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ARE YOU A DEADBEAT DREAMER?

By Yvette Mayo Leave a Comment

Photo: Michel Pitstra/Stock.xchng

They said it couldn’t be done. A dreamer who is yet practical, logical, and focused. A creative thinker who can also analyze, be realistic, and lead. How unlikely is it that one with her head so far in the clouds all the time could also be a firm pillar to society and even help balance the order of things? Can this truly be the case?

Why are there so many dreams that die and never see the light of day? In a land where “anything is possible,” why are so many struggling to keep their dreams alive, the daily grind and details of living keeping them too busy to feed their dream? What does it take to achieve your dreams and keep living in the meantime?

I’ve always been what some would call “a dreamer,” full of idealistic expectations of the world and especially of my own shaky life here on planet earth. I mean, really, how much can be expected of a goody two-shoes, chubby little black church girl from the south side of a Podunk town called New Castle, Pennsylvania?

My dreams certainly came in chunks, with each step of the way being a struggle, to say the least. From my perspective, I was doing pretty well at dreaming big—and accomplishing big—by attaining two degrees, a minor and a certificate in 4 years of undergraduate work, all while being highly involved in non-academic endeavors. And I really thought it was a nice cherry on top to have earned an MA degree by the age of 24.

But it wasn’t until I found myself direction-less at this point that I ever considered the idea of myself as a “deadbeat” dreamer. You know the term, right? It is often heard used in conjunction with a father who is not quite living up to his end of the parenting bargain – a “deadbeat dad” is how it is phrased.

You see, when I attained this final academic degree, the voices in my head started yelling out. No, not the crazy voices in my head, but instead the skeptical voices, asking me how I could justify “wasting” my hard-won achievements on unrealistic dreams of an idealistic and probably unrealistic future. Wasted achievements? Idealistic and unrealistic future? Wow. Strong and crushing words to my little head that was so full of ideas and plans to live out a better future than just an expected pattern of climbing some imaginary ladder to acceptable success after graduation.

I’ve always been what some would call “a dreamer,” full of idealistic expectations of the world and especially of my own shaky life here on planet earth.

Typically, I have heard the word “dreamer” used with a subtle hint of negative tone. However, with the addition of the word “deadbeat” to the word “dreamer,” we have finally come all-out in declaring that we do not believe in those who dream. They are in fact considered “deadbeats,” or those not living up to the standards of their responsibilities. In short, they are stagnant, unmoving, stuck. What a waste we consider those who appear to be floating around in the cloud of “not there yet.”

But maybe it’s not the dreamer who is the deadbeat after all. Maybe, just maybe our criticisms should be addressed to the “skeptical, realistic critic.”

What stands in the way of a dream? What causes a dreamer to cease to dream? I have surprised myself with my own productivity in times when I have X’ed out the negative voices about my amazing, yet hard to believe dreams. If my gift is to dream, what better to spoil that gift than one who has little to offer my dream but some grueling “reality” about why it cannot and will not happen? My goodness, it’s a tough crowd of skeptics out there, as you’re reminded every night you lay your little dreamer head down on your pillow. Learn to shut it out. Let the fire of your dream rush you on toward your goal.

To the dreamers out there, I say the following: Dream a dream, say a prayer, do the work and see it all happen right before your eyes. You will amaze yourself at how much your dream can impact your life and the lives of those around you when you stay true to it. Don’t sell out to the critics. Give them no power over your dreams; after all, skeptics are a dime a dozen, but dreams are once in a lifetime. Fretting over what to do with those ever-so-present skeptical voices ringing through your head? No worries. Pursue your dreams with passion, and before you know it you won’t even recognize those old voices. Instead, you’ll be bombarded by the soft, sweet sounds of the adoring fans your dream has accumulated along the long road to success.

To the skeptics who love to live in the heads of those dreamers, I say this: Please get out of our heads! You really don’t belong there. There is a better place for you to thrive, and you’ll be happier when you’re out of our heads, too. Trust me, quietly is the best way to support us, and if you take this approach, we promise to give back the favor by sharing our innovation and creativity with you when you most need it. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of [yourselves] more highly than [you] ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:3, 12-13, ESV).

The Lord calls us to serve each other in ways of encouragement, so let’s check any skepticism at the door. I know I plan to encourage and be encouraged the best I can. Maybe others will, too, and I will no longer be—just a dreamer.

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5 Steps On How to Stay a Deadbeat Dreamer If You Don’t Care To Live Your Dreams

Step #1 Research.

Research a lot and then research some more. Keep on gathering piles of information and tidbits concerning your dream. You may think that you have done all the research you need but try collecting magazine articles and bookmarking dozens of websites. Let all of the information overwhelm you enough to keep you sitting on the couch doing nothing. Then take the information that you have and analyze it from every angle and complexity until you are paralyzed. Then you will finally succumb to not doing anything about it at all because you know too much.

Step #2 Don’t do enough research.

Get out there and do as much as you can while you can. This will stop you from actually planning on how you will accomplish your vision. Don’t waste time reading—or praying, for that matter. After all, you know what needs to be done. The AIDS crisis must be solved, now. Global warming is in need of cooling off. The church needs to get her act together. You can go out and make attempts to change these things with lavish passion and enthusiasm and then realize that you don’t know exactly where you are going with your excitement. You will eventually realize that the solution is not as simple as you thought it was and that you could have saved yourself and others a lot of headaches by realizing this sooner. This actually may discourage you so much that, although you started off doing a lot, you may choose to sit out the rest of the game on the sidelines … doing nothing.

Step #3 Let fear grip you and squeeze the life out of any dream you have in your heart.

Think about how many challenges await you concerning your dream. The embarrassment you will feel if it doesn’t come to pass. The discomfort you will experience in the midst of it. The naysayers who will certainly find the path to your doorstep. Don’t ever get close to bravery because that is what it takes to see a dream happen. If you want a deadbeat dream then release all the darkest fears that your mind can conjure and let them swamp you at night as you lay in bed and wonder about the “If only.”

Step #4 Think about the resources you don’t have.

This will most assuredly keep you from ever accomplishing anything. Let the fact that you don’t have money keep you from raising it or earning it. Let the fact that you don’t have the ability keep you from learning it or inviting someone else to do it. Let the fact that you are dreaming this dream by yourself keep you from sharing it with others so that they can join in. And whatever you do, keep your eyes off of the resources you do possess. After all, you do have more than the 1 billion people in the world living on one dollar a day, but it’s still not enough to thrust you into actually doing something.

Step #5 Just stay distracted.

Don’t think about your dream. Let it become one of those things that pops into your mind every now and then, when you’re taking a shower or standing in line at the DMV. Get involved in a lot of meaningless activities. When you go to church, just stay long enough to keep from being inspired. Just let it be a boring pain, like getting dental work. Run around like a chicken with your head cut off, trying to stay up to date with the latest trends. Never think that you could actually set trends. Don’t pick up books or read the news—except for the comics and the sports page. Reading anything more might actually cause you to think, and truly thinking may lead to action. So keep your eyes glued to reality TV, and be stimulated by other people who are not doing anything with their lives. Stay up late playing video games and eating Hostess cupcakes. After all, in the absence of pursuing your dream you need some kind of comfort.

If this doesn’t help you become a deadbeat dreamer, there is always the chance that you have been the recipient of the lazy gene. This gene resides in the lazy bone somewhere between the funny bone and the knee bone. If you have the lazy gene, you probably feel you are exerting a lot of energy just by reading this article. If by chance you have gotten this far, your condition is probably not terminal, and you may actually feel indignation with yourself after reading this. You may actually start living your life with a little more courage and intention. If so, you can probably kiss the whole deadbeat dream gig goodbye and go out and make a difference in this world. But this probably isn’t all so bad. After all, the entire world is populated with many deadbeat dreamers, and we probably need more people who are actually going to change the world. –Ramon Mayo

ARE YOU A DEADBEAT DREAMER? - New Identity Magazine

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New Identity | Exploring Faith
We're happy to announce that the Fall/Winter 2020 We're happy to announce that the Fall/Winter 2020 Issue is out today! There are some great articles inside that we hope you'll love! Enjoy! 🤗 #linkinbio⁠
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#newissue #newidentitymag #liveidentified #magazine #kindness #anxiety #waiting #worththewait #mcu #eatableheroes #marvel #godswill
Prayer isn’t about making the things we selfishl Prayer isn’t about making the things we selfishly want happen; it’s about making us want what God wants.⁠
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✍🏽: @sarahjoysly in "Prayer - The Alignment of Our Souls With God"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
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“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” – Haldir⁠
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In Lothlorien, Haldir is encouraging a downcast Fellowship with a glimpse of the larger story in which they find themselves. His words reflect the apostle Paul’s encouragement to the church, that we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). For there is a form of grief from which there is no recovery – one in which there is no resurrection of the dead. If death is the final word, then we must suffer grief without hope, grief that diminishes our love for life because of the crushing weight of the loss we’ve experienced. But Tolkien believed that death was not the end; therefore, we may experience the beautiful juxtaposition in our own lives of deep sorrow mixed with rivers of joy. Instead of crippling us, our grief may actually help to cultivate in our character the virtues of faith, hope, and love that are necessary to continue to carry our heaviest burdens. ⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Memorable Middle Earth"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
#faithhopelove #lotr #thefellowshipofthering #thelordoftherings #middleearth
The Bible stresses that despite our differences we The Bible stresses that despite our differences we are called to love each other above our political positions. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). You may feel like how politics and religion intersect in the public sphere communicate the exact opposite of this, and you’d be right. Media outlets report drama and conflict. Gracious and loving political opponents are not newsworthy.⁠
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✍🏽: Matthew Hamilton in "Our Identity In Christ Is Always Greater"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
#politics #voting #love #loveyourneighbor #loveyourneighbornotmattertheirpolitics
The trees, with their bark, the skin of the forest The trees, with their bark, the skin of the forest, with its scars and wrinkles, lean toward me, and brush me with their limbs. The leaves beg me to examine their veins. “Have you seen this?” Each different, but each spectacular. The infinite busy creatures. The carpet of green, the dome of blue.⁠
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A few moments later, I feel like an amazing creature in a world amazingly made. I feel the astounding power of God, where the smallest thing around me, a leaf, an ant, is more complicated, and alive and amazing than anything humanity has ever thought of.⁠
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Really, there is nothing like it. The author C.S. Lewis noted that the best place to take a non-believing scientist or a real thinker is nature.  Eventually the noise of God in nature is deafening.⁠
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Once you’re in that place, just a few minutes into your walk, your mouth will hardly be able to keep from pouring out praise to God. It becomes so easy. Connecting to God like that, in praise, as a consequence of observing nature, is so freeing and so empowering that you will return to your office balanced and ready, clear headed and encouraged.⁠
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The prayer that most blesses God, most blesses the one who prays it. And there is almost no easier way than from within the sanctuary of nature, which itself raises up its branches to him in prayer with every sunrise.⁠
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✍🏽: Tom Koel in "Muting The Noise of the World - Deconstructing The Prayer Hike for City Dwellers"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
#prayerhike #prayerworks #prayandpraise #prayerwalk #timewithgod #prayerchangesthings #heispraiseworthy #faithjourney
Each person comes to a Bible passage with his own Each person comes to a Bible passage with his own culture, language, and historical understanding. Sometimes we use these to interpret the Bible, but the hard work of bible study requires that you get rid of those things and interpret the passage by allowing it to speak for itself in its own language, cultural context, and historical background. In other words, interpretation is hard work because you are trying to to discover what the passage meant to its (original) audience 2000 years ago (even though we are reading it today). ⁠
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✍🏽: @the_christopherscott in "How Anyone Can Study The Bible"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
#biblestudy #biblestudytools #growingingod #godsword #spendingtimewithgod #biblejournaling #holybible #christianliving #biblescriptures #dailybiblereading
Everything we do should be done for the ultimate e Everything we do should be done for the ultimate enjoyment of God. For instance, our enjoyment of a loving relationship with our spouse is a reflection of our relationship with God, and is therefore something God uses in order for us to better understand his love and how we can love him better.⁠
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This entails that God has given us the Bible as a means to an end. The point of reading the Bible is to come to enjoy God better and more fully. It might seem odd, or even a little sacrilege to think of the Bible as a means to an end. This is because we rightly think of the Bible as holy or sacred. But, it is not God. It is holy and sacred insofar as it is the word of God, given to us so we can better understand who God is. ⁠
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By reading Scripture we learn more about God, his work in the world, his plan for us, and his expectations for us. This is one of the means God has provided for us to enjoy him more. In fact, St. Augustine of Hippo believed that if a Christian could hypothetically enjoy God perfectly in this life, that they would no longer need to read the Bible. Of course because we will not come to love God perfectly in this life, reading, meditating on, and yes, memorizing scripture, will regularly be a source of knowledge that help us to love God more. However, Augustine wants his readers to remember, that knowledge is not the goal for reading the Bible.⁠
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✍🏽: Jeffery Porter in "How A Roman Bishop Changed The Way I Read The Bible"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
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#biblereading #heartknowledge #
People with unbelieving hearts only seek after wha People with unbelieving hearts only seek after what prospers them. Apart from Jesus, we set in motion lives filled with harm, with no hope and no future. A person can only have hope and a future when life is lived out for Christ. We get light through reading the Bible, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians. This light of life can be obtained through an open line of communication with the one who gives it—Jesus. Apart from him, life can appear meaningless. Our purpose in life is to glorify God with who we are and what we have. –Steven Butwell⁠
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"No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others." –Psalm 25:3 NLT⁠
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✍🏽: Steven Butwell in "The Light Christ"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by @fotografierende from Pexels⁠
#hopeinchrist #hope #faith #godsplan #godisgood #hopeinthelord #bethelight #godislove #livinghop #thegospel #godislove #godisfaithful #christianliving #bethelightinthedarkness
What’s your favorite article in the new issue? F What’s your favorite article in the new issue? Follow the link in our bio to read it online or download it free to your tablet. ⁠
Even as God demonstrated love by sending Jesus to Even as God demonstrated love by sending Jesus to die on the cross to take punishment for our sins, God reminded people of the importance of fearing him. God is not only our savior, comforter, and friend who promises to be with us always (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20), but also the most powerful being in the universe. There is a place for the right kind of fear—the reverential awe and respect—in our lives.⁠
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✍🏽: Délice Williams in "Fear The Lord?" Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by @emrrekuzu from Pexels⁠
Like the Psalmist, John describes Jesus as God’s Like the Psalmist, John describes Jesus as God’s Word who brings light and life to the darkness. Jesus is God’s Word that comes to us, to those who are dwelling in darkness. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus declares his mission to be in John 12:46: “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” This Light and Darkness imagery pervades the gospel of John. People love darkness because they don’t want their actions, thoughts, motives to be exposed by the light. But the truth is that deep down we need (and want) to be seen. We want to be loved despite our dirtiest deeds and foulest feelings. We need to restore the relationship that Adam and Eve once had with God–complete openness, and deep love–but we can’t do it on our own. Only God can (and did through Jesus) bring that relationship back.⁠
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✍🏽: Brandon Hurlbert in "The Light of God's Love"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Emre Kuzu from Pexels⁠
In John 15:1 Jesus says that God is the gardener a In John 15:1 Jesus says that God is the gardener and he prunes every branch that does not produce fruit. A person stuck in his or her ways of sin is like a prickly shrub growing a lot of branches with no fruit. These branches must be removed so good fruit can grow. In the same way as a bush is unable to prune itself, a person who is living in sin is unable to remove all the unfruitful branches in life. Paul described this condition in chapter seven of Romans when he called himself a wretched man and realized only Jesus can change him.⁠
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Jesus provides the essential elements for growth; he gives us his Word (the Bible) for fertilizer, other believers for sunshine, and the Holy Spirit for water. When our roots begin to receive this new water, sunshine, and fertilizer, new branches begin to grow. This time the branches are not prickly bushes, but beautiful new branches adorned with the fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control,” (Galatians 5:22). Our old acquaintances will marvel at who we have become. When we allow God to be the gardener, he will shape us into his design.⁠
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✍🏽: Delbert Teachout in "God The Gardener"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Timothy Grindall from Pexels
As new creations, those who have been forgiven by As new creations, those who have been forgiven by and reconciled to Jesus, we now have the task of being reconciled to each other. As Christians, we are not just called to forgive others in our hearts but keep them at an arm’s length away. No, we are called to be of one heart and one mind (Acts 4:32) with our brothers and sisters—we are called to be reconciled.⁠
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✍🏽: Brandon Hurlbert in "Repairing Broken Bridges"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
We are faced with a challenge: to make God the cen We are faced with a challenge: to make God the center and purpose of our lives in a world of demands. God asks us to listen for his voice, and it’s no wonder why he chose to speak to Elijah in a “still, small voice” in 1 Kings 19:12-13. He doesn’t always shout at us because he wants us to choose to listen, to put other things aside so that all of our focus is towards discerning his will in the specifics of our lives. We have his will for us in general, as communicated in the Bible, which is to make disciples of all nations, to glorify the one true God, to serve no other gods, to love our neighbors as ourselves, etc., but sometimes we need to figure out how those general plans fit the specifics of our lives. Hearing God’s voice is part of how we relate to him, but in those moments of uncertainty, quieting ourselves becomes even more important.⁠
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✍🏽: @sarahjoysly in "Listening For A Whisper"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Jara from Pexels⁠
Imagine if every Christian started praying to God Imagine if every Christian started praying to God and asking for him to bless us with gifts of encouragement for the sake of the world around us. The Church would make an immediate impact on the lives of people.⁠
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✍🏽: @lukegeraty in "The Gift of Encouragement from the Great Encourager"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Lum3n from Pexels⁠
Everything sad will come untrue because we are not Everything sad will come untrue because we are not doomed to be forever parted with those we love, nor will our souls simply turn to dust and fade with the memory of those we leave behind.⁠
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✍🏽: @slimkeman in "Memorable Middle Earth - Why I'm Always Tolkien In Movie Quotes"  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com⁠ by visiting the link in our bio and tapping on the image.⁠
📷: Photo by Dirk Förster from Flickr
"Remembering God's promises and his faithfulness a "Remembering God's promises and his faithfulness as a community will help us to endure our sorrows for the night, for joy comes in the morning." @slimkeman from his article The Beauty of Community & The Beast of Isolation 🌤 Can you name some of God's promises that keep you encouraged and grounded? We'd love to hear in the comments below - and just maybe it might be the hope someone else is needing right now! 🤗⁠
“Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors “Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keepin’ me awake. I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it’s gonna take. A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.” ⁠
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As P.T. Barnum sings these words to Charity in the beautiful montage of their young lives, we are captivated by the hope that they share, the possibilities of their bright future, and the chance of their love overcoming the wall between privilege and poverty that keeps them apart. The Greatest Showman asks us to wrestle with the quest for the holy grail of our modern world: success and happiness. ⁠
What is the good life? If a million of our wildest dreams came true, would we truly be happy?⁠
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In Jesus, we find a man who invites us into his presence with these words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is the only one who can fill “the infinite abyss” of desire in our souls. When you have fully devoted yourself and your dreams to your Creator, you will discover that “everything you ever want” and “everything you ever need” is “right here in front of you” in Christ Jesus.⁠
{Steve Limekman}⁠
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✍🏼: by @slimkeman in “The Greatest Showman”  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from newidentitymagazine
Every day in sub-Saharan Africa, one child in ten Every day in sub-Saharan Africa, one child in ten under the age of five dies of a preventable cause, and nearly every day in America eight in ten adults consume coffee. What do these numbers have to do with each other? A lot, according to the One Cup Project, which is using America’s love for coffee to reduce the number of children dying in Africa by converting coffee profits into life-saving aid.⁠
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The One Cup Project started in 2010, when Christian Kar, the founder of an award-winning Seattle-based coffee company, partnered with the Christian humanitarian aid organization, World Vision.Remarkably, every dollar spent on One Cup Coffee generates a dollar of aid for Africa.⁠
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Buy some coffee, put up a post on your Facebook page, ask your church, local café, or workplace to change their coffee, or run a One Cup Fundraiser. In doing so, you just may help hurting people find healing, hope, and life. Change the world for the better, one cup at a time.⁠
{Thame Fuller}⁠
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✍🏼: @thamefuller in “One Cup Project”  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio or click on this link to take you directly to the One Cup website: https://onecup.org/our-story/⁠
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📸: by @AftaPuta from Pexels
When someone accepts Jesus, they leave their old p When someone accepts Jesus, they leave their old priorities behind and make Jesus the center of their life. Jesus calls each of us to share the good news with the world. He came to give living water to a thirsty world, and we have the honor and privilege of sharing his message by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).⁠
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The most important thing you can do is enter each conversation with a posture of prayer. Pray for the person you’re sharing with, that God would open their heart to accept him. Pray that God would give you the words to say. And a loving way to say them.⁠
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Expect God to work in your relationship and use you to share Jesus through your friendship in his own timing. No matter how long you have been a believer, you can share Jesus with the confidence that he is with you and that he will use you for his glory.⁠
{Eric Gulley}⁠
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✍🏼: Eric Gulley in “Sharing Your Faith”  Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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