When Grace Meets You In The Vacuum Cleaner Aisle

September 29, 2015 By: Melissa

All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
2 Corinthians 4:15 NLT

A few weeks ago while in the vacuum cleaner aisle at Target I was given the gift of grace. She was hurt, I was hurt. It was a misunderstanding, to say the least, but months had gone by and no progress was made. This was a ten year friendship that went off the rails fast and in the middle of ministry, motherhood and marriage it fell off to the side and in a season of hurt and frustration it was just not something I could deal with at the time.

Sounds harsh, I know, but when you are in the middle of a storm and life feels like your ship is going to go down, the first thing you start to do is throw things overboard. There went the gym, friendships that were outside your day to day bubble, and pretty much anything else that might lighten the load so you don’t go under in the season of storms.

I’m not proud to admit it, at all actually, but I just had to share with you what God did next.

After wading through the storms life got busy and although I wanted to reach out it was hard to take the chance of getting hurt again. Although I wanted to talk to her again I was too afraid. I would look on Facebook every so often to see how she was doing, looking for an opportunity to reach out, but I let the fear, hurt and insecurity keep me away.

Until a few weeks ago when I needed to purchase a new vacuum cleaner. Truth be told I hated to spend a bunch of money on a new vacuum so I stood in the vacuum cleaner aisle at Target for about forty minutes comparing the different vacuums and wrestling with how expensive they are when, turning right toward me in the aisle is this friend and her husband.

In that moment there wasn’t time to decide how to respond, react or anything else, there was just sheer joy at seeing each other again.

To finish reading “Grace In The Vacuum Cleaner Aisle” head on over to the Internet Cafe Devotions site…

Here’s a little Instagram pic I made for you…as a reminder that grace can find you anywhere! Enjoy!

Book Review: Undone, by Michele Cushatt

May 22, 2015 By: Melissa

My Thoughts About the Book:

My thoughts about this book are truly hard to articulate, I would have to say it is one of the most moving, authentic, and transparent books that I have ever read. Michele has a unique ability to write where it doesn’t feel like you are reading someone else’s story, but rather that you are sitting in a comfy chair at the local coffees shop just catching up with a good friend.

I love that she had the good, the bad and the ugly all in the stories she shared, her real life “stuff” and yet through it all there wasn’t a sense of bitterness or resentment, but rather the whole thing was sprinkled with grace, hope, laughter and love. I’ve “known” Michele online for many years now and have always enjoyed that she’s been real about her faith, her struggles and her life, but this book, Undone was a peek into her heart and for that I am grateful. Grateful for her strength, her faith and her willingness to take us all on the journey with her.

If you’re living an unexpected life right now, or if you love someone that is living that season of life, then you don’t want to miss out on this book. It will be a comforting friend while you travel on your bumpy road — you will laugh at loud at times and also bust out crying, but through it all you will see Jesus…and that, my friends, is why I love this book so much! Do yourself a favor and grab a copy today!

About the book:

Undone is author Michele Cushatt’s quest to make peace with a complicated life. It is an honest confession of a diagnosis of cancer and the joys and disappointments of motherhood and marriage, ripe with regret over what is and, yet, still hopeful for what could be.

With enough humor to ease the rawness of the story, Undone takes the reader on a roller coaster two-year journey through the unexpectedness of life. A look back makes Michele long for a do-over, the chance to make fewer mistakes and leave less of a mess to clean up. A look forward makes Michele wonder if all her attempts to control life have robbed her of the vibrancy of it. And, in the middle of this internal chaos, she finds her once-pristine house filled with the sights and sounds of three small, uncontainable children who just want to be loved.

In the end, Undone turns complication into a beautiful canvas, angst into joy, and the unknown into an adventure, revealing that sometimes life’s most colorful and courageous stories are written right in the middle of the mess.

If you’d like to pickup a copy, you can purchase Undone here

About the Author:

A storyteller at heart, Michele Cushatt inspires audiences with the warmth of her transparency and presence. Her unique style makes you feel like you just spent an afternoon with a good friend, sparking tears one moment and laughter the next. Having experienced both the best and worst of life, she’s unafraid to disclose her imperfect spaces, so that you know you’re not alone in yours.

Michele and the love of her life, Troy, live in Colorado with their six children, ages 7 to 22. She enjoys a good novel, a long run, sleeping in the sun, and a kitchen table filled with people.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Taking Down the Facade

March 17, 2015 By: Melissa

If you’ve spent any time in ministry, especially with women, chances are you’ve been hurt, burned, back-stabbed or misunderstood.

It’s painful. It’s brutal. It flat out sucks the wind from your sails. And in order to protect yourself from getting hurt again, you put up a façade.

Chances are you probably don’t even remember when you started to wear that mask, but to protect your heart, you did.

I did it too. After fifteen years in ministry, I have seen it all, experienced a lot of incredibly tough stuff and had my heart broken many times.

I built a protective barrier around myself—the façade—in order to keep people from getting close to the real me.

In doing so, though, I also kept myself completely isolated.That led to feelings of loneliness, isolation and, at times, even depression. It wasn’t until about six years ago I decided to lay down the mask and let God show me how to put away the façade.

Paul told the Roman Christians,

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:9-10 NLT).

In other words, God tells us,

“Lay down your mask! Get real! Love people!”

If you are struggling with this like I have, here are a few things to help you as you learn to lay down your mask.

1. Pray First

Ask God to open your heart and allow you the opportunity to just be you. Ask Him to be your protector, and to also bring you a few truly special, safe friends who can come around you as you take these steps.

2. Talk to Your Spouse or Close Family Member

If you’re married, talk it over with your spouse. Ask him to be a part of the process with you and seek out his prayers.

If you’re not married, talk it over with a close family member who understands you and your struggle to be more authentic in ministry.

3. Talk to Your Pastor

If you’re in ministry at a local church, I encourage you to talk it over with your pastor. Ask him to pray for you as you step into new territory in ministry.

This takes another step of vulnerability. I understand that. But by bringing your pastor in on this process, he can help you venture into new territory.

4. Give Yourself Time

If you’ve been in ministry for more than ten years, you’ve probably slowly built up the façade. It’s not going to just disappear; it will take time.

Make sure you allow yourself time to release years of protective layers around your heart.

5. Give It All Back to God

Whatever steps you make, and however long it takes, if God has called you to ministry, He has equipped you to do it as well.

Celebrate the small steps. Give Him all the glory and continue moving forward.

I know it’s not going to be easy—it wasn’t for me either—but the women God has brought into our lives are desperate for women in ministry to be real, to show them what it is like to live out ordinary lives with God at the forefront.

Let’s take this step together and see what God will do.

Are you wearing a mask today? What is keeping you behind the façade? What will you do to “get real” so God can minister through your transformed life?

This post was originally posted on 2/24/15 over at Upgrade with Dawn. DawnHeader

Have you heard of Upgrade with Dawn? You should check it out…

Just as we upgrade our cell phones, appliances, hairstyles and so many other things … we can UPGRADE our lives. We can make positive decisions for change.

FRESH, ENCOURAGING Guest BLOGGERS on this site share how we can UPGRADE our attitudes, marriage, finances, parenting, and so many other areas. Especially our heart. Their voices will encourage, teach, and show how to improve, boost, enhance, uplift, repair, renovate and rebuild our lives – all synonyms for “UPGRADE!” UPGRADE also offers helpful tools and resources.

A Word To Boy Moms About Preparing Your Heart

March 10, 2015 By: Melissa

Attention boy moms, there’s going to come a time when you need to make room in your heart for your son’s special girl. Ouch, I know, that’s a tough one, especially if you have little boys at home right now. As a matter of fact it took me a long time to wrap my head (and my heart) around this, but I’m hoping that through my trial and error your transition might be a little smoother.

Attention boy moms, there’s going to come a time when you need to make room in your heart for your son’s special girl.

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Over the years it’s not always been easy, as any boy mom can attest to. They are rowdy, rambunctious, messy, smelly, and pretty much keep you on your toes every minute of every day. Yep, I’m a boy mom through and through. Those two precious boys wrapped this mama heart around their fingers so tightly that when they started to grow up it was painfully hard for me to let them.

I knew that the day would come when another girl would grab their heart but nothing really prepared me for sharing my boys with someone else. I had prayed for good, godly girls to come into their life, but when they showed up I struggled. Unfortunately it wasn’t a smooth transition either–for me, for the boys, or even the girls.

…for the rest of the post, head on over to the M.O.M. Initiative.

Tips for boy moms — learning how to share your boys with their girls.

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Don’t know about the M.O.M. Initiative? Here’s a little about what we do:

The M.O.M. Initiative is an acrostic for Mothers on a Mission to Mentor Other Mothers. Our goal is to minister to moms who know Christ and reach those who don’t.

As a ministry, we provide resources and support to help the body of Christ make mentoring missional…to not only begin to mentor moms within the four walls of the church, but to mentor moms beyond the walls of the church in order to impact our communities and this culture for Christ.

With resources for the local church and area ministries, training, an online database of M.O.M. Groups, daily online encouragement, and ministry support, The M.O.M. Initiative helps connect local churches and ministries with one another and with the community.

Did You Know That We Are Wired For Rest?

February 25, 2015 By: Melissa

Rest, it’s one of those four letter words that evokes a lot of varying emotions from people. There’s the exasperated sigh, the faraway gaze of someone in need of rest and also the “what are you, a wimp?” remark from someone that thinks you should just suck it up. But what if I told you that we are actually wired for rest. What would you say then?

Oh, I know, there are too many things to do, places to go and people to see to find time to rest. I get that. I’ve even heard it said from others that they’ll have time to rest when they die, but sweet friend, that is not how God created us.

Rest, is a four letter words that evokes a lot of varying emotions, but what it I told you that we’re actually wired for rest.

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———————> I’m over at the Internet Cafe Devotions today talking about how God wired us for rest. To find out what that means and how to get started on having some time to rest in your life, then visit me over at the Internet Cafe, you can click here to get there.

The Internet Café unites women of faith; unites women through the exhortation, edification and encouragement of each other through God’s guiding hand. We seek to unite women regardless of our stage of life or the signs that mark our church doors. Passionately we believe that through our written words we can support women on their own personal journey of faith, inspiring them to live as true disciples.