First of all, let me share that the Celebration of Life service was beautiful. I had tears but then moments of smiles too. The worship was beautiful, and I find at times since the service I am waking up with some of the very songs sung during worship reverberating inside of me. Certain verses of a song sung I hear over and over again playing inside of me. As I am writing this, one of those songs is somehow playing inside of me. I hear the verse over and over again that uses the word "injustice."
This is a tale of how Jesus uses me through the simple way of baking sweets. I know, you are thinking what! It's true, I cannot explain it, but He opens doors through me baking and blessing others, here is a great example of that. Oh, the key point is to be willing and obedient when the voice of Holy Spirit harkens unto you. Do not dismiss His voice because the simple acts usually somehow open up a door for ministry opportunities. I have seen this time and time again. May I share with you about me baking Triple Chocolate cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting and brownies with dark chocolate chips with homemade Cocoa Butter Cream frosting, decorated with Kit Kat hazelnut candy too? I cannot make this stuff up even if I tried to because it is pure Holy Spirit working.
I go to the viewing of Jeff Monday evening with 2 items Holy Spirit showed me bringing. A 50.00 bill in a card with words of comfort shared as Holy Spirit gave me them to write. He also showed me baking the family the triple chocolate cake I just mentioned. The cake presentation was just as important as I had hearts design on cellophane type of wrap (you know the kind you use for making gift baskets, that kind.) I then tied it together with decorative yarn I had that coordinated with the colors of the wrapping. See prior to Jeff going to be with the Lord I was driving home from Atlanta that Monday before his death. Holy Spirit had been showing me the value in a few offering seeds I had planted into his life and ministry and how I watched fruit come forth from each one. He had me increase the offering amounts sort of as testing the fruit that would come forth each time. Doors began to open in my life, and I already shared about some of them before. Now to you the amounts may not be of significant value but in the hands of God Almighty it is all about hearing His voice and being obedient in responding to what He is prompting you to do. A 5.00 bill offering then turned into a 10.00 bill offering turned into a 20.00 bill offering with the final offering being a 50.00 bill. As I was driving back home on that day Holy Spirit was already speaking to me to plant 50.00 next and He shared with me to watch what He can do with that offering. I said to Him you know my financials and You will make a way for this to happen. I came home from Atlanta with a 50.00 check, but it was dated for my birthday 8/18 so I could not cash that to use as the offering. The money was to come forth from what I already had in my checking account, and I obeyed and got the 50.00 bill from the bank over the weekend before the Monday night viewing was to take place.
I baked exactly what Holy Spirit placed upon my heart to bake. Oh, when I found out the news about Jeff, I then said to the Lord what about the 50.00 offering you spoke to me about placing, he is now with You in heaven how do I plant that seed? He responded to plant the seed as one last offering into his life and ministry via his children, I said ok. I am going to be real with you all right now. I finally found a glory spout in which to plant good seed offerings and now Jeff was gone. Maybe that is a bit selfish on my part, but I was looking forward to keeping planting seed offerings to see the magnanimous way God would open up doors and increase in my life. You do know that not every single ministry you may plant donations into just may not be flowing in this realm right. It is basically by trial and error. What may be the blessing avenue for 1 may not be for another. Also, what used to be for 1 may have shifted in time and what was miraculous just may not be in the next season of your life. Truly be sensitive to Holy Spirit leading you in this manner also. He sees the inner workings going on behind closed doors so to speak of a ministry and He will let you know where it is good and even great soil to plant the offering seeds. You truly need wisdom in the times in which we are living in now.
I approach the entrance of the church with cake and card in hand. This church has an awesome group of younger in aged men that are the greeters. They noticed I had something in my hand (the cake to be exact) and I asked them to give it to the family. I did not know if this viewing was going to have a refreshment area or even a comfort meal the day of the funeral. There was going to be a private family graveside burial and a comfort meal for them. They placed the cake into the refrigerator. I went into the church and gave the card to one of the spouses of one of the children. This is where the testimony begins to pick up now ...
As I am leaving the church that night the same greeters were there to open the doors for you. I joked with them and asked them if there was any cake left, did they eat it all? They asked me if I was going to bake the same cake for them and bring it to them. Well, guess what? Holy Spirit prompts me to go to a grocery store to see if they had some of the main ingredients needed to make this cake. I went to 2 different stores, and they did not have what I needed to make that particular cake. So, I am inspired to bake brownies for them in which I add dark chocolate chips to the batter. Got to make my home-made cocoa butter cream frosting too. I add extra Ghirardelli baking cocoa to this frosting to make it even more yummy. I needed something now to decorate them with. There it was sitting in a shopping cart, Kit Kat mini sized hazelnut flavor individually wrapped in a package. I had more than enough to decorate with, so I taped up the rest in the package to also give them too.
I see them the day of the Celebration of Life service as I approach coming into the church and they ask me what I bake that day. I responded how I went to 2 different stores to find the ingredients to bake them the cake, but they didn't have what I needed so I baked them brownies. I told them it was just for them (the greeters that is) and I also handed them the Kit Kats too. Oh, I was not shy in sharing how Holy Spirit prompted me to bake for them.
As I am leaving the church after the service, I asked them if they had any of the brownie yet and a few responded they did and how good they were. So, I am now outside of the church doors and there were several of the greeters almost lined up and I had a captive audience to share with them about the importance of being a greeter and I did just that. I shared how when I lived in Ohio and was a greeter at church it is an important ministry being a greeter. I was able to greet, hug, welcome, smile at people entering the church and to find out that very same day some of those I greeted with the love of Jesus walked down the aisle to respond to the altar call to give their hearts to Jesus. That is what I shared about the importance of being a greeter at church. Then I walked to my car for my assignment was now completed.
Jeff Jansen know that even in death God can use circumstances to bring great GLORY to Him in heaven. Job well done dear sir; job well done. Oh, someone has to really get those last 2 songs he wrote and sang published to touch the world, along with the final book he penned too. If I may share a bit more with offerings at this point. I had some cash left over from my recent trip and Holy Spirit prompted me to plant 10.00 into one minister and another 10.00 into another minister but they never showed up at this particular service so I could not follow through with it that day.
Thank you, my Heavenly Father, for selecting the date of 8/18 for my arrival on this earth, truly grateful, truly grateful. Oh, I happened to see Charlie Shamp that day and reminded him of a powerful word he spoke over my life @ Global Fire Church all based on the word he was seeking someone with the significance of 8/18. He and Jeff at the time were on the platform together and I was on the ground floor level. It was such a powerful word of God that the power of God hit me without anyone laying hands on me and I fell back and hit the ground even without anyone catching me as I fell. Hum, the dream his wife shared at the service also made mention of the number 8, do you think I should seek out more insight on 8 since it is in my birthdate 2 times, oh wait 3 times if you count the year too.
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