Global Awareness...Wow!

In the last 24-hours at least one person from each of these countries, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, Taiwan and Ukraine have stopped by this blog. Every day that I see any country outside the U.S. listed, I am humbled and amazed that my desire to proclaim God's love, His faithfulness and His mercy is carried to places I will never go...to people I may never meet! Wow!

Leonard Sweet wrote in Summoned to Lead: "We can no longer hide behind the excuse that only the gifted or the privileged can change the course of history. We live in a time when we are not bound by position or geography or circumstance. If you hear the summons- if you know your cause- nothing can stand in the way."

Now, I'm not trying to arrogantly propose that I can somehow change the course of history...but I know the One who can! And if Him filling my heart to overflowing so that I have no choice but to proclaim Him and His Love to the world through this blog is just one tool that He will use to change a life half-way across the world...then I humbly submit: "Yes Lord! Use me, my ups and downs, my failings and victories. Use my life to shine Your Love out to a lost and dying world!"

And one more thing: If you are a person that happened along this way (no matter where you live!) and we've never met. I would absolutely love to hear your story. If you are a Jesus follower and you have a story you have just got to share because you are full to overflowing...I would be honored to hear it. And if you "stumbled" this way because you "just did"...my friend, you coming this way was no accident. There is a God who loves you beyond any love you could ever know and I would be thrilled to introduce you to Him!

Mentioned in this post:

Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Yesterday, had a good afternoon in the hot sunshine talking with a friend about God's faithfulness and how we're both feeling challenged to live radically. I shared with her about how the day before, even though I'd already been out once soliciting donations from businesses for the 24-Hour Famine, it was all I could do to take one step after another. I even was growing impatient with my son as he slowly put on his tennis shoes. The longer I sat there waiting, I could feel the confidence/doubt battle raging within me. I even told him that he needed to hurry because I needed to leave now to get out the door.

I'd already thought of an old Christmas show song the day before, but my friend without missing a beat looked at me and said, "It's just like that song from Santa Claus is Coming to Town...Put One Foot in Front of the Other." We both laughed at how great minds think alike!

Then I got this in an e-mail response to my praises for what God has been doing: "This is a great story.  And this was just you and your daughter...imagine if EACH of us took that first step out our front door..."

I feeling a theme coming on!

Tried to find a YouTube video of the original song, but all I could find was this rock version...I think I actually like it better!

Put One Foot in Front of the Other (rock version)

So, come on...Just put one foot in front of the other...and soon you'll be walking out the door!

Mentioned in this post:

Theme Song

A dear friend posted this on my Facebook profile. She said she thought she'd found my theme song.

I agree!

Had to share it with all of you!

Updated Flyers for 24-Hour Famine Now Available

On these Scrid.com links, you can find the updated Half-page Flyer which is great to give people when you're soliciting donations. And the Full-page Flyer is great for posting in businesses, work places or you classroom. Both updated versions list some of the local businesses that are supporting us.

Remember, if you have any questions about the event or how you can participate, don't hesitate to contact me (Angela Barthauer) at 859-817-1536.

An Awesome Update!

Today marked my second attempt to go out and solicit donations and/or participation from Hebron area businesses for our upcoming "24-Hour Famine to End THE Famine". I also had a few places to follow up with after having made first contact on Saturday. Today, our 13 year old, Noah went along for the journey and here's the tally so far:

Hebron Brew Haus- Donating 4 large pizzas for us to "Break the Fast" on 9/11/11 at our afternoon event; kept a "Your Change Can Make a Difference" (YCCMD) jar; commitment to give us some gift cards
Hebron Chiropractic- Kept a YCCMD jar; commitment to participate in some way on day of the 9/11/11 event
Wendy's of Hebron- Commitment to participate in some way
Penn Station of Hebron- 2 Free offers of 1 small fry & 1 small sandwich each
Papa John's of Hebron- 4 Free offers for 1 Large 1 topping pizza each
Great Clips of Hebron- Commitment to partcipate in some way
Palm Beach Tan of Hebron- Kept a YCCMD jar; commitment to participate in some way
Beef O'Brady's of Hebron- Commitment to participate in some way
Liquor Cabinet of Hebron- Kept a YCCMD jar
Dr. Tiffany Buller-Schussler, DDS- Commitment to participate in some way
Firm Foundation Home School Co-op- Participating with a "Your Change Can Make a Difference" BUCKET!

WOW! I still haven't hit all of the businesses on my side of the street and there are about half as many on the other side. I've not even begun to contemplate the timing or possibility of contacting the businesses just over the interstate. This is awesome!

Obviously, all of the change donations will be great. And these prizes and giveaways will be an even bigger draw to getting people to participate with a drop-off donation on Sunday the 11th. I'm stoked!!! And my prayer this afternoon was that as this grows, God's people would burn with passion for doing something...anything for the starving poor half a world away!

You can click on the Prayer Requests Page to find out how to continue to pray for this event.

And if you haven't read up on the Event, go to this page: 24-Hour Famine Event

Everyone that drops off a donation on Sunday, September 11th at our clubhouse (Sanctuary Place Clubhouse map) will be entered in the drawings for the above prizes.

Don't miss the opportunity to make the difference in the life of One Child at a time!

Gonna Brag on God a Little

I’ve been learning that I should praise God for Who He is and not what He does…but He just did some really cool stuff…and I feel like I need to brag on Him a little bit!

If you read my blog this morning,  I Needed This One Today,  you know I needed a little extra “oomph” of faith to get me out the door and hit the pavement to solicit donations from area businesses. I fervently prayed before I went that God would give me courage, His Holy Spirit give me His power, energy and the words to clearly express this need and to confidently ask for contributions from these businesses.

One more added blessing was I took along our youngest, Leah (8), who already has a heart for service and ministry so she got to watch this whole thing transpire. Yesterday and today both I kept having an overwhelming urge to go to a local pizza place, Hebron Brew Haus, first. Guess what? There was a reason why.

First, I met the owner, Amy, and she listened politely as I told her they could donate food for when we “Break the Fast” at 4 p.m. on September 11^th at our clubhouse. I also told her we’d like area businesses to donate gift certificates/cards or free items to be given out through a drawing to anyone that stops by the clubhouse on 9/11 and gives us a donation or does their own 24-Hour Famine and drops off the money they raised. Or she could let us put a jar for change on their counter so customers could throw loose change in it. Woohoo! She wanted to do all three!!!

You won’t be surprised to learn that this bolstered my faith all the more to start hitting up the next few places…and here’s what we came away with:

Hebron Brew Haus- 4 large pizzas for us to “Break the Fast” on 9/11; gift certificates for prizes; change jar prominently placed on their cash register counter

Wendy’s Hamburgers- Promise to have something together (either commitment for food on 9/11 or gift cards) when I check back on Monday, 8/29

Penn Station- Commitment to give us gift cards on Monday, 8/29

Papa John’s Pizza- Commitment to give us gift cards on Monday, 8/29

Palm Beach Tan- Commitment to give us gift cards and/or free products on Monday or Tuesday; checking with district manager if change jar on cash register counter is okay

PLUS, I got the names and schedules of managers/owners at China Wok, El Mariachi, Hebron Grille, Great Clips and Beef O’Brady’s

This is GOOD stuff and it’s only on our side of the road and not even all of the businesses!

So what’s in it for them? Their names as sponsors will go on every flyer we put on each of the apartment doors in our complex. Yesterday, our manager gave us approval for that AND, if you're local and you visit any of these establishments over the weekend, tell them thanks for considering support for this 24-Hour Famine.  After I have the items in hand, I’ll post it on the blog so you can tell them “Thanks” for their definite support!

Why such an long epistle? Because our God is worthy of praise for doing what He said He would do.

“Host a 24-hour famine, Angela”

“Okay, God, how will this work?”

“I’ll take care of it, you just listen and obey.”

Also, maybe my excitement will be infectious and you, your family, your cell group, your office, your classroom or whomever is in your inner circle will catch the vision for feeding starving children as well. If you participate in the 24-hour Famine, let us know so we can make room for you at the table on 9/11 when we "Break the Fast". And if you’re collecting money, keep track of donors that don’t want to remain anonymous…they can and will be entered in the drawings if the money is received by 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 11^th…plus, you get your name entered for raising funds too!

Jehovah Jireh…He is the God Who Will See To It! Jump in…and let’s watch what He does together!

Amen!

I Needed This One Today!

Since beginning this pursuit of raising money for African famine relief, I've known that God wants me to go to businesses within walking distance of our home and ask them for donations. The last few days I felt like Holy Spirit was also encouraging me to come up with a donation jar system that could be placed by cash registers to make it easy for people to donate. Doing this is no small task. We live in a highly commercial area where there are 12 eating establishments alone...plus dozens of small businesses and if I go to the industrial parks...where talking an easy 30+ more!

Not to mention, I've also got a Single Moms' Night Out coming up for which I'll soon be taking reservations, need volunteers and donations, all without asking people to help because I believe God's way to provide for Boundless Ministries is through His Spirit calling people, not me.

Now, something you may or may not know about me is that I'm just a wee bit A.D.D....never diagnosed...but have many classic symptoms. So it is very easy to become overwhelmed when a task seems insurmountable. I strive to break it down into manageable pieces...but sometimes, especially with God's work, like these situations...I allow myself to listen to the enemy that there's just no way this can be done...or even if it can (in the case of the African famine), it's just a drop in the bucket so what difference will it make anyway?

Yesterday was that day.

Ugh! I wish God could just give you a vision for something and then you could just DO IT and not have to contend with an adversary attempting to thwart you at every step along the way. I know I don't resemble a pillar of faith by any stretch of the imagination...but I'm just trying to be very real. My honesty about this struggle isn't to convict anyone to step up and help me...it's so that someone else who comes along later can read and know that the doubt with which they struggle is normal. In fact, for many millennia satan has been using this tactic to stop the people of God dead in their tracks.

Beth Moore says, "At times, the evidence of what we can see stacks up so high against the assurance of what we can't that a lifelong faith crumbles in a moment." I don't claim to ever have had superhuman faith. But I know when my faith crumbles that God has told me to "take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish the arrows of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16) I even had a note in my workbook that's a quote from "How to Train Your Dragon". "When in doubt, ALWAYS go for the shield!"

"When we are convinced that God is believable and we respond to Him in faith, practically nothing can get through to us." (Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself) This morning, Holy Spirit asked me to name exactly what I was afraid of yesterday. Honestly, I don't think it was the fear of business owners telling me no or the embarrassment of asking. I think it was more likely that I was afraid of being disappointed that no one really cares about millions of people starving half a world away. I guess ultimately, the fear is that God will fail to provide for this calling/vision He has given me.

I'm not proud of this...I am just being honest.

Once I named the fear, He lovingly reminded me that He gave me this vision, He gave me this calling...and He will see it through. My only part is every single moment to keep asking Him if and what He wants me to do...and then do it! No fear...no shame...no holding back!

This morning, my Bible study was, as always perfectly timed! I was blessed to read about Elisha in 2 Kings 6:8-10 and how God opened the eyes of Elisha's servant to the thousands of unseen warriors of God ready to do battle on behalf of Elisha.  Holy Spirit reminded me of Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

So today, in fact as soon as I finish posting this, I'm getting dressed, getting my supplies ready and heading out with one or more of my kids and we are going to walk around spreading the word that there is a way to help one child at a time in the Horn of Africa. And as we do it, I'm sure the enemy will attempt to easily entangle me so that I can't run the race. But I'm equally as certain that with every step we take, there will be an innumerable cloud of witnesses cheering us on!

New Resources You Can Use To Raise Famine Awareness

If you're considering joining us in the "24-Hour Famine to End THE Famine", I've added some new resources to Scribd.com.

There are now Full-Page Flyer and Four Jar Labels documents that combined with the Half-Page Flyers  make it absolutely easy to raise money with your friends, family, neighbors, classmates and co-workers. You could even try taking a jar into a local businessman with whom you have a relationship and ask if they'd like to participate by allowing you to place the jar by their cash register.

Half-Page Flyers are two per page and are easy to take with you when you talk to neighbors, family, co-workers, or church members if you're going to personally solicit donations and support for your participation in the 24-Hour Famine.

The Full-Page Flyer is great to have on hand for posting in Northern Kentucky area businesses if you'd like to spark some interest and awareness for not only this event but also the famine in the Horn of Africa.

If you have a growing passion to break out and do great things, consider printing out the Famine Jar Labels. There are four on each page. Just cut them out, tape or glue onto a jar with a slotted lid, take it to an area business, go door-to-door asking your neighbors to support you or ask your teacher if you can make this a class fundraiser by placing a jar in your classroom. The important thing is a little goes a long way! Just $0.25 feeds One child for One day!

For just a little paper, a little ink, a little cutting, taping and leg work, you can make a HUGE impact in saving the life of a child!
Don't ever hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or want to obtain more information about how you can participate.

Angela Barthauer
859-817-1536

Prayer Requests and Updates

There have been some answers and some more requests. Click on the Prayer Request Page for more information.

Today We Prayed for China

As part of the Radical challenge by David Platt, we have been praying for a different country each day when we sit down to do school. Today was The People's Republic of China. I have always loved learning, reading, watching movies or documentaries, anything about China. I know several people who have adopted from China and I enjoy hearing their stories  about visiting there. I've even been blessed to follow the progress of two different friends as they have adopted and one of them currently adopting for a second time (see The Miller Family Chronicle) I know one family that lives in China because of a desire laid upon their hearts many years ago to serve God in this country.

One of my favorite movies as a child was "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" and later as an adult I enjoyed reading the biography of Gladys Aylward whom Ingrid Bergman plays in this 1958 movie. Now as a parent I was thrilled when I watched it recently to have Leah watch with me and later have her ask to watch it again. [By the way...I'm convinced someday Leah will serve God overseas somewhere!]

Something within me just beats a little faster when I hear stories of house churches, smuggling Bibles and the persecution that believers in China face. We are blessed to live in a time of unprecedented growth in God's church...mostly because of the rapid, explosive growth in China. In 1975, there were about 2.7 million evangelical Christians in China. In 2010, there are reportedly well over 75 million (potentially a conservative estimate)...all in a country where to be a radical Christian runs a huge risk of imprisonment, torture or even death.

Francis Chan recently, intentionally travelled to parts of the world where Christians are persecuted for their faith. While in China, the believers just assumed that every Christian in the world suffers for Jesus...because of their experience and the precedent for this set in the Bible. He said they laughed when he explained that 'no...some Christians in my country will even leave a church just because they don't like the music.' He said they could not comprehend this at all.

Suffice it to say, I love China. God has given me the desire to see the country and her people someday and I pray it comes to fruition! In the meantime...we were blessed today to have an opportunity to pray for them. Here's a prayer video to watch if you'd like to share in this blessing.

Also mentioned in the post:
Operation World pray for China

I Owe Abbey an Apology

It's taken a few days for me to become aware of a HUGE mistake I made recently with my 15 year old. Abbey has been watching as God has been working in our family and in my life. She even told me this past week to quit bragging...but I quickly pointed out that I'm bragging on God and not myself, thus, it's okay to brag about what He's doing. Funny thing was...I was so focused on what He has been doing in my life that I completely missed an opportunity to brag on Him for what He's done in Abbey's.

This past weekend Abbey's friend's family asked her if she'd like to go see "Wicked" with them when it comes to town in November. She was more than excited. She loves Broadway musicals and has wanted to see "Wicked" for awhile now. Then, she found out they're getting better seats than we've ever been able to get to a show, so her excitement just keeps going up exponentially. [Did I mention that they'll also be seeing the show exactly one week before her 16th birthday? Kinda cool, huh?]

Now while all of this is amazing and totally worthy of praise to God for providing such a fun gift, this morning Holy Spirit whispered something to my heart that just makes it even more awesomely amazing...don't know if awesomely is a word, but it is now!

Actually, what He brought to mind was a memory...a very vivid memory...of Abbey walking into my room about two to three weeks ago and blurting out something like, "Do you think God would be okay with us asking Him to go see Wicked?"

I wish I could tell you I said, "Wow honey! That's a great idea...ask Him and if He gives you the confidence that He'd like for you to keep asking...then go for it." But to tell the truth, I don't even remember what I said. I just have this feeling that it was more like, 'With all of the other things we need, do you think it should be a priority for us to pray for that?'

Yes, I am adequately ashamed of my lack of faith!

What I saw as a frivolous expense...God saw as a opportunity to "Wow!" my daughter. And as I sit here duly chastened it occurs to me that the Broadway musical thing has always been something that she and I have shared together. Maybe if I'd had enough faith to ask with her we could have shared this one too. But at the same time I'm thrilled that God raised up someone else to provide this blessing for Abbey...wow!...what a gift! What a blessing! What a God!

He knows...better than anyone...that these kids are watching absolutely everything He is doing in our lives and our family. He knows that I'm telling them it's okay...in fact it's God-ordained...for us to chase lions. And He knows us inside out...our passions, desires, potential. And He delights in giving us wonderful gifts beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine.

So I owe Abbey an apology for not believing. And my prayer is the next time an opportunity arises to increase my children's faith I become swiftly aware of it and trust Holy Spirit's discernment and guidance for how to pray.

Wow! What a lesson, not just for me. But also what a gift to at just 15 years old to be able to know that your Abba (Daddy) loves you so much He'll throw a Broadway musical ticket your way!

More Information About Kids Against Hunger

100% of the money donated to us for our "24-hour Famine to End THE Famine" will be given to Kids Against Hunger's Cincinnati location. (Paypal fees excluded) This link is directly to the Cincinnati Kids Against Hunger. To find out more about their Horn of Africa Relief Campaign, click on this link 11 Million at Risk

Please consider donating to this event. It is not by coincidence that God planned our fast to run from Saturday, September 10th through Sunday, September 11th. While our entire country remembers the 10th anniversary of the most tragic day in our history...a day of death and unspeakable acts...WE will be celebrating life! The opportunity to give hope toward new life!

To read more about this event, go to The Big Announcement

The specific event page is at 24-Hour Famine for Kids Against Hunger Event

To find out how you can pray for this event visit our Prayer Requests and Needs Page


You can mail donations to:
Angela Barthauer
2265 Flicker Dr., #139
Hebron, KY 41048
USA

Or click on the Paypal button on this blog. (Paypal fees are automatically deducted from the donation given.)

God's Faithfulness

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

I've been learning about God's faithfulness the last few days. His lessons are always timely, but as He has begun to lay lion-sized projects out before me...I'll admit...to be reminded of His faithfulness is very comforting.

The first thing I learned about God's faithfulness is "In a nutshell, faithfulness is believing the reality of a sovereign God." (Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself) This is not believing my reality...but God's. It's not projecting myself (wants, desires, good ideas, plans, etc.) on to Him...it's researching His Word, conversing with Him through prayer constantly, allowing Him to open my eyes to His promises, His ways...who He is...and not allowing satan to deceive me into believing God is someone or something that He never said He was or is. This is His reality...not mine!

This isn't easy. From day one, we have expectations, histories, environmental circumstances, cultural ideas and agendas that are thrust upon us not of our own choosing. It can take years or even decades for God to peel back all of this to get to the heart of becoming who He created us to be. One example...did you go to college right out of high school because you absolutely knew that was God's plan for your life? You prayed extensively about it and it completely resonated within you that this was God's absolute best for you when you graduated. Or did you go to college becasue that's what was expected by parents, teachers and friends...or even just because it's what everyone else was doing? Maybe God's reality for me was to serve in the Peace Corps for a year, then get some experience in entry level jobs for a few years to learn my passions and what I'm good at so I could know if and what college education I should receive.

Just a thought!

But the point is when our desire is to live in God's reality...we have to question everything we've ever been taught about societal norms and expectations...yes, question everything!

The second lesson is that Holy Spirit can begin to grow His fruit of faithfulness in me only as I believe in God's. "Faithfulness is resting in His certainty, being persuaded by His honesty, trusting in His reality, being won over by his veracity...being sure that He's sure and believing he's worth believing." (Living Beyond Yourself) Amen! I can be faithful to God's calling in my life because I can trust that He is certain, He is honest, I can trust His reality...His veracity ("habitual observance of truth" yep...I had to look up the definition!)

And then yesterday, I learned the third lesson, which for me was the most profound. Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (emphasis mine) I know I have heard of "God's will for your life" and daily ask Holy Spirit to help me surrender my will to submit to His...but I'm not sure I've ever comprehended exactly what that means. Honestly, I think I've just thought it meant His way. I need to let Him have His way in my life. And while that's not inaccurate...it is a lot more.

"The Greek word translated as will is thelema which is 'not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy...it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure.'" (Living Beyond Yourself) So God created all things...including me...as "an expression or inclination of pleasure". This isn't exactly a new thought but another thought did Wow! me.

If I'm created for His pleasure then why would I ever allow worry, doubt, fear, trouble, negativity, criticism, bitterness or stress to consume me? Does it please God when I allow satan to thwart God's reality in me through the use of these tactics? The obvious answer is No! I can't ever imagine a time when it would be in the realm (the reality!) of God's pleasure for me to be burdened down carrying any of these emotions. So how do I not give into them?...check myself back into God's reality...not my own.

My reality might be that the bills are late getting paid...my children are driving me batty with fighting and nastiness...my spouse and I may be at each others' throats...I may feel like a failure...I may have actually even failed through sin. But God's reality is to turn all of this over to Him and let Him figure it all out and show me how He would have me respond to each. Sounds a lot more peaceful doesn't it? And yes, one of the aspects of the Spirit's fruit is peace (see Galatians 5:22-23 above!).

But praise His awesome Name...He went a little further to drive this all into my head and heart a little bit further. He gave me a verse in 2 Corinthians that I can take to the bank. [I've added secondary meanings to words or cross-references from my Bible in brackets and parentheses]

"But as God is faithful (true), our word to you is not yes and no. For...Jesus...was not yes and no, but is yes [Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"] in Him (God). For as many (numerous) as are the promises of God, in Him (Jesus) they are yes; therefore also through Him (Jesus) is our Amen (so be it) to the glory (true character of God) of God through us. Now He who establishes (confrms) us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit (Holy Spirit) in our hearts as a pledge (down payment)." (2 Corinthians 1:18-22)

What the heck does this mean??? If, like me, you need to read it through a few times...maybe I can save you a little brain power by sharing what Holy Spirit put together in my heart.

#1- God is True!
#2- Because of Jesus, God's yes is yes...never no. He's not wishy-washy in other words.
#3- Because Jesus never changes, if He said it 2000 or even 5000 years ago, it's still true (yes) today!
#4- God's promises are too numerous to count and in Jesus, those promises are always yes (true)!
#5- Because of #1-#4, Jesus is the Amen (the "so be it" because you know it's true) to all of those promises which make the true character (the glory) of God shine out of our lives.
#6- Because God wants us (his followers) to look more like Him (#5), He anoints us (covers and sets us aside) to be confirmed (established) in Jesus.
#7- The seal(distinguishing marker that NO ONE can break open) that is set on us and given to us to remind us of all of this so we never have to doubt God is His Holy Spirit. And He puts right in our hearts so we're never without Him.
#8- This is yet another promise (pledge) of God's and you can put a down payment on it!

Just let this wash over you for a few minutes and ask Him to show you the promises in your life that you can absolutely go to the bank on that He will always say "yes" to. For me, it's His Love, His provision, His discipling (teaching), His mercy, His grace and I'm even learning that He won't lay a desire on my heart and help me stand firm in it unless there's a "yes" to go along with it. That's how I knew (and could go to the spiritual bank on) that He would give us a mini-vacation this summer (see Why Is God so Good to Us?). That's how I know each month even though things are tight, we will have food and clothing (Matthew 6:33). That's why I know His Spirit is always working in the lives of those who love and believe Him (John 3:8). And the biggie for me right now...I know that's why He would not lay upon my heart the plan and passion for the 24-hour Famine (see Event Page and  the Big Announcement) or Boundless Ministries or the events/service opportunites that go along with this minstry to single moms (Events Page) or even the desire to pray more and for the first time in my life passionately intercede for others (see Prayer Requests Page) if He was just going to eventually say "NO!" in the long-run.

Nope! As His desires, His passions, His will, His pleasures become mine, there' a big 'ol "Yes!" coming my way...and I can go to the bank on that!

Mentioned in this post:

My Belated Birthday Present

I'm on the computer because I was too excited to finish my belated birthday present! I'd asked Abbey to take photos of each of the kids (and I snuck one of her off of Facebook!) so I could make a collage of them for myself. That's all I wanted for my birthday...and it didn't cost a thing...until I go somewhere to print it off.

So, these are my kids. And they're pretty much a gift to me every day. Yeah, we have our rough days and our difficult bumps in the road but even during those times the lessons they've taught me about myself and how I should relate to my heavenly Abba (Daddy) are still gifts that I will always treasure.


**Again another plug for Abbey photos and her blog. You can see I'm not just a proud mama...she really does have an artist's eye and an amazing gift. Painting a Picture

The Big Announcement!

I’m sure by now if you watch any news on television or internet, you’ve heard there is a devastating famine taking place in the area known as the “Horn of Africa”.  Observers are calling this the worst famine in 60 years. What this means is about 12 million people are at risk of dying due to starvation if something is not done soon. By some estimates over 60,000 people have already died…mostly children. This number is almost half the population of my nearest big city, Florence, Kentucky.

I recently watched an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and U2’s lead singer, Bono, where Bono acknowledged that drought is naturally occurring in the world, but famines are man-made. There is no reason in our globally aware world why so many have to suffer needlessly. He added that it is imperative for relief agencies to make sure the food actually gets to the people. The supplies are coming, but safety, security and clearance need to be given to the aid workers against the often hostile regimes or warlords to get food to the people who need it. As a father of four children, Bono expressed the pain he would undergo if, like so many of these African parents he had to choose which child was weakest to leave by the side of the road to die because the parent is too weak to carry them all to the refugee camp to get food.

I cannot imagine!

As our family has taken on David Platt’s Radical challenge of praying for a different country each day we sit down to do school, I’ve watched as my children’s eyes and hearts are being opened to the plight of the downtrodden around the world. I almost cried last week when Leah (8) while watching me play a game of Farkle (of all things!) commented that she wished I was winning REAL money while playing it. The total was around $6000 and I asked her what she would do with $6000 if she had it. Without hesitation she said, “I’d buy a DSi (not unusual for an 8 year old to say) and then give the rest to the kids in Africa.”

Oh, to have the faith of a child again!

Very early the morning of August 17^th Holy Spirit woke me up to pray about a lot of things that were weighing on my mind. During the long conversation with Him, I believe He laid upon my heart a very lofty goal that ties together my desire to serve the deeply impoverished, serve single and widowed moms, involve our children in ministry, and do something…anything about this famine and to become the lion chaser that He created each of us to be. (This idea of courageously battling lions that come before us was planted in my heart by the amazing book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day based on 2 Samuel 23:20) Holy Spirit grew the idea in my heart of borrowing from World Vision’s 30-hour famine to have our own 24-hour famine and raise funds to purchase food to pack with our local Kids Against Hunger organization in the Cincinnati area.

The plan? Saturday, September 10^th, our family will begin fasting at 4 p.m. and continue until Sunday, the 11^th when we’ll "Break the Fast" with anyone that would like to join us at 4 p.m.

What do we need you to do? Sponsor us in this endeavor and donate money. Yeah, I hate asking people for money, but this isn’t for us. 100% of all money donated will be given to Kids Against Hunger, with only one exception.  If you donate via our blog through Paypal, Paypal does charge fees and that amount will be automatically deducted by them. It’s a convenience charge for being able to use credit/debit cards. When you donate, please specify on Paypal notes or on the memo line of your check “24-hour famine” or “Kids Against Hunger”. We do not solicit donations for Boundless Ministries, our ministry to single moms. It is entirely Holy Spirit led, so please designate if you are specifically giving toward this one-time event.

I said it was a lofty goal…but I don’t think it’s too much for our God to collect the $6000 that Leah wants to give to the “kids in Africa” (although no DSi this time!). Using Kids Against Hunger’s “Miracle Math” of 1 person + 2 hours + $120 = food for one child for a year, (if I’m calculating correctly) $6000 would feed 50! That translates into 18,250 meals for children in Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya!

Saturday, September 24^th Kids Against Hunger is having an African Relief Day (not by coincidence I think!) for packing food. My prayer is that we’ll be there having already given them the funds that are raised through our very brief famine and witness first-hand God’s people coming together to make a difference in the lives of many struggling with long-term famine. In Summoned to Lead by Leonard Sweet, he writes, “We can no longer hide behind the excuse that only the gifted or the privileged can change the course of history. We live in a time when we are not bound by position or geography or circumstances. If you hear the summons--if you know your cause—nothing can stand in the way.”

We’re ready to chase a lion…in this case famine…come chase it with us. Please give today! Better yet, have your family join ours in participating in this 24-hour famine and packing food with Kids Against Hunger. You can contact me for more details at a.barthauer@gmail.com or 859-817-1536.

There is also a detailed 24-Hour Event Page on this blog and on Boundless Ministries Facebook page. To jump start ideas on how to approach people to sponsor you or to have a half-page flyer on hand to describe the event, see this link 24-hour famine half-page flyer

All praise, glory and honor to Him alone!

Angela Barthauer, Director
Boundless Ministries

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Mail cash or checks made out to me at:

Angela Barthauer
2265 Flicker Dr, #139
Hebron, KY 41048

Or donate through the PayPal link on this site.

**A complete donors' list will appear on our monthly financials page on this site. All donors and donated amounts will be listed unless you specify your desire to have it remain anonymous**

Something Fun is Coming!

It's not only going to be FUN! It's going to be HUGE too! I can't wait to share...but it probably would be nice for me to tell my husband first.

I'm just so stinkin' excited that I'm busting at the seams! Literally...I was weepy and smiling just thinking about it...that counts as busting seams doesn't it? I've already had a chance to share with the kids and there were a few mixed emotions, but overall positive excitedness (or at least as excited as teenagers get!)

So hold on a little while and come back real soon. There are a few things to get ready before I share. I hope to have more details ironed out very quickly. But here's a hint...

We're getting ready to chase a lion! (see "Utter Foolishness")


Julie Flanagan...I just want to shake you right now and say, "Guess what God is doing?!" Woohoo!

There's Not Much I Can Do

Well, that's not exactly true. It's just that what I can do, doesn't look like much is being done, and the do that I do requires very little physical doing so when it's done it looks like I didn't do anything.

Confused? Yeah...I was too. But here's an explanation...hopefully it will make more sense!

While I was sitting at the Cincinnati Reds game on Sunday, the thought occurred to me (yes, probably Holy Spirit inspired!) that I had absolutely nothing to do with making that day happen. I mean, here were 8 people watching a Major League baseball game and we had done nothing (financially) to put all of the pieces in place. Sure, I had to send a couple of e-mails and order the tickets online, but other donors had given us the tickets and even given this ministry money for gas, parking and treats to make it possible for two families to enjoy that day at the ballpark.

Sitting there, taking in this revelation and with a heart full of grateful praise to our Abba that delights in giving His kids some "treats" sometimes, I heard His Spirit say to my heart, "This is why I've called you. Because I will receive the greatest glory." And He's right. There's no way in our present circumstances that we can provide these sorts of gifts to ourselves...let alone single moms. But precisely because we can't...God gets to...and He gets the greatest glory!

The very next morning (Monday), when I started turning over my concerns to God and I began praying and interceding for some of the single moms we know, satan began to try to overwhelm me with sheer terror that this list could get much, much longer very quickly. I think I said something to God like, "God HOW are you going to do it all?" And He said, "That's just it...I'm going to do it all...not you."

It was then that the sentence above made absolutely perfect sense to me--"It's just that what I can do, doesn't look like much is being done, and the do that I do requires very little physical doing so when it's done it looks like I didn't do anything."

What I can do is pray!

[Attempting to explain this to a friend in an e-mail, I sent the following to her] I almost laughed when I thought back over how many times in my journey I've said, 'I struggle with praying.' 'I'm not good at prayer.' 'Praying is not my gift.' And wouldn't you know...this Abba with an absolutely huge sense of humor calls me to a ministry where that is the only thing I can do! I literally almost LOL'd!

Yes, I need to still be faithful and obedient when He tells me to give and to do it to whomever He tells me to without a second thought or passing judgment. But if I went to work or Dale made triple what he does and all I had to do to help a single mom was to write a check...where's the fun in that? Don't get me wrong...it would be nice...but I'd miss out on the joy of interceding for others. I wouldn't get to have 'wrestling matches' with my Abba. I may not get the double blessing of seeing a long hoped for prayer come true. And I know when I'm not praying for others...I'm thinking about my own issues too much...and satan uses that to grow dissatisfaction and disappointment in me.

All of this realization came after having a week last week when I felt like all I did was home school. Yikes...did I really allow satan to tell me I was wasting time by only home schooling?! Woe to me! God was using last week as an opportunity to let me rest a little while (a think because I'd been doing some battle the week before over judging others!) and to let it really sink in deep that He has placed four beautiful disciples in my constant care and influence. Now, satan wants to beat me up over everything they've missed or how I've warped them in the past...but Holy Spirit said, "No Angela...you have today. What will you teach them of Me today?" Maybe for that day it is "just home school" but maybe another day it's 'Let's go to a Reds game with a family that might otherwise never get the chance.'

I'm humbled by how awesome, loving and overflowing with grace my Abba is. I wish absolutely everyone could know how much He delights in teaching us these lessons. It's discipline...pure and simple. But not the nasty 'punishment' that we think of...discipline actually simply means teaching.

What God is doing completely boggles my finite, human brain. What He is going to do is "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." (Ephesians 3:20) And the only thing I can do is pray.

I know...it doesn't sound like much...but I like to think of it as "bending the ear of the Head Honcho." And if there's any ear I want to "bend"...it's His. Can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have access to! Cause He is Jehovah Jireh...The God Who Will See To It! Amen!

Cincinnati Reds Game

Due to the generous donations of a few individuals, we were able to attend a Cincinnati Reds game free of charge on Sunday, August 14th. They played the San Diego Padres and lost...but we still had a fun time.

The best part was that we were able to take a single mom friend of ours and her three boys along with us. This is a family we're just starting to get to know and the blessing of being able to share this together was a gift from God for which we are very thankful!

On our Prayer Requests Page, we'd even asked for prayer for God to work out the details and, of course, He did! Someone had given us a cash donation that could be used for gas, parking and treats at the park. No detail is too small for Abba to take care of. It was even cooler than it had been in recent days, we were under covered seating so the rain that started didn't send us running for protection and the sun was only out long enough to give us a little heat and a little sunburn.

So thanks to all who freely and sacrificially give to this ministry. A day at the ballpark and fun was had by a couple of families that might otherwise not be able to attend a major league ball game!



Bi-monthly Prayer Requests Update

We've e-mailed our Prayer Request Page out to our Prayer Partners a few times this month already as we've been in contact with a mom that is in crisis-mode facing choices and consequences that stem from having no financial support from her estranged husband for almost two years. Please continue to pray for her.

We've also added new updates and requests and will continue to do so throughout the month. Posts and e-mails will only go out mid and end of months unless there is an urgent request that we feel we need to get out.

God is showing more and more that while I've "known" for years or possibly even said that 'prayer is vital to any ministry', in our situation it is a foundational building block and absolutely essential! I am convinced that without prayer over this ministry and intercession for these families (including our own), we will accomplish very little in our own strength. But God is proving that He is capable of doing anything...and prayer is how we line up our wants, desires and needs with His. Just click on the link Prayer Requests Page to see the updates of how God is answering prayer!

If you're already a Prayer Partner...thank you! You are absolutely vital to this ministry. If you'd like to become a Prayer Partner, please e-mail me at a.barthauer@gmail.com

All praise, glory and honor to Him alone!
Amen!

Utter Foolishness

As I've been reading through In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, I've been challenged, encouraged and definitely had  a lot of reflection on why we aren't more courageous, daring and creative. Then yesterday, I read this: "I believe that somewhare deep down inside all of us there is a primal longing to do something crazy for God."

And this: "Noah looked foolish building an ark in the desert. Sarah looked foolish buying maternity clothes at ninety. The Israelites looked foolish marching around Jericho blowing trumpets. David looked foolish attacking Goliath with a slingshot. Benaiah looked foolish chasing a lion. The wise men looked foolish following yonder star. Peter looked foolish stepping out of the boat in the middle of the lake. And Jesus looked foolish hanging half-naked on the cross."
"But that's the essence of faith. And the results speak for themselves."

Am I willing to look foolish on behalf of my God? Hmmm...good question!

I have before. There are a few very specific times when I know I looked foolish during worship. In fact, one of my favorite stories to tell is that a few months ago some water went down the wrong way and as I was choking in the kitchen I raised both my hands to catch my breath and stop gagging. (old trick I learned from my Dad!) But when the episode was over, Noah said, "I didn't even know you were choking...I just thought you were praising God!" I LOVE that I'm evidently foolish during worship often enough that he just thought this was a normal thing for me to do!

But am I willing to do the things (outside of a worship service) that God is calling me to that will make me look absolutely foolish in the eyes of man?

I know this is not just a passing thought for me...I am truly being challenged. I went to bed with this on my mind last night because I'd just read the above passages to Dale. Then this morning, my youngest turns on a VeggieTales to watch and guess which one it was...Josh and the Big Wall

I can't think of anything more foolish than trying to knock down a wall by simple walking around it seven days in a row. But as I heard the kids watching the movie, God was putting this whole idea of foolishness together for me. I now had a specific lesson I wanted to share with the kids during our Bible and prayer time this morning. They'd watched the video of Josh, so they had a visual reference (even though the real people of Jericho didn't toss slushies at the Israelites!) and I read a few passages and gave them some background out of In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, but there was one more video I wanted them to watch.

A friend recently posted this on her Facebook page. Watch it! You'll be amazed.

In our culture, there are a lot of people that could not imagine anything more foolish than giving up a college education and going to serve in Uganda teaching kindergarten. Even more crazy than that is being only 21 years old and having 14 daughters to care for. I'm teary just thinking about the massive amount of faith this would take. I love how Katie makes it sound so simple though. (I'm paraphrasing) 'The Bible says to love others as we love ourselves. Well...my self wouldn't want to be hungry, so I don't want anyone else to be hungry.'

Maybe I should trade the word foolish for simple-minded, huh?

Batterson goes on to talk about child-like faith and how Jesus told us that we should come to Him as little children. All you have to do is go sit at a playground for a few hours to see some pretty daring, creative and yes, foolish behavior.

So what's He calling you to do that is utter foolishness? For us, I'm not sure. I think living, by choice, at two times below the poverty level for a family of six and giving 10-25% of that away is just a start. In fact, go back over that list above that's from this book...Noah, Sarah, Joshua, David, Benaiah, the wise men, Peter, Jesus. Yep, I'd say we have a long way to go before we're anywhere near as foolish as they were.

But I need to be ready. If He says, "Will you be a fool for Me, Angela?" I want to be able to respond swiftly with a wholehearted, "I will!"

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Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for a Mom of 5 that is in a very critical financial situation. More information can be found on our Prayer Request Page

Praise His Name!

A Little Nepotism Never Hurt Anyone

My daughter, Abbey, has become quite the photographer. She's always loved snapping photos and in the last few years, we've realized she has a really good eye for it. Actually, she sees with an artist's eye. She's a pretty decent artist as well and you can tell from her photographs.

As she's posted more and more of them on Facebook, she keeps getting a lot of positive feedback. At the encouragement of many friends and family, she's testing the waters to see where this could lead. She's started a blog to post some of her favorites that can be purchased. Also, as she photographs people too, she's posting some samplings to see if anyone would be interested in having her do a photo shoot.

Check out her blog Painting a Picture

One of my favorites is the picture of treebark at the bottom of the blog. She honestly sees things that I would never give a second glance. Here's some more samplings:

Okay, I just have to comment on this one...who knew blades of grass where so beautiful!

Oh yeah...by the way...I didn't tell her I was doing this. I'll probably get a lot of grief for publishing these. But if a mama can't brag on her kids, who can?

Making Disciples

Today our pastor spoke about making disciples. One of the Scriptural texts he referred to was Matthew 28:19-20:
^19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

If you've been around an American church very long, you too have probably heard one (or many) sermons regarding this passage. But today, Wes said something different...probably still not new information...but Holy Spirit used it to open my eyes to a blessing I have that I don't always view as a blessing.

I won't be able to remember verbatim what Wes said, but it went something like this, 'The idea of a teacher in our culture is much different from what it meant in the Middle East during the time of Jesus. We think of teachers as someone who you have for a year or a semester in a class that teaches you things that you study and try to remember in order to pass a test to move on to the next level and then you don't see them anymore. But a teacher in Jesus' time was someone who entered into your life. You lived with them, they taught you every day, you shared meals with them, you taught them all of your knowledge and how to live..."

And right there...that's when Holy Spirit said, "That sort of sounds like home schooling." Honestly, I don't remember the rest of the sermon because I was too preoccupied with playing out just exactly what this means in our family...more specifically for me.

I've always said that I home schooled because I didn't want our children learning their character and morals from someone I didn't know. When they were young, I didn't want someone else having more influence on them than we did. And yes, that means they've learned some bad habits and inappropriate attitudes from us too. But my responsibility has always been when Holy Spirit reveals to me where I've messed up or what needs to change in me, I am honest with my kids about it. I apologize when needed, I tell them when I've been wrong and as much as I allow Holy Spirit to help me, I obey Him to change the behaviors that need changing.

But today, a light bulb went off. Our children are the first four disciples that we have been given the opportunity to teach the ways of God. While we have been doing this, it seems like the pressure to conform to the expected norms of math, writing, reading, history, science, etc often have made me push Bible lessons to the back burner. I've previously shared about how God has laid on my heart through David Platt's book Radical, that we should start Praying For the World. While we haven't been doing this everyday, we have gone through all of the A and B countries of the world. The great thing is the kids are learning World Geography too!

And each day that we do this, we read a portion of Scripture and discuss it. As much as possible, we go to our home school co-op's nursing home service days that are scheduled once a month. And I've shared on here repeatedly how we are learning to minister together as a family. Boundless Ministries is our family's ministry to other families.

If our children leave our home and don't understand the Way of God, then I have not been a very good teacher. Right now, there's a lesson on forgiveness from the Beth Moore study that I wanted to sit down and do with them (at least the older ones) because it's appropriate to some things that have happened to them. One great thing about home schooling (and there are many!) is that when Holy Spirit says, "Teach them this lesson on forgiveness today." I can set aside the math, the spelling, the literature and do it. After all, if my kids become math whizzes, can win national spelling bees, can read Shakespeare in fourth grade...but don't learn to live a life of sacrifice for others so that people and themselves can know the love of Jesus...then I will feel that I have failed.

I think I now see just one more great lesson that God has been teaching me through His Spirit...these children are our disciples. We are to "teach them to observe all (Jesus) commanded (us)." Even better, Dale and I don't have to do this alone or in our own strength...in fact, we can't. We're human...we will mess up...but the best part of all is that "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

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This is SO Cool!

The three younger kids and I went to a pool party up at the apartment complex clubhouse for lunch. We were sitting out by the pool and I asked Noah to go in and see if he could find out what they were raffling off. He didn't get any information and I didn't see any prizes listed either...but I went ahead and put our name in the basket anyway.

About 10 minutes later, here comes the manager's assistant and says we'd won something. Cool! Turns out it was a $10 Kroger card. Nice...that will help with a little gas or groceries this week. And there was a gift certificate to the consignment shop right up the street that Abbey has been to a few times. I opened it up and was surprised to see that it's for $25.

The truly cool thing about this is that just yesterday, Rebekah (10 years old) put on a pair of jeans that have definitely become too small since she wore them a few months ago. As I told her to put them in my room so I could put them away for Leah, I didn't really consciously breathe a prayer...but if we're trying to center ourselves in God's will every moment of every day, then I guess it was a prayer, wasn't it?? Anyway, it went something like, "Ohhhh...she's going to need clothes soon. I hope we have the money."

It appears that it doesn't matter if it was a formal, actual, cognisant prayer or not...God answered it anyway! He's just kinda cool like that!

Even MORE Answers and Praise!

See the updated Prayer Requests and Needs page.

He is Jehovah-Jireh...the God Who Will See To It! Amen!

Some More Praise!

I've been updating the Prayer Requests Page with answers to prayer as God continues to provide. But here are just a few of the many highlights from this week. Forgive me if I'm being repetitious, this is what's on my heart to share today.

God has provided some parking and gas money for our family to take a mom and her family to a Reds game with us. The free passes are going to get put to use without costing her family any money from their budget. This may seem like a tiny thing...but it is H-U-G-E! It's huge because the donation came from another single mom! Yep, I'm weepy just thinking about how when God calls us in our limited means to give beyond what we can, His blessings (and potential!) are unlimited.

I'd recently posted about A Few Little Things and Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about giving Him all of my concerns...especially the little things. Now, I've started reading In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (thanks Susan T. for the recommendation!) and author Mark Batterson says the same thing...only more eloquently:

"[The story of the floating ax head] ranks as one of my favorite miracles in Scripture for a couple reasons. First, this isn't a life-or-death situation. Yes, it's a borrowed ax head, Yes, he lost it. But if that is the worst thing that's ever happened to you, you've led a pretty sheltered life. You know what I'm saying? It's an ax head. This may sound crazy, but doesn't it seem like maybe you ought to save an amazing miracle like this for a little bigger tragedy?...But I think this reveals something about God. He cares about the little things like wedding receptions (John 2) and borrowed ax heads (2 Kings 6). God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him. God is great but because nothing is too small for Him either."

Another little, but big thing, was that once again, in a few ways we never expected, God has provided for us. We've received a gift, I sold a few things on eBay (they didn't bring a lot, but even a little is good!) and Dale received an unexpected pay raise this week. After we paid rent, we thought we'd be tapped out for 2 weeks...but all the monthly insurances will be paid, a little gas got put in the car, I could get a few items at the grocery and we can have some friends over for dinner without worrying about how we're going to feed them (without subjecting them to our unusual, mostly vegan diet! Ha!)...God has provided for it all!

Probably the most significant miracle out of all of this is how God has changed my perspective. A few years ago, an extra $125 wouldn't have seemed that big of a deal. In fact, I probably would have just used it on pursuing my own pleasures...a movie, eating out, a "toy" we didn't need. And while none of those things are necessarily wrong, they are now much less important or even desired by me. When you don't have anything to spare, this amount of money is huge and you learn to make the most of it.

See...the little things become huge and for God the huge things are little. His Way turns our limited wisdom upside down, doesn't it?  "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (I Corinthians 1:25)

Not to mention, when I see Him faithfully and continually provide for everything...and I mean everything...then when He lays a desire on my heart that seems insurmountably enormous in my mind, I can with absolute confidence say, "Okay, Lord...in Your timing and in Your way, I know You will do this. In the meantime, I will praise You for the anticipation of seeing this fulfilled!"

Lay it all out there before Him...the huge and the seemingly insignificant. As you get to know Him better, you will see your desires change. You will see Him give you His desires and some of them will be surprises you never even dreamed of considering.

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