Who R U Mentoring 2017

January 21, 2017

Who RU Mentoring?

Paul spelled out mentoring as his leadership model very simply. “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” (I Cor. 11:1) “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice.” (Phil. 4:9) In other words, “let me mentor you. Let me be your role model.”  Don’t worry this is not an appeal for Project Gradation to be a mentor…it is an appeal for you to recognize that as a Christian, you are already a mentor.  You are modeling behavior.  In our last couple of posts I have been talking about one anothering and its importance.  One aspect of that are the relationships that we have where we are the mentor and where we are the mentee. I will talk about being the mentee tomorrow, but in being the mentor, we have to know that we are sometimes the only light in a dark situation.  We are mentoring all day when we have newer Christians around or those who do not yet believe.  What are we showing and telling with our lives?

Now that we have a new president I WILL NOT do like some of them did our president with blatant disrespect. Disagree with his decisions and basic thinking but don't attack him publicly and in the same breath expect someone to respect ur authority in whatever role u have. We got four years to do our part to make and take a stand for what is right. Again don't run him down, run ur plan to do better UP. Let us Vote. Let us Volunteer. Let us Do. Less talk more DOING. And in the doing, model that.

In the bible, not only Jesus and the apostles, but elders as well do their work by mentoring. Peter charged, “be examples to the flock.” (I Pet. 5:4) And Paul explains to the elders at Ephesus, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you”(Acts 20:17).  So that charge comes back to us today to make sure we are not being weak modeling for the weak.  If we are the one in the position to give direction, we can’t be all out on Tim-buck-two Highway trying to pull up MapQuest without a signal.  We should know enough to guide our way to the right road.

We are not perfect.  Mentees (the official and unofficial ones you don’t even know about that are watching you) just want to see how to grow when you don’t get it right.  What is your response when things don’t work out?  In your mentor moment, make sure your model home is a great likeness to the other houses in the neighborhood you talk about.

That’s what I heard!  Be encouraged today!

His Ways...Not my Way

“For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬
    So when I look at this scripture and the many similar scriptures in The Old Testament God was clear if u do what I have told u, then I will do what I have told u.  My great grandmother would call that "minding". If u would just mind what I say...  Another scripture says "Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”  Proverbs‬ ‭3:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬
     The 21-day fast time period is this for me. I have my devotional life regularly in the mornings, but during the fast this is what happens for me.  Because I have stopped some things that cause distractions and focused my attention on the Lord....giving more time to him....that amounts to being intentional about seeking the Lord in all I do.  When I do that, living the standard becomes easier.  Focusing on his plan and not my plan becomes a little easier. Isaiah‬ ‭55:9‬ ‭NLT says "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”   Clearly a perfect blameless life is not the requirement because the only perfect man was Jesus but in these times of clarity of thought and narrowing of scope of my day I will say I am drawing closer.  I am so grateful for this time of me talking to him and him talking back to me.  That's when we look more and more like him.

Remember on Sesame Street back in the day when they would have the sketch of ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER....  There would be 4 things and one would clearly be different from the other three. Fasting for me is when God highlights those areas in my life that r least like him. Those areas I need to lean more toward his ways than my ways.  Those times when I was hearing from Dagne and not from God. It also causes me to be more fruitful in those areas that r bringing him glory.  Yes Dagne you do have time to work on this today...it's gonna bring me glory. Yes Dagne that idea was on point I gave u to call that person, it's gonna bring me glory.  Yes Dagne since u trusted me with ur tithes, I am gonna make this budget stretch like it needs to.  So God I thank u for YOUR WAYS and how u r calling us closer and closer to u day after day!  Be encouraged today and be an encouragement to someone else! That's what I heard!
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Not .Just .Dreaming

Joel 2:28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Today we remember the dream of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. He was the embodiment of this scripture. He prophetic speeches manifested themselves long after his death. I believe in the height of the civil rights movement he was living the nightmare part of the dream. He was willing to articulate his dream and mobilize leaders and community around his very words.  He was bold in his giftedness and willingness to dream in the very face of much opposition.

Likewise, the Lord has poured out his spirit on you and on me.  His Spirit is there to guide us along the path of our dream...the path of our prophesy. Sometimes u may feel u r in the nightmare part of the dream.  Don't be dismayed. This is the time to dig in and rely on him more. That word of prophesy over ur life will come to pass. The vision God has given will come to fruition. It's a matter of time. Keep the prophesy alive. Keep dreaming. Keep seeing the vision.....be bold....Be encouraged!!

20/20 Faith

20/20 Faith

2 Chronicles 20:20 So they got up early in the morning and went out...Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe and trust in the Lord your God and you will be established secure. Believe and trust in His prophets and succeed.”

When I was a little girl I needed glasses all through elementary school. I didn't get glasses until the 5th grade. Every year the health department would come over to the school and check vision of the students. In 1st and 5th grade the same person came and went home with me to literally tell Muhdear that I needed glasses. She act just like I had not been squinting and tellling her that for years (lol) but anyway she got them. I remember leaving Pearl Vision Center at Two Rivers Mall in tears. I was so happy to finally see. There were things I had NEVER ever seen clearly before. It was a whole new world for me. 

Likewise when we really GET 2Chr20:20 it can open a whole new world for our faith. Repeatedly the Lord introduced himself in the Old Testament as I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. It's only when we put him in his place of Lord and God of our lives in every area that we have 20/20 vision like I did that day in Pearl Vision Center or 20:20 Faith. 

I don't trust Trump but I trust God.  I don't trust my feelings but ur do trust God. I don't trust what I see right in front of my situation but I wholeheartedly trust the Lord my God.  This 20:20 Faith is how we are "established secure".  

Last night I received this word from the preached word of my Bishop. That's what the very next line of the verse refers to. Don't let anyone or anything break that pastor/sheep relationship u have.  When it says "Believe and trust in His prophets and succeed" it means to me God will send a word through his prophet just to encourage u to continue to trust and ultimately succeed. Opposition to ur success comes in the forms of any distraction keeping u from his word. So be encouraged today! Trust God....Just Do It!!!

That's what I heard!  

Just Do It...Be Blessed

James 1:25....but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

This word spoke to me today in my devotional time.  Essentially James is telling us that it's great to hear a word and believe it but that is not enough. U must act on that belief. If u receive the word after hearing the word, then there should be demonstration.

Remember when u first trained on a new job?  U read the SOP week one. No one really expected u to do more than read the manual at that point but by week two u must be in demonstration mode to collect ur "blessing" on the 1st and 15th.

So what word do u know backwards and forward but yet not DOING?  U heard ur more than a conqueror but demonstrating defeat?  U trust in the Lord with all ur heart but u demonstrate leaning on ur own understanding?  Let's try something different in 2017!

We have heard God has not given us a spirit of fear. This is the year to actually NOT FEAR.

We have heard He has plans for a hope and a future. This is the year to demonstrate that hope that we have.

We have heard we can do all things through Christ and this is the year to JUST DO IT!

Dear Lord I will move from hearing to doing this year!  I will be a doer of ur word and I will be blessed and be a blessing!  In Jesus name! Amen.

This is what I heard today....

My Tidings of Jesus Joy

Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Angels were expected to bring judgement in the biblical times. Most of them had to lead with fear not because if I am seeing a Michael or Gabriel then something is wrong! 

Christians today r also sometimes seen as bringing judgment when they come. Some of our statements in the marketplace show intolerance and judgement. Some of our actions with even family is judgmental in nature instead of loving in nature.  Not so with Jesus. He himself is the embodiment of love and whenever he comes into a situation it is to bring his fullness of joy. 

Let use this time of the year to bring only tidings of great joy. That's why Jesus came and therefore that's why we should come!  God showed me this today in my quiet time. I will be intentional about bringing only tidings of great joy to my family, my friends and those who I am lead to cross paths with this season.  Bring glad tidings today. Bring encouragement and not judgment. Bring peace and not protest. Bring manna and not hardship. Bring grace and not attitude. Bring Jesus to the party not ur famous casserole. Smile. 

That's what I heard. Be blessed and be a blessing. 

Dagne. 

Just Play Your Hand!

Well it's been awhile since my last post!  Lots has happened and I know u know but I's married now!  I have been focused on getting my wife life down before I pick up some of my single life things that I had time for. Well a daily blog is out of bounds right now but AS THE LORD LEADS I will share what I'm listening for and today this is how it hit. 

U have heard that favor ain't fair. Well I say it's fair for those who Love the Lord our God. This scripture reminds me of that in Psalms 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

It's like playing spades with Jesus as ur partner!  Lets picture this hand. U have no spades!  U have a couple of possibles at best. U know u cant do anything but go board and u still may get set with this hand. But then Jesus speaks up (interceding on ur behalf) and says we r going 10for2!  U r like what???? Jesus what u mean??? Do u know what I have in my hand!?!?  Jesus is like "just play ur hand. We got this." 

So u r making moves. U r trusting him and when the opponents start to play that Ace of heart that just beat out that queen u had, ur one possible dream in ur hand BAM Jesus is cutting that mess up with a spade. Now that's ur book. Ur dream again!  Finally here is the good news. U r down to ur last cards and u don't know how u r going to make it. U trust Jesus and he shows u he also has BOTH JOKERS in his hand. They can't do anything to u without him being the one who is playing it!  Whew!  I could shout right here!  U thought u were set...u thought u would renig but u just played ur hand and THE MASTER OF THE SEAS established the work of ur hands by playing his in concert with urs. Beating the odds all the while. 

That's what I heard!  Hope u r encouraged by it!  I'm back. Be blessed today. Smooches!! Mrs Barton.