He Called Her Daughter

January 4, 2016 By Kristin Smith Leave a Comment

In November I had the honor of speaking to a MOPS group in my local community. I had all these plans about what I was going to say but several weeks before the actual talk, life happened and it hit me hard. I figured that God had other plans for my talk and just prayed that ultimately it would be His words and not my agenda.

I was personally going through a time where I was having to face some of my own failures and character defects, and also some of my misconceptions about myself and of God. This isn’t really a fun place to be, but ultimately I wanted to know God more. Scratch that, I knew that I needed more of God in my life if I was going to find true contentment and happiness.

I started thinking about some of the more “emotional” moments of my life. I am an off-the-charts “feeling” person all the way. So I remember those events in my life that created the biggest feelings…and typically they are the negative ones that stick out the most.

The time that I was embarrassed in front of my entire 1st grade class. Or in 6th grade when I was one of the few unfortunate not to be invited to the biggest boy/girl party of the year. The day I learned that I didn’t make the cheer-leading squad, the one thing I was sure would make me someone. Getting pregnant outside of marriage and the struggle my husband and I had for so many years, Or the day I knelt on the bathroom floor and begged God to save my pregnancy from the miscarriage that was happening.

EMBARRASSMENT / NOT ENOUGH / DOESN’T MEASURE UP / SINNER / ANGER / RESENTMENT / LOSS

Each of these moments, and so many more, were like rocks that I have carried with me my entire life.

I am not sure why I felt so strongly about hanging onto these rocks, but I did and man, did they weigh me down.

Pretty soon this baggage created other problems in my life.

Unforgiveness, unrealistic expectations, anger to name a few.

It was a hard place to find myself, and the more I tried to manage my hurt/anger/frustration the less I became willing to hand anything over to God.

Oh but friends, I am learning ever so slowly that He doesn’t want us to live this way!

He never asked us to carry the rocks,

He sent His only Son so that He could make a way for us…to let go and let God have all of us.

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The good and the bad.

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I was studying in Mark 5:21-43 as I prepared for this MOPS talk and was re-reading the story of Jairus’s daughter and “the woman with a blood disorder.” This is one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. Maybe I can relate to the woman, sick and hurting and desperate for healing.

Because of the customs of those days this woman would have been considered unclean because of this disorder. She would have been separated from society, alone. She had sought medical help and had exhausted all she had, only to find herself even more sick.

I can imagine she was lonely and maybe, if she was anything like me, a little resentful at her current fate.

And then somehow she hears about this Jesus. This man who is healing the sick and He is in her town. The crowd is large that day but she pushes through. If only she can touch the hem of his garment, maybe she too will be healed.

When she reaches for him she is immediately healed. She knows it and Jesus knows it too. The Bible says that Jesus feels the power leave Him and turns and asked who touched Him. The disciples with Him ask – “don’t you see how many people are surrounding you? How could we possibly know who touched you?”

But the woman comes forward and admits it was her and tells Him the whole truth. And he says “Daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace and be healed of your disease.”

Now I have heard this story over and over again, but I have always missed one of the most important parts….at least for a girl like me.

He calls her Daughter.

Here is an unclean woman by societies account. By touching Him she was risking making Him unclean as well, and yet He calls her Daughter.

I want you to stop a minute and take that in with me. Do you believe that for yourself?

With all the baggage that you are carrying around, do you believe that you are a Daughter of God?

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I grew up in the church, I have Christian parents, I have known about God my entire life and yet I still struggle with understanding the unconditional love that God has for me.

I haven’t fully accepted that carrying my rocks is not my burden to bear. Jesus paid the sacrifice for my sins, my failures long ago. He is my comforter and my strength if I call on Him; He is my provider, my protector…why do I insist on carrying all of these myself?

He calls me Daughter.

I place my worth on the worst parts of me…and all He sees is His Daughter.

Friends, I don’t know where today finds you.

For many the start of a new year can bring what feels like defeat at all we haven’t accomplished yet. Maybe you have been carrying around a pile of rocks like I have and you are desperate to be free of them but you just don’t know how to let go.

Can I challenge you, with a challenge I give first to myself…bring them to your Father. He can and will carry them. Don’t let your past mistakes and hurts define your future. You sister are a Daughter of the King.

Wear that crown with pride and start walking forward with me in finding the freedom that is only found in a relationship with a God who loves us more than we can ever imagine.

Shared By: Kristin Smith

When Your Dream Becomes An Idol

December 4, 2015 By Kristin Smith 12 Comments

We are in the final month of 2015 and can I just say friends, I am not going to be sad when it is done. This has been a tough year for me in numerous ways. Hardship, growth, stretching, it has all come and at times it felt like I was sinking and fast. You my sweet dreaming sisters helped me through and so I will leave 2015 with a gratitude for that.

As hard as is it for me to admit, I have made idols of the different things I thought God had called me to. Many of those things were good…ministry work, serving others, leading here. But what I found as I walked through this past year is that I let those things define me. I valued my dreams and the way the accolades made me feel far more than the dream giver Himself. And in the middle of what I felt was my “calling,” things in my own personal life were falling apart.

I was writing and sharing positive messages of hope for all of you and not believing they were really possible in my own life.

You see, I had become two people.

I would share a message of hope and God’s grace here, trying to be a source of encouragement for each of you.

But in the same breath I desperately needed to confront some my own character defects but refused to because the work of it seemed too hard. I had stopped believing that things like redemption and grace were really true for me. I was lying to myself and ultimately hurting those that were closest to me.

Sometimes it is easier to try and be a light for others while pretending that the darkness surrounding your own life isn’t there.

And so one day I knew it was time to start laying down those idols so that I could really spend some time working with God on my heart.

I can’t even tell you how incredibly heartbroken I was over having to step away from some of the passions that I love.

It still hurts a little today even, but I am trusting that as I walk this new road with God, He will heal me from the inside in a way that will make any ministry I participate in that much more effective.

I am clinging to that.

In late October I stepped away from the worship team, the missions committee, the woman’s ministry we were just starting at church, and I came to Alecia and told her that I needed to do the same here too. Alecia had agreed a few months earlier to take over leading the site come the new year but my decision put her in a difficult place. She thought she would have more time to work through all the details of running this site and I eliminated that in a moment.

But oh the grace that covered me.

The entire team here at GSD’s surrounded me with prayer and encouragement and words of understanding. If there was judgement it wasn’t ever felt. What a gift that was in a time that was so heart wrenching for me.

THAT is the true heart of the women that come here each week to encourage you, sweet sisters. No matter where your journey takes you, please know that this is a safe place with no condemnation.

And so I am approaching the end of this year in a place I haven’t been in a long time.

I am humbled and broken but hopeful.

I am unsure of where God is calling me to in 2016, if anywhere. But with open hands I am trusting that this heart work, this healing, is a necessary step in the direction of His ultimate purpose for my life. (<====Click to Tweet)

So I walk forward in faith, it is all I can do!

Dear sisters it has been a privilege to walk beside you and lead this site this past year. I am not going away completely and hope to share some more words about what I am learning through this process, in the coming year. I would ask that you join me in encouraging and praying for Alecia. For protection from enemy attacks as she now walks forward in her calling. Prayer for courage and wisdom in the direction God would want to see GSD’s go. She stepped up in a time of uncertainty and offered more grace than I could have expected. God raised up the perfect woman to lead us forward and I am honored to call her friend. Thank you friends for loving me so well. I can only hope that in the coming year I can offer the same to each of you.

Photo Credit: Andree Brown

Shared By: Kristin Smith

Common Ground

October 5, 2015 By Kristin Smith 3 Comments

I don’t fly often, but when I do, I really love flying when the sky is dark. The lights from the towns and cities below twinkle and shine.

Those lights tell a story.

They represent each one of you. Several months ago I flew back home from Texas to Minneapolis, and I couldn’t help but think of all the dreamers that were in the homes below. Each of you, sweet sisters, who are walking this journey with us. You live on farms and in big cities. You work full-time outside of the home and you are stay-at-home moms. You dream BIG dreams and you shake in your boots at naming your dream out loud.

You wonder if you are too old or too broken for this dreaming business. Maybe you look up at the skies when planes are flying overhead and you wonder if God will ever take you outside of your own backyard. Or you have long stopped dreaming because it just seems like God only gives dreams to the people who “have it all together.”

I want to encourage you, sweet sister. Your dream matters! There is no dream too small or insignificant or even too radically crazy for us here.

This is a place where we meet on common ground. (<====Click to Tweet)

We come here seeking encouragement and hope. We need to know we are not alone. Whether we’re dreaming from a small city in Minnesota or a ranch in Texas, we can gather here in this space and share a common vision – To seek God, to be a light, and to use our unique gifts in big, God-sized ways, to honor and glorify the One who made us.

It is my prayer that you will find this site is a place of commonality. We are here to cheer you on in whatever dream God has placed on your heart! We want to offer hope for those of you who may feel discouraged about where you are in the “dreaming process.” We celebrate your successes and pray over roadblocks. It is one of the reasons that I love our guest posts each Wednesday. From all over the world, dreamers have come to us with their stories. We have been entrusted with them and it has been an honor to be a cheerleader for each of you as you step out into the sometimes crazy plan God has for you!

Comparisons are left at the door and we enter this space in unity. Remembering that while each of us is at a different stage and place in our journey, we can always find a common ground to stand upon!

Thank you sweet sisters for joining us here each week. We are so blessed by this community and are excited to see where God leads us! As we walk together, is there any way we can be lifting you up in prayer? Please leave your prayer request in the comments below and know, as a team, we will be praying for you!

Shared by: Kristin Anne Smith

The Revealing

July 24, 2015 By Kristin Smith 6 Comments

Recently our family took a vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We have travelled there the past 3 years and really look forward to our time away. Each year we have rented a different house and then we spend the week exploring. The kids’ favorite activity is searching for “treasures” or beautiful quartz…the Hills are filled with it!

This year I found a cabin at the top of a mountain. The comments from past guests indicated that there were a lot of switchbacks going up to the top…but they all said the drive was worth it.

The week before we arrived the area had received a lot of rain. There were flood warnings for many of the rivers and this excess rain had taken a toll on the road we had to maneuver up the mountain.

I wasn’t fully prepared for the drive that first time.

It felt unmanageable and a bit harrowing. I wasn’t sure that once we got to the top we would ever get back down again.

Huge ruts filled the road, and at times it wasn’t clear which side was the lessor of two evils. My husband’s parents came with us and they have a small compact car. I was certain that they would be leaving crucial pieces of their vehicle along the side of the road.

Sometimes the journey is rocky and difficult isn’t it?

As we were going up I didn’t see the beauty all around me…I was only focused on those ruts.

And if I am being honest, I was a little angry. I felt like we were not properly prepared for the road ahead. This wasn’t just switchbacks, this was crazy!

I had visions of a week stuck at the top of the mountain in the cabin. Who would want to do that drive again?!

It took 9 minutes and 36 seconds to make it 2 miles (maybe). Yes I timed it…I had to know, it felt like a lifetime to me.

But as we got out of the car at the top, I took a moment to see what surrounded me.

Beauty. Plain and simple, beauty.

Trees as far as the eyes could see. Rocks and hills and blue skies.

We did make it back down and up that mountain several times during the week. Slowly yes, but we did it!

One evening, my son and I decided to take a walk down the road a bit. I spent a lot of time in thought and prayer over the journey that I have been on recently.

So often in my life my focus has been on the struggle, the pain…the roadblocks. I have written before about the trouble I have finding beauty along the way. I prayed over this that evening, and asked God to help me to always see the beauty around me.

In the moments following I had what my friend Delonna likes to call a love letter from God.

There sitting on the side of the road, completely clean and uncovered was a beautiful piece of quartz.

Had the rains not come it is very likely that this beautiful rock would have remained hidden.

The beauty is there, but often times we are unable to see it!

If I had been focusing on the road and its condition, I would have missed this rock completely.

And so it is sisters as we journey towards our God-sized dreams.

Sometimes the path is rocky and filled with ruts.

The rain may fall and the storms brew.

At times it feels like it is taking forever to get to the destination. A slow, harrowing trip up the mountain.

But this rock is a reminder to me that there IS beauty.

It may be hidden under the surface, waiting to be revealed. But it is there.

Am I taking the time to stop and look for it?

I don’t want to miss the details, the wonder God has planned just for me. (<====Click to Tweet)

So today I celebrate each step, and the beauty that will come in the revealing.

What beauty have you found in your God-sized Dream journey? I know it isn’t always fun or easy…but let’s take some time to share some of the goodness today!

Shared By: Kristin Smith

When Community Looks Like a Rally Cry

May 8, 2015 By Kristin Smith 10 Comments

Community has been on my heart since I attended Allume in October. I have always had a longing to build community, but I hadn’t yet felt the calling to really implement it in my own home town. It is scary and exciting all at the same time. We are introducing some really fun things at our church here in MN and I wait in eager anticipation to see what God will do with and through all of it.

I thought that was what I was going to write about this month, until I experienced community in a completely overwhelming and different way recently. It was unexpected and born out of a trial, but sometimes community looks like a rally cry. And through this I have learned that we are stronger together.

I felt desperate.

But even with the people that I am most comfortable with, I want there to be the appearance of having it all together. (<====Click to Tweet)

Especially as the “leader” of this fine group of women, if I shared my reality…what would they all think?

But God has been showing me all year that I must have full dependence on Him, and sometimes it means that I need to be willing to ask for help.

So I sucked up my pride and sent a message to the women on this team here at GSD’s.

Honestly, I just got chills again as I think about what happened next.

Friends came around me with prayers and encouragement.

They offered to pray for me at specified hours during the day for an entire week!

It was humbling in ways I can’t even describe.

They saw my need and knew that the best way they could support me was with constant intersession.

They brought me to the feet of Jesus time and time again.

I don’t know that I have experienced such peace, so quickly. While the circumstances in my life had not changed, my perspective began to.

Encouragement came in many forms. An email with a favorite scripture verse, a vox to make me laugh, a message shared that was given by God, just for me.

God could have delivered all of these truths to me Himself. But He chose these women, these faithful women, to deliver them instead.

To remind me what community can look like.

To show me the way.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ…And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:2,9-10

This is how God designed us to be, living in community together. Being the hands and feet of the very One who created us. (<====Click to Tweet)

I can now serve better because of you.

I can rally around and support another, because you taught me how.

I will set an alarm on my phone and pray at specific times for those who I am called to pray for. All because you first did it for me.

This is what bearing another’s burdens looks like.

When I couldn’t lift my own arms, you came beside me and held them up. You were my Aaron and my Hur. (Exodus 17)

When I didn’t have the words, you whispered groans on my behalf. You were like the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8: 26-27)

You stood in the gap for me in a real and tangible way and I am forever grateful.

Grateful and challenged to go forward and do the same for others.

To love BIG because I was loved so well.

This, dear friends, is community. May we each come away from times like these with a renewed spirit, and even more importantly, hope.

Are you walking through a tough season? Would you please leave a comment so that I can be praying for you?

Shared By: Kristin Smith

Photo Credit: Jeff Kubina

Circling Your Dreams

March 9, 2015 By Kristin Smith 26 Comments

On my way to Houston to celebrate my birthday, I had a short layover in Chicago. It was just getting dark as we were flying into the Chicago area. Lights below were starting to twinkle and it was a beautiful sight.

Looking out my window, I could see the airport below, and watched as we flew right past it, headed out to the edge of the city, and finally over the waters of Lake Michigan below.

Then there were a couple of what seemed like sharp turns to get us headed back toward the airport. It likely seemed a little more scary because we could see the frozen waters below, dark and uninviting.

Finally, we straightened out and the view was breathtaking.

Sometimes in this dream-chasing journey, I get stuck. My focus is on the end result, the destination. How soon will I get there? When will my dream ever come to fruition? “Are we there yet, mom”….oh wait, that is another type of trip! 😉

But really, have you been there?

Been headed towards that goal, maybe even been to the place where you can see the end in sight and then there is what seems to be a detour? You fly right past and think wait…where were the brakes?!

It can be frustrating. We pray, we ask God for guidance, but we have been so focused on the end that we have missed each and every beautiful moment along the way.

I don’t want to be a woman who misses the wonder of the journey. (<====Click to Tweet)

Sure the destination, the dream, the goal IS important. But I believe that God wants us to remain in the moment too. To see and recognize each step that gets us to our destination. See the beauty of the twinkling lights, even if it means we have to go out of the way and over rough waters to get there.

If you asked me today what my “dream” was, it looks different than it did a few years ago. I no longer feel the need to “make it” in the blogging world. I write when and if God inspires me to do so. If I am silent for a length of time, it is probably either because I am not listening well to God…or he is just working out the kinks in some areas of my life so that I can be of better use for His purposes.

Either way, my dreams now look less about what might be in it for me and more about what I might do for Him. And I want to be a woman who enjoys the journey.

And I say this with all the humbleness I can muster too…it hasn’t been easy. I have been discouraged when a post I thought was stellar wasn’t shared or liked or commented on. I have felt jealousy when I saw other writers publish a book or were invited to speak at a conference. Why not me, Lord? That has been my heart cry more times than I would like to admit.

But slowly, ever so slowly, I am learning that each moment in the journey is priceless. (<====Click to Tweet)

And I have a lot of learning to do. Maybe I will never write a book or speak at a conference…but that doesn’t mean this journey has been worthless.

On the contrary, I have been given so many gifts along the way. I may have spent too much time focusing on those things that seemed like the negatives of the detours, but when I step back and see the road for what it really is, I see all the friendships I have gained along the way, the prayers I have been given and been honored to pray for others. And the opportunities for growth and spiritual maturity as I learn to lean on and trust God with everything.

All of it’s hard work, but sometimes life is just that. Hard work!

The blessings that come from the difficult nos, the changes, and bumpy roads…they are gifts I will treasure for a lifetime. My friends make every moment worth it!

If you find yourself in that place, the place of discouragement and doubt. If you feel like your dream has passed you by…have hope! Take a step back and count a blessing. Find that gift in each moment and step forward in faith that God will make good come out of all of it. And until we reach that final destination, see that dream fulfilled…let’s find ways to encourage one another. Because this hard work can be tough and lonely at times. We all need a little support!

If there is any way that I can be praying for you, would you please leave a comment and let me know? It would be an honor to lift you up!

Shared By: Kristin Smith

Introducing Some New Faces!

March 4, 2015 By Kristin Smith 13 Comments

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What a JOY it is friends to introduce you all to some very special women that, starting in April, will be sharing their hearts with you here as contributing writers. As you know we have had a few changes in the past year with some of our original writers being called to mission fields closer to home and others that God was asking to say no to the good so He would have margin for His best in their lives. We expect there will always be seasons of change in places such as this and so as we looked to the new year we asked God to open the door for some new women to come and journey with us.

The women that we are sharing with you today, we believe, were hand chosen by God for such a time as this. We couldn’t be more excited to have them as a part of our team. Some you may recognize, and others may be “new” faces but I promise that you will love them all as we do already! Please help us welcome them with open arms to our space here!

Jenn Hand is a fellow GSD team member and a woman filled with more JOY than anyone I know! She leads Coming Alive Ministries and seeks to help women find ways to come alive right where God has planted them. You can find Jenn on Twitter, Instagram and her Website.

Katie Reid has encouraged us here as a guest writer in the past and has a love of encouraging women in their God-sized Dream. She has many talents, but most of all seeks to receive and extend grace in all she does. Connect with Katie on Twitter, Her Website and Facebook.

Kelli Stuart writes about all things including motherhood and chasing dreams. She is passionate about orphans and has traveled with Compassion on a blogger trip! We met Kelli and Wendy at Allume when they shared their God-sized Dream of encouraging the creatives out there! Join Kelli over at her Website, Twitter and Instagram to learn more!

Meredith Bernard is also a familiar face in these parts! She has a love of photography and sharing her faith and woman who is passionate about seeking God in all things and is diving into what community looks like in her own home. Find Meredith on her Website, Instagram and Twitter.

Wendy Brunner is a former actress in Hollywood and now is a writer and speaker sharing her love for Jesus! One of her God-sized Dreams is to tell stories that encourage women, what a perfect fit she will be here! Connect with Wendy at her Website and Twitter!

Full Bios on each author can be found here.

On Being Called and Stepping Out in Faith

January 9, 2015 By Kristin Smith 20 Comments

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I am the type of person that is comfortable being comfortable.

When I am in a situation and I know what I know, I am ok staying in that “safe” place. I encourage others and cheer them on in their brave steps of faith. But when I am called to do the same, I am shaking in my boots.

It was when I least expected it that I got a vox from Christine asking if we could talk on the phone.

I immediately asked her if I was in trouble 😉 because of course I assumed the worst. She said it wasn’t that at all and we set up a time to talk a few hours later.

I wasn’t prepared for the question that she had for me. She felt God calling her away from leading this site, this baby of hers, and would I pray about stepping into her shoes?

Of course I felt honored, but mostly I felt unqualified and unprepared.

I said I had to pray about it and started circling it in prayer every morning. I wanted God to give me a sign. Something big and glowing and obvious. I am not good with the subtle nudges.

Every morning I would ask Him to reveal His plan for the site to me. I truly love the heart and the mission of God-sized Dreams, and I just wanted the right person – the person God had chosen – to fill the spot. Even if it wasn’t me.

For several weeks I prayed and prayed. I didn’t feel like I had an answer either way. Where was the neon flashing light for pete sake!?!

But there was something eating at me.

I was afraid.

Afraid that I would fail, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibility. Afraid that I wouldn’t be a good “leader”…what did I know about that anyways? And if I am being honest….what if the rest of the team didn’t want me leading and left? How humiliating that would be!

The what-ifs and fears can be debilitating.

At times it can be enough to keep you from stepping out in faith, being brave and rising up to the calling God has for you.

But I don’t want to live my entire life making decisions based on fear. So I continued to pray that God would equip me if this was a call that He had for my life.

He answered that prayer in many small ways, encouragement and confirmations from some fellow dreamers, and each of those things added up to one big confidence boost. I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:13)

This was never about me and my abilities…it was always about bringing honor and glory to the God that has a call on each of our lives.

So I serve with a humble and grateful heart. From day one I have been honored to be a part of this site. I love the community that is building. It has been a joy to meet a few of you who walk with us in person, and I hope that continues.

This space has always been a place of safety, of home, for me and I pray that is for you as well.

We come from all stages and phases of life, but our hope is that when we do gather that it always feels like home. (<====Click to Tweet)

This is a new season for me. I don’t know how long God will call me to this ministry, I will serve Him first and try to model the obedience that I have seen in Christine. I know this was difficult and she wrestled with God over it all.

But she heard God’s voice, and followed His call, even when she didn’t understand the whys.

My heart seeks to do the same. I don’t know why God called me to this role, at this time, but I am trusting Him with the details. It is all we can do isn’t it?!

So if you find yourself faced with a call that you are unsure about, pray! Ask that God would equip you if the call is His. And then move forward in faith, remembering that the heart of any mission is to bring praise to the One who has made the call in the first place.

Shared by: Kristin Smith

Photo Credit: Greg Westfall

A Heart for Missions – Will You Join Us?

December 15, 2014 By Kristin Smith Leave a Comment

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I blame my parents. 😉

I grew up with wonderful parents who have a heart for others. They have both been on missions trips around the world and have started a Kids Against Hunger (KAH) satellite packing site in my old hometown. 5 years ago when Haiti had their devastating earthquake, the Sioux Falls, SD KAH sent over 1 million meals to various churches/orphanages/groups in Haiti. I personally went on a mission trip to Jamaica when I was a freshman in college and would love to go somewhere again. Marriage, kids and life have kept me from travelling abroad since, but I believe that we can make an impact for the world serving right here at home.

For many months I felt a strong pull to start featuring some of the amazing organizations out there that are doing just that, making a difference. We learned about several of them when we went to Allume the past 2 years. I felt that as a community of God-sized Dreamers we might be able to make a difference together. While my voice may not be loud enough, or my dollar may not stretch far enough, when we come together and pool our talents, resources and voices, change can happen.

So I approached Christine with an idea.

Starting in January could we take one day a month and feature a non-profit organization that is making a difference in the lives of others? She was supportive, and Mission Moments was born.

At Allume, Delonna and I started talking about the idea and we got more and more excited.

We both have a heart for missions and we have a feeling that many of you here in this God-sized Dreamer community do as well. So here is the “plan”. On the first Monday of each month we are going to feature a new non-profit organization. Some of these we discovered at Allume and others we have found various other ways, but each organization has a heart for seeking and reaching the lost, the orphan, the lonely and broken. The idea that we can link arms together and make a difference as a community, well that’s just plain exciting!

Some of these may be companies that sell fair trade goods, or offer a chance to partner with them…but please hear me on this. Most of all we want to bring awareness, we don’t want you to feel a pressure to give financially. Even a simple prayer lifted up on the behalf of an organization is HUGE. But if you are like me, you may be unaware of these amazing companies, so our heart is to share them and then we pray that God will guide you in what ways, if any, you might join in as well.

As the ideas swirled, Delonna came up with something even more fabulous so I am going to let her explain a little more about that one! Take it away girl! 😉

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I grew up with a heart of compassion due to my mother’s ability to love on people where they were. Our house always had guests over for meals and parties. Everyone was welcomed in my home. She taught me the art of loving on people and making them feel special. It’s the little gestures that warms the heart of others.

Often we are lead to believe that if we don’t have a large donation to give that an organization could never really use the small donation we do have. However if we come together with our small donations we can actually make a huge impact in the lives of others. Together we can make a difference in the lives of orphans, women and poverty. (<====Click to Tweet)

We believe as God Sized Dreamers that collectively we can make a difference in our world. We believe together we can be the hands and feet of Christ through our giving. We want our giving circle to come alongside others and support their God Sized Dreams. We want to pour out love on our neighbors wherever they may be. Together we will live out Mark 12:30-31.

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”

We are excited to partner with Pure Charity and start our own giving circle. Each member that wants to participate will donate a minimum of $10 to Pure Charity. Please take a moment to check out our link: God Sized Dreamers. All donations are tax deductible and would be deducted on the 15th of each new month. At the end of the month, we will request that Pure Charity donate any funds raised that month to the organization we featured in Mission Moments. It is a simple way to give back and make a huge impact. We hope you will join us on this adventure. If you are interested in being a part of the giving circle please email us at prayermomentsGSD@gmail.com so we can send you an invitation to join us.

Thank you for partnering with us, we feel so blessed to be walking with you in making a difference for others!

Shared by: Kristin Smith and Delonna Gibbs

Come As You Are – A Welcome Invitation

December 3, 2014 By Kristin Smith 13 Comments

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As you may have seen from our posts and pictures, several of our core writing team traveled from across the country and met at Allume this past October. It was fun to spend time together as a team, and an amazing opportunity to meet with so many new friends and dreamers as well.

We decided to host a little “meet-up” so we could visit with some of these new friends in person. While the majority of us who gathered ended up being part of the original God-sized Dream team, it was a wonderful time to come together and share about where we have been and how we see God leading and moving in our lives and dreams going forward.

Prior to the meet-up, I was up in my hotel room with one of my roommates and fellow GSD writer, Delonna. We were gathering up everything we needed to bring downstairs. Before we walked out the door, Delonna asked me if I thought she should change her shirt.

Now Delonna is a die-hard Ohio Buckeyes fan. DIE-HARD. Whooo, watching a game with this woman was an experience, especially when the game went into overtime. Yikes! 😉

She had been wearing her Ohio State T-shirt all day and wondered if she should change it. I probably looked at her with my crazy eyes and asked her why she would do that?

She said she wanted to make sure that she was making the right impression at the meet-up.

I told her she looked beautiful and to keep the T-shirt on! 🙂

This got me to thinking the next morning in the shower (that IS where I do my best thinking…I really need a recorder in my shower so I can get all these thoughts and prayers down during that time!!)

We always want this space to be a place where you can come as you are. (<===Click to Tweet)

If you are a sports fan and love wearing sweats more than skinny jeans – you are welcome.

If you haven’t spoken your dream out loud and wonder if you even really belong here – you are welcome.

Maybe your dream is being a good mother for your children, but you think that is not a “big enough” dream – you are welcome.

If you are living out your God-sized dream but feel weary, or wonder if this is “it” – you are welcome.

You see none of us here are perfect and we don’t expect you to be either! I realize you probably know this already. However, I wanted to make absolutely sure you heard it again, just in case you had any doubts.

I am a person who doesn’t know a lick about football. I watch the Super Bowl just to cheer for the underdog. That is the only game you will find me watching all year. I love scarves and jewelry and all things girly…and Say Yes to the Dress.

Even though Delonna and I have different interests, tastes, and life experiences, God has brought us together and she is one of my dearest friends.

I laugh hard when we are together.

I look to her for her wisdom, prayers, and direction when I am facing a tough situation. God brought two unlikely friends together in such a unique way and I am so grateful.

Our friendship is a reminder to me that we can come as we are.

I don’t feel the need to put on a show for her and she doesn’t for me. We know we have faults, and we love each other anyway.

Friends, each of you is special to us in that same way. You don’t need the latest fashions to join us in this space, you don’t have to have your dream figured out. Heck you may not think you have a dream at all, but you just love the camaraderie and community that we have here.

We need each of you to make this space what it is – an encouraging place to love well, differences and all.

So consider this your welcome invitation. Our door here is always open and you can come as you are! (<====Click to Tweet)

Shared by: Kristin Smith