Have you ever found yourself hiding God’s light? Do you love Jesus but you struggling to share about Him? You’re worried about what others might think of you.

It may be unintentional but you don’t shine it as brightly as God is asking or intending.

In today’s episode we are going to cover some common ways Jessica has hid God’s light in her own life. Looking over this list, can you relate at all to any of these?

Luke 8:16: No one after lighting a lamp, covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed….

Ways I’ve hid God’s light inside of me: 

*Fear, worry control- unknown and how it will work out

*Insecurities-who am I, what will people think

*We forget the gift God has given us (who He is, what He has done, and the Holy Spirit He’s put inside). 

*comfort/complacency

*faith is private- Your relationship might be but we are called to make disciples

*Busyness

*Choosing to rebel

How often do you sit at God’s feet and thank Him for who He is and what He’s done? How often are you still, remembering He is God, and ask Him what your best next right step is?

Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light.

How are you covering God’s light in your life? Did any of what Jessica mentioned ring true for you?

What if as you trust God, follow him, and share who He is and what he’s done, you help bring freedom, hope, and healing to someone else’s life? You put God’s light on a lampstand so others can see it and are drawn to it.

What would it look like in your life to stop hiding the light God has given you but boldly walking in what God is asking you?

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www.instagram.com/jessica.rippleboxes

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As we go through the Shine God’s Light Challenge, do you ever wonder how you as one person can really make a difference? Can you actually bring change?

In today’s episode, I was able to interview Mariah. She is a homeschool mom who loves God and saw a need in her community. The need was Christmas gifts for a couple kids. God took her heart, what she did for those kids and has multiplied it. Now she has started a nonprofit called Operation Joy. 

Her non-profit now spreads God’s hope and light by providing Christmas gifts to more than 1700 kids at several different schools. On top of that, this non-profit now also helps families who have unexpected things come up like being laid off from a job which makes it challenging to pay bills.

What a great example of seeing a need and shinning God’s light in her community. How are you shinning God’s light in your community today? Do you see a need that you can fill somewhere?


Would you like to help Operation Joy provide gifts to children this christmas? https://shorturl.at/hlsM6

Instagram: @myownsweetchaos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariah.schwarz

What are practical and easy ways you can share God's love and light with others?

In this episode, Jessica talks about 10 easy and tangible things you can do to help spread God's love and light to others around you. 

She talks about the importance of spending time with God and building that relationship Him because God is the source of a light and goodness. How can you spread His light when you aren't spending time with Him?

As we spend time with God, through reading scripture, memorizing scripture, and prayer our natural response is gratitude. When we are thankful, our perspective changes. It also makes people say, "wow that's different" when you always choose gratitude and joy. 

As you do those things, you can now build into community. As you learn to live life with others, iron sharpening iron, you not only learn to love better, you have the opportunity to be authentic and real. 

All of these things help you Shine God's Light. 

If you'd like to join the Share God's Light Challenge, go here: https://shinegodslight.kickoffpages.com/?fbclid=IwAR3HB37q_QnqTJfeVNLecRgcJ9WgCgEkg95mTnr-tJvWJnWJ6nvFfvrJm5I

Trust and Surrender Episode

As we finished the series on God using you where you’re at with your gifts and talents, some of you may relate more to:

I don’t know my purpose yet.
I don’t know my gifts and talents yet.


Or.

I’m in a waiting period and I’m waiting on where God is leading me. 

I’m waiting for God to tell me my next step. 

You may be in a hard season or a season that feels impossible. 

What then???

In this episode, we talk about learning to truly trust God and surrender even in the waiting. Even in the hard spaces. 

When things are hard do you trust that God is good? Do you trust that he will work all things out for good even if it’s not in the timing we expect or hope for?

Is your response, “Yeah but…” or trying to control all your surroundings?

What is Faith? Actively Trusting and surrendering that God is good. That God can see the full picture and see things we can’t yet. Going through seasons of wait and hard make us more dependant on God. As we choose to have faith and trust and surrender to our good God, things inside our heart start to shift.

If you'd like to join the Shine God's Light Challenge sign up here: 

https://shinegodslight.kickoffpages.com/?fbclid=IwAR3HB37q_QnqTJfeVNLecRgcJ9WgCgEkg95mTnr-tJvWJnWJ6nvFfvrJm5I

Join the newsletter: https://keap.page/cco915/newsletter.html

Last week Jessica interviewed Brandon who had mentioned taking the next right step in front of him. As Jessica interviews Susan this week, you can clearly see God moving one step to the next one right in front of her.

God calls each of us to certain things in different seasons. Susan and her husband felt God calling them to homeschool her three boys when they were little. Have you ever felt called to do something and as you step into it, more of it continues to open up? 

As Susan started to homeschool, she also used her love of travel and writing to write a book. This book brought amazing experiences for her boys and taught so many lessons. Susan mentioned God putting people in her path as she would take next steps. 

Who is in your path right now that you need to connect with? What opportunities is God putting in front of you that you never would have dreamed of pursuing otherwise?

The book brought Susan opportunities to speak and taught her boys amazing skills. Those skills were then used later in life as they now all have jobs that require them to speak and teach. Susan’s youngest eventually got a job as an advocate helping women who have been sex trafficked. She was able to start volunteering with Waymakers.

So many people have a heart to help those who are trafficked but what can one person do right? 

Susan reminds people that there are so many things they can do to help. People can become aware, get educated, and volunteer. You can know what to look for and how to help when you do come across it. Another easy and practical way to help is to provide restaurant gift cards for advocates. A HUGE thing people can do is pray. 

National Sex Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888

Companies you can support: (so many others)

Operation Underground Railroad: https://ourrescue.org
HRC Ministries: https://hrcministries.com/

Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking: https://faastinternational.org/about-us/our-mission

Exodus 5:1-www.exodus51.org (ending slavery in Pakistan)

Jonah Project

Shared Hope International: www.sharedhope.org

Waymakers: https://waymakersoc.org/volunteer/orange-county-human-trafficking-task-force-volunteer

In this next section, we are focusing on ways God uses us and others to impact those in the Church. Have you ever considered what your life would be like if you and your children were made to be slaves because your grandfather was in the hospital and died? Not only that but as a slave you’re considered property instead of a human being. 

In this episode, Jessica interviews Brandon McNace about the journey God took him on to building Exodus 5:1.

Have you ever wondered how God uses normal people to do big things?

How often do you follow God into unknown and uncomfortable places?

Have you ever worried about money or how God was going to provide for something He’s calling you into?

This interview gives you insight into the journey God took Brandon on from not believing in God to becoming a pastor, and eventually helping to free Christian Slaves in Pakistan. Brandon started out in real estate until God got ahold of his life, then he became a pastor, and then an evangelist. One day he was hoping to preach while he was in when God shook things up a bit. Have you ever had God tell you something that feels crazy by someone else only to have it confirmed by someone else later?

A woman came in and told him 3 very important things (later confirmed by a different woman):

1-Why are you scared about money?

2-You don’t spend enough time with Him

3-God has called you to Asia to set his people free 

If someone came up to you and said these things, would you be willing to go?

Join us as we listen to the entire journey Brandon went on and what it looks like now to actually free people from slavery in Pakistan. Pakistan, slaves are considered property not people. Exodus 5:1 makes sure they have enough funds (about $250/person) to free families all at the same time. This ministry provides housing and food for 6 months (additional $50/person), a church home to be part of and they have a school for some of the kids. 

What are ways we can support this ministry?

1. Prayer!!! Please please be praying

2. Share the word

3. Join their newsletter

4. Donate

Most importantly, ask God! “What do you want me doing with this time and talents you’ve given me? Where do you want me serving and where do you want me to help financially?”

If you’d like to pray for, follow and support this ministry you can find Brandon at:

Instagram: @brandon_mcnace

Website: www.exodus51.org

Have you ever thought about your past experiences and the gifts and talents God has given you? Do you believe he uses all of it?

In this episode, Jessica gets to interview Christine, the CEO and founder of Momspiration 412 and Eduplay Learning . Christine talks about how God used her desire as a child to play school, her education and experience as a teacher and the opportunity of parents with a need to become this amazing business she now has.

Learning is all around us and Christine teaches you to enjoy the journey.
Teaching parents to enjoy teaching and learning with their kids. She helps parents and children alike to truly have fun with learning. Christine helps parents take any lesson and provide fun, engaging, and hands-on learning opportunities.

What do our children actually need? What do they actually need to be learning? Christine talks about getting our children involved and engaging with everything we do, especially cooking and being in the kitchen. As we allow our children to be more independent, it also encourages and builds their confidence. Cooking is one of the best ways to help teach our kids how to do that. 

Christine also touches on tips on how to love your kids well while they are home over the summer or out of routine of homeschooling. One of the biggest tips she gave was making sure you set aside time to really love on your kids and invest time into them. It doesn’t have to be long but it’s intentional. Another tip she mentions is giving your children choices. If you just say find something to do, that can feel very overwhelming but choices make them feel like they have a say and some power in what they can do. The phrase, “I’m bored” is actually not a bad thing by itself. Kids can come up with creative ideas and things to do. It can also stem from kids feeling overwhelmed with what they have so they shut down. 

Christine’s website: www.eduplaylearning.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EduPlayLearning

Instagram: www.instagram.com/eduplay_learning/

One of the biggest roles we can have is being a parent. What does it look like to cast ripples of light in our families? How do we love our families and children well while pointing them to Jesus?

As a parent, have you ever felt ill-equipped and wish you had tools to help you parent the best way you can? Do you wish you could parent differently than your parents did and not just yell at your kids?

In this episode, Jessica interviews Angie who talks about her journey to learning to provide a more peaceful home for herself and her children. Through this process, God led her to start the parent toolbox as well as a podcast called Mom Essentials. 

One of the tips Angie talks about is being aware of how you respond to your kids and being aware of what you’re feeling as you’re interacting with your children. If you can be intentional about keeping your body and voice calm you can keep the entire situation calmer. Angie talks about the window of tolerance, high activation (fight or flight), and low activation (freeze mode). Another tip Angie gives is have family meetings so our kids are aware of what the week and each day looks like. That way you and the kids have clear expectations of what the day looks like and when they will get play time with mom. 

Angie provides a free 30 minute discovery call to see if her tools would be helpful for you which can be found under resources on her website. 

Website: www.parenttoolbox.info
www.Facebook.com/parenttoolbox

www.instagram.com/parenttoolbox