O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty and favor rest upon us. Come work with us, and then our works will endure; you will give us success in all we do. Psalm 90:17
A Blessing Of God
The gift of God is that we all are blessed with is His Presence. This is our blessing, God with us, God present in our lives. This is blessing. It is a gift that gives from every moment into every choice we make and we human beings make thousands of little choices a day. The blessing of God is so abundant that when we, in our vital vertical relationship with Him, sit in His Sonlight and absorb the beauty of His holiness into our soul, the abundance of all things Him, flows into us, and overflows out of us. I saw that this weekend at a community event put on by a local church, Renovation Church and a community park, called Kiwanis park. This event called “Party In The Park” was just that a blessing of God. Oh, the joy of “Party In The Park”~ Contagious Joy!
God’s Overflow
A local videographer did a spontaneous video asking me some questions about “Party In The Park” and I could not even adequately answer him, I sounded like a gush of words, because I just couldn’t put words together to effectively express the overflowing blessing of God I was experiencing in my heart that moment. People loving people, kindness, encouragement, smiles, love in service, compassion, grace and sweet, sweet civility was so full and overflowing in me, that I could not even spontaneously express what I was feeling with articulate sentences. Now that is the result of God’s blessing!
Community Blessing
The blessing of God was amazing, I felt it through the gifting of people who were serving their community through “Party In The Park”, people giving of their time, talents and money, and investing what God had gifted them with, to encourage the people of their community, it mattered so much. It doesn’t matter what nation you are in, what community you live in, we ALL had a really rough year last year. It was a tough year, and very, very hard on our youngest in our community, our young adults, our teens, and our children felt the brunt of a very soul pressing year, and many of them experienced disappointment, overwhelming despair and hopelessness. So, the gift of “Party In The Park” to this community was huge this year. Why? How? Listen up:
Love, Kindness, Compassion
I started the day watching people drive in early in the morning, it was cold start of the day, but they were happy, they were excited to set up this event that they knew would bless the people of their community. I walked the perimeter of the park, praying for God’s blessing on this event, asking Him for everything we needed for it to be a success. Praying for the volunteers for godly attitudes, strength and courage was imperative. I asked God to bring people from the community to the event, people who needed to be loved and encouraged. I prayed they would come, because I knew the blessing of the day for them would simply-significantly be God’s Presence, in and through His people, people serving people, with His love, kindness and compassion. As I prayed, I knew God smiled, because He knew this event would accomplish what He purposed it too, because it already had the makings of success, and that was His people being faithful to love Him and love others. Ordinary people, heart to heart with God, being faithful to God, faithful to serve, this always ends well, and did end successfully. God answers prayer.
A Divine Appointment
As the day unfolded at “Party In The Park”, I watched hundreds and hundreds of people come, as volunteers, served up His love. It was so sweet to see families with children being blessed by God, the laughter, the fun, the joy of God was contagious. Local artists, various merchants, hair dressers, sports trainers, photographers, civil servants, food vendors, church volunteers all coming together with time, talent and money given to bless a community, to encourage people who have had a very hard year. What a God blessing it was, a divine appointment for this community, a renovation of our God relationship, with a renewal of God’s hope.
God’s Glory Glow
There were a myriad of things that really blessed me to see as people invested their God given talents in others. There were so many children and teens laughing, having fun and a lot of joy expressed. One of the favorite things was “fairy hair” kind of like one of my favorite fantasy character’s “Tinker Bell”! The children were so excited to get “fairy hair” streaks of glimmering color in their hair. As I walked around “Party In The Park” I saw hundreds of children, teens and young adults with the glimmering “fairy hair” and it made them feel so special, they loved it. I thought, there it is, God’s glory glow shining in our community. One serving hairdresser with a few helpful volunteers, on their feet for 7 hours straight, no break, very long lines of people waiting for “fairy hair”. This hairdresser and her volunteers, just steadily worked, putting fun and joy in the hearts of children. Like Tinkerbell, dusting her fairy dust all over people and then they could fly with hope and joy above their problems. We have not been able to joyfully fly, it has been a hard year. God’s glory dusting, His blessing through people, and suddenly there were children, joyfully running about, shimmering hair, joy abounding and hope renewed.
God Blessing His People
Another thing that I noticed and blessed me so much about “Party In The Park” was how God used the gifts of money, talent and time to bless those who needed it the most and those who serve our community so excellently, and faithfully like our military and our teachers do, they were honored and blessed. Have you ever heard of a free raffle? Well, that is only made possible when local merchants give back to their community. People were amazed that the raffle tickets were free and each member of their family received one. The teachers and our military were blessed with gifts of encouragement because of every day ordinary people giving to their church, giving to their community and then God randomly blessed people through the raffle gifts. I loved this one raffle gift winner the most, it was a father and his young son that we met on their way into “Party In The Park”. The father was amazed that the raffle ticket was free, and he expressed that with grateful thanks as we greeted him, and shared with him to make sure he got a free drink on his way in and told him of all the fun things that were happening. Later that day during the raffle giveaway, I saw that he won one of the really nice donated gifts, and his joy was so evident. I loved that moment, God blessing His people, infusing their hearts with hope. >
Equipped By God
The coolest thing about God is His abundant giving to us every single day. We are set up by God to overflow into our neighborhoods, the love, talent, gifts and provision of God. “Party In The Park” is a larger corporate scale of that, but every day as an individual, we are equipped by God to invest in each other, adding value to each other. It doesn’t matter what we are “growing through” as a nation, even if it is the worst of days for our nation, it can be the best of days for our local community, as we together invest God’s value in each other. The goodness of change at the grass roots level can change the tide of a nation from bad to a good cultural tide.
We Thrive In Christ
Adding value to someone today is so possible for us, as we meet with God in our vital-vertical relationship with God, were we make it personal with God, and He fills us to overflowing with all things Him. It is the sharing of our overflow from our relationship with God, the pouring out of what God pours into us, that makes us a community of people who can “grow through” anything. This has been a hard life season from nation to nation, yes, there is no doubt about that. But, from community to community, we can thrive in Christ, as we, individually, invest and add value to each other from home to home, family to family, neighborhood to neighborhood, church to church, person to person, as we care, love, give and serve each other with all God has gifted us with, and the best of that gifting being His Presence. God is present in us and through us. So, be present with others, be alert and aware of those around you and bless them in Christ.
Investing In The Community
The celebration of God, the gift of His Spirit and Truth, in the all of our everything, this is the true blessing of our lives, and no momentary troubles can take away the joy of the living of our lives in Him, loving Him~ loving others. This we know. “Party In The Park” with the hundreds of people giving of their time, talents and gifts, investing in the community, adding value to people’s lives, this serving of people, unto God, it mattered. At the end of the event, my husband and I walked around and saw families joyfully laughing and loving each other. We experienced people from all walks of life, all ages, filled with joy.
Jesus, Others, You
When you look at the word joy: Jesus, Others, You, you realize how much joy is a healing contagion for any community broken by hardship and joy will strengthen us. I saw that joy of God spread this weekend at “Party In The Park”. I hope you are inspired to be Joy, to invest the value of your time, talents and gifts God has abundantly given you with someone today. Even a smile, a kind word spoken or civility given, is an unmeasurable gift in times such as these. Be so, contagious with joy.
Greatest Transformation Known To Mankind
God has a divine appointment for each of us today to add value to someone in our home, family, neighborhood, work place, church and community. Let joy be contagious, because joy, the joy of Jesus is our strength. Invest in the lives of others, add value to someone today because it is contagious, it changes things up. The heart of the gospel is change. A heavenly king, came to us and laid down His kingly rights to love us with His life. Jesus, out of His servant warrior’s heart, the offering of Himself, became the greatest transformation ever known to mankind, and, ever to be known to mankind. Jesus, died our death, so we could live His life. From death to life, He transformed us. We owed a sin debt~ we could never have paid. He paid it for us. He changed things up for all of us.
Christ In Us
Christ in us, the hope of glory. In Christ, we can be a “Party In The Park”, like my favorite fantasy character, Tinkerbell, who never met a problem she would not try to solve, and who laid it all out to do so. We can dust God’s glory glow all over our community, give our lives in service to Him. Why not lay everything out on God’s harvest field, leave it all out on the field, all of our life, pouring it out so others can come to know Him. We can take God’s love, kindness, grace and light of hope, every day and everywhere He sends us, as we stay in followship of Him. Yes, we can, so every man, woman and child can have the “fairy hair” glow of His hope alive in their heart. Will you be the one to reach “the one” God has for you today, to sprinkle His love, grace, joy, peace, and truth into their lives, so they can glow in His glory, so they can fly in His hope? Take A Risk! Let go and let God lead you and experience the joy of God Adventure on this day. Listen up to this 1 Minute Encouragement Video:
Thanks for stopping into The Bridegroom’s Cafe. We hope this spiritual meal on the Author Table has nourished your soul. The Bridegroom’s Voice is the best voice we hear everyday, so listen up because He is still speaking on this day. God bless ya, KimberlyMac