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Am I Too Young? What Jeremiah 1 says to the Young & the Called

I was only a teenager when God called me to the ministry. Did I feel young? Yes. Did God care? No. He still called me. We see all throughout the Bible that God used young people. Kids and teenagers do not have to wait until their hair turns gray to serve the Lord. You can do something now. Jeremiah 1:4-9 says, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. 9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth” Let’s look at how the Bible handles fears you may have if you are young and feel called. He says, “Do not be a...
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Fun or Freedom? Depression & anxiety

  So much of my life when I was younger was lived in fear, anxiety and depression. I tried to hide it because it felt like weakness. I couldn’t figure it out for decades. I had a good husband and cute little boys that I got to stay home with. But I struggled. I began to get set free from those emotional issues in my thirties. Now in my forties I am the happiest I’ve ever been. I realize that it’s ok to take time to have fun, be free, let go of fear, guilt and shame and forgive others. It’s been a long, hard road of healing but I am grateful. For those who may struggle with mental health, I jotted down some things that helped me in my short practical book called Walk without Fear. It’s ok, you can say you’re buying it for a friend. 😉 Grab it secretly at www.brandibecksmith.com or let me know if it helps you. Hang in there friend, there is hope and freedom to be found.   ~In Christ, Brandi
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Don’t discount the 1

What if people are not meant to find us from our “brand” and marketing strategies, our images and our catchy catchphrases, our tag lines and Google SEOs. But what if we are meant to go find the one that Jesus wants us to love on. Jesus left the 99 to find the one. The one lost sheep.   If we are to follow Him, then what does that look like in our culture? I don’t think it always looks like trying to get people’s attention and have the most followers or engagement on social media. I don’t think it looks like having the perfect brand and the perfect colors and the perfect web design so that people will click “like” or “follow” or engage with our content, but I think it’s about dying to self and considering others. I think it might be about mailing that book to someone God puts on your heart or putting that book in the hand of someone God tells you to give it to secretly. Without fanfare. Without marketing.  What if it’s not about people finding us and following us and liking us,...
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What is a call to Ministry and how do you know you have one?

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  I was called to the ministry as a teenage girl. I was sitting in a van in my home churches parking lot, Briarwood Baptist Church in Watkinsville Georgia. I was reading the Bible in Jeremiah chapter 1 when the Lord called me to ministry. As I read the words on the pages of the Bible they jumped out at me and I felt God speaking it directly to me:   “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [ a ] you,     before you were born I set you apart;     I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 6  “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 7  But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. 9  Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I h...
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Ministry with Sons

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It was easier to involve our sons in helping with the ministry when we homeschooled them.  They also traveled with us when my husband was a full time evangelist.  When we moved back to our home state of Georgia our life rhythms changed a lot because we quit homeschooling the older 3 and I started working part time outside of the home. Talk about a change!  I still homeschooled the youngest for Pre-k. Now our oldest son owns his own business, our second son is a Senior in high school at a public school and our younger two are at a private school in 10th grade and 2nd grade. Each year my husband and I reassess what kind of school our children need to be in and if they need to be homeschooled again or not. Seasons change in life and that’s okay.  I recently took a course that reminded me of the importance of including your children in the work of the ministry. Younger children naturally like to help serve.  If you have teens or young adults all you have to do is as...
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Impressions London Left

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Seven days, two spent flying and driving, from South Georgia’s farmland to the huge city of London England. My first sign of culture shock though was eating lunch in Atlanta with my brother and sister in law who were helping us get to and from the airport. I walked into the loud crowded restaurant and felt a bit dazed and confused. I looked around at the people noticing a stark difference from city life to country life. The kale salad with tangy dressing was good. I knew I needed a break from ministry even though it was technically my husband’s sabbatical. I needed one too, after all, I am married to the Pastor. We love the Lord and are so grateful God called us both into the ministry before we even met but it’s a 24/7 job with a heavy burden if you truly care about people. We love our church family and are grateful they allowed us this time to get away and rest and get refreshed. I was unable to sleep on the plane so when we got there we took a 4 hour nap and then got out and explored...
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We Live in a Glass House

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My husband didn’t know I was taking this picture. We stopped in right before church to look at the building our church recently purchased to turn into a youth building. When we moved to this small town in South Georgia to pastor a local church we had no intention of building anything, starting anything, or shaking things up. We were content and happy when under 100 folks voted him in as pastor after serving in West Virginia and Kentucky. We were happy to be back in our home state of Georgia where the green grass grows and the corn pops up in rows. Rows not toes autocorrect. Get it right.  But then God started moving and the church was so packed with people that we had to move the morning service to the gym (and it still meets there). People were getting saved, born again, blood washed and baptized. People were joining the church and it grew and grew. The devil got to work too and stirred a great ruckus. We persevered in face of persecution, attacks, even harassment and betrayal. No...
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