Thursday, August 12, 2010

Where I Should have Started...At the Beginning

Who, what, where, when, why and how? To tell a story these are the basic questions that have to be answered. Fourth graders learn this. Unfortunately, it was a concept I must have missed because I’ve been asked several times this week, “What is Infinite Love Ministries and why would you even begin to take this on???” So forgive me for starting in the middle, but let me back up and explain my heart and what God placed in it.

The best way to sum it up is, it was born out of my love for God’s Word and God’s Girls.

I grew up in a religious home and knew all the “do’s and don’ts” of Christianity. I went to church every Sunday and let others tell me about God and the bible. I knew a lot of “stuff” about God and could even tell stories from the Old and New Testament. But the “god” I knew (little ‘g’ is on purpose), was small, didn’t really factor in my life and was only there to ‘zap’ me when I did something wrong. When a major life crisis came 13 years ago the “god” I knew couldn’t help me and I fell apart. I was convinced I did something to make God angry and when I couldn’t figure out what it was, I got angry. Really angry. I walked away from God. I wanted no part of him, or the people that followed him.

Praise God I had a smart Daddy and a dear Godly girlfriend who would not let me go. Slowly and lovingly they introduced me to the one true GOD. I began to heal and began to put the pieces together. Both of them encouraged me to read the Bible for myself. It totally changed every aspect of my life. I know now, to the core of my being, God truly wanted me to be healed and whole so I could serve and love others into His kingdom. He ROCKED MY WORLD. The more I studied and learned, the more I can’t keep it a secret.

I knew God had given me gifts and talents in the area of teaching and speaking but I had only used these in my career as a speech language pathologist. Six years ago, God presented an opportunity for me to speak at a women’s event and things took off from there.

Two years ago, I was in Myrtle Beach, praying in a little room, about to go on stage to speak, when God gave me this vision of His Girls bleeding in the pews. I kept hearing the words over and over again, “They know me, but they don’t KNOW me.” Event after event I kept meeting Christian women who looked great on the outside but where dying on the inside. They were with their girlfriends and having fun, but when they came to me to pray privately, they were broken, lost and hurt. They were not living in joy and had no idea how much God truly loved them. As I prayed about this, the idea for Infinite Love Ministries was born. The name comes from Ephesians 3:17-19,

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge.”

I believe God has put me on the Kingdom calendar at this time for one purpose; to let women know everywhere the infinite love of Christ and I’m starting with His Girls. I get the great commission, and believe in it. I also know and understand that the man is the head. But I believe with all my being, the woman is the heart. And if your heart is not healthy, the head and the rest of the body cannot function. God needs His Girls healthy to take on the full charge of being Titus 2 women and training other women up. I believe that once a woman understands God’s love, she is forever changed, and it’s absolutely contagious. Ultimately everyone around her is changed.

I believe in the full power and weight of the Word and believe in the one who is the Word. Through sound bible teaching, drama, prayer and God’s grace, I teach women the power of knowing God’s love in their lives. We are in phase one, getting the word out, developing materials, completing paperwork to get federal tax exemption services. We envision one day having our own published materials, hosting our own events and funding programs that support advancing the Kingdom, literacy and healthcare.

Thank you so much for taking time. Please pray for God’s continued guidance as we step out in faith, check out the website, become a fan of Facebook, tell your friends, pastors, women’s ministry leaders.

Love you all. Have an awesome day.

Dawn