30 Days of Favor with Dawn Leopard

It's our last day of the 30 Days of Favor! Can you believe it? We hope that these past 30 days have encouraged you and left you feeling refreshed this summer! 

30 Days of Favor with Morgan, Emily, & MiMi - Part 2

Today we have another panel discussion for 30 Days of Favor! Listen as Morgan, Emily, and Mimi, all students at North Greenville University, share what the Lord is doing through them on their campus and in their personal lives. 

30 Days of Favor Thank You

I cannot believe 30 Days of Favor is over! It seemed like a long time coming and now it's over in lightening speed. Where in the world has the summer gone?! I would love to hear from you on your thoughts about our summer devotions and how they impacted your life. Thank you for journeying with us! Just a quick note to say a few much needed THANK YOUS!!
Thank you so much to my daughter Chrissie Hux and my son John Leopard for all the tech help for 30 Days of Favor.  Believe me, none of it would've made it to the online world without these two.  I know my limits and my need for help so thank you to both of you for all the help, smoothing out wrinkles, and correcting the problems.
Thank you to my son-in-law Justin Broome for encouraging me to go forth even though the fear of my limitations tempted me to not bother.  Your encouragement made me persevere and push through so that the ramblings in my head and heart became reality.
Thank you to ALL of you who submitted devotions.  It truly never could've happened without you doing them. Please know how grateful I am but more importantly know know that God used you mightily!  The response I received from many about how God used your words to impact them are in some cases miraculous.
Thank you to all of you who read them and shared them on your social media sights.  Because of you we reached hundreds most days and as many as 1300 hits on the blog for a single devotion.  I could've never dreamed that big but you got it out there!
Thank you to our Favor team at Fairview for making this happen.  Your prayers, encouragement, devotions, sharing made this a reality and God blessed! May He pour back blessings on each of you.
Thank you to my dear husband who trusts me enough to allow me to minister alongside of Him and lead women as God prompts me.  You are more of a risk taker than you think you are.  My goal is to always do you good and never harm!
And the greatest THANK YOU of all goes to our Lord Jesus! You made this bigger than I could've ever even imagined!  That You risk your name and reputation on the likes of me is what gives me purpose each day to get up and then go down and beg You one day at a time for Your presence for I can't imagine going anywhere if You didn't go with me. Exodus 33.  Thank You for placing the desire in my heart and bringing clarity to the ramblings in my brain and for causing so many to agree to help and pray to get Your Word out for these 30 Days.  Now I'm asking You to continue what You started and cause us all to hunger daily for Your Word and be intentional in prayer and aware of Your presence and bold enough to share You with our corners of influence because we know that You are worth it.  Favor us Lord that we may make a difference for You!

30 Days of Favor with Candy Holliday

Candy is a member of Fairview Church and a Favor team member.

"Hands"

Have you ever considered how important your hands are?  We use our hands for styling our hair, putting on our makeup, brushing our teeth, putting on our clothes and shoes, bathing and showering, cooking, cleaning, turning the pages of a book, opening a door, driving a car, holding a loved one’s hand, picking a beautiful flower, writing a note, etc.  The list goes on and on.  Without our hands, it would be difficult to function and enjoy our everyday lives.

More important than our human hands are the hands of God. His hands formed our very being. He fashioned and designed us just the way he wanted, and His hands put together the puzzle pieces of our lives day by day.  Consider how important the hands of God are.

The hands of God protect us.   God shelters us physically, mentally, and emotionally as we seek the umbrella of His protection. 

The hands of God direct our life much like a conductor directs the orchestra. God knows every part of our life and how it fits together perfectly.

The hands of God support us.  Have you ever had difficulty walking, been so tired you feel like you cannot go on, or been faced with devastating news? That’s when the hands of God hold on to you and help you put one foot ahead of the other.

The hands of God soothe and calm our souls.  Are you worried, preoccupied with what the future holds, upset over circumstances and relationships?  Ask God to give you that special peace that only He can provide.  It’s a peace that only comes from Him.

The hands of God heal broken relationships, tired souls, and diseased bodies all in accordance with God’s will, not our will.

As I look back over the years I have lived, I can see God’s hands at work.  Many times I didn’t understand, I questioned God, and doubted God was anywhere near.  All the while, God was at work putting together His plan for my life.

Through it all I learned to depend upon Him.   I learned to walk hand in hand with Him.  Our God is a God of ultimate power.  He is a God of unlimited means.  He is a God of forgiveness, and most importantly a God of unconditional love.

Romans 8:28-31

Jeremiah 29:11

Phillipians 4:13

Candy Holliday

30 Days of Favor with Morgan, Emily, and MiMi

Today we have the first part of another panel discussion for 30 Days of Favor! Listen as Morgan, Emily, and Mimi, all students at North Greenville University, share what the Lord is doing through them on their campus and in their personal lives. 

30 Days of Favor with Stephen & Morgan McNeil

Today we hear from a husband & wife team, Stephen and Morgan McNeil. They currently serve in Student Ministry. Listen to how God is revealing Himself to them through a season of obedience and transition. 

30 Days of Favor with Kate Balich

Today we hear from Kate Balich. A student at Liberty University.

Confidence in Contentment

30 Days of Favor with Tricia Johnson

Today we hear from Tricia Johnson. She's a member of Freedom Fellowship Church!

30 Days of Favor with Virginia Sims

Virginia Sims is married to Roger Sims and they originally were members of Fairview from the early 1980's until 1991. Roger served as Youth Minister during this time. They have served in churches in Indiana, Georgia, and South Carolina. They are excited to be back at Fairview and have said it feels like coming home. Roger and Virginia have a son, Cole, who is married to Ashley. They have a one year old son named Colston. They absolutely love being grandparents. 

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5

On a clear night this summer, step outside and take a moment to admire the night sky.  Away from the city lights, the black sky is vast, and the stars have the brilliance of a sea of diamonds!  In Psalm 8, David did that and he marveled at the majesty of the moon and stars, the work of God’s fingers.  In verse four, David wonders about man.  How can the God who created the vast and spectacular universe be mindful of man, much less care for him?  When David compared himself to God’s majesty and His creation, he felt insignificant. 

But, God did care for David, and He cares for us.  He not only cares, He made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor.  As the old hymn goes, “oh how he loves you and me.”

Love great enough to send His Son to die for us and make perfect His glory and honor.   If the heavens are his work of art, we, through Christ Jesus, are his masterpiece.  

So, today bow before our Creator and be thankful for His immense love for us.

30 Days of Favor with Shelley Kauffman

Today we hear from Shelly Kaufman, a fellow Pastor's wife in the Greenville area!

30 Days of Favor with Stephen, John, Hux, & Justin - Part 2

Today for Man Edition Monday, we have the second part of a panel that was shared last Monday! Enjoy!

30 Days of Favor with Noelle Boiano

Today we hear from Noelle Boiano. She's on staff at NAMB (North American Mission Board) and serves at Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA. 

30 Days of Favor with Katherine Long

Renewal

Life has many seasons that occur for the individual and these seasons involve change. 

Change can be difficult and exciting at the same time. It can bring about anxiety and other strong emotions. Different life seasons can revolve around a new job, a child getting married, a new opportunity, a graduation, retirement, the end of a school term, or a loss. When we step into a new season, our footing can feel shaky, this new ground does not feel secure. 

This reminds me of Peter when Jesus told him to step out of the boat and keep his eyes on Jesus. When Jesus is our guide, He becomes our sure foundation, our solid Rock. The world distracts us from our source of strength but we can put our trust in Jesus to lead us through each season. When we commit to follow Him, our worries ease and peace comes. 

Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29. 

Times of uncertainty can be burdensome, Jesus longs to take those burdens from us, and depend on Him for our rest. Take the time to spend alone with Jesus and allow Him to revitalize your spirit, find true rest in Him alone. When we enter God’s presence, our circumstances may not change, but He renews our spirit. Therefore, our outlook changes. 

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22.

Katherine Long

30 Days of Favor with Amy Hickman

About the author: Amy Hickman is the Lead Pastor’s wife at LifeSong Church in Lyman, a church that she and her husband, Jeff, planted in their living room back in 2008, as well as leader of Elevate, a community for women at LifeSong, and in the surrounding area. Her passion is that EVERY woman know that she is WELCOMED, KNOWN, LOVED & ENOUGH through Jesus Christ. Amy is the mom of four daughters, McKenna(18), Bailey(16), Avery(14) and Quinn(9), and considers raising them to be the most real way she has learned how Jesus sees her and loves her. Amy is the big sister to Missy Bryant and Kate Durham, (both FAVOR women at Fairview), and missionary kid from Venezuela, and because of her upbringing COFFEE is her love language, as well as any Spanish food! All in all, her passion is for the whole Church, that they would live like Jesus, love like Jesus and leave what Jesus left behind, and believes when that fire is ignited, there is no stopping the Bride of Christ!

As long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with insecurity. I can look back at almost every age and see how it kept me from being myself in front of people, determined whether or not I would participate in an activity, allowing people to get to know me, and EVER feel like I was “good enough” at anything. Insecurity has suffocated me so often that I’ve missed out on really living. Situations may vary, but my guess is, if you are a woman who is reading this that you, too, have experienced insecurity in some shape or form.  I believe it’s one of Satan’s greatest tools to cripple us and “con” us into believing that we can offer nothing to the kingdom of God, and he will WHAM-BAM us with insecurity all day long to render us ineffective!

One of my favorite passages in God’s word is found in John 4.  If you have spent much time in church, you’ve probably read it a lot. I’m hoping in writing this, however, there are many of you reading it for the first time ever, or the first time with fresh eyes to the power any encounter with Jesus brings into our lives.

Take time to read John 4:1-30. While a lengthy read, let me break down for you some high points of what is playing out in this passage. A little background before we begin, in a nutshell, is where we can all easily find ourselves entrenched… in RELIGION over RELATIONSHIP.

Jesus has realized that that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). The Pharisees had allowed themselves to be more caught up in numbers being baptized, rather than true life-change and a love-motivated life. I want to pick up in verses 4-10, and each place “Jesus” is mentioned, I want you to replace His name with the synonym of His name, “LOVE”. You see, God (Jesus) is LOVE. Reading this passage through with that fresh perspective/reminder will maybe change the way you’ve read this passage before. I want you to see four points in your reading:

I). Love will find us - v.4-10

{They had posted the score that LOVE was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. So LOVE left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.

4-6 To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. LOVE, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well.} It was noon. 7-8A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. LOVE said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.) 9The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)10 LOVE answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve searched for love in many places, tried to manufacture it on my own, and been controlled by my need for it...so much so, that I’ve missed it when it’s staring me right in the face. I will never forget a friend of mine telling me to let my walls down and allow people to offer love to me, and know they really mean it. I believe her exact words were, “When will you ever trust that when others offer to help you or be there for you, that they really mean it? Let them LOVE you!” In seeing the Samaritan woman here at the well, this is exactly where she was. Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans, but here was someone offering her the most love she could ever imagine - in the form of asking for a drink of water, no less.

II.     Love does - read v. 11-14, focusing on 13 & 14

LOVE said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

Author Bob Goff says, “It will be our love, not our opinions, that will be our greatest contribution to the world.” Our best example on how to love in a world overrun with opinions, hate, self-righteousness, etc., will ALWAYS be JESUS. Why? We see it here in these verses. As long as the aforementioned things above exist, our supply of love must be endless, and must be that for which we are known.

III.     LOVE LOVES ANYWAY - v.15-23

15The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!” 16He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.” 17-18“I have no husband,” she said. “That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.” 19-20“Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?” 21-23“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.}

We women are notorious hiders. I know a thing or two about this. It rooted itself down deep in my own insecurity as I spent many years believing I needed to hide it from others.  I mean, if people REALLY knew us, they would probably judge us or shun us, right? Look at what LOVE (Jesus) shows us in these verses...HE ALREADY KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT US! That is either a relief to you, or hard to swallow. Trust me, the Samaritan woman was not too keen on Jesus knowing everything about her, but Jesus showed her truth and love at the same time! That is AWESOME! Jesus accepts us just as we are so we NEED Him to change us!

IV. LOVE DOESN’T ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWERS, BUT LOVE IS ALWAYS RIGHT. V. 23-26

23-24“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” 25The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.” 26“I am he,” said LOVE. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.

We see it here, all the uncertainties in how to love well, played out in the minds of the disciples. When we can love the unlovable, that’s truly when we “get” what Jesus is all about!

I love how the story ends. It’s a good ending, and don’t we all like a happy ending? It’s good because Jesus showed a life that was uncertain, yes, insecure, too, feeling unworthy and useless, and he showed her just how He could use a life changed by Jesus!

Read this with me...28-30The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.}

And this is the kicker, ladies, when you believe God can’t use a life like yours...

30 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

The story goes on to say that the Samaritans asked Jesus to stay, and he stayed 2 more days and so many more believed. Wow! Aren’t you glad that Jesus saves, that He uses us in spite of ourselves, and shows us just what a life solely dependent on Him can do?! My hope and prayer for you is that you allow a limitless God to use you limitlessly! Know that we may feel unusable to do anything great for God, but when we remember these three things:

Live like Jesus

Love like Jesus

Leave what Jesus left behind,

we will be astounded what He will do in a life utterly changed by Him, for His glory!

30 Days of Favor with Joyce Burns

Today we hear from Joyce Burns. She's married to Tom Burns, a staff member at Fairview Baptist. 

30 Days of Favor with Stephen, John, Hux, and Justin

Happy Monday! Today, we have a special edition of Man Edition Monday as we will hear a round table conversation from Stephen Leopard, John Leopard, Michael Hux, and Justin Broome! Enjoy!

30 Days of Favor with Jessica Broome

Today we hear from Jessica Broome. She's married to Justin Broome and they both serve at Fairview Church. She's also a Favor Team Member.

30 Days of Favor with Terry Williams

Today we hear from Terry Williams. She's married to Pierce and they both serve as members of Fairview Church.

30 Days of Favor with Kim Anderson

Life has a way of throwing you unexpected curve balls at the most inopportune times. 

It could be the loss of a loved one, unemployment, divorce or even what some would think of as simple car trouble. When these issues arise they are often compounded by the thought that we will have to handle them all on our own. We go into “fix it” mode. Running around trying to figure out what we can do to change or control the situation.  Whether we believe it or not, sometimes it is better to just be still. Even as Christians this is one of the most difficult things for us to do. We are programmed to come up with solutions to problems, but sometimes instead of solving the problem we make the problem worse. 

We are told in Exodus 14 “The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still.” We must find it in ourselves to get out of God’s way and let God do what he does best. He may fix the problem, but sometimes that means he may just give you peace about a situation. Either way he is in total control. He has the solution even before there is a problem. Give it to him, step back, be still, and watch.

Kim Anderson