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The Blog Has Moved!

I set my priorities for 2010, and I've already completed step #2 for simplification!

I have moved my blog to a new location! It has been given a brand new name and theme as well! I am excited and want to welcome you, so be sure to check it out and let me know what you think! Are you ready? 2010 is going to be the MOST incredible year EVER!!!


Take This Life And CHUNK It!

http://christinepechstein.wordpress.com/

Finished setting up my ping.fm which should simplify my social media life! Wow, it's not even 2010 yet, and one goal/priority is done!

Don't stop investing in your people/yourself. Today's training technology allows MANY affordable options for improvement/growth!

THIS...Is Today's Homeless

It seems that when we speak of the homeless, we mean the traditional stereotyped individual. Most times people use the following words to describe them:

bum
unemployed
uneducated
stupid
can't read
smells
dirty
thief
liar
druggie
alcoholic
smoker
ex-convict
violent

But, let me ask you this.

Do you really know who the homeless are in YOUR community?

Single parents
Married couples
Families with children
Employed
Under-insured/Uninsured (health care expenses that bankrupt people)
Individuals with Disabilities
The ill
People laid-off
Educated
Skilled
Widowed
The people just unable to make ends meet despite their low income jobs!!!

For example: Look at how many students in your community are on the reduced and free lunch program. What percentage is this? Every one of them is one disaster, unexpected expense, or job loss away from homelessness.

Despite their best efforts in these circumstances, homelessness can't be avoided. We may not be able to end the poverty overnight, but we CAN provide shelter overnight. All it takes is someone to open a building, their mind, and their heart.

How long are the waiting lists for services?
Affordable housing?
Is the housing affordable for a single income (single parent household?)
Ask yourself again...
How long are the waiting lists?
Is it transitional housing or a true shelter?
Can it be accessed all year round?
What happens if the funds/grant money disappears? Will it still be around?
Is there a family friendly place to go immediately without all the red-tape?

Jesus didn't have red-tape.
Nor did He have a waiting list.
And He didn't judge those who just couldn't make it without help.

I know some homeless who work.
I know some homeless that utilize pay as you go cell phones for employment.
And I know some homeless who will not be able to afford the rent on the median wages even after attending school to further their education.
I know single mothers who live at the poverty level, because there IS only one income.
I know single fathers who pay child support, yet can't afford a place to live-AND they work a full-time job.

THESE...are today's homeless.

And as communities, it is OUR responsibility to minister and provide HOPE.

We can't fix everything, but we can provide as the needs arise...

without question...

without passing judgment...

Before you leave this post, I HOPE you ask yourself two things:

1. WHO do I know that could end up homeless, because they ARE barely making it or currently unable to make ends meet?

2. Where can they find HOPE in Christ in MY community 24/7/365?

I HOPE you will take the time to read the following post...
"When I Say, "Whoa!" and God says, "Go!" about HOPE.

Together we can ALL help people find HOPE!

I say, "Whoa!" and God says, "Go!"

When I started attending church as a new believer several years ago, I knew I would get involved somewhere in church, and I figured I had some time to kind of "ease" in to something I'd become passionate about. I've always been a passionate person, so I figured finding my passion would simply be in a church activity. Little did I know, God had other plans. Within the first year of my faith, I began to blog here, I joined the Project One:Eight group at church, and started working on local missions in the community. And life was great. Or so I kept telling myself.

But something inside of me wasn't at rest. There was something much more. There was something I was missing. And soon a vision, a dream, and a passionate desire filled my mind, heart, and spirit. I could feel a calling to start a homeless shelter in our town of 40,000 people. My passion was not JUST limited to what I'd be doing with my church, it was what I'd be doing in my community! That was a moment our Pastor calls a TCE moment: This Changes Everything! I also remember this is a huge, "Whoa!" moment. I desperately tried to put the brakes on and go back to my simple little life. It didn't work;-)

I knew almost immediately a book was on the way, but I didn't know what I'd be writing on exactly. I toyed around with a few ideas, started a draft, and trashed it. What the book evolved into was no ordinary book. Instead, I followed the prompting to write a Christian life management agenda/calendar/life management workbook. Move Into Action is an all-in-one life management agenda to assist individuals with managing their hectic lives, volunteer in the community and church, while living a Christ-focused life. As the first edition came about in 2008, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to donate 90% of the book proceeds after expenses to fund a shelter called HOPE.

HOPE stands for House Of Prayer Every day.

Why HOPE? It's simple really. Churches are flooded with activities, church staff is taxed to the max with their time, and churches aren't open 24 hours a day. Yet, HOPE in Christ is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. But, if it's 3am, and a single mother is at her witts-end, where would she go for a prayer? Where would a recovering addict go when they really needed prayer as the night clubs were about to open for the evening? Where would someone go who needed fellowship, coffee, or a safe place to get off of the streets and have HOPE? There wasn't any place available after hours. And yet HOPE should be available to people at any time.

As soon as I started sketching the workbook, I felt that a reverse tithe was how the center would be funded. So, 90% of the profits after expenses is donated. HOPE is a community center by day and a shelter at night. Prayer support is available 24 hours per day. Jesus is accessible to someone wanting to change their life in the middle of the night.

During the day individuals can take a class such as interviewing or job hunting, meet with their social worker, gather information on community services without having to run to 99 different agency appointments without transportation or gas money, take a class on budgeting, learn life management skills, apply for replacement social security cards and birth certificates, attend a Bible Study, and learn to worship in a safe and friendly environment without feeling judged.

And by writing an agenda, calendar, and life management workbook that would be sold each and every year, HOPE would be funded privately by individuals and churches wishing to purchase the workbooks.

No federal/local budget cuts.
No government mandates on how our services are provided.
No grant money red-tape.
No hidden or personal agendas.
Just God's will to reach His people.

Of course, me being human, I have tried to offer God these excuses:

"I don't know how to run a shelter. I have no experience."
"It seems impossible. Are YOU sure this can be done?"
"What about liability? What about local reaction?"
"I think you have the wrong person. I can't do this!"
"WHY me?"

And then He has provided the answers with a shelter about 30 minutes from here who has given me all of the above answers. It was out of the blue. BOOM...HERE is how it's done!!!

Except of course, the "Why me?" question. I still don't know.

All I know is I have this giant vision that only God can make possible. He can turn it into reality. I can't. I'm just following this path in front of me. And it is UBER scary. I found myself thinking, "What IF I fail?" I simply remind myself that I can't do it without God, nor am I trying to. Keep seeking Him for the answers, tools, and people He leads me to. I also remind myself that I can't limit God with MY small and limited mind-set. ALL things ARE possible with God. Most things ARE screwed up with Christine acting alone. So, I am making sure that I am not acting alone or running ahead of God. And I will tell you all. It is still scary. But, that is not an excuse for me to sit on the "but". I am still moving!

Sometimes I really want to know the "Why me" part. And so far I have only come up with one answer. Because I am insane. I am CRAZY in love with God and will live an insane life, defy the norm, try until I can't try anymore (which is NEVER!), and cry my eyes out in prayer to make sure I am within His will and not mine. I am a people lover who believes with all my heart that every person is a creation of God's and everyone has a purpose. Every person has potential-not just the people with homes, cars, 2.5 kids, a pet, and an education. And I am very passionate about what I do, is NOT change people into clones of what society believes is normal. Haven't we screwed up our lives enough trying to achieve that?! I teach people how to live for what THEY are passionate about and manage their time accordingly to their priorities in nine life areas.

I think the "why me" is simply because I am crazy enough to do this.

Yet, despite my fears, I AM NOT AFRAID TO HELP PEOPLE AND BUILD THEM UP-TREAT THEM AS MY EQUAL UNDER THE GUIDANCE AND CARE OF OUR LOVING FATHER IN HEAVEN.

I have no other explanation as to the "why me." And maybe that is not so much the why...it is merely the passion that I have. But, none of that is important!

My prayer tonight is that we sell enough of the 2010 life management agendas that we can make this a reality as soon as possible. God moved me "into action", I answered the call, saw the vision, and I am on a mission to accomplish His mission.

YET WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE!

Every church, every believer, every organization, everyone who can help spread the word for HOPE can help with this first shelter.

And it doesn't stop here in my neck of the woods. HOPE is needed across the entire globe!

We are merely trying to take the first step here. And the vision takes us to where you are. And you....and you...and you...to each city...

If you would please take a minute to do a few things we would be so grateful!

1. Please include HOPE in your prayers.
2. Help us promote the life management agenda in your newsletters, traditional media outlets, and social media avenues.
3. Purchase a personal copy/and or promote this workbook to your entire organization/congregation to purchase in bulk.
4. Imagine yourself with a catastrophic life changing event that means you can't pay the rent or mortgage, and you have no alternatives for your family. Where would you go? Where would YOU find HOPE?

THIS is today's homeless. (Be sure to read the next entry titled just that.)

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!

Preview the Move Into Action, Life Management Agenda here:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/move-into-action-life-balance-agenda/4850851


Preview all of Christine's workbooks here:
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3291225

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

As I reflect upon the birth of Christ, I think about what it is I truly celebrate. I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. It is not like any other day, any other meal, any other gathering...it is the birth of the Savior I celebrate. It is Him I prepare my heart for. It is He that I plan to spend all eternity with. While I do enjoy the lights, the gatherings, the food, and the people, I have to admit that NONE of it means a thing. But, Jesus-Emmanual-God with us means everything.

What do we need to celebrate Christmas?
A Tree?
Lights on the house?
A ham and all the fixin's?
Presents?
Money?

What if none of that was available? What then?

We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. So it seems to me that all we really need is Jesus. Yet what do we really celebrate if we chase everything but Him? Are we so busy that we forget to celebrate what we intend to? Do we let relatives, traditions, or general busyness interfere or dictate what we celebrate?

Close your eyes for a minute and think about Christmas. What's the first thing that pops into your memory? For me it's Jesus, in a manger, born of the Virgin Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. It is all about the miracle of hope. It's about Jesus. I could have no lights, tree, decorations, or gatherings. Simply for me, I just need to spend the day with Jesus.

He is what I celebrate at Christmas.

As I listened to our Pastor read Scripture during communion on Christmas Eve, I found myself in tears.

Matthew 26:26
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

Those words pierced me as I held the communion wafer in my hand. There were 1500 people at our Christmas Eve service and each piece of bread/each wafer/for each person present, Jesus was broken and we all had a piece of Him (in a sense). He died so we each could find salvation in Him. That just broke my heart to know that for each of us present in church that evening, His body had been broken for. That is a lot of breaking.

Me.
My kids.
The person sitting next to me.
The person sitting clear at the other end of the room.
Each of us, Christ died and was broken for us.

And then I thought about the entire world.
Jesus was sacrificed for each one of us in this entire world!
I just thought in my head about his body, being broken and a piece of Him being given to each person in the world and it just became astounding.

Christ died for us all. And I know we know that, but when you think about how one man's body could be broken and given to all (re-read the passage and it's context), it defines Christmas as nothing like an ordinary holiday. It is not! It is a miracle! A tiny baby born in a manger. No glitz. No glamour. No accommodations. A baby born so that we could ALL find salvation. He knew his body would be broken for us all. It's Jesus' birthday, yet how easily that is forgotten!

Not every person in family circles has Him in their lives. And those who aren't active followers of Christ are more focused on the glitz, glamour, and the endless chaos that accompanies Christmas. But for the people who are Christ-followers, it is more important to celebrate Jesus' birthday, the freedom He has brought us, and realize just how much He has done for us, because of WHO he is and WHY He was sent.

So, on this very day, in my living room from Hutchinson, Kansas, I just want to say once again..."Happy Birthday, Jesus! YOU are my King, my Savior, and I love you more than I could ever speak. Thank you. God with us!!! YOU are the reason I celebrate-not just today, but every day. The purchase price of my freedom, eternity, and ever lasting life was your blood. Your broken body purchased me, and you have given me more than I could ever deserve. But by our Father's grace and mercy, I have been saved by you. Jesus, the Messiah, I love you."

Amen...

Just One Question

Earlier on my facebook page, I commented:

Just thinking that as long as people can blame the church for their lack of growth, and lack of what is missing in their spritual lives, they'll never take responsibility for "tuning" into their own personal relationship with God. Where's the personal accountability? I don't think blaming the church is what will get us... out of that one...just what's on my mind...

And boy did I get some responses! Not by the number of responses, but the responses that were given were doozies for me.

I think it all stems from conversation with non-believers and believers, seekers, returners, and just people I converse with in general.

"I can't get this at my church."
"My church does this...does yours?"
"I disagree with this...that...the other..."
"It's a matter of difference between Pastors."
"I don't agree with our leadership."
"This is how it's always been."
"This is why it should change...because it always HAS been..."
"I was hurt at xyz church."
"I never got to learn that..."

Sometimes I get so disheartened when I hear it. Okay, more than sometimes. Most of the time. I wonder to myself...if I were someone thinking about going to church and I heard stuff like that, I'd just forget about it! We need to just stop it! We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our own growth. Why do people feel justified to blame their stagnant growth on the church? We have been given the right to salvation, but aren't there responsibilities that come with rights? And doesn't having rights require a proper attitude? Maybe this is the root of the issue.

I thought about the sermon I listened to today in one of our sister churches and how it taught me several things. I was excited to pull so many things out of one message! And the one that stuck out to me the most was about our personal responsibility to tune in to God to experience Him, know Him, learn about Him. Yes, the boom box our Pastor held as he dialed to tune in a station was an incredible, yet simple illustration that I could relate to. We want to learn all about God and experience Him, we've been given the keys, tools, and hall pass to do so, but how many of us are actually using them on a daily basis? We're just not tuned in. So is that the problem of the radio manufacturer or the person operating the radio who has yet to try to tune in properly?


I imagine this conversation: "Well, I'm just not liking that church over there. I'm not getting anything out of the teaching."

And, I can't help but wonder, "What are you DOING with the teaching?"

Sitting in church and hearing the message is only PART of it. Growth happens when we take it out into the real world and do something with it. And if you read the Bible, you'll know exactly what to do and how to do it. How's that? It's so simple! Jesus showed us how!

We are only in church on Sundays about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half at the most. The majority of our time is spent outside the church walls. And our life doesn't happen only when we sit in church. Nope. It happens outside of church. And that's where personal responsibility comes in to play.

The church can give you the teaching, stories, and application Jesus modeled in the Bible. But, you have the responsibility to apply it to your own life, your own situations, and your own relationships outside of church...everyday. It's the same as being given a key to a building. If someone gives you a key, yet you don't make a conscious decision to do something with it to unlock the door for yourself, stop whining about not being able to enter!

I asked just one question on my facebook status today, and it made me really think about some of the things I've heard. I think the solution is many times up to us. Our lives are what we make them. Our attitudes shape our experiences. And until we reshape our attitudes, beliefs, and learn to create learning opportunities every day to grow further in our relationships with God on a conscious level, we may be missing what the church today really has to offer. After all, are we there to worship God or ourselves? I hope in worship that we are focused on the Father!

So my one question is this: Does our own attitude toward the church need an adjustment, so we are focused on the truth and our own responsibility for impilenting the teachings in our lives beyond the sixty-minute sermon?

How Much Does It Cost Me?

I learned a VALUABLE lesson today in church and at the grocery store. I am a greeter, a job that I absolutely LOVE. And today, I have seen God busy at work, but also teaching me a lesson in service, love, and how it works from the heart. I am also in a hurry, because today is a family day-our Sabbath-and I want to spend it relaxing, puttering, and enjoying my family. So, in 43 minutes, I will be at my parent's house on Main Street watching the Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle ride where hundreds of motorcyclists drive through our town on decorated motorcycles. It is one of those simple things I truly enjoy. It tickles my heart!

I had to be up early today. I was tired from a function that kept me busy yesterday and on my feet. As soon as I stepped out of bed this morning, I realized how much my feet hurt. They are sore. They literally feel bruised. I think it's time to toss the high heals! But, despite it all, I got up, tip-toed around the house, gave my two sick kiddos meds, and headed out (a little late) to church to greet. And to me, it's not just welcoming people into the House of God. Greeting is that, but it's also about BEING there to meet the needs of people as they enter and leave. I try not to cry, but from where I love God-that place so deep inside, there are no words or ways to describe it. So tears just have to do sometimes.

After church when there were only a few people remaining, my daughter who likes to assist with her developing gifts of service (YEAH GOD!!!) and I were standing at a few sign up tables and talking with people as they were exiting the building. A woman with two little girls, 19 months and 10 months old I believe, said she loved our church.

HERE IS WHERE I CRY....
She had never been to our church before and she liked ours. She felt welcome. She related well to the message. And she wanted to come back. She was thanking us??? I chatted with her, introduced myself and daughter, and I got to make small talk with the smallest of the visitors-her two very young toddler daughters.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED--
After she left, a woman who knows her stayed a bit afterward to let me know she needs a Christmas Dinner box that our Project One:eight teams are doing. She went and got this woman's name and number and gave it to me.

Not only did this woman attend church today, but God also saw to it that she will have a Christmas Dinner for her family.

Dude...BAWL like a baby, I am. Yet, I cannot put it into words. It's just what we are supposed to do...minister anytime anywhere, be available, and meet needs when they are RIGHT in front of us.

BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE!
On the way home, I needed lunch meat and bread, so the kids and I could have lunch. And truthfully, my budget for this month is bust. It's slow and I thought I'd grab one loaf of bread and one package of bologna...the stuff you eat when you have a buck. But, hey-it's all good!

I called my Dad to find out if they would be home to watch the motorcycles, so we could join them at their house. He and my mom were shopping at K-Mart for some stuff and he asked me to see how much the bread at the grocery store was. The soup kitchen needed 10 loaves. I called him back and he said it was cheaper at the store than the outlet. To save him time, I told him I'd just buy the 10 loaves for the soup kitchen since I was already there, saving him the trip later. I decided I could just deliver it for him, since he and my mom were busy and I wasn't. So my daughter and I grabbed 10 loaves in the bread aisle and continued our shopping.

GOD PROVIDES:
As soon as we turned the corner in the store, I kid you not, there was a cart of clearanced bread... 39 CENTS per loaf for wheat and 69 cents for white. This was even cheaper!!! There were nine loaves, so we snatched all of them to take to the soup kitchen. We nearly fell over! As soon as the need was realized, and we took action to meet the need, the provision was right there!!!!

MEETING A NEED:
There was a woman who came by looking for one of the clearanced loaves to take home. When we heard her ask for one, I told my daughter to run one of those cheap loaves over to her. We'd buy one of the full priced loaves in lieu of that one. My daughter came back and said the woman was so happy.

I called my dad and told him that God had provided and had to tell him the exciting ways in which He was working. And after my daughter and I came home from delivering the bread to the soup kitchen, I had to share the thoughts that were racing through my mind and heart.

1. God provides-and FAITH and BELIEF are important in BELIEVING that HE does and He will!
2. Service, Meeting Needs, and Love-they ALL cost us something. You cannot love and be loved without love costing YOU something, You cannot be blessed (even with the provision of cheap bread) unless you make the sacrifice and take time to do something- buy it, deliver it, offer to assist someone, etc.
3. Always share with those around you-family, friends, and people gawking in the aisles about what God has done!!! Oh, it was AMAZING!!!
4. Don't be afraid to give and give generously! (THIS was a lesson to me.) I didn't have it-I still don't. But, it was there, I got it, and I have FAITH that God will provide for my family just the same.
5. GIVE your time. Time is always worth the COST! I got up with sore feet and sick kiddos to make sure I was able to greet this morning. Not because I serve the people who come in and out per say, but because I am there to be what Jesus needs me to be to people. I do it for Him. And it just requires that I show up to see how He will use me.

If you do not give more than you have, it doesn't COST you anything. Giving what you have excess of is not cost. Cost means you have less to give but give more. Otherwise, it is only giving excess. People don't need excess. They need you. They need to be loved by you.

If the cost is love, do you really think love will cost you more than you can afford to give?

Talk about cost with Jesus. And then answer that question.

This was a valuable and teachable day.

17 minutes until the motorcycles blast down Main Street...