helping others

Be Encouraged!

June 14, 2015 by Kathy Weckwerth

While scanning through some of my emails, I stopped in my tracks as I read one from a large church that said, “Bob Smith, Encouragement Pastor.” I was so excited! I thought, what a brilliant concept. Some church finally gets it! Some staff is leading a team where one person is focused on something that life in 2015 has forgotten … encouragement!

Today’s hustle and bustle keeps us moving. With our new phones and technology, we can connect with people instantly all over the world. And yet, while Farmer Dean and I were enjoying a lovely lunch at Granite City this weekend, I looked around to see most of the people setting next to us were on their phones. No one was talking. There was no encouragement from watching people sitting glued to their cell phones.

I said to Farmer Dean, “Let’s talk!” We launched into a two hour conversation about our kids and grandkids, our farm, our church, our future plans, and our lunch became delightfully encouraging. Great food and good conversation helped Farmer Dean and I to both feel like we were in a place where although discouragement was trying to settle in, we were fighting back.

The warm sunshine was beating down on our booth, and we laughed, joked, and encouraged one another. Farmer Dean told me I was a great speaker, a good mom, and fun to be with. I told him he was strong (that’s why he’s always moving and lifting things for me), he was gentle, and he was a super grandpa!

By the time our day was finished, we were not only ready for another week, but once again, we were propelled onto the path of hope. The word encouragement means “support of a kind that inspires confidence and a will to continue or develop.” What does that mean? Encouragement produces confidence and a desire to go on. It’s the fuel in the engine that keeps us going.

Where do we find encouragement? Sometimes God will meet us in a wide open space and send some friend to deliver gracious words that fill us up. Once and awhile it comes seeping into our souls when we feel happy about something we made or something we said or heard. Very often, it comes directly from scripture. I love this verse specifically:

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3.

I’m encouraged just knowing God loves me and cares to draw me in with His kindness.

Encouragement can come from a quiet walk in nature and seeing the deep lush of green grass or the puffy white billowing clouds. It can come from listening to your daughter talk about school or your grandson’s giggle. It can come from a long restful nap or a bite of a chocolate brownie with hot steaming coffee.

[callout]Mostly, what I know about encouragement is that we all need it and we can certainly take time in our days and nights to reach out and encourage others/callout] with simple words like:

way to go

I love you

you’re doing great

did you know how good you would be at this

you are so appreciated

you make my life better

Make the most of your days and be encouraged … and in turn, encourage others.

Whether you’re an official encouragement pastor or simply an encouraging mother … just do it! Encourage one another!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11

Circle of Encouragement

May 14, 2014 by Kathy Weckwerth

Circle of Encouragement

By: Kathy A. Weckwerth

“What makes you do that?” the young girl looked at me with big eyes and asked almost apprehensively.

“What?” I questioned.

“The encouragement thing. You know, how you encourage people … why do you do it?” she continued.

“Because in this world, there aren’t enough people encouraging others. There aren’t enough cheerleaders. There aren’t enough people interested in others. And quite frankly, people feel bad about themselves and need to be lifted up.” I answered matter of factly.

(photo by Christal Ruppert)

The truth is … no one makes time for encouragement. No one takes time to build into others. Why? I believe it’s one of these three things:

They don’t feel good about themselves, so they don’t feel confident to build someone else up.

When we feel confident in who we are and our own gifts, we have no problem lifting others up and making them aware of the good things they’re doing.

They don’t know how to encourage someone.

Often, people think that they have to be a gifted communicator to be able to tell someone what a great job they’re doing, or how much they enjoyed their presentation, or how beautiful/handsome they look all dressed up.

No one encourages them so they don’t think they should have to encourage someone else.

So often, our pride stops us from telling someone they are doing a great job or they are smart, kind, lovable, funny, a great blogger, a gifted writer, or a kind listener. If we lift someone else up, doesn’t that mean that we’re less? NO!!! It means that you are doing exactly what Christ wants you to do … encourage one another!

Many years ago, I served at a large church. A man on my worship team was very competitive, egotistical and jealous. So frequently he would criticize me as the leader and many on the team. Although I would quickly try to combat and intercept his criticism, everyone knew that you could never measure up to whatever it was in life he was looking for and couldn’t find!

I often wondered why someone as gifted as he was would feel threatened by others and their giftedness. And then I realized something, perhaps no one believed in him. Or perhaps, he felt that he would become less if he lifted others up.

Scripture tells in James 4:10 that we are to “humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.” We don’t need to be self-serving and look for compliments. We need to focus on others and encourage them, believe in them, and cheer them on!

[callout]The blessing comes to us the moment we bless others. Our focus is off of ourselves and onto someone else and God uses our words to help heal, encourage, and spur others on to good works.[/callout]

If you haven’t encouraged someone for a long time, today is the day to do it. How can you encourage someone?

Write an email or an old-fashioned note that you mail at the post office!
Text message or facebook someone and tell them they’re doing great.
Tell them how proud you are of them in front of others.
Post little sticky notes all over their desk, locker, purse, wallet … life … and say “I’m so proud of you!” And tell them why.

Encouragement is so important. Building one another up is God’s plan.

It just makes life better.

Make it your best life.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” (NLT)

2 Sides of the Fence

January 15, 2014 by Kathy Weckwerth

Over the years and career of this path I’ve been on, the one called My Life, I have settled into the cool feel of grassy blades tickling my toes, while standing on that carved out path. I have also felt the bite of rugged stones and sticks that have jabbed into my toes, reminding me that my side is not grassy and lush that day. But for this day, I want to tell you about the fence.

In every life we have a fence. It’s a fence that separates you from them, me from her, them from others, and we all experience being on the path and looking across that old wooden fence to see what’s happening on the other side.

During my years at church ministry, I often saw the needs of so many, and watched how the pastors and staff would support … or would not.

Elderly would call up needing a ride to the doctor and the secretary would arrange a ride. Or a woman in need of financial support, going through a divorce crisis with her many children would call up and they would chastise her for her decision and begrudgingly send over a small check for gas, while the children were living on bread and peanut butter.

I have stood on my side of the fence peering across the rough tops of each of its posts as someone has asked me for financial help, and I reached into my pocket for a few small bills, while another soul wrote and begged for yearly support and I tossed it in the garbage.

And yet, at times, I have stood on my side of the fence, in my bare feet, cut and bleeding from the travels and begged for others to support me, only to find generous checks and large boxes of chocolate chip cookies, or a mere click of their computer keyboard to say, “Sorry … uh, uh.”

The path continues. The journey twists and turns and as I get older I watch to see what happens when someone who has much on the green grassy fields of their side of the fence steps up to the fencepost to say yes or no to that certain traveler on the muddy, rugged, rough side. I listen and I watch.

At times, I am pleased and I can feel my Father saying, “They chose wisely.” And at other times I am in awe at the selfishness and haphazard responses of those who can help but will not.

Yesterday I found myself at the fence. I reached into my pocket to pull out a few dollars of financial support and a few moments of prayer support. I wished that I could do more. I could not. I did what I could and gave all I could give.

Today, I found myself at the fence. I reached out to someone and said this need is bigger than our resources for our ministry. They looked me square in the face and turned and walked away. The chose not to help.

What happens when God calls us to meet at the fence? What happens when He says I need you to help someone? How do we respond?

When we look at the book of Esther 4:13, Queen Esther is challenged by her cousin, Mordecai. He needs her to go before King Xerxes to try to save the Jews from being killed by Haman and his evil plans.

With Queen Esther on one side and Mordecai on the other, Mordecai simply says this, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.”

God does not need us to stand at the fence dumbfounded. We do not need to look at our ragged and torn shoes and dry ground and look across at the neighbors lovely lush field and his brand new boots and not wonder if God wants them to help us, or us to help others.

When we are asked to help someone, we have the choice, as Esther did. And if we do not respond, and turn and walk away, God tells us simply that He is the Ultimate provider, but in Esther’s circumstances, it’s quite clear she will lose out on the blessing of helping, as God will give that blessing to someone else.

Where are we today on our path? Are you looking across at a need that your friend or neighbor has? Perhaps it’s a neighboring church or ministry that needs you or something you have to offer. But you stare them down and walk away.

Or maybe it’s you in need and you’re begging God for provisions, but that someone He has sent to you says, “No.”

Will we miss out on that blessing? Will the relief and deliverance arise from another place because we were not obedient?

Today, I have my eyes wide open. I’ve tied my shoelaces and I’m hiking the path. Will I need help? Probably. Will my neighbor? Most likely.

[callout]But the real question is this … will I watch and listen for God, who is gently calling me to the fence post? Because somehow, somewhere, in the face of that someone in need, I see the face of Jesus.[/callout]