A new way to give

So I don't often get super excited about things. However, when I do, I get REALLY excited!

Kiva is one of those things. I was introduced to the organization by family friends. Kiva is not a charity, it's a microloan organization. They work with field partners all around the world that give people loans to fund their business. It's not charity, it's a loan so it is expected to be paid back to you. It has a powerful effect though.

You get to choose who you would like to fund, research the field partners for risk and then loan as little as $25.

Currently, I'm helping a beauty salon and grocery store in Nigeria and a food stall in Ghana. These are real women with real ambition to bring their family out of poverty and send their children to school.

You can also be a part of teams, or small communities of loaners with similar interests. I'm part of Kiva Christians and it's amazing the dialogue people have, sharing all the organizations out there to give.

It's amazing how fast projects are funded, usually within a day. Sometimes, they even have trouble when people want to lend, but there are not enough borrowers!

If you're interested in helping out, you can go to Kiva's main site, www.kiva.org or if you would like more information, watch this video from a Kiva volunteer that explains the process.

Shorts snippets of goodness

This is from my single's Bible study a few weeks back.

What your focus is on determines your fruit.
What your fruit is determines if you will be fulfilled or just stuffed.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Listen to the Lord in all you do and wherever you go
Matthew 6:33 Steep yourself in God thoughts, God-reality-->you won't miss out.
Philippians 3:13-14 Your prize is a relationship with God. He is my reward!

Promotion

Time to catch up on some great encouragement I've received at church in the last few weeks:

Godly promotion--you don't promote yourself, your boss doesn't promote you, God is the one who promotes you (or demotes you).

Psalm 75:6-7 "

⁶ No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man.

⁷ But it is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another."

Everything we do is unto God-->this is true freedom!

Hebrews 4:13--God judges from the inside out. Doesn't matter what you do publicly, it's what's going on privately.

1. Be found content with what you have and where you are

• 1 Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain."
• Ecclesiastes 4:6 "Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind."
• How do you expect God to move you forward when you're not content with where He has placed you right now?
  

2. Be found dependable and teachable

• If you're dependable to everyone except God, something's wrong. If you will show up at every meeting on time, every obligation on time, but refuse to spend time in God's Word or push it to the side, something is wrong.
  
• Promotion comes with obedience
  

3. Be found honest

• Don't demand something that is not yours.
• When others say, "Oh that's just fine," God is saying, "No, that's not fine. It's not okay to take that stapler. It's not okay to take that paper. It's NOT yours!"
• Pastor Art shared an amazing story from his own life when he (while in the ministry) stole merchandise from his employer. He was unable to be promoted, to get a job, or even succeed in the ministry until he had called his employer and repaid what he had taken.
• Proverbs 16:11 (Amplified) "A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights of the bag are His work [established on His eternal principles]."
  

4. Be found excellent

• Reflect the character of God and His nature.
• Excellence has NOTHING to do with performance. Look at the life of Daniel (Daniel 1:16-21) He outlasted numerous kings and three kingdoms!
• Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
  

London, baby!

I figured I couldn't really contain all that London had to hold in one blog so I started on just for my trip at

http://stuckinlondon.blogspot.com

Come read about my trip, the cool people I met (I even found Skot online! I feel like I know someone semi-famous!) and the amazing things that God did.

I'll be posting as much as I can today and then trying to add more each day.

See you there!