The Giving Challenge - Stephanie L. Jones

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MY MISSION

Empowering women to give their best life through giving to themselves and others, practicing gratitude, and pursuing one good goal, with a foundation of faith.

© 2021 Stephanie L. Jones, Giving Gal

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His lov

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

5 who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.

6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.

7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.

8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.

11 and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.

12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.

13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder His love endures forever.

14 and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.

15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

16 to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.

17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.

18 and killed mighty kings—His love endures forever.

19 Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.

20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.

21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.

22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.

24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.

25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

Psalm 136
#bibleverse #gratitude #verseoftheday #scripture

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ Since, then,

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b]

7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:1-17

#bibleverse #scripture #verseoftheday #gratitude #thankful #christian

As I exited my vehicle, at the post office, I noti

As I exited my vehicle, at the post office, I noticed a kid, dressed in all black, with his nose in his phone, walking across the parking lot.

I gotta confess I made a quick judgment based on the looks of this kid. I’m not proud of it.

I pulled out of the back seat a bag full of packages and stacked two boxes in my arms.

When I turned around, the boy had disappeared.

As I rounded the corner, there he stood, by the door, waiting patiently for me to arrive.

With my arms full, he smiled, opened the door for me, and said, “Have a wonderful day ma’am.”

My heart melted.

How could my heart have been so ugly and judged this kid?

It’s a sin problem we all struggle with and need to pray constantly for forgiveness.

I don’t know what this kid was doing or why he was hanging around the post office, but I’m grateful for his smile, help, and teaching me a lesson I need to repeatedly be reminded of each and every day.

Wisdom for Life A good reputation is more valuabl

Wisdom for Life

A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
After all, everyone dies—
so the living should take this to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for sadness has a refining influence on us.

4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

5 Better to be criticized by a wise person
than to be praised by a fool.

6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
like thorns crackling in a fire.
This also is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.

8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.

9 Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.

10 Don’t long for “the good old days.”
This is not wise.

11 Wisdom is even better when you have money.
Both are a benefit as you go through life.

12 Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
but only wisdom can save your life.

13 Accept the way God does things,
for who can straighten what he has made crooked?

14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,
but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

Several new Giving Your Best Life podcast episodes

Several new Giving Your Best Life podcast episodes dropped over the past couple of weeks:

#56 Doubt is the Devil

#57 One Lesson in Gratitude that Helps When I’m Overwhelmed

#58 9 Ways to Give When Getting Organized or Moving

Thanks for listening!

#linkinbio

2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful w

2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[b] Since we have that same spirit of[c] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.

15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
1 Corinthians 4:2-18
#bibleverse #scripture #bible

Six years ago today I crossed the finish line of t

Six years ago today I crossed the finish line of the Chicago Marathon with my mom.

The finish was epic as we had split up and I hadn’t seen her in miles.

With .2 miles to go I hear my hubby and dad yelling at me from the sidelines. I got choked up. I didn’t know they’d be there.

They yelled, “Your mom is in front of you.”

I lifted my head, found her in the crowd, and gave it all I had left in the tank.

My mom and I had dreamed of running this race together for over a decade.

I caught her with about a .1 miles to go. She was limping and could hardly walk. She’d had a bad race and yet managed to make all 26 miles.

I told her, “You are not going to walk across that finish line. We are going to run. Come on. You can do it.”

She dug deep and we ran across the finish line together. A total gift from God that out of thousands of people, our final minutes were orchestrated perfectly.

I don’t remember much of the race, but I’ll never forget the finish.

I’ll also remember driving around downtown Chicago for two hours not being able to find our hotel. Or getting locked out of the hotel in the parking garage the morning of the race. And yet, we persevere through tears.

When I was in college, I sat on a table as the trainer told me if I didn’t quit competing I wouldn’t be able to walk by the age of 38.

Well my friends, I ran 26.2 at the age of 38.

Never let someone or something stand in the way of pursuing a goal. Accomplishing those goals will build a mindset to propel you to give you the confidence to pursue tougher and bigger goals.

1 God presides in the great assembly; he renders

1 God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the “gods”:

2 “How long will you[a] defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?[b]

3 Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 “I said, ‘You are “gods”;
you are all sons of the Most High.’

7 But you will die like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.”

8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.

Psalm 82

We met at a conference, she became my coach, and g

We met at a conference, she became my coach, and gave me some tough love.

I was writing three books and she said, “Pick one and finish it.”

A delay tactic she exposed and by golly I picked The Giving Challenge and low and behold I got it finished.

Our coaching ended, but our friendship flourished.

Our husbands think it’s scary how alike and weird we are.

God knew what he was doing when he brought us together.

When our husbands wouldn’t do a Christmas trip to NYC we left them at home and went and had the time of our life.

We chat every day about our goals and have hard conversations about when we are making excuses or not doing the work that needs to be done to pursue the calling God has laid on our heart.

We send each other way to many memes, videos, articles, and love going down rabbit holes together.

Why am I telling you this? Because it’s her birthday and I’m so grateful for life.

Find a person that pushes you, laughs and cries with you, and makes you a better person!

Happy Birthday Kelsey😘

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-14

Sometimes old posts have a way of reminding us how

Sometimes old posts have a way of reminding us how far we’ve come. Happy Book Birthday Scott! Original 10-2-18 📕 🥳

I want to quit.

That’s how I’ve felt the past couple of days. I want to crawl into a hole and come out sometime around Christmas and then go on vacation.

I’m overwhelmed and have taken on too much. And when this happens I shut down.

Last night I remembered I’d committed to my friend, Scott, that I read and provide an honest review for his book, The Grateful Entrepreneur.

Since my mind was mud, I slipped into the tub and started reading his book. I was shocked a chapter featured a story I’d shared with Scott earlier in the year. How thoughtful of him.

As I kept reading, there I was again. My name and another story I’d shared.

I cried.

Just when I wanted to quit, unbeknownst to him, he gave me the nudge I needed to keep going.

I was moved he thought so much of my stories to dedicate two chapters to them.

What a gift!

If you have a business and want creative ways to show gratitude and give to your customers, check out The Grateful Entrepreneur. I finished it in a couple of hours and got many fabulous ideas!

Two Kinds of Wisdom 13 Who is wise and understand

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:13-18

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