KINDNESS & ENCOURAGEMENT AUGUST 2022 |
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SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14 NLT |
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Oh, to live deliberately for Jesus, camping in these verses. I love that He’s chosen us to be His own dear children. Reading this portion of Scripture makes me want to wrap myself up in the garments of praise, allowing Him to fling the spirit of heaviness to the wayside and I’ll walk out my days in kindness, encouraging myself and all He brings my way. Fill us with all you know we need, Lord. Cause us to walk in the beauty of Your love and kindness, making a difference here for Your kingdom. Amen |
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- Practice kindness — start with yourself!
- Practice encouragement — begin with yourself!
- Affirm yourself by speaking kind words about yourself out loud.
- Include the words that describe what you want to be: patient, gentle, affirming, loving, encouraging.
- Plan to choose one way to add a specific act of kindness to yourself every day each week and concentrate on that area.
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The Joy of Hospitality — Filling Your Space with Kindness and Encouragement |
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When I was finishing up the last chapter of my book, a personal one to my readers, I shared a story about a woman who the Lord used in my life. She lived and served as a missionary during the Boxer Rebellion in China in the 1920’s. Without telling the whole story, Jesus had this woman write a small, personal volume called, "How I Know God Answers Prayer." My heart was so moved by this tiny treasure, I got a clean notebook and began to fill it with all the answers to prayer I could recall from the day I gave my heart to Jesus until that very moment. In less than an hour, I had recalled 69 significant answers to prayer. Just reminiscing about that season, makes me want to find it and continue where I left off. I think I will. What does this have to do with hospitality? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful night of encouragement if we opened our homes and had a time of worship followed by each one (or whoever wanted to) sharing a significant answer to prayer— or a small answer to prayer that meant a lot to us even though it was minor? |
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We are part of a larger story. The Lord has plans and purposes for our lives. One of the most impactful ways we can live deliberately for Jesus and what matters to Him, is to share all He’s done in our hearts and lives. Not only does it strengthen our hearts as we call His goodness to mind and share it with the ones He sends our way, but it brings great encouragement to those we’ve invited in to share in our life. Our testimonies are what give courage to others to press on when they hear of God’s faithfulness to us over the years. People aren’t looking for a perfect home to visit. They’re aching for space and hearts filled with real. Space where they can breathe in the mercy and peace and love and wonderful grace of Jesus. Your home and mine. Let me know how this works out. I’d love to hear your stories. |
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August Book Review: The Boy, The Mole, the Fox, and the Horse |
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This is a delightful book by Charlie Makersy. I purchased four on Amazon for Father’s Day for a few of the dads in our family that are raising sons. It’s a read aloud book for all ages and gender with charming pictures and a focus on friendship. I keep reading it over and over, soaking in the gentle nuggets of wisdom, written in chunky cursive with a hint of calligraphy. I continue to find joy in the captivating personalities brought to life in the illustrations. For me this book is a 5-star, happy purchase. But that’s me— I’m very much a little child who is still learning how valuable kindness is—both to give it and to receive it from others, including ourselves. |
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Self-Care: Learning What it Takes to be the Best Version of Ourselves: It’s a Journey |
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You are worth investing in. Do you recognize the importance of practicing kindness to yourself? One of the most effective ways we can practice self-care is to reflect on how we think and speak about and to ourselves. Considering this month’s book highlight, I chose a quote from Charlie’s book we can start our self-care journey with.
“'Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses,' said the mole."
Kindness can be shown in many ways, but rarely do we think about being kind to ourselves. It’s imperative for our sense of well-being to carve out a little time for us. It’s not selfish to do so. No guilt— not even for a second. |
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Being kind to ourselves includes making space and allowing ourselves the joy of taking a little time to do something that will strengthen our resolve to attend to our own well-being. Here’s some suggestions. Making daily time in our calendar for Jesus-the best self-care EVER! Coffee with a friend. A quiet visit to the library alone. A scenic ride that includes stopping for ice cream. Spending some restful moments without worrying about the minutes. Kairos moments versus Chronos. God-breathed moments versus clocks and calendars.
Let’s make a commitment to begin any changes we see are needed so we can start the journey of becoming the best version of ourselves as we approach the fall season. |
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Part of healthy self-care for ourselves is found in reaching out to others. So many people have little to no hope. Kindness and encouragement are scarce in countless hearts. All around us many are feeling poorly about themselves and frightened for the days ahead. When we reach out and show kindness, hearts are encouraged. This will not only bring us joy, but it will also spill over to those within our circles. Remember, when you begin to grow in being kind and encouraging to yourself, you will be the same way to those all around you— it will benefit your tribe—all those who are in your life on a steady basis will begin to flourish. If you’d like to receive my Self-Care lists, go to debbiedufek.com and subscribe to my email. You’ll get the four lists immediately. Lots of ideas for self-care and care for families and friends as well. An extra treat: They’re beautiful! |
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My Book Update: Holy Interruptions: When God Taps You on the Shoulder. Available in bookstores and on Amazon in November 2022 |
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It’s with great joy and anticipation I can finally say my manuscript is finished! I am so excited and beyond grateful to all of you who prayed for me, for my writing, and for this amazing endeavor. Thanks to my husband, Bobby, and our precious family for their continued support and encouragement. They have been wonderful. A huge thanks to Karen Porter, my writing coach who has taught me so much in these last two years. I never could have done it without her. My manuscript goes to my publisher August 3rd. Lots of back and forth in the next 8 weeks then it goes to print in October. My book launch begins October 31 and ends November 17th. The Launch Team helps promote the book. I have to build a team of at least 100-150 people for the launch so if anyone is interested in being a part of that very exciting three weeks, please DM me on Facebook or Insta or shoot me an email deb@debbiedufek.com. Please include your email address, your mailing address, and your phone number so we can reach out to easily you when the time comes. |
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My girls and I have an evening planned for later this month— my daughters, some older granddaughters, and some girlfriends are all joining together at my daughter’s home to make the gifts each launch team member will receive in the mail. The gift is a surprise and will be beautiful! Love all the family/girlfriend enthusiasm and help! |
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Note: I’m looking for guest bloggers for my blog. DM me if this is something you are interested in doing. And I’m also looking for blogs I can be a guest on, as well as podcasts. Feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear from you and what areas or topics you have interest or need in. If I hear from my readers, I will address your topics. Next Month’s Theme: Better Breakfast Month/Think Healthy Food/Harvest/Recipes/Back to School Routines/ Home Schooling Hints from a Veteran Mom/Empty Nest I’ve loved being with you all. Happy last month of summer. On this journey together, Deb |
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