SHINE
“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the
fire is so delightful. Since we’ve no
place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” I love the changing seasons, Spring and Fall. I
enjoy summer, and the freedom that comes with relaxed schedules. But winter, well it isn’t exactly my favorite
season! However, with anything in life
there is always a bright side. So here’s
to hot cocoa, warm fireplaces, sledding with the kids, and celebrating the
birth of our Lord and Savior! Happy
winter!
SHINE 2008
Legacy
Well we are well on our way to planning the next SHINE
conference coming in October of 2008. It
sounds like it is so far off but it will be here before you know it. We already have some exciting things in the
works including our key note speaker, Lynn Austin. She is a popular Christian author and if you
want to find out more about her you can check out her web page www.lynnaustin.org. So go ahead and
mark the date,
October 4, 2008. (hey that rhymes!)
Thoughts…
We are still hearing some great feedback from
this year’s conference. I thought I
would include a few quotes from our evaluations and invite you to comment on
our blog at www.marla-shineministry.blogspot.com. Here are some
quotes from this year’s attendees:
“…Thank you so much for
following God’s leading. I wish all area
women could attend Shine!”
“I felt God’s presence from the
moment I walked through the doors…”
“This is the best Christian
conference I have experienced! It was
just what I needed.”
Thoughts
What
is the meaning of life? It’s a fair
question; one that has been asked over and over again through out the ages.
In
fact it is a question that has plagued me recently. Well actually, the question in my heart and
on my mind is, “What am I going to be when I grow up?” Sounds silly since I am already 36 years old,
but truly I am wrestling with what God has for me to do. Sometimes my heart is so full with a desire
to do ministry, to change the world, to make a mark on things that I feel like
I am spinning my wheels in the day to day.
The
obvious answer to what God wants me to do is found in Matthew 28:19-20. Here Jesus commands us, “…go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Okay,
so I get that. We are supposed to share
God’s word with those around us. Sounds
fairly simple, right? Well it is, until
it is time to actually do it. Currently
I am working in an alternative school with junior high students who aren’t
particularly interested in most of what I have to say, especially when it comes
to God or His will for our lives. Most
of my coworkers are even less interested than my students and by law I am
pretty limited in what I can say anyway.
So where does that leave me? Well
if I were honest with you I would tell you it leads me to coming home most days
frustrated and confused as to why I am doing what I am doing. However, even as I write this, God is
answering that question.
I am
reminded of the words of St. Francis of
So
the meaning of life is to share the Truth with those around me and tomorrow I
will try to behave or act in a just manner, I will love mercy and pour it out
on those around me, and I will walk humbly with my Lord and Savior. He may have some different job or mission for
me in the future but I will be faithful to serve Him in this moment. I will be a city on a hill that cannot be
hidden….a lamp stand for all to see!
(Matthew 5)