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Articles by Brenda Lancaster

Christmas Favorites

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Faith, Hope, and Love (A word from Honduras)

Thank you Vicky, for this dose of encouragement.

Blessings,

Brenda

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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 

 I Corinthians 13:13

Christmas Favorites Day_1_Photo_1_Bible-300x226Jesus Christ’s gift of love is the BEST gift anyone can receive…

One fine spring day in 2008, as I was washing dishes & watching my children play outside, God spoke so clearly to me that it literally brought me to my knees. He was clear that I was to talk with my husband…He wanted our family to GO share the good news of Jesus Christ. After hours of crying & giving God reasons why it was impossible for us to do this, I finally told God I would talk with my husband. All the while thinking it would be ok, knowing my husband would simple look at me & say, “You’re crazy woman!”. To my utter amazement, when I shared God’s message with my husband, he stated, “What took you so long?!” This began our FAITH journey walking with the Lord.

So, we moved to Honduras Aug 1, 2009! We are not perfect “Christians” only willing vessels. We moved here, HOPING to make a difference in the lives of the lost. We make mistakes and pray that God will help us to learn from them. One lesson we have gleaned from our experience as missionaries is from I Cor. 13:13. He gave us FAITH to follow through with His command, HOPE to persevere and now He is showing us His LOVE in action. We never thought we could be what God is shaping us to be.

We have opened our home to over 20 young people over the last 3 years and are in the process of adopting one of these. Their stories are heart wrenching, ranging from being physically abused; rescued from human trafficking; close to death due to starvation; sold at age 10 & pregnant by age 11; escaping gang life or simple living on the street due to having no one to care for them. Their lives amaze us and their HOPE to have someone LOVE them is what has carried them through. Their lives keep us filled with FAITH that God has a bigger plan!

This Christmas season we feel honored to be a part of His plan to watch these young people grow closer to God and learn to have FAITH, HOPE & LOVE in the True King. We pray that your lives are filled with I Corinthians 13:13!

Vicky Crowder

Honduras

I Really Miss My Mama

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Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

 

OLD_FAMILY_PHOTOS_002Can I just say it out loud? I really miss my mama today.

Sometimes when the stress in my life is off the charts, when nothing seems to be going right, when I feel alone or targeted, I just want my mama.

Like today. Sitting here with my desk piled high, stress to the gills, feeling overwhelmed; I want to tell her all about what’s going on. I want her to wrap her arms around me, pat me on the shoulder, kiss my cheek, and tell me it’s going to be all right. And may even feel a little sorry for me. I must have been born this way because this picture clearly indicates a three-year-old under the influence of stress!

And I want to listen to what my mama says.

As I’m sitting here wondering what she’d say on this particular day of stress, I broke out in laughter. I know exactly what she’d say. “You’re doing too much” That’s what she always said.

THE_LOOK_#1

Tilting her head, while giving me “the look”, she’d say, “Brenda, you’re trying to do too much!”

Well, duh.

“But mama, it’s required! I have a lot to do. Jesus has assigned me to this ministry and …”

“What does the Lord require of you?,” she’d interrupt.  Deuteronomy 10:12 (NLT) says;

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.”

OLD_FAMILY_PHOTOS_006She is with Jesus now, so I get the feeling mama would continue her “you’re doing too much” lecture by reminding what Jesus himself said…

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Ok, let’s take a deep breath together…

“Oh, Lord, why do I have to be reminded over and over that your burden is light, that what you expect of me isn’t the same thing that people expect of me. Thank you for the reminder Lord. Now, would you tell my mama that I love her. And I miss her so much? And when you’re through with me here, I’ll see her heaven.”

Until next time,

Your Traveling Partner,

Brenda

GOD IS ON THE MOVE!

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Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 

Ephesians 3:20

 

Dear Readers,

Gala_Tom_&_BrendaExcitement and tears mingle as I write to you this morning. A major milestone has just passed. Daily Dose of Encouragement is no more, but this blog is. I feel teary eyed at the passing of the old, yet beside myself with excitement for the new. I have to admit I had a hard time giving up the old format at first. I loved having God’s Word go forth from our website five days a week. As much as I love that, I hate something else more. Quitting. Quitting anything. Anytime. I’ve always believed the old saying that quitters never win, and winners never quit.

So, I’m not.

What I am doing, what ZMI is doing, is moving forward in obedience to His calling and His direction. This change is His direction. The message never changes but sometimes the method of getting that message out does.

Sometime ago I shared the following story with you, and the Lord brought it back to my memory today. It is so relevant for now – for such a time as this!

“I don’t know how I’m going to do all this Lord. So much is happening in the ministry, good things, in so many different places. You know I’m not equipped to handle it! We need volunteers Lord! We need workers, for the fields really are white unto harvest! And we need the financial resources to do what you’ve called us to do.” 

“It’s way above my head God. I see the giants all around us. What do I do?”  

The room was dark and Tom slept soundly beside me, muffled snores the only thing breaking the silence. And of course my thoughts were whirling as I lay beside him,  wide awake at 3:00 a.m. Getting up for the third time, I decided to take Clayton King’s advice and start reading Deuteronomy, hoping I’d fall asleep within 7 verses like he said. 

Instead of making me fall asleep, God used what I call the Reminder Book, Deuteronomy, to remind me again of His faithful leading since the time He called me to this mission of ZMI Family Ministries International.  

He reminded me He is the One who has done it, and will continue to do it. My calling is simply to obey, to speak the truth of His Word in love, and to follow His lead. And to do it at His speed, baby step by baby step, or to run with Him, however He chooses. Right now, he has me running faster than I ever thought I could go. 

He reminded me not to be afraid of the giants – those threatening details – that try to stand in the way of the mission. He will provide.

Back in bed, I finally fell asleep sometime after 4:30 a.m…” 

That is God’s promise to all of us. He has a mission, a plan, for all our lives. When we let Him, He will do it in and through us.  

Confirmation. It’s like a breath of fresh air when you need it most. Yes, the mission He started years ago will move forward as He leads. We will not stop because of giants in the land. I really do believe that the best is yet to come and I’d love for you to be a part of it!

Dear one has God called you to a mission and you’ve been afraid to move forward? Are the giants plaguing you with doubt? Don’t listen!

I invite you to join us on mission right here at home or in a foreign land. God has a plan for you! Time is short. The need is great! We have so many opportunities for ministry, yet so few workers for the harvest. If you’d like to serve on our volunteer team – behind the scenes – or helping to lead the pack, please email me! brenda@zmiinternational.org

As the ministry has grown, so has our vision to reach further than we ever dreamed. As God sends new opportunities. This new blog is one way we can share those opportunities, such as the upcoming International Missions Holiday Gala, which will take place on November 20. Last year’s event was awesome and we’d love to have you join this year!  We’d love for you to see for yourself what God has done among us in 2015!  Just email me at the address above and I’ll get you all the information for what we believe will be one of the greatest nights in the history of ZMI!

Ponder these things as you go about life today, and listen to this song as you begin the pondering. Just click the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRkM5kOEV0&index=1&list=PL_nGHsLuC1cUtVtf32KXZs0LLqSf0MZCd

I will look forward to hearing from you!

As always

Your Traveling Partner,

Brenda Lancaster

Author/Founder/Director