Collaborating for Christ

“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing full of love.”—Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

On my blog from March 10, Active Witness, I mentioned a friend whose sourdough breadmaking is a ministry for her. After reading the “how to” instructions, I soon realized it wasn’t for me. However, last month God laid it on my heart to attempt to come up with some kind of bread bag/small market tote pattern she could use when she gifts a loaf of bread.

Once the bread has been eaten, this would be a tangible reminder of what she had given them. She came up with the following tag to attach to it:

A loaf of sourdough to feed your day,
A bag knitted the handmade way.
But more than bread, may you always know—
Christ is the Bread of Life wherever you go.

on the other side it reads:

Jesus is the Bread of Life—
may this loaf remind you of His love,
and the bag be a hug to hold it.

Still trying to adjust the pattern instructions, I picked up a skein of red, white, and blue yarn. While praying over it, I prayed, Lord, let the person who receives this feel the freedom they have in Christ. If they don’t know You, may this bag along with the bread, open their eyes to the True Bread of Life.

In addition to the tag, I felt led to include the following scripture: For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.—2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT) If God impresses on my heart to include a specific scripture, I will. With the leftover yarn from the bag, I have made several hair scrunchies including this verse as well. So far I have been able to bless two ladies with one.

With July 4th around the corner 2 Corinthians 3:17 is also my verse to focus on for the month of July. Jesus came to set us free from the Old Testament laws. By allowing the Holy Spirit into our hearts, we no longer have the burden of living under the constraints of those rules. The new covenant with Jesus is one of Grace. The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to live the life God intended for us….sharing the Gospel to bring others to Christ.

This little partnering with my friend Karen, is another way I can do my part. For me, knitting and designing the bag (click here for the free pattern) was the easy part. My friend, Karen, not only labors over the bread but also asks God to reveal to her who should receive it. Together, we are able to live out Ephesians 4:16.

God has put a desire in all of our hearts to love Him and others. It is His call for each of us. Wherever God has placed us is an opportunity to share the love of Jesus. Do you have another brother or sister in Christ who you can collaborate with to share the Gospel?

If you knit and have a friend that bakes bread, cookies, brownies or some other specialty, the small tote I have designed could easily carry a baggie full of baked goodies for them to bless someone in their community. If you or your friend bakes homemade bread, here is the link for the tag to print for you to attach to it.

 Father God,

Forgive me when I ignore Your nudges to join another to share Your love. Your Word tells us in Ephesians 4:16 that You have made the whole body of Christ to fit together perfectly. You have designed each of us to use our gifts to help us grow in our faith. Thank You for the brothers and sisters in Christ You have placed in my life to make this possible. May my gifts be used to bless someone who is seeking more in life. Soften their hearts and open their eyes to the freedom they can find in Your precious Son, Jesus. I pray these things in the might name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

July Verse
“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing full of love.”—Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.     

God Can Tame Your Triggers

“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”—Psalm 139": 2-6 (NLT)

 At some point in our lives, we will all deal with some kind of trauma. Last summer on our trip in Italy, something triggered a memory from my experience with my first husband. I had journaled about it. Enough time has passed where I am able to write about it

As we were checking out of our hotel to venture on to a new area, my husband started to get a pain in his side. On our boat trip over to a small island where we would be spending our last few days, I could tell, the pain was getting worse. By the time we disembarked, he could barely walk. We had our tour guide translate to our driver to go straight to the emergency room.

On our way to the hospital, all I could think was, “here I am again in a foreign country going to a hospital with my husband.” I had to remind myself not only had God given me peace that he was going to be okay but this wasn’t’ the same situation as 30 years ago with John. Because John had a pulse when he was pulled out of the ocean, he was taken to the hospital. He was never revived and was considered dead on arrival.

My husband is very private (also why I waited to write about this) He didn’t want me texting everyone for prayers. Rather than send it out to a bunch of people, I sent something in confidence to some of my small prayer warrior text threads.

You see, he wasn’t the only one that needed prayers. I needed them to pray for me to keep my focus on the One True Healer and not the listen to the lies where the enemy wanted to take my mind. Of course, I had my knitting with me. To redirect my worry, I prayed as I was knitting each one of the hair scrunchies I was making.

I had planned on getting a jump start on Christmas gifts, but God led me to people in Italy to give away each scrunchie I had made. I let our translator have her pick while we were waiting on my husband’s discharge papers. She stayed by my side the entire time as well as going back and checking on my husband so she could translate for him.

To this day, we don’t know what caused that intense pain. At one point they thought a possible kidney stone, but all his tests came back clear. The next day he was able to go on our scheduled tour. It was definitely a test for me to not be filled with fear for my Faithful Father had given me peace as well as surrounded us with caring individuals who stayed by our side.

Fear can infect my heart when doubt plagues my mind, which triggers the runaway thoughts. Reaching out to my prayer warriors gave me the strength to not fall prey to where the enemy wanted to paralyze me with worry.

Verses 2-3 in Psalm 139 reminds us of God always being with us wherever we are. “You know my thoughts even when I’m far away You see me when I travel and when I rest at home” Verse 5 -6 go on to say God goes before me, follows me and places His hand of blessing on my head. Just as verse 6 states, it truly is too great for me to comprehend.

No matter where I am, whether here at my home or traveling overseas, I am never out of God’s sight. The same goes for you as well. Awareness of His nearness is the best anecdote for fear. Only God can tame any triggers and soothe an anxious soul. When I have faith that God’s presence is all around me, worry subsides.

God’s presence drives out our fears and imparts courage. While fear may fill our world, we don’t have to allow it to fill our hearts. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He gives all of us access to a calm and well-balanced mind.

 Father God,

Forgive me when I let fear fill my heart. Only You can drive out those worrisome thoughts and replace them with peace. It is hard to fathom Your presence is with me wherever I go, but I know Your Word is true. It comforts me to know not only do You go before me but are also by my side following me. You know my thoughts. Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit who conquers the lies the enemy wants me to focus on rather than Your unfailing love. I left those up to You who are struggling with this. May they release whatever triggers are holding them back from receiving peace in Your presence. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

  June Verse
“Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD!”Psalm 150:6 (NLT)

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.