Christmas Inspiration

As I sit here on this Christmas morning, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Not simply for the husband I am blessed to wake up to, make homemade biscuits & gravy with, open gifts beside or for the sweet cats cuddled by our feet, the family we get to see and talk to despite being miles apart thanks to technology or countless other blessings. Yes, I am thankful for all these things and all of these people, but as I stop to think about what this day is really all about...why we are so joyful on this day and why we celebrate, I am reminded of our Saviour's sacrifice...of His infallible gift. He sent His only Son into this world...a world He knew would reject Him and one day kill Him....so that we might be saved from death ourselves and live eternally with Him.   We honor Christmas as the day hope first entered into the world because with the birth of Jesus came the birth of hope. God's Son became our bridge to Heaven...to Him.



As I hear stories from family and friends about the joy they get from their little ones squealing with excitement about their Christmas gifts I can't help but wonder if God feels that same joy when we, His children, open our gift from Him...when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, receive His grace and live in gratitude towards Him. I believe there is no greater joy than when each of us opens our gift of salvation. Our Heavenly Father literally put His heart and soul in this gift for us and it is the only gift that is timeless, has not only a lifetime...but an ETERNAL guarantee and is renewed each morning. Christmas is not simply once a year...it is every day, every moment, every breath. Today simply marks the day hope began. Embrace the love, hope and grace God has gifted you because whether you realize it or not...Christmas was inspired by YOU.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Happy Mama Bear Day!

If you have a faithful mother, there is nowhere you go that a prayer has not already been. 

I'm thankful for my mom who has loved and prayed for me all these years. Her love is the fuel that has brought me to this moment and continues to keep me going. Nothing I could give her could ever compare to her gift to me - life. She is wonderful beyond words and I'm so thankful God chose her to be my Mom. I love you Mama Bear! <3

In honor of her I thought I would share a few memories I have of my Mom from over the years.

My mom's patience with me began before I was even born...I was born two weeks past my due date.

She was my protector from the start....the nurse accidentally brought her the wrong baby in the hospital and my Mom knew instantly by the cry that this baby was not her daughter. Sure enough, the nurse had made a big mix up and from that moment on, my Mom made sure I was in her sight at all times during the rest of the hospital stay. I shutter to think how my life may have turned out had I been switched at birth. I can't imagine life without my Mom and family!

My Mom often laughs at how I was sleeping through the night after being only a month old. Once I became a toddler I would actually remind my parents of when my bedtime was. I was never that child who put up a fight for bedtime. To this day I love my sleep and I am a deep sleeper. Some habits never change.

When I was about 10 or 12 years-old I wanted to ride my bike to a friend's house who lived a couple blocks away. My mom refused to let me ride my bike that distance by myself so she followed behind me in the family van. I was so angry with her at the time, but now I see how she loved me too much not to care and try to protect me. As an adult I can see how a sketchy corner bar and country roads is not the safest route for a vulnerable little girl on her bike. But at the time, I thought she was just being overprotective. I'm thankful she has always done what was best for me even when I didn't understand or agree with her at the time. The saying is true..."Mother's know best."

The first night I met my husband was on our family cruise and my Mom and I were talking about the "date" I was going on later that evening which was to a dinner show on the ship. I made some comment about ideas for what we could do after the show, like dancing, walking the ship, etc. and my Mom, enthusiastically and with all sincerity suggests: "How about bring some UNO cards?!" We still laugh to this day about how funny it would have been for me to magically bust out some UNO cards on our first date, like it was one of my everyday hobbies! HAHA! I love her innocent heart.

I've always been amazed and proud of how much my Mom has done and accomplished. She is up before the sun and every moment she is awake she is giving of herself. Whether it is managing her own household, taking care of her elderly parents, giving in various ways at her church or in the community. She has taught me how rewarding it is to give. I admire her for her servant heart.

I love my Mom for so many reasons and have so many wonderful memories with her. These are just a few. I have learned so much about life and love from her and hope to pass on her greatness in my own children someday.


In honour of all the mothers out there I want to share a few heartfelt quotes for these often unsung heroes.

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." -Abraham Lincoln

"Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love."  -Mildred B. Vermont

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
-William Goldsmith Brown

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."  -Tenneva Jordan

"The moment a child is brought to life, the mother is also brought to life. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." -Unknown

"It kills you to see your children grow up.  But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't."  ~Barbara Kingsolver

"Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children."  -Sam Levenson 

Hope you enjoyed these mom-inspired quotes. My love and appreciation goes out to all the Moms in the world! Have a blessed day everyday! 

Follow

I tweeted about this video a few days ago but for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter and may not have seen this modern day version of the Easter story, please be sure to check it out.



Will you follow Him?

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."  (Matthew 16:24)

And Jesus said to those who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

 I recently shared my favourite song by Phil Wickham in Thursday's blog post but wanted to share another song he has written entitled True Love that I think is perfect for Easter Sunday. Watch the video below:



Today we celebrate the greatest moment in history. Christ's triumph over death is our saving grace! Let's take some time today to thank our Saviour for all He has done for us! Have a blessed Resurrection Day!

In Loving Memory - Domingo D. Acosta

The following tribute was comprised by my father in loving memory of his father, my grandfather, our Papi.

Domingo D. Acosta (87)

Born December 23, 1923 Havana, Cuba

Died March 18, 2011 Terre Haute, Indiana

Mother: America Acosta, Father: Diego Figueredo

Preceded in death by his first wife Lydia Moreno Acosta, (Puerto Rico), 1994; his son, Anthony Lee Acosta (Miami Fl.), 2004; his widow Lizzette Acosta (NYC); third wife Carmen Rivera Acosta, (Miami,Fl) 2008.

Surviving is his second wife (divorced) Carida Ruiz Acosta (NYC); sons, Domingo Paul Dacosta (Terre Haute,IN), his wife Mary Elizabeth Werling Dacosta; Patrick Americo Acosta, (South Bend, IN), his wife Donna Skelton Acosta; Elvis Acosta Col. US Army (Hawaii), his wife Fatima Acosta.

eleven (11) grandchildren, eighteen (18) great-grandchildren

Arrived in America (NY):  4 Sep 1947
Naturalization Date:  10 Dec 1956 in Bronx, NY

Domingo served our country during World War II as a United States Merchant Marine assigned to the Atlantic theater as a Ships Pilot and Boiler Engineer stationed in the New York City port.

He was a 30-year member of the Buildings & Trades Union in New York City (retired).  Dom loved to hunt, fish, and competition archery.  He enjoyed Italian cooking and western movies, especially "The Duke" (John Wayne). He was a proud conservative and his favorite President was Ronald Reagan. Dom worked full-time until he was 70 years old, and part-time until he was 75 years. He lived in Miami, Florida for 10 years until the death of his third wife Carmen. He moved to Indiana in 2005.

Dom attended New Life Community Church of Terre Haute (Pastor Paul Carey) and was led to the Lord and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior on February 01, 2004.

Domingo requested cremation, and a celebration of his life will be held at the New Life Community Church, Meadows Mall Lower level, Terre Haute, IN on March 22, 2011, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

The family would ask in lieu of flowers that a charitable gift be offered to:

Celebrating Life!

The Crisis Pregnancy Center of the Wabash Valley

1527 Popular St. Terre Haute, IN 47803

www.wabashcpc.org

We Apologize

This is a long overdue message to the world. I'll let the song speak for itself.




Flame - We Apologize

Chorus
We apologize for doing people wrong
And we apologize but praying through a song
That His love will still be seen
And you can run to Jesus
Please forgive us for the things that you’ve seen
That took away from the beauty of the King
Guess what were saying is man he can fail you
But God He never will

Just perhaps through this rap song many come to see
One’s who wouldn’t even bother excepting our apology
Christianity’s past ain’t been perfect
Not always pleasant
Perhaps in the church
Some being hurt even in the present
I can honestly say with a sad face
And full of shame
Some horrible things have been done in Jesus’ name
Those who claimed in the past
Some have even shed blood
Others simply felt judge
Others they never felt the love
That believers explained that Jesus freely came to give
Cause we made ‘em feel dead when we said that they would live
Even seeing the sin professing Christians fell in
Like adultery, lies, money launder and sipping gin
Backstabbing, rape, racism the list goes on
But at the end of the day
All we can say is that it’s wrong
And I know that a song can’t take away all of the pain and the hurt
That you experienced when you first came to the church
BUT!

Repeat Chorus

Please allow me to say some give the Faith a bad name
And they counter with Christ consequently should bring change
Jesus said it like this
You can tell a tree by its fruit
If I plant an apple seed and a seed takes root
And it dies in the ground
Then apples are produced
I ain’t trying to be deep
I’m just trying to speak the truth
So perhaps in your case you encounter one of the fakes
Who didn’t display none of the fruit of Jesus’ grace
And it shattered your world and everything was destroyed
You left Christianity
And was spiritually unemployed
You were working for the Lord
Your experience killed your joy
So now you ignore
Any mentioning of the Lord
I assure you there were many who are real
Who resemble the King and sympathize with what you feel
Who will walk with you life on life to God heals
That’s if you’re sincere
I guarantee that He will
He will for real

Repeat Chorus

My last request
Don’t take your pain out on Christ
Yea people’ll fail you
But never in His life
Has He ever broke a promise
I promise He never will
These are not my words but the ones in His will
Have you looked at his life and seen the way we treated people?
He stood for what’s right
Was just plus He judged evil
He healed the sick, the lame, plus He fed the poor
The perfect person
What person could ever ask for more?
But greater than these things
He came to die for sin
The spiritually dead state that sin through us in
But because He’s the God man He’s able to forgive
People like us and enable us to live
The most unique person to ever exist in human history
Has taken the time to reveal to us this mystery
That we too can be apart of this plan
Cause He loves us
Just put your heart in His hands
You can

Repeat Chorus x2



On behalf of Christians everywhere....we apologize! We have all been guilty of misrepresenting God and our faith. (myself included) But please don't let us be the reason you reject Christ. People can fail you, but God never will. Don't base your beliefs on people. Put your trust and hope in the One who will never let you down and who has never broken His promises. Break through the doubt and lies that have distorted the truth of who God is and begin to enjoy His love and grace. Truth is, He is waiting with open arms.

2010 FAVOURITES (Part Three) - Books

I read some really great books this year and wanted to share some of them with you in this edition of my 2010 Favourites. I'll give each book a brief review/summary and try not to spoil any of them for you if you have not read them yet yourself. I've listed them in no particular order.

Lucky Girl
by Mei-Ling Hopgood

 Mei-Ling Hopgood's memoir Lucky Girl is about the author's complex family tree, from her biological Chinese parents who chose adoption for her to her adoptive Michigan parents who loved her unconditionally. As a reader you will follow her through her post college years as a successful journalist, join her on her wedding day bliss, really feel the love and warmth that she shared with her adoptive parents, and then join her on her journey to meet her birth parents. All this storytelling is done with humor, sincerity and self examination. It really is an epic tale that weaves together so many lives, emotions and discoveries. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ending Abortion: Not Just Fighting It
by FR. Frank A. Pavone

This is an excellent Pro-Life resource. The book is a collection of 100 short essays well-organized into eight parts: The Activists, The Arguments, The Women, The Babies, The Celebrations, The Abortionists, The Government, and The Church. They are very well written and cover pretty much all the angles on abortion. You'll not only learn a lot from Father Pavone, but learn about his experiences as well. Quite possibly the most compelling part of this book is the challenge Father Pavone makes to all of us: to not merely make abortion illegal but to "make abortion unthinkable".  I highly recommend this book to not just Pro-Life minded people but to those who are "on the fence " and those who fully support the act of abortion. We can all stand to gain something from this book.

 

Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped The Women of the Bible and  What He Wants To Do With You
by John MacArthur

I did an in depth review on this book through a series of weekly blog posts. You can view those HERE.

In short, The women MacArthur chose as subjects for this book are: Eve, Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, Hannah, Mary, Anna, The Samaritan Woman, Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene and Lydia. I enjoyed the closer look into the lives of these women because it brought a greater understanding of  lives they lived and how God was the key to each of their extraordinary legacies. This book also provided much self-reflection and acted as a daily devotional where I was able to deepen my relationship with my Saviour.  MacArthur opens the book by saying: "My prayer for you is that as you read this book you will share their faith, imitate their faithfulness, and learn to love the Savior whose work in their lives made them truly extraordinary. Your life can be extraordinary, too, by His wonderful grace." This too is my prayer for anyone who reads this book.

The Case For A Creator
by Lee Strobel

Strobel actually wrote a three-part series The Case For Christ, The Case For Faith and The Case For A Creator - this was my favourite in that series. I do not have a background in science but have a strong desire to understand it. I married a Chemist who is great at breaking things down so that someone with very little scientific knowledge can understand and that is what this book does. It lays out the scientific evidence to support intelligent design in a way that the average person can understand and appreciate. While I enjoyed the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the film based on this book. I am a much more visual person so it really emphasized the facts for me and I enjoyed the interviews by respected scholars and scientist. It leaves very little room for skepticism. I recommend you read all of the books in this series by Lee Strobel.

The Missing Piece
by Lee Ezell

This is a true story written about Lee Ezell's own personal life experiences. At a very young age Lee found herself in a very bad situation. She was raped and became pregnant as a result of that rape. Ezell shares some insight into the thoughts and questions a woman in her situation faces, how amidst her struggles she turned to God and ultimately chose adoption for her baby. She talks about life before, during and after her pregnancy and adoption and how she eventually reunites with her daughter after many years. It is a story about life, choices and love. It is definitely a recommended read.

What books did you read that you would recommend? Please list them below!

2010 FAVORITES (Part Two) - Music

Music is my fuel. Certain songs have a way of carrying me through certain moments. I often create soundtracks in my head as I go through life. I literally pick out songs that I've heard that I think would go perfect with the moment as it is happening. Perhaps that constitutes me as a weirdo. But it is what it is.

I have a very eclectic taste when it comes to music. I'm not at all a music snob, if I like what I hear then I don't care who sings it or whether or not it is popular. I like what I like and don't have a particular genre that I gravitate towards. I just love all sorts of music.

There were a lot of great new album releases this year and I had trouble narrowing it down to just these few. This list could have gone on until 2012 I'm sure but I managed to select those that most frequented my playlist this year. I've listed them in no particular order.

The Morning Benders  -  Big Echo



Thanks to one of my Blip.fm friends for introducing me to this band. They remind me a bit of The Shins and Grizzly Bear but they have more of a vintage almost early Beatles sound. I dig it.



Joanna Newsom   -   Have One On Me



Her ethereal voice accompanied by the harp is so beautiful and enchanting. I was a big fan of her earlier albums so this release was definitely a treat for 2010!


The Arcade Fire  -  The Suburbs



I have been a fan of Arcade Fire since their first album release in 2004. They managed to stay true to their original sound while adding a few new twists. 'We Used To Wait' is probably my favourite on the album.

Jónsi   -  Go



Jared and I had the pleasure of seeing Jónsi live in Chicago at the Vic Theater earlier in the year and - WOW! What a performance. His sound, particularly his voice, is so wonderfully unique and amazing and the visuals at this show were outstanding. In short: 90 minutes of synaptic fireworks and endorphin butterflies! Second only to Radiohead when it comes to live performance!

The Black Keys  -  Brothers



The Black Keys brought the funk in 2010! I absolutely loved this album from start to finish. Particularly this song.


Kaskade  -  Dynasty



This album is full of stellar beats and incredible vocals. Definitely played this song on repeat in 2010!

Taylor Swift  -  Speak Now



I really enjoyed her 'Fearless' album. I thought it was very personal and heartfelt. I can't say I like this one more but it definitely has some great songs on it. 'Innocent' has such a great message and came at a time when I began putting more of my focus on reaching out to teen girls. I helped start the organization Epic Alliance and ended up adding the song to our website:  www.epicalliance.net

Mindy Gledhill  -  Anchor



I stumbled upon this song on YouTube and instantly fell in love with it! After listening to the entire album it quickly became one of my favourites of 2010! 'Anchor' is such a sweet song with a youthful and playful approach. There are so many great songs on this album so I definitely recommend you check it out!

Vampire Weekend - Contra




This is such a fun album! I have to thank my friends Laura and Chris for introducing me to this song. Actually, it was their 3-year-old daughter, Raina who wanted it played one day while I was in the car with them. This is one of Raina's favourite songs making her one of the coolest kids I know. So thank you Raina! :)


Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea





So soulful. From start to finish. She has a voice you can't help but love. And I loved this album.

What were your favourite albums released in 2010? Please share them below!

Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas! Our family has several holiday traditions and although we are overseas this Christmas we were still able to enjoy some of them. Here are a few of the traditions my family has for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we always attend evening church service and my mom usually sings O Holy Night, BEAUTIFULLY I must add!! Then we go home and my parents go all out on the food! My dad cooks brazillian-style meat, we have black beans and rice, shrimp cocktail and other appetizers or finger foods. My mom also makes several yummy desserts to choose from. Everything has a Christmas touch to it...even the butter is shaped like a Christmas tree! My mom doesn't overlook a single detail. She lives for entertaining and decorating and I'm pretty sure we would all miss it if she stopped paying attention to the details. They are fun.

After we stuff ourselves we sit in front of the tree and fireplace in my parent's living room and open our gifts starting from youngest to oldest. I love watching my nephews open their gifts first. The excitement and enthusiasm is so cute! Every year my mom buys each of us a new pair of PJ's to sleep in that night. The first year Jared had Christmas with us my mom and I schemed together a practical joke for him. We bought a pair of those footed pajamas that had spaceships on it a glowed in the dark and pretended to be dead serious. His reaction was priceless. He tried to hide the shock on his face so we all started busting out laughing and you could see relief wash over his face! Classic.

But we don't open all of our gifts Christmas Eve, we save our stockings for Christmas day. Our stockings are always full of thoughtful and sentimental items according to our preferences - I usually get panda, hello kitty, fun socks and photography related items! :) My mom knows me VERY well! Here are a few things I got this year in my stocking....

click for larger view

My mom ALWAYS gets each of us a toothbrush, our favourite candy(mine are sour patch kids) and at the bottom of our stocking is always a fresh orange. We stay in our pajamas ALL day and watch Christmas movie marathons on T.V. - my favourite is A Christmas Story!

A few new traditions we recently started since Jared and I have been married is watching the Nativity Story on Christmas Eve. It is a great way to start the holiday because it is a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of why we celebrate. We also MUST get egg nog shakes from Steak and Shake and go look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. Because there are no Steak and Shakes here in Switzerland...we made our own egg nog shakes this year and they were just as good if not better! :) We also get together with Jared's side of the family a few days before Christmas in Ohio at his grandparents' house - he has a large family and it's SO nice to see all of them together in one place for the holiday! Everyone draws a person's name out of a hat to buy a gift for prior to our get together and we go from youngest to oldest when opening gifts. Grandpa does most of the cooking but everyone makes such delicious dishes. I just adore his family and always enjoy our time with them!

I missed being able to see ALL of my family this year but was very thankful to have been able to spend Christmas with my parents and my husband and did get to talk to some of our family back home on the phone. It was very memorable and we were able to re-create many of our Christmas traditions together which made it feel more like home, more like Christmas.

What are some of your holiday traditions? I'd love to hear them!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a New Year full of blessings!

Cheers!

Weekend Wild Card: Discover Your Spiritual Gifts

Today, our pastor shared that each of us have different spiritual gifts. We all have at least one, maybe more and once we discover our spiritual gift we can start to use it for God's glory. He shared this link where you can take a free test to discover what your spiritual gifts are. I took the test and wanted to share with you my results to inspire you to find out what YOUR spiritual gifts are so you can start using them for good! :)

For a more detailed explanation and FREE spiritual gift test go to: www.churchgrowth.org

I am a perfect blend of both of my parents. My dad has the gift of Prophet and my mom has the gift of Mercy and my results were Primary gift: Mercy and Secondary gift: Prophecy. Here are the actual results from my test:

Spiritual Gifts	Strength
Evangelism	14
Prophecy	16
Teaching	13
Exhortation	15
Pastor/Shepherd	16
Showing Mercy	16
Serving	13
Giving	9
Administration	12
About Your Spiritual Gifts Spiritual gifts are tools God gives Christians to do the work of the ministry -- to fulfill the Great Commission to reach, baptize, and teach and to minister to one another. Every Christian receives at least one gift at the moment of salvation. Spiritual gifts are not rewards, are not natural talents, are not a place of service, are not an age-group ministry, and are not a specialty ministry. They express themselves through various ministries which, in turn, accomplish a variety of results. A spiritual gift is the primary channel by which the Holy Spirit ministers through the believer. It is a supernatural capacity for service to God -- and He gives you a supernatural desire to perform the duties of that gift. Spiritual gifts are tools for building the church. They are a source of joy in your Christian life and influence your motives. A spiritual gift is a divine calling with a divine responsibility, because what God has gifted you to do, He has called you to do, and what He has called you to do, He has gifted you to do. There are three categories of gifts: The Miraculous Gifts, generally known today as Charismatic Gifts; the Enabling Gifts which all Christians have the ability to develop (faith, discernment, wisdom, and knowledge -- qualities possessed rather than activities performed); and Team Gifts which are activity, service, or task-oriented. The Team Gifts are functional and involve speaking or ministering. Chances are, you have several of these gifts that vary in different degrees and intensity. In many cases, spiritual gifts even complement your secular employment. The Spiritual Gifts Analysis you took identified your dominant TEAM GIFTS which will help you find your place on the team in your church. Prayer and serving God will also help you see where God wants you. This profile gives you a simple bar graph showing how all the gifts relate to you and to each other, but analyzes indepth only your dominant and secondary gifts which are the ones that will have greater influence in your life. Your dominant gifts are Showing Mercy, Prophecy The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your number one dominant gift is MERCY SHOWING! The Greek word "ellco" means to feel sympathy with or for others. As a mercy-shower you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by identifying with and comforting those who are in distress. You understand and comfort your fellow Christian. You enter into the grief or happiness of others and have the ability to show empathy which is to feel WITH others, not just for others. As a mercy-shower you are willing to deal with and minister to people who have needs that most people feel very uncomfortable working with. You seem to say the right thing at the right time. Your personality is likely one of soft-spoken love. It hurts you to scold someone; you are very non-condemning. People love you because of all the love you give them. You find it easy to express yourself and are outgoing with a low-key, inoffensive personality. You are easy to talk to, responsive to people, a good listener, peaceable, and agreeable. You tend to make decisions based on feelings more than fact and like to think about things for a while before making a decision. In your burden to comfort others, your heart goes out to the poor, the aged, the ill, the underprivileged, and so on. You tend to attract people who are hurting or rejoicing because you identify with them. Be careful not to let others use you. Try not to resent others who are not as understanding as you. Refrain from becoming a gossiper when you are around other mercy-showers. Do not let your circumstances control you. Because of your supernatural ability to show mercy, others accuse you of taking up for people, being a softy and a compromiser. They may think you are too emotional. Mercy-showers make excellent counselors. However, left untrained, you may destroy yourself by your tendency to take people's problems home with you. Your empathy can become detrimental without personal training on how to deal with it. Beware of Satan's attack on your gift. He can cause pride because of your ability to relate to others. He may influence you to disregard rules and authority. You may experience a lack of discipline because of strong feeling for those who hurt due to disobedience and sin. Don't fall into Satan's trap of complaining and griping. HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR GIFT? Your gift is used best in times of sorrow and in times of great joy. It fits well with another gift of service such as deacon, youth worker or hospital visitation. With a counseling course, you could become a good counselor. You may serve as a hospital, nursing home, or shut-in worker; a funeral coordinator and provider of sympathy and support; or a poverty center worker. You would do well as an usher or greeter and welcome center worker or hospitality person. You may want to work in a telephone ministry. You would make people feel welcome on a newcomer visitation team. Other appropriate ministry areas include missions, committee member, furlough assistance, and correspondence helper. You would work well with the elderly and with people who have mental and physical disabilities, in nursing, and with special ministries to migrants, released offenders or abused children and women. The results of your Spiritual Gifts Inventory indicate that your second dominant gift is PROPHECY! That does not mean you are supposed to have visions of the future. It means you are a "forthteller," telling or "speaking forth" the mind of God: preaching, speaking, and teaching God's Word. You are very discerning; one who points out sin with the goal of making Christians aware of sin in their lives so they will repent. A prophet in full-time Christian service is usually a "hell-fire, brimstone preacher." You have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by proclaiming His truth. As a prophet you have an ability to see that which is wrong. In fact, you tend to easily spot what is wrong and have to look to find something right. You probably spend much time praying and even weeping over the sins of the church and for lost sinners. You have a great burden over the sinful condition of the world around you. Because of this, you take every opportunity to proclaim that everyone must repent or perish. You have a strong sense of duty and are very opinionated, impatient, and likely more depressed or serious than lighthearted about life. You enjoy being alone, but would rather be in a group than relate to people one-on-one. You desire to speak publicly. You are able to make quick decisions and want things done right. You do not like in-depth study. Other people may think you are demanding, that you enjoy hurting people's feelings, and that you have no understanding. One of your greatest challenges is to keep a spirit of love. Remember to "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) and not to be judgmental. If you keep a tender, loving heart, you will be a blessing in your home, church, and to individuals. You can make a real impact on their spirituality. Be careful to let the Holy Spirit convict people, rather than trying to convict them yourself. Work on being a little more positive, patient, and tactful. Beware of Satan's attack on your gift. He may try to cause a lack of compassion and forgiveness, bring discouragement because of unrepentant attitudes by others, entice you to fall into the very sins you speak against or cause pride and self-righteousness over lack of certain sins. HOW CAN YOU USE YOUR DOMINANT GIFT? There are several avenues in which to carry out the gift of prophecy. Revival speaking is certainly a fitting ministry. You can pastor well IF you have a secondary gift of pastor/shepherd. You are a great help in problem-solving for a church with a sin problem. You could also serve in teaching on Gospel teams, in prison ministry, in migrant ministry, and in counseling to help bring awareness of sin in a person's life. You could speak at conferences and retreats. I think  the results were accurate. I LOVE people. I love helping people, comforting people and sharing God's love with people. My spiritual gifts definitely go hand in hand with this. I love all ages but primarily use my gifts by working more with both the elderly and youth/teenagers. This is where I find the most joy. What are YOUR spiritual gifts? How can you use those gifts for good? Are you already using your gifts? Get your test results here: www.churchgrowth.org