You are uniquely shaped for serving God

Captain's Log, Stardate 12.20.2005

1 Peter 4:10 (LB): God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to other God's many kinds of blessings.

What abilities do you have? Rick Warren divides them into:

1) Spiritual Gifts--Holy Spirit-given, supernatural abilities.

2) Passion--the areas that move you

3) Abilities--God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. Everyone has something to offer. Every ability can be used for God's glory.

What I'm able to do, God wants me to do. You are the only person on earth who can use your abilities. No one else can play your role, because they don't have the unique shape (and experiences) that God has given you. The Bible says that God equips you with all you need for doing his will.

4) Personality--coupled with your abilities, it enables you to express yourself in different ways from anyone else.

5) Experiences--family, educational, vocational, spiritual, ministry, and PAINFUL. Share yourself so that God can use you to bless others.

First Novel Journey:
Gina Holmes interviews romance writer Jill Stengl tomorrow, Wednesday December 21st.

Special prayer:
Lord, please heal Mike quickly from his flu. Please help him to rest and recover. Please ease his suffering and help him feel better. Please give Dineen energy, peace and patience for all the things she needs to do without him this week.

Comments

Unknown said…

Okay, all of you who know me personally will get a HUGE kick out of this story....

My church did an "assesment" of the congregation's spiritual gifts. What, you may be asking, was mine? Sit down. Get this. According to the little questionaire thing and what the church staff members filled out for each member, I'm an.....wait...here it comes (guaranteed to give you a good laugh)...

AN EDIFIER...AN ENCOURAGER

Me? LOLOLOLOL

Anyway, you're so right, Camy...each person is called to use THEIR spiritual gifts in the way God directs them!

Additionally, I'm sending up prayers for Mike's healing as well! And special prayers for Dineen and her lovely SIXTEEN year old daughter! EGADS!

Wed Dec 21, 07:43:00 AM 2005

Ronie Kendig said…

What a great post. Thanks, Camy! It's good to be reminded in light of certain things...called rejection letters...that we are called to be what/who God created us to be.

Also - thanks for the prayer you said for my family on Sunday.

Wed Dec 21, 07:57:00 AM 2005

Heather Diane Tipton said…

great post Camy! That is so good. I love that.

Praying for Mike and Neen too.

Wed Dec 21, 10:43:00 AM 2005

Malia Spencer said…

Ooo great blog! I had to take a spiritual gifts test a few years ago. I wonder what they would be now? Then my top two were leadership and pastor/
shepherd! LOL Of course that's when I was still in leadership with the kids. I miss them but I think I'm where I'm supposed to be for the moment. :)

Wed Dec 21, 01:46:00 PM 2005

Paula said…

Good thoughts. Thanks. Goes with some stuff I've been chewing on today.

Wed Dec 21, 03:52:00 PM 2005

Dineen A. Miller said…

Oh, God bless you, Camy! Thanks for the prayers. Thank you, everyone! Wow, I'm so blessed.

Mike is doing much better already, praise God! I'm hanging in there. Making intentional acts of relaxation. I know that sounds weird, but it's the only way I can relax. LOL!

As for gifts, well, I took it once a long time ago. Mine were discernment, wisdom and prophecy. LOL! I wonder what it would say now.

Wed Dec 21, 07:21:00 PM 2005

Bethany House Publishers Cover Survey Invitation

Captain's Log, Supplemental I just got this from Bethany House Publishers: Hello Reader, We at Bethany House Publishers appreciate our readers opinions about the books we publish. Occasionally, we seek your input about upcoming products. Currently, we are conducting a survey about the cover image for an upcoming novel. For your time, we are offering a giveaway in conjunction with this survey. You will be able to choose from ten recent Bethany House novels, and there will be ten winners. Winners will be notified within two weeks. Click here to take the survey, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation, and feel free to forward this email on to your friends or link the survey on your website. The survey will be available through Monday, September 17. Thanks for your time and your opinions. We value your feedback. Sincerely, Jim Hart Internet Marketing Manager Bethany House Publishers

Save the Date - Camy's Patreon Launch

My Patreon will launch in 1 week! I took all the results of the poll and I have hopefully created fun and appealing tiers. About my Patreon: I'm trying something new for the next 6-7 months. If it works, I'll continue, but if I end up not liking it, I'll stop it in September or October. I will be starting a monthly subscription membership on a new Patreon account. I will be posting the chapters of my current book ( Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7 ) so you can read ahead of when the ebook will be edited and published. My current plan is to post 1-2 chapters weekly. One reason I’m switching things up is that I want to get closer to my readers and build a tighter, more intimate community with you. You can comment on each chapter of my book, give a reaction, ask a question, or even correct mistakes. My books will become a dialogue with you. If you subscribe to my Patreon, you'll be charged monthly and have access to all the benefits for the tier you subscribe to. The

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Sweet Romance Reads: How do you celebrate accomplishments?

I’m at the Sweet Romance Reads blog and Facebook group talking about finishing my book and posting a poll about how you usually celebrate accomplishments. Check out the blog or Facebook group to weigh in!

Psalm 103:2-3

Psalm 103:2-3 Dear Lord, Thank you, Lord, for all you’ve done for me. Don’t let me forget that you are always blessing me whether I notice it or not. Thank you for forgiving my sins, and thank you for healing me. I trust you and love you, Lord. Amen 詩篇103:2-3 親愛なる主よ、主よ、あなたが私のためにしてくださったすべてのことに感謝します。私が気づこうが気づくまいが、あなたはいつも私を祝福してくださっていることを、私に忘れさせないでください。私の罪を赦し、癒してくださってありがとうございます。主よ、あなたを信じ、あなたを愛します。アーメン

FREE: Hidden Currents by Christy Barritt

Join Christy’s email list to get this story free! A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks. Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise. Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good? Hidden Currents is the first book in the six-book Lantern Beach Mystery series. Each book contains a standalone mystery, but there are overarching mysteries within the entire series. Get it now for

Chopsticks and knitting

Hahahahaha! My husband, Captain Caffeine sent me this cartoon. The Asian and the knitter in me loves this one: My parents taught me to use chopsticks at an early age so they’re pretty comfortable for me. Did you know there are differences between Japanese and Chinese chopsticks? The Chinese ones tend to be blunter and more slippery whereas the Japanese ones are pointier and sometimes have a textured tip to make it easier to grab food. My mom will eat salad with a chopstick, which I have to admit is a bit easier than a fork, for me. Any of you knit? Any of you use chopsticks?

ICRS, part 2

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.14.2006 For all you writers —check out my Story Sensei critique service Summer Sale ! Ends tomorrow! Blog book giveaway: My Monday book giveaway is ARMS OF DELIVERANCE by Tricia Goyer. My Thursday book giveaway is TANGLED MEMORIES by Marta Perry . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for ARMS OF DELIVERANCE and post the title for another book I'm giving away ICRS, part 2 (continued from part 1 ): Sue Brower had invited me to the Christy awards that night and I was so thrilled to get to go. Everyone looked gorgeous. I’ve never seen Brandilyn Collins or Meredith Efken in anything besides jeans before. I hadn’t seen Sue Brower in two years and I was deathly afraid I wouldn’t recognize her, but Wendy introduced me and saved me from doing anything remotely stupid like, oh, walking past her. Sue immediately slammed me with the big dogs—she introduced me to the VPs of sales and

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci

Search This Blog

Lady Wynwood’s Spies vol. 1 free until 4/27