When Christian love is freely flowing between believers, it’s like a heavenly expressway.   In contrast, there are multitudes of people outside of your Christian family who will make your efforts to express Christ’s love feel like a one-way street with a dead end.  Giving agape love to someone else without receiving any in return is one of the true challenges and tests of our faith.  What does it look like when the love of Jesus is given to the unlovable?

LOVE IS PATIENT:  When a loved one does something that simply drives you nuts, take a deep breath and ask the Lord to help you to be resilient through the frustration. 

LOVE IS KIND:  Instead of blowing up, stomping out, or completely cutting off communication, take a deep breath, ask for God’s help, and say something kind that has nothing to do with the situation.  Offering to help that person in some way will also change the subject.

IT DOES NOT ENVY: There is unlimited room in God’s Kingdom for success.  Our Heavenly Father is the author of success!  Be glad for those who are experiencing great blessings and remember that no one is exempt from difficulties. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! Luke 12:48 MSG 

IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD, IT IS NOT RUDE, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING:  Being indifferent to other’s needs and feelings is a direct result of being self-centered instead of Christ-centered.  Boast of His goodness.  Be proud that He has called you to follow Him while being humble with others.  Remember to always give Him the glory, honor, and praise for all He has done. 

IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED:  Angered?  Yes, but not easily.  It’s a human emotion that we have the opportunity to curb when we seat Jesus on the throne of our hearts.  Stay in God’s “handbook” for daily instructions on how to demonstrate the Fruits of the Holy Spirit to others.  Galatians 5

IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONG: …so ask the Holy Spirit to help you stop playing back the recordings of past-hurts that have accumulated in your memory bank. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you Delete All.

LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES IN TRUTH:  Depictions and examples of evil, readily available in all forms of media, numb the heart.  When temptation rears its ugly head, return to your first love.  Be fascinated with the Truth, Jesus our Lord.  John 14:6 

IT ALWAYS PROTECTS: Be a safe haven for others when they share their heartfelt thoughts and needs with you.  Since our Sovereign Lord is our refuge, ask Him to help you to be a friend who can keep a secret. 

ALWAYS TRUSTS:  Be glad that God sees the whole picture and that each of our complicated circumstances are in His awesome hands. 

ALWAYS HOPES: …so don’t give up.

ALWAYS PERSEVERES: Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can.

LOVE NEVER FAILS: …because Jesus never fails.

CAROLE BREWER - Christian Speaker, Singer, Author & Worship Leader

God bless you as you persevere and share His love with others.

_____________________________

Find out more about having Carole Brewer speak or sing for your next event, please CLICK HERE.

An Interview with Author, Susan Elaine Jenkins

SCANDALON: A Memoir

Running From Shame and Finding God’s Scandalous Love

Susan Elaine Jenkins, Author

Susan Elaine Jenkins has lived in China for 11 years, teaching the performing arts in international schools. SCADALON is her provocative memoir which includes fascinating stories of people and life in the great country of China, which few of us have visited, but where God is working mightily. God has also worked mightily in Susan’s personal life and she has an important story to share.

I am a teacher. I was born into a family of preachers and teachers, and I always had a keen desire to teach. I began the first year out of college (Point Loma Nazarene University) and my career has taken me into the hearts and lives of many unforgettable students. Much of my time is occupied with continuing education and professional development opportunities, which opens up new areas of thinking and learning as I go.

After teaching in California private schools for 19 years, I moved to China, where I have focused on teaching performing arts in 3 different international schools. I am a seasoned foreign expatriate these days and yet, the daily adventures of living in Asia continue to surprise me.

Q: It seems that some parts of your book were passages right out of your journals through the years. Is that right? Is it hard to share these publicly, when you probably thought of yourself as the only audience at the time?

Yes, they were taken directly from my journals – especially the conversations between Dr. Travis and me. Those 3 difficult months were mind-numbing days. Writing everything that happened at the end of every confusing day helped me make more sense of it all.

Once I was in China, the conversations with Ouyang were important to me, as well, and I also kept detailed accounts. I knew I needed to have those talks recorded somewhere where I could retrieve them – they were too special to forget. The experiences I was having with my Chinese friends were very precious; China was rapidly developing and nothing would be the same again. I recently visited Tianjin and was stunned to see the progress made – the sleek commercial buildings and tall apartments that have replaced the ancient hutongs near the streets where I once lived and worked.

Yes, I assumed my journals were for my eyes only, and it has been difficult opening up these details to the public. There have been many starts and stops for me to this process and times when I wanted to forget the whole project.

Q: Was there any deciding factor that made you think you should try compiling your notes into a book and to try to get it published? What encouragement did you get along the way?

A friend from the UK convinced me to begin a blog. The idea of sharing my stories was inconceivable, at first, but as time went by, I got to know my readers. Little by little, I opened up the pages of my journals with them, interspersed with a few of the details of daily life in Asia. To my surprise, my online friends began commenting and sending me private letters filled with their own pain. I wanted to let them know that there really is healing and light ahead, that God’s promise really is authentic: He is a God who heals.

Q: Are there any character embellishments? Some people in your book seem almost larger than life!

No, the characters are written exactly as they are. Conversations are word for word, in most cases. I wanted to present the strong and good qualities of my former husband, Kyle, for example, as well as the perplexing reality of our marriage. The words of Dr. Travis (not his real name) were etched deeply into my memory, of course, as those were life-changing words of an experienced sexual predator – impossible to forget, much as I tried. And then the amazing friends I met in China were such distinctive people! I remember thinking: How can I tell the world about Mrs. Hua and her cozy dinner parties with fish swimming laps in the bathtub? How can I explain how marvelous Apple is, with her heart that simply listens to God as she finds her way around the French Riviera? I wanted to share the story of Angel’s frustration at being 30 years old and single in the Chinese culture. These are incredibly real and strong people who desire the same things we do in America. They taught me so much.

Q: Why a book about China?

“Well, this particular story began to be written in the summer of 1992. My friend, David, gave me the keys to his beach house in Pebble Beach and it began pouring out, as I walked along the ocean and typed in his massive kitchen. At the end of the summer, I returned the rented computer, put all the pages into a plain cardboard box and shoved it into a closet. It wasn’t until five years later, in 1997, that I realized the story was not going to rest quietly, just gathering dust. It was almost as if it had a life of its own, and refused to be forgotten…so I took the box to China with me and kept writing…for the next ten years. I wrote between classes, on long snowy northern Chinese weekends, on Chinese trains and sitting in plastic airport chairs. It seemed to evolve into a book that is really a combination of two lives: my life in California and my life in Asia; two very different worlds.

I think it seemed very natural at some point, to write of a remarkably poignant journey that met in a healing point while living in a crumbled country, broken by its own history. My life at that point seemed very much the same – broken, falling apart, and dark.

Q: You moved to China to get away from memories that were haunting you? At what point did China start feeling like “home” to you, and less like the completely foreign distraction it first was?

A great job offer came up, and yes, I was anxious to have a completely new start. Before I left for China, someone told me, “Susan, you can never get away from this. Sooner or later, you will need to face all that’s happened in your life. You will need to go through the grieving process and admit that you have lost so much.” He was right. I did have to face it, but that happened slowly, almost imperceptibly, over a long period of time. Being in China helped me gain perspective of what God wanted to do in me and through me.

I guess it was near the end of my first school year that I realized China had become a second home. I was walking along the hot, muggy streets with Ouyang, and I realized I was reluctant to go back to America. He said, “Do you have to go back? Why don’t you just stay?” That possibility hadn’t occurred to me until that point and I muttered something about it being too hot during the summer months to remain and that most of the teachers returned to their home countries for the holidays. Years later, I found I could stay for the summers and feel very much at home.

I think the idea of feeling at home in China has to do with the fact that I began feeling “at home” with God. And that, for me, involved a great spiritual healing and coming back to a point of rest within God’s heart; being glad to be in His loving presence; knowing that all my sins are utterly forgiven and cast away; and, sensing His divine heart of grace. Home has literally – for me – become His own Heart.

Q. Where might we find out more about you and Scandalon?

Please my website at http://www.susanelainejenkins.com

BOOK DRAWING ON MARCH 8, 2010 – Post your comment on the blog about this book and/or interview and you’ll be entered into the random drawing for FREE copy of SCANDALON.

For more stops on this blog tour, please CLICK HERE for itinerary.

Putting yourself out there has its risks.  The heart is pumped with excitement, the brain is focused, and then, wham!  The unexpected attention-grabber turns a well-prepared message into a comedy routine!  

Laugh with me as I share some hilarious experiences.

Humor is the great thing, the saving thing.  

The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away

and a sunny spirit takes their place.

 Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

Several of my mishaps have occurred on live TV.  If you’ve sung before a camera, you’ll agree that there’s nothing like it!  When the red light comes on, you’re it!  A cold drafty studio combined with edgy nerves already sets up the singer for a less-than-perfect, teeth-chattering solo.  Even the most carefully placed feet on the appointed floor spot cannot overt the bloopers waiting to happen.

While cameras were rolling, I’ve had earrings drop off, moths upstage me in front of the lens, and a set backdrop crash to the floor.  During one of my tender-hearted ballads, viewers were distracted by my fluorescent red tongue; the result of finishing a cherry cough drop before going on.  At a local studio, I decided to try cue cards for a song not memorized.  The assistant was behind in displaying the first verse so I proceeded to make up my own lyrics on the spot.  When the huge crib sheet did arrive, I adjusted those words to make them rhyme with whatever words I had just sung.

Maybe a mishap on TV isn’t really so bad.  It could be that half the audience has left for a snack anyway.  There isn’t any audio-visual feedback of the viewer’s reactions and you’re fine as long as you don’t watch your performance on the playback.

There’s nothing like singing for a live audience either!   In contrast to singing on camera, there are faces looking right back at you and reacting ….or not. 

One church, located next to a fire station, picked up a distress call and mixed the audio in with my solo.  An event planner got confused with the schedule so I heard my introduction with huge welcoming applause over the wall-mounted speaker in the rest room.  In less than a minute, the congregation saw me bolt through the side door with paper towel in hand chirping, “Yoo hoo, I’m here!”   The audio tech worked around me to attach and thread the mic while I attempted to make gracious opening remarks.    

Such mentionable mishaps can only be rivaled by my close encounters with critters. 

During a Sunday morning service, a ground squirrel tore straight across the sanctuary carpet to the front pew where I was seated.  Jetting my feet straight out, I voiced  “Whee” as the petrified fuzzy ran directly under my seat.  Somehow, the dignified introduction that I’d just received had lost its credibility.  

Aviating bugs lodged in my teeth at a Fourth of July concert in the park.  At another event, this time in a long formal, a fly darted in as my jaw dropped for the magnificent high note.  It buzzed around and zoomed out.  Was that a critique?

Cows on the other hand, love my singing!  At a small country church surrounded by a large field, the local herd gathered just outside the open windows.  Contented and seeming to sway to my music, they were obviously mooooved.

At one of my most memorable Sunday services, I had just finished the last note of a very sensitive and meditative song of worship.  My eyes were closed and the congregation softly voiced an appreciative “Mmmm.”   That serene and reflective moment was suddenly disrupted by a POP!  Stunned by the interruption, I also realized that I had just received a big smack on my rear and immediately looked to my left.  A deacon was alternately bowing and backing off with a rolled up church bulletin in his hand.  I skittishly turned forward to the motionless dropped-jaw congregation and rather dazed myself, turned back to the deacon.  He continued to bow and back away apologetically explaining that he wanted to protect me from that bee!  My timid voice responded, “Oh, thank you………….I think.”   The congregation, still half shocked, slightly tittered.  Considering for a couple of breaths what had just happened, I slowly rotated forward and proclaimed with my loudest voice, “All I can say is…..I BEE–LIEVE!”  The entire church, except for the swatter, broke into uproarious laughter that lasted for several minutes.  I, the swattee, upon exiting the platform noticed quite a few dead bees on the floor in the choir loft.  It made me wonder if, at a previous service, the entire choir had been rear-ended.  

I have yet to hear a dog howl in one of my concerts but since I’ve set off several in rehearsals, it’s always a possibility. 

Even crashing sets, unplanned introductions, or misguided squirrels and bugs can’t fully prepare me for whatever may smack me next.  Putting yourself out there does have its risks but I’ve found the attention-grabbing mishaps to be great blessings that add immensely to the entire adventure of serving God through ministry.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then it was said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.”

The LORD has done great things for us,

and we rejoiced. 

Psalm 126:2, 3 NRSV

CAROLE BREWER, Speaker, Singer, Author, Worship Leader

Carole Brewer is a dynamic communicator who combines music and laughter with practical solutions to common problems that all people face.

Find out more about Carole Brewer and how to have her sing or speak for church or group’s event, please CLICK HERE.

Pain is no stranger to me. I wish I could say that growing up in the deep South, I spent happy hours saying, “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir” and “Good night, John-Boy.” But nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, I was ten years old before I realized that God’s last name didn’t start with a “D”!

My daddy took off when I was five, leaving my seven-year-old brother, my twin sister and me, and mama still pregnant with my baby brother. Raising four kids alone brought out the worst in my mother, and she had no problem taking out her rage and resentment on her children. She became abusive with a bust-your-lip, black-your-eye kind of punishment. It was the kind of pain that stings your face for a while but sears your soul for a lifetime.

God sent the neighbor from across the street to invite me to church. In that little country church I found hope for my future, but I was still haunted by the pain of my abusive past. The path to healing was a long one and I have chronicled that journey in my book, Twelve Ways to Turn Your Pain Into Praise: Biblical Steps to Wholeness in Christ available on my website or on amazon.com. Because of my newfound faith, the Lord led me to a Christian college where I learned tools to help others and myself out of the long tunnel of pain into the bright sunlight of God’s grace!  

Whether your pain is physical or emotional, I have found that the steps to healing are the same. The first tool we employ is to refocus our Perspective.  When tough times come (and they will in this life) and we are tempted distance from God feeling shame,  condemnation, judgment, and wrath.

Instead he first step to refocus your perspective and move from pain to praise is to write a copious and thorough Blessed List.  List everything that is a blessing to you right now– all that is good about you, your environment, and those around you, No matter how hard it is to see right now, seek what is good and write it down–from your healthy head of hair to your common sense. Write what is right about your family, your friends, your house, your spouse, your cat, and even your car! Leave no stone of thankfulness unturned. All that you have been given will surprise you, even if you are currently enduring some pretty challenging circumstances.

Every day, as the cup of life presents itself, we have a choice to make. We can choose to see the cup half empty or we can choose to see it half full. That daily choice makes all the difference. We have all seen people from horrible life situations emerge triumphant; we’ve also seen individuals, with everything going for them, circle the drain. What’s wrong in life is always available, to every one of us; so is what’s right. What we choose to focus on determines whether we will be happy, successful, productive, and fulfilled.

I honestly believe that before I shifted my paradigm to see the positive, God could have planted a burning bush by my front door to convince me of his love and I would have stamped out the fire and complained about the inconvenience! It took a long time for me to train myself to see God’s love in my circumstances. But without that fundamental change, it didn’t matter how much God intervened in my life to bring good, I wouldn’t see it as such.

If we believe what God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB), we can look for the welfare even if the calamity seems to be staring us in the face.  That’s why making a Blessed List works.  It’s not enough to just think of what is working in our lives; we have to take the time to write those things down. Writing an actual list programs the positive into our hard drive, and makes it a part of our internal dialogue.  More importantly, it gives us something to refer to.  We need to review our list for at least fifteen minutes every day, recognize how blessed we really are, and realize how much worse off we could be.  An old proverb says, “I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”  No matter what our circumstances, things could always be worse! What we choose to focus on, makes all the difference. Take the time to write your Blessed Lost right now and see if it doesn’t shift your focus and lift your heart!

Available 24/7 for your event planning needs – music, audio/video clips,  presentation topics, and speaker informationl sheets available on each speaker’s page to aid you in making the best choice for your event. We will also mail to you upon request our speakers’ demo presentations and information materials.

Find the next speaker for your event at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com.

Tip #7 – Considering the Closing

How you end your program is just as important as how you start your event.

Some Christian groups would like to end with a salvation/altar call in response to the message. Others, prefer that it is turned over by the communicator back to the emcee or other event official. Please take a few minutes before you get started to consider how you would like to close the program. Be sure to discuss with the communicator how you would like for them to handle this part of your program.

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Not all speaking agencies are created equal. Make an informed decision.

Find the right speaker for your next event at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com.

Tip #6 – Feeding Your Communicator

A well fed communicator is a happy person, however, often the communicator will not eat as much, if anything, right before they speak or sing. This gets tricky if there is a luncheon or banquet prior to the speaking/singing part of your program. Afterwards, you guessed it, they are HUNGRY! If the event has multiple sessions it’s good to have snacks on hand. It also is a good idea to have something more substantial for afterwards too. If the event has a lunch/dinner with it, consider saving one of the meals to warm up later for the communicator.

Get more event planning tips, resources, and find a speaker for your next event at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com.

In the event of an unforeseen emergency on your part or on the part of a speaker, we have an available pool of professional speakers able to meet your needs.

Find the right speaker for your next event at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com.

Tip #5 – Promoting Your Event

If real estate sales are based on location, location, location, then events are successful based on promotion, promotion, promotion! Bulletin inserts are great for Sunday morning but don’t stop there. Make brochures and encourage the women in your group to take them to work. Do the same with posters that can be created with most personal computers. Ask businesses if you can put your poster in their windows. Most places respond favorably because they feel like you’re contributing to the community. Start early—even in church. It usually takes 6 weeks minimum of advertising an event to make it important enough to impact their schedules. Get lots of ladies involved. Women love party!

Get more event planning tips, resources, and find a speaker for your next event at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com.