GREAT time to try some of these fun ideas as projects with your kids...and then if you like them...then when school starts and life gets busier and more demanding you are ready to go!

That is what I am taking this summer to do...pray, seek the Lord, follow the Spirit, read the Word and see how God will make our lives full of RADICAL love and radical changes that are more in line with Him. Then when fall hits and homeschool starts and I am traveling to speak twice a month...I already have habits in place and they are refined to go quickly and more smoothly.

And now after a few weeks in the test kitchen...I'm SUPER excited to share her ideas with you and give my hearty AMEN to them. The changes and savings may seem small, but every single dollar, if moved to be given by the Holy Spirit out of passionate LOVE for God and others will be SO blessed! You can't imagine how awesome stripping away some of trappings of this world will be for your Spirit...we weren't made to live in bondage to stuff and convenience and more stuff and more convenience. We were made to deny ourselves, take up a cross, and follow HIM!

I pray that these ideas will simply take to prayer. Seek the Spirit and the wisdom He brings to your life. Don't do ANY of these out of guilt or compulsion. Read what 1Corinthians 13: 1-3 tells us:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,but have not love, I gain nothing. "

That's right...NOTHING. Oh Jesus, I do not want to get to the end of this life and stand before you with just a lot of causes, good deeds, and volunteer hours! May every single breath that I breathe be to your glory and for you fame both here and among the nations. Lord give me a passionate love for you and others that OVERFLOWS out onto others. Taking up a cause is about us trying to "save the world", solve world hunger, and fight the battles like a white knight coming in to save the day. Only Jesus saves! It is only by abiding in HIM alone can we do anything...for without HIM we can do NOTHING.

I pray that these next posts will be an encouragement to get deep into the Word and deep into pray and see if there are any ways the Lord would have you and your family to be free to GIVE...and truly LIVE!