An Invitation
Many years ago, I was embroiled in the details of life, caring for my young family. Washing 2 loads of clothes, promising a song and rocking chair time to my little toddler, emptying the dishwasher with my blooming pre-teen son who wanted to talk and yelling out the door to my "wild man" that the sun would soon be down and he needed to come in and set the table.
The phone rang and jarred me out of my whipping around the house.
"Hi, is this Sally Clarkson? You don't know me but my name is Beth Martinez and I live in California. I wondered if you would consider coming to California and doing a mom's conference if I made the arrangements, gathered helpers and found a suitable hotel?"
After talking with her, I prayed about it with Clay, and we decided to do it.
Wonderful, dear Beth and me!
The next 12 years, thousands and thousands of women attended our Mom Heart conference in California simply because one woman had an idea, took initiative to call me, and helped launch a conference that transformed women all over the west coast.
On a fun helicopter ride in Kona, fast friends forever because of our time together in ministry.
And another story below was another time my life was changed by someone taking initiative.
Just reaching out, making one little phone call, an email, a card, a plate of cookies or a fb message can change another person's day, giving them hope for this day in their lives. Just a few invitations from friends have changed my life forever.
That's how it has all started for me--these friends I have and don't deserve. One person took initiative to reach out to me, to share Christ with me 45 years ago, and through following events, thousands of lives influenced, family foundations changed for eternity, because of her faithfulness to reach out to me.
No one else saw my silent prayers to know if God existed, but God saw. He put it on the heart of a woman to give me the time of day.
Someone knocked on my dorm door and asked if she could talk to me. She took a risk.....
She graciously showed interest in me and then told me how much God loved me and then invited me to a student meeting.
That's how it all started--finding love, finding friends, purpose, adventure, meaning, friends, fellowship.
Starting a ministry, writing books, creating a blog, hosting intensives, creating conferences.
She changed the course of my life, my marriage, my children's lives, my very destiny--all by one knock on my door and an invitation.
It just takes one person saying, "You want to go out to lunch or coffee?" Or "Would you like to come to my house for a cup of tea?" "Do you want to talk?"or "Do you want to go with me to a Bible study for moms? It sounds interesting."
By training our children to reach out to others in love by modeling it through our lives and our home life, may mean our children will learn how to be life-changers.
I am amazed at how much has happened in my life because one sweet, shy woman, boldly took initiative to knock on my door and talk to me.
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Through the years, others would volunteer to work at our mom's conferences and we became fast friends because they asked if they could help. I have been on the phone talking with different friends from all over the United States recently, and realized that we could never have hosted our conferences without their help.
I, in no way, deserve these sweet women but they are now in my life because 40 years ago, someone took the initiative to share a life-changing message with me. And so now, though I sin and make mistakes and do things I am embarrassed of, I learned to live by faith, believe in His miracles, invest in ideals and then share this with those He brought into my pathway. And now, I am over blessed with connection to women I never deserved to have as friends, but who willingly move into my heart, all because we are connected by this invisible, creative and loving Life--called Jesus.
I sit in my home and marvel what God has let me be a part of--a movement of like-minded women world-wide who want to make a difference in their own personal worlds. I am blessed with them because
just one woman
encouraged me to reach out and to call some friends to tell them about the good news that had changed my life.
So today, I am sitting in the adventure of my little den and seeing miracles take place.
One friend, just called to pray with me about our family and ministry and health. Others wrote to offer to are organize the teas at the different conferences and to offer great ideas about food, talks, devotionals. Some are going to search out our traditional hearts and chocolates that will grace the tables at the tables of each conference, as always in the past.
Talking to Sarah Mae in Penn. about our chapters in the new book we are writing. Talking with Kristen Kill in New York who is helping design a new ministry. Talking to Lynn Custer in North Carolina who called to say she found some favors. Emailing Misty in Florida about a new book club she is working on. Emailing with Courtney in Ohio about her ministry to women and spreading gentleness amongst the moms from her blog. Talking with Sandra Maddox in California who is providing a ride to the airport and an adventure and a poem. Getting emails from sweet friends saying they will organize the speakers, make meals, buy chocolates, ........
Feeling quite blessed to be associated with precious, servant leader women--they are amazing and we are all connected because of
One Invitation that someone took the initiative to give me to know Him, just 40 years ago
Is someone waiting for an invitation from you, that just might, beyond your imagination, change the course of history?
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Episode #90
Do you ever feel that you are victim of circumstance? That there is nothing you can possibly do to flourish or cultivate a meaningful life because of all that has happened to you? In this episode Sally and Kristen discuss how its vital that we learn how to grow in initiative. They share about the importance of choosing to cultivate responsibility into all areas of our lives, and how we can impart a heart for initiative into the lives our children as well, so that they can lead, serve, work and live faithfully into their own callings as victors and over comers. Then, Sally shares a special story about her son, Nathan, and the unlikely way that God is currently using his initiative to bring forth Kingdom messages in Hollywood.
Here's this week's Bible memory PDF for you to download! Click here ... Week Seven Bible Memory
