Are You Willing to Get Dirty?

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

Remember the story Jesus told of the good Samaritan? I see myself in that story. Unfortunately, I was more like a Pharisee than the Samaritan. If you remember, the Pharisee wasn’t necessarily bad. Jesus never said the Pharisee was a murderer or even that he was the one who robbed and beat the man on the path. No, He said the Pharisee was so busy with his “doing” church that he forgot about “being the Church.”

Go with me here. As he traveled down the road to serve at the temple, the Pharisee saw a man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. And what did the Pharisee do? He crossed to the other side because he couldn’t get dirty on his journey. If he had gotten dirty from the bloody, beaten man, he would have been considered unclean and would not have been able to serve at the temple.

That was me. I was so busy doing within the walls of the church, that I wasn’t willing to get “dirty” by the hurt and broken world around me. And let me tell you when I was convicted of that, I became broken! Broken for all that I had missed, missed opportunities to share the love of Jesus. But thank you, Jesus, for forgiveness and the opportunity to start brand new every day!

A few weeks ago, several women in our church took advantage of the opportunity to serve a family – it was a last-minute call to clean and tidy a home, to turn it into a refuge from hospital visits and busy days at work. They definitely got dirty! But oh, were their smiles at the end sincere. They got to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

In the month of March, we, too, can get dirty to serve our community. We, too, can be His hands and feet, taking the love of Jesus and His forgiveness to the broken world around us. Through 3-2-1 Serve, we are sending the Church into our “Jerusalem” to be His witnesses. Just today someone challenged me by asking, “Are you achieving a vision or completing a task?” and I immediately thought of 3-2-1 Serve. The Pharisee was doing a task — serving in the temple. Ouch! Yes, I could totally use 3-2-1 Serve as a “mark it off my list” task, but that is not the goal. It’s time to be the Church!

He asked a follow-up question” “What is your vision description?” He said, “Finish the statement, ‘The 3-2-1 Serve I see is….’” so, I grabbed a pen and began finishing that statement. After I had four pages, I knew it was more than a task; it is truly a vision to achieve.

I am not going to share all four pages with you, but I do want to share a few of the statements. You see, 3-2-1 Serve should not be us completing pharisaical duties, but rather being the Church and loving our neighbor. So here we go….

The 3-2-1 Serve I see …

• Has individuals that reach out to friends and neighbors
• Has individuals engaging in spiritual conversations
• Has individuals who serve the lost and broken
• Has individuals who grow a passion for missions
• Has individuals actively sharing the Gospel of Christ with their friends, family, community, and the world
• Has individuals taking hold of the Great Commission and the call to share Jesus with the world by going on mission locally, nationally, and internationally
• Has families growing stronger together as they serve together
• Has families that grow a heart and passion for serving their community and ultimately the world
• Has families that want to share the hope of Christ with all the broken families they meet
• Has families that develop disciples and servant leaders
• Has groups developing a heart for our community
• Has groups that serve our existing local partners with great joy
• Has groups that draw our members out of the “four walls of the church building”
• Has groups excited about talking about Jesus with our community

I pray that at the end of the month, those who accept the challenge are sharing Jesus more, are serving the broken and hurting world we live in and developing a heart and passion to live on mission. So, I challenge you — how will you serve three times as an individual? What two mission activities will you do as a family to reach out to those who are hurting or lost or just need encouragement? What will you do with a group, whether it’s your LifeGroup, care group, D-Group or Bible study group, to show Jesus to our lost and dying world? Will you accept the challenge?

Check out 3-2-1 Serve opportunities here.

Kimberly Reed

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)

Joy Comes in the Morning

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

I often have trouble sleeping. Like many women, I lay in the dark and all my thoughts begin rushing to my mind. What is my schedule tomorrow? What time is my son’s baseball game? Did I sign that permission slip for the field trip? Did my husband set his alarm? Did I close the garage? I wonder what will happen on tomorrow’s episode of This is Us….

Can you see where I’m going here? I think as women we tend to constantly plan and be on top of what is going on with our family, our careers, our friends and the world in general. And often those thoughts become very weighty. I remember distinctly lying in bed as tears fell when I realized in my mama heart that something was not quite right with my youngest son. He was about three years old and just didn’t seem to be developing as he should. In the darkness, in the night, I knew, and I cried.  

A diagnosis for you, your spouse or one of your family members can be weighty. For me, in darkness, at night, those heavy feelings become as heavy as an elephant. Tears begin to flow. Even scripture says “weeping may come in the night …” (Psalm 30:5). One commentator I read said, “Our wearied nerve and brain seem unable to bear up under pressure. Our pulse throbs and fevered, restless body refuses to help in the work of endurance.” As I lay there, my soul is weary and dark. But oh, there is hope!

Our God does not leave us. David continued to write in that verse I mentioned earlier, “but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). YES! Joy. After the struggle. After the sleepless nights, there is joy. The morning after the struggle and the heavy elephant sitting on me, light shines. The sun comes up and sheds light on a new day.

Maybe those financial struggles that keep you awake at night are still there in the morning, but there is always hope in Jesus. Maybe that child who is causing heartbreak is still a prodigal, but you can approach the throne of the Savior with joy on his behalf. Maybe that dream of marriage and family is dying after being single for so long, but God is longing to bring joy in the sunrise. The light of a new day and the hope of what is to come is never farther than a whispered prayer. He hears our cries. He sees our tears. He gives us joy.

Just this past Sunday, Pastor Mike mentioned this in the book of Lamentations. He spoke of the prophet Jeremiah being so weary because of all that had happened to him as he watched his world crumbling around him. But in Lamentations 3, starting in verse 21, he writes, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23, emphasis mine).

And joy can lead to laughter. In Ecclesiastes 3:2-4, we are reminded there is a time for everything: “A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.”

Yes, we can cry. Yes, we are to weep, to experience that brokenness; but we are also to harvest, to heal, to dance and to laugh. I love to laugh to most of all of those. It is my absolute favorite thing to do - laugh until my sides hurt. Laughter is truly the best medicine.

No, my problems have not gone away. My son has a diagnosis that he will live with for the rest of his life. And this may cause struggle in his life and ours. More tears will fall in the night. But my son is the epitome of joy! His smile in infectious. He spreads love to everyone he meets. And his laughter is contagious. And my joy always comes in the morning.

When was the last time you turned those tears to joy and laughter? Take some time and bask in the joy the Father wants to pour down on you. Join the Women’s Ministry for a free night of laughter on April 25^th at C3: Comedy, Cake and Coffee with Kerri Pomarolli. We all need a good laugh!

Kim Reed

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.

Stay up to date with Women’s Ministry events here, and missions opportunities here.

Connect with Women's Ministry via Facebook and/or Instagram @bhbc_women