Coming into Focus

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)

Wow! Now that the year 2020 is here and I’ve started seeing the number, I can’t help but think about an eye examination. I’ve had my eyes examined many times, all in pursuit of 20/20 vision. As the doctor pulls the instrument over my eyes and makes adjustments, I begin to see the chart on the wall come into focus.  

What will your focus be in 2020? Family, friends, how we spend our money and time …. None of these things are bad, but they can easily distract us from asking Christ daily to help keep up focused on the things that are important to Him. We must allow the Holy Spirit to be the instrument that helps us focus on the right things in the areas above. He is the only one that can help keep our eyes on loving and helping others, not just ourselves. Let’s be honest: We struggle everyday with not making today about “me.”

My 2020 goal has its roots in, of all places, a Hallmark movie! One of the characters in the movie mentioned “doing the most good.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my goal for the coming year will be to ask Christ to help me with “doing the most good.”

I know it has to be intentional. We have to genuinely care about those whom God puts in our path. (As Kevin Harney mentions in “Organic Outreach,” our efforts to do good can be counterproductive if they aren’t motivated by love.)

Jesus says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Because we were created in His image, there is a need in each one of us to help those around us. My prayer is that I look more like Christ this coming year than I did last year. As 2020 comes into focus, consider and be challenged by the following prayer:

“It is a challenge to keep my focus and attention on You, Lord. The desires of the flesh constantly pull me toward the world. Lord, help me shun the things of this world. Help me focus my attention on the things above where Christ, my Savior, dwells. Revive my heart and renew my love for You, Your word, and Your people. With your help, I want to focus fully on Christ; to commit my body, soul, and spirit to Him and to be transformed into His image. Amen.”

And finally, if you’re looking for even more encouragement for the new year, join me at the next Women’s Ministry event (link bolded words to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-new-year-new-vision-an-evening-with-chrystal-evans-hurst-tickets-79168315563) on Sunday, January 26 at 6:30pm. We’ll welcome author, speaker and podcaster Chrystal Evans Hurst as she shares her Christ-centered vision for 2020.

Kim Edde

Footer: Interested in becoming a Women’s Ministry blog contributor? Contact Jenn Dennard (  ) for details.

Interested in joining the Women’s Ministry team? Visit our Teams page to discover our various committees and which one might be the best fit for you.

In need of prayer or a fellow woman in Christ to chat with? The Women’s Ministry team would love to be there for you. Email Kim Edde (  ) to connect with one of our team members.

Connect with the Women's Ministry via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bhbcsistersoftheheart) or Instagram (bhbc_women)

What are you searching for?

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” Proverbs 8:17

If you were to google the phrase ‘top searches on google right now’ you would find a lot of sports inquiries. Doesn’t matter what team, just hundreds of thousands of people in unison asking about sports.  Over a million people recently searched for information about the Eagles football team in a 24 hour period? A million? Really? That seems like a lot of people searching for the same thing!

In fact, of the top 20 topics searched in the last 24 hours; 13 were sports, 4 were Hollywood, 2 were TV and 1 was music. If you were a curious sort and wanted to know what the top search in 2019 overall was, it was ‘Disney plus’. People are seeking, they want info, they want to know the answers.

What about you? Are you an ‘Alexa’ fan? Or perhaps ‘google assist’? Tools that help us in searching for answers. Of course, there is always the ultimate search engine… Mom! “Mom…where is my…” how many times have you heard that today?

We can’t deny that people are searching…

• Trying to pinpoint the right gift, or the elusive one.
• Trying to find the best way to cook a turkey.
• Trying to discover the reason for the season.

So, what if you find yourself still searching?

Is it possible that we are not really seeking earnestly? I recall my 3 boys playing hide and seek when they were all under the age of 8. I found the older two happily playing another game when my understanding was, they were supposed to be looking for their little brother. When questioned the oldest quickly announced that they weren’t really looking for him, but if he thought they were then he would stay quiet and the older two could play cars without him bothering them!

This advent we have been blessed by the words of many of the women of our church.  The advent books have been re-stocked. But how many of those books are being read?

How earnestly are you looking?

The advent devotional was written to help us pursue, hope, love, joy and peace. Hopefully we have walked this journey towards Christmas in search of Jesus, and just as the star led the wise men, God’s word leads us.

What if we are spending time with the Lord, and yet are still a little ragged around the edges?

Perhaps we are not letting the word penetrate our hearts? It is hard to stop. Hard to say I am going to sit and be still, be quiet. Sometimes it takes the flu, or a stomach virus to get us to be still.

I don’t want to resist stopping so much that it takes a bug to slow me down. I want to be in a place where I can voluntarily recognize the value in resting, reassessing, and rebuilding. When I stop, I will hear the Lord’s voice more clearly.

Searching is not a new thing…

Rumi a 13^th century poet said “What you seek is seeking you”

Marcel Proust a 19^th century novelist said “The voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes, but having new eyes.”

We are inquisitive people, we will always seek out answers to the questions we have. Anyone who is deeply interested in learning more, will learn more.

What are you waiting for? Turn to His word as the season of giving approaches. Accept His gift of salvation, and knowledge, and the blessing that comes with it. In the words of a fabulous hymn “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace”

CJ Crenshaw

Interested in becoming a Women’s Ministry blog contributor? Contact Jenn Dennard ( ) for details.

Interested in joining the Women’s Ministry team? Visit our Teams page to discover our various committees and which one might be the best fit for you.

In need of prayer or a fellow woman in Christ to chat with? The Women’s Ministry team would love to be there for you. Email Kim Edde ( ) to connect with one of our team members.

Connect with the Women's Ministry via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bhbcsistersoftheheart) or Instagram (bhbc_women)