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Excellence pt5

Don’t you just love to be pampered?  Even getting your hair cut can feel like pampering as the hair stylist washes and massages your scalp.  Having a back massage, or taking the time out to have someone paint your nails, just enjoying a nap once in a while, or even sitting in a hot tub can leave you refreshed and revitalized.  I don’t think there are many people on the earth who don’t enjoy at least one of the things I mentioned. During our Ladies Conference we always try to find ways to pamper the ladies who attend in some way.  We have great items to give away, and try to let every lady know how special they are.  It is always so sweet to receive thank you notes from those who are so thankful and appreciative that we would go out of our way to give them gifts and make a special place for them to fellowship.  It was so wonderful to see how a little effort on or part, makes women feel pampered.  Sometimes little things can make a big impression.  Why not do something for someone to show them your love today?

 

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Excellence pt4

Let’s look at excellence on the human level.  What are the “quality materials” needed to build a strong foundation in our lives?  The basics include – starting with a true relationship with Christ, reading, studying and meditating on His Word, spending time in prayer and praise and worship, and fellowshipping with other believers around His Word.  Those are elementary.  It really does surprise me and disappoint me at the same time at how many “long term” Christians don’t do those foundational things even one time a week.  I’m sure I’d be surprised at how many people even in our congregation who haven’t cracked open a Bible on their own in a long time.  If we ignore the foundational principles, things begin to crumble around us.  We are representing Christ – the living Word, the Bread of Heaven, and often we haven’t had a “bite” of His Word on our own in a long time.  We’ll be spoon fed at church, but to break it open and feed ourselves just takes too much time and effort.  If we want excellence on the outside, we have to have quality on the inside. That means getting the Word inside our heart. Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against God.  What goes in is what comes out! Thank God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  There is hope for change, and all it takes is a decision. My hope and prayer is that we can say, “I’m putting quality materials into my inner man, so that my outer man represent Christ excellently”. Encouraging you toward quality living.

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Excellence pt3

Have you ever done an addition or a remodel in your own home? Right now we are adding on some new offices and making more effective use of the space that is available.  Several years ago, we added on to our church.  We doubled its size and are now enjoying the new possibilities that more space makes!  Most of all, we appreciate more room so there are more opportunities to serve our community, and more opportunity to minister to lives. We are talking about excellence and how we as believers represent Christ on the earth.  We also said that excellence starts in the heart and works its way outward.  During the process of building an addition or doing a remodel, things can get messy.  Grass has been torn up, so that means there is dirt everywhere. In other words, during the construction phase, we have to remember that excellence is a process.  It’s a time where you keep things looking as good as possible, and ask for grace in the areas that we have no control.  Quality building takes time. Quality and excellence go hand in hand.  If we want to have excellence in building, we use quality materials.  We want to make sure the foundation and structure are firm and strong and constructed with the best quality materials available. As we continue the construction process in our own lives, let’s strive for excellence.  Let’s be the best representatives for Christ that we can be.  That alone could be some awesome encouragement for someone around you.

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Excellence pt2

If we want quality on the highest level – the treasure on the inside of us needs to be expressed.  We do hold a treasure in an earthen vessel.  That’s the KJV way for saying that Christ lives in people, who are simply cracked pots!  It doesn’t sound very flattering, but when you think that a King would want to take up residency in you, it makes you feel like royalty.  It makes me want to clean up the earthen vessel, make it as beautiful for the King as possible. It also makes want me want to use the gifts and talents He gave specifically to me to the best of my ability and more, because they are the stamp of God in my life.  When we know what our gifts are and we are using them for the glory of God, it means there might be things that we lay aside so we can run the race God has for us without any hindrance.  Are there distractions in your life that you know you need to lay aside?  Why not do it.  It will give you the room and the time to grow and get better. If you are willing your life will step up a notch!  Are you ready to get bigger and expand on the inside?  I hope you are!  Then your life can be evidence of God’s glory, and it can show up on the outside.  I hope you are ready, because we’re moving on up!  Let’s be our best for the King of Majesty. Today I’m encouraging you to live for God with excellence.

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Excellence pt1

Anything worth doing is worth doing right.  I’m not sure where that quote is from, but my Dad gets credit for saying it millions of times while I was growing up. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your daily eword.   Whether it was cleaning my room, arranging some flowers, or mowing a lawn, you do it right the first time, and do it with excellence, because Dad said so!  Our heavenly Father likes excellence too.  Let’s do our best for God!  Here is your encouraging word for today!

 

Monday

I’ve been thinking a lot about excellence lately, and how important it is for believers to realize that we represent Christ on the earth.  We are his ambassadors, or representatives, and when the world (those who don’t know Christ yet) looks at us, they should see a good facsimile of who Jesus is. That kind of puts the pressure on – but in this case, it is good pressure!  We should be much more than mediocre.  We should be much more committed than average.  We should be people of impeccable integrity and character. We should be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, not only when people are watching, but every moment of every day.

 

As big as I am on making things look good on the outside, that certainly isn’t the heart of the issue.  The heart is the most important issue. We all know that just changing outward circumstances doesn’t make a change on the inside.  Real, lasting, effective change happens from the inside out.  That usually means making some adjustments, changing our thinking, controlling our thought life, and making the decision to live and serve others with excellence.  When that happens on the inside, there will be dramatic change in what people see on the outside.  That is the Word at work within you!

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Those days are over! Rejoice!

For many years women have felt confined, restricted or bound because they are female. Those days are over!  Rejoice! Jesus came to break down walls, and bring freedom!  What a great thing to be free! Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, everyone is free to be all that God has called each of them to be. You don’t have to go visit a foreign country to know how blessed we are in America.  There are many women in other cultures and religions that do not know the freedom we know.  We still have a long way to go around the world to see that all women can walk in the freedom that we know in Christ and in our great country.  Last week was Rejoice Ladies Conference and our theme this year was MORE.  God has empowered us to walk strong in MORE of His power and  His might.  We can walk in that freedom and spread the good news of freedom in Christ wherever we go. Let’s not forget those women around the world who still are confined, restricted and bound, because of their gender. Don’t let anyone ever underestimate you, and certainly never underestimate yourself.  Let’s be people who make a difference on the earth. We all can say this  – No matter what I’m called (male or female), I going to do what I’m called to do.  Let’s believe God for MORE and change our world!

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Eword for Kids

Hi Kids, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for you day.  I hope you know how much God loves you and has an amazing future planned for you.  As kids full of faith, we get to believe God’s Word and see it come to pass in our lives.  I want to encourage you today to believe for the MORE that God has for you.  Here is your encouraging word for kids today.

Eword for Kids

There is a scripture in I Timothy 4:12 about never letting anyone think less of you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Sometimes kids think life really begins when they grow up, but this scripture gives you great encouragement to remember that even as a kids you can set a good example in how you talk, how you act, how you love others, by your faith, and by how pure you are. That is really cool!  I think there are some big things to think about.  You can set an example to your friends who don’t know Jesus yet on the right way to live.  You can be the influencer instead of being influenced negatively by the world’s system.  I love the picture this puts in my mind.  The pull of heaven is stronger than the pull of this world. That means that we want so much to please God, that we aren’t influenced at all by the things that try to pull on you from the world.  That is a great thing to believe!

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Women are givers!

Women are givers!  So many of the women in my world are the most giving people I know! Women with giving hearts are everywhere.  As we continue to celebrate wonderful women, I think we need to value and appreciate how much women have done for our world. Women usually think of themselves after everyone else’s needs are met. Three women in my life who demonstrate God’s giving nature are Ginger Behrman, Ruth Baker and Suzy Beer.  Ginger served as a pastor’s wife for many years and in her retirement years travels the world ministering and giving selflessly, to the most needy of the world.  In the process she raised 5 awesome kids who are all serving in full time thriving ministries.  Ruth Baker served along side her husband in the Philippines as a Bible School administrator and missionary.  She remained there even after her husband’s death and impacted thousands of Pilipinos  who now serve in full time ministry around the world.  Suzy Beer is my mom!  She is a godly woman who raised 3 kids with a love for God, a love for the body of Christ and a love for the world.  She loves and gives in her church, in her neighborhood and in our family. She speaks up for those without a voice, and has always had a heart for the elderly, the disabled, and the disadvantaged.  Who are the wonderful women in your world?  Thank God for them and their impact in your life!!!

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We’re still talking this week about how wonderful women are, and today

We’re still talking this week about how wonderful women are, and today, I’m going to addressing the subject of dress. How many people do you know who need to go on the show “What Not to Wear”? Are you a good candidate for the show? YIKES! Do you dress for success?  Whether a man or a woman, what people first see when we meet them, is how we dress.  As representatives of Jesus, we should dress our best, not to impress others, but to be excellent for God. It is very evident where ever you go that there is a laxity about clothing. What is worn on a regular basis now, (like pj’s in public, or revealing clothes, exposed lingerie, or pants hanging off their bottoms) even 20 years ago wouldn’t have been worn in public. I know all about comfort, and I love sweats, and comfortable clothes, and they do have a place. But we can be comfortable and modest and still look good!  We should look our best not just at work, or for church, but we should make sure we look our best for our spouse and our family. Caring how we look and taking time to look good even builds our own self esteem. It doesn’t take a lot of money to dress your best.  If you need some “how to dress” tips, ask someone you know – who knows how to look great. (Or Watch What Not to Wear!) Let’s do our best to dress our best for the King of Kings.

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One of the nicest compliments one of my parent’s friends gave me years ago was

One of the nicest compliments one of my parent’s friends gave me years ago was that I was so much like my dad. Do you think we can be daughters or sons that look like our Father? (Like our Father God)? I think the most wonderful compliment we could ever have is that we look just like, act like, or resemble – Jesus.  One of my favorite songs has a line in it that says, I see the work of Calvary in you. What Jesus did on the cross has made a difference in you and me. That means that I can see Jesus showing through you.  We are demonstrating Jesus.  We are reflecting Him.  We are giving the world a mirror image of what Jesus looks like. So what should a mirror image of Jesus look like? That’s a good question. The best answer to that is LOVE. The main thing that Jesus emanates is love.  For us as believers, it is love that makes faith work.  Love is who God is, and love is something we can do, walk and operate in.  The best way we can look like Jesus is to love others. Isn’t it amazing the Word says, they will know we are Christians (Christ- like) by our LOVE?  As men and women, we can love lavishly. That’s when we look the most like our Father!

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