Would you recognize the perfect version of yourself that God sees in you because of Jesus? Sometimes I feel like I wouldn't. In fact, it can be discouraging just trying to envision myself that way. I think sometimes as Christians, we feel so completely enveloped by our sin that we forget that this sinful, imperfect, temptation-ridden version of ourselves is only temporary. We can't see the light at the end of the tunnel because our vision is clouded by our imperfect perception.
Who do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see the perfect, blameless child-of-God our Heavenly Father sees when He looks at you? Or do you see the messy, plagued-by-evil-desires sinner that you are without Jesus' mercy? Do you have Christian friends in your life who can assure you that you, too, have been clothed in Jesus' righteousness? Don't forget to include Him in your opinion of yourself. No sin is too big for His forgiveness. No matter how flawed our perception is, God knows who we are in His Son. Our truest identities depend on Him and what He has done rather than on ourselves and all of our shortcomings. "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14 NIV). "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV). "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27 NIV). Taleya Williamson is the Operations Manager at New Beginnings. She was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington and attended Evergreen Lutheran High School. Taleya recently graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a Bachelors of Science in psychology with a minor in anthropology. In her free time, Taleya enjoys spending time with her husband, David.
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I still remember the first time my parents demonstrated tough love. I was about 5 or 6 years old, and I absolutely loved making mud pies in the backyard. You know, mix some dirt, water, grass, leaves, and sticks in a bucket like a mud pie! Other kids did this too, right? In any event, my dad disliked the fact that when I was done mixing my mud pie that I would dump it all over the lawn. What a mess! He told me not to make any more mud pies and that if I did there would be consequences. Can you guess what happened? ....I know the suspense is killing you.... I made another mud pie, and this time my dad caught me mid-stir. This marked the first time that I was “grounded.” I do not even remember what “grounded” meant for me at five years old, but I do remember that I never made a mud pie again after that. Why does this matter? Well, I am using this story to illustrate a point. Tough love works. It is difficult for a parent to do, but it is a necessary learning tool for the child. Tough love does not just apply to children; it applies to us as well. We see numerous examples of the consequences of choices in the Bible – the most obvious, of course, is the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Additionally, the story of David and Bathsheba also illustrates this point very clearly. If you recall, (long story short) David saw Bathsheba from afar and made the choice to sleep with her. Bathsheba became pregnant, and David did everything he could think of to cover up his sin. As a result of his sin, Bathsheba’s husband was killed, and David’s son died as a consequence for his actions (2 Samuel 11 & 12). At New Beginnings, the most difficult part of our job is to demonstrate tough love. The mothers come to New Beginnings for a reason – they need a new start for themselves and their child. Often times, the mothers who need us, need us because of some of the poor choices they have made in their past. As a part of preparation for a life centered on Christ’s love, we must demonstrate His love, which sometimes consists of tough love. Please continue to pray for the mothers and children at New Beginnings. We pray that God provides each mother with the strength and resilience to overcome her past, and live a fulfilling, Christ-centered life. Brianne Hansen is the Executive Director at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UW-Milwaukee and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, spending time with her dog (Bella) and cats (Mufasa & Jasmine), and going on adventures with her husband, Daniel. I think we hope that our faith will becoming someone else’s faith. Please do not confuse what I am communicating. We always need to encourage another spiritually. We cannot have faith for someone else. We can tell someone what we think, believe, or we behave by our morals but in the end of the day they will do whatever they desire to think or do. The saying God has children but has no grandchildren is something that I heard from someone close to me. The saying means that God has a personal relationship with all of his followers. Jesus’ followers have their own personal faith through the Holy Spirit not because of a parent or grandparent. Parents have good intentions and desire the best for their children but cannot have faith for their children in place of the children’s faith. I am not saying that children do not need to be trained and brought up in the Christian faith on the contrary I am stating the opposite. The point that I am trying to make is that eventually the children need to have their own personal relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The children need to be raised up in the church where they will be encouraged by other Christians and where they will learn about God through Bible reading and devotions. Furthermore, they need to learn about God at home both by example of the parent or parents through daily Bible reading, devotions, words, and behaviors.
Elyse Kipfer was an intern at New Beginnings July through September of 2017 and is now a current Resident Supervisor at New Beginnings. She is a Psychology Major and Communication Minor at Wisconsin Lutheran College. She aspires to be a Christian counselor for victims of sexual violence. Her free time consists spending time with her horse, dog, family, and friends. Furthermore, she enjoys having deep conversations and digging into God’s Word. I am learning at New Beginnings that being able to build relationships with different individuals from different experiences. I am also learning about myself and how I want to continue or how I want to change. The idea that I am learning more about myself from other people than simply saying that I am learning about another person or that we are becoming friends is because I learn from other people more than they learn from me. I am learning that even though communication is one of my top five for my StrengthQuest that I still need to clarify questions. I have usually rephrasing questions when I am leading devotion. Additionally, I find myself giving examples out to the questions that I am asking. I am even asking more leading questions because my questions are not as clear to everyone as my own questions about God’s Word are to me. In order, my top five strengths are belief, analytical, input, restorative, and communication. Although, I think and know that these top five are my strengths these are labels that are able to help to describe a person but do not give the full picture of an individual. Coming into New Beginnings I know that I was concerned about if I would talk the day and night away because I love to talk to people and I know that about myself. I have found that there are times that I have really good conversations and time to work, for me it is usually homework. I have also learned that some people need more time to think to themselves or do not talk about everything and that is normal too. I thought that if other people did not want to talk or tell jokes that was something against me. I have come to appreciate that some people do not want to talk about a personal issue or have different experiences with reading the Bible. The more that I am learning from the amazing women here at New Beginnings, that more I am growing in how I am able to relate to other individuals who come from a different place than me and share the Bible in an entirely new way. I know that everyone is a part of New Beginnings for different reasons, but we are all learning from each other. We learn that we need to grow closer to God together and that we change constantly because we want to be more Christ-like and we learn that from reading the Bible and living life together. Elyse Kipfer was an intern at New Beginnings July through September of 2017 and is now a current Resident Supervisor at New Beginnings. She is a Psychology Major and Communication Minor at Wisconsin Lutheran College. She aspires to be a Christian counselor for victims of sexual violence. Her free time consists spending time with her horse, dog, family, and friends. Furthermore, she enjoys having deep conversations and digging into God’s Word. I think that I was very prepared for being a resident supervisor (RS) at New Beginnings – A Home for Mothers because one of my friends told me about her internship and some of her experiences at New Beginnings. Additionally, one of my classmates told me that she was leaving New Beginnings and that I would be taking her place. She gave me some advice which has stood the test my first few months here.
In addition, she gave advice about being firm to my own guidelines meaning that if I am going to set a side time for me or to spend with the residents that I need to stick to the plan. Once a person deviates then it is difficult to go back to the routine. For example, if a RS offers to take someone grocery shopping one day then the person may expect to go grocery shopping with the same RS.
Elyse Kipfer was an intern at New Beginnings July through September of 2017 and is now a current Resident Supervisor at New Beginnings. She is a Psychology Major and Communication Minor at Wisconsin Lutheran College. She aspires to be a Christian counselor for victims of sexual violence. Her free time consists spending time with her horse, dog, family, and friends. Furthermore, she enjoys having deep conversations and digging into God’s Word. “What gifts and talents do you have that contribute to the success of the work you do?” This is a question I asked my staff at a recent brainstorming session. Often times, in this competitive world, we tend to focus on the negatives. What needs improvement? How can we do better? How can we avoid this mistake again? Let me tell you – this can get exhausting! As staff members at New Beginnings, we are often forced to contend with tough situations and daunting tasks, but despite all of that, each of us brings a unique set of gifts and talents to the ministry. In other words, God placed us all in our positions for a reason. Because God has placed us in our positions, it is important to take some time to focus on the positive. Focus on what we do right. So, I asked everyone: “what gifts and talents do you have that contribute to the success of the work you do.” I was surprised to hear that some staff members had difficulty coming up with a list of gifts and talents that they possess. Ultimately, everyone gave a short list with the top gift being “a genuine care for others.” (Whew! it seems like we are all in the right profession!) Some of the other gifts that we came up with were nurturing, ability to set boundaries, visionaries, and genuine. I think this is a good list, but I see so much more:
I want to take a moment to commend the staff at New Beginnings for the good work they do. You all work together to create a phenomenal team with a unique set of gifts and talents. Thank you God for the blessings you have given all of us, and thank you Lord for the opportunity we have to serve others. Only through you can we do great things. Take a moment to think about the unique gifts and talents the Lord has given YOU! Leave us a comment – we would love to learn more about your blessings. Let’s focus on the positive! Brianne Hansen is the Executive Director at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UW-Milwaukee and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, spending time with her dog (Bella) and cats (Mufasa & Jasmine), and going on adventures with her husband, Daniel.
1. Sometimes what appears to be the end is really a new beginning. I know this is basically our motto, but it bears repeating. We may reach a point in life where we think everything is ending, but the truth is, every ending is also a beginning, and sometimes a beginning to a much, much better future. 2. Groups are good. Sure, we all remember the cliques that formed in high school and middle school; they weren’t the greatest. However, if you want a group or organization to have any kind of unity, then you have to do something together. The group that prays together stays together, but at New Beginnings we do a lot more together, including going to church and doing other fun activities. 3. A group of women CAN exist in harmony. While women can be extremely harsh on each other, especially in a group setting, at New Beginnings the opposite is true, as we do our best to encourage and support one another. 4. Sharing is caring. Our fourth item on this list is something that we were all told when we were four, but that we struggle with throughout our life. New Beginnings benefits enormously from the cash, items, and time that donors and volunteers share with New Beginnings. However, within New Beginnings, each person benefits from time wisdom, knowledge, food, or anything else shared by an employee, resident, or resident supervisor. 5. God is great. You know what else makes New Beginnings great? God does! Everything we do is for the glory of God, and we have experienced His many blessings firsthand. Elizabeth Scheibl is a former intern and current Resident Supervisor at New Beginnings. She is still an English major and History minor at Wisconsin Lutheran College. In her spare time, she likes reading, writing, and standing on chairs and singing. In this blog, our New Beginning’s resident moms, and others, are sharing some of their struggles, joys, and how they balance the realities of motherhood. This blog is about wanting to give support to you and one another, and learning from each other. As Dr. Benjamin Spock said, “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” Keeping in mind that it helps to have a sense of humor about the hardest and greatest job in the world, here are some answers to some typical parenting questions. My biggest parenting success: Giving all the love my children can handle. Seeing my baby hit those developmental milestones, for example, when my child started walking. The day I, at the same time, collapsed my stroller, held my baby, and carried a bag of groceries! The day I ran out of diapers, got inventive, and discovered that using Viva paper towel to diaper my baby, really worked! My favorite “me time” indulgences: Having “shower time” after baby is asleep. Doing my hair, doing homework, cleaning, talking on the phone, all these daily activities that I use to take for granted, have become indulgences with baby here. My best day as a mom: Seeing my baby playing, having fun. When my child was potty trained. Giving my child a great Christmas. My worst day as a mom: When my children are sick. When there is a discipline problem. Failed naps. Whining. When I can’t seem to get any sleep. My best moment of the week: Bed time. Seeing my baby’s goofy smile really brightens my day. When my baby holds up her arms so I’ll pick her up. We hope you have been encouraged by this blog, and don’t forget to bestow your stories on others too. You never know if what you have to say is just what someone needs to hear. Karen O'Leary is the the Program Manager at New Beginnings. She has her BA in Bible Theology and her Masters of Divinity. She has 8-years of experience as a Social Director at a non-profit organization helping those in crisis with financial assistance, brief supportive counseling, and being a spiritual presence in their time of need. In her free time Karen enjoys reading, cooking and traveling. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11 Have you ever considered how different you are from the person you were 5 or 10 years ago? What people or events did God use to shape you into who you are now? Imagine how different you and your life might be in another 5 or 10 years! Another thing to consider is how a simple decision you made years ago has shaped your life and the lives of those around you. For example, while talking with a friend the other day, I made this realization: had I never chosen to date my now husband, we wouldn't have gotten married, I'd likely have moved back to Washington State, both of our lives would look entirely different separate from each other, my best friend wouldn't have moved to Wisconsin, etc. The list goes on! Of course, there's no way to know what would have happened had God led me on another path but I'm confident that my life would have been unrecognizable to me now. God had a plan for my life. He has led me to where I am now and continues to lead me according to His plan and who He wants me to be. God has a plan for the moms and babies here at New Beginnings too. He uses their experiences and what they learn in this program to help shape them into who He wants them to be. The work we do here also reaches beyond our residents into the lives of their friends and families and people they might meet in the future. Each mother who walks into our front door does so with a purpose from her Father in heaven. We at New Beginnings are so blessed to be a part of a tool He uses to fulfill that purpose! Would you like to partner with us to serve God and change lives? Please prayerfully consider donating to New Beginnings monetarily or with your time as a volunteer. You can make a long-term difference that matters! Taleya Williamson is the Operations Manager at New Beginnings. She was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington and attended Evergreen Lutheran High School. Taleya recently graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a Bachelors of Science in psychology with a minor in anthropology. In her free time, Taleya enjoys spending time with her husband, David. Hi! My name is Letisha Norman and I am a resident at New Beginnings. I have to say that New Beginnings has really helped me to change my life. Although I’m not a first-time mother, my children are 15 years apart which left me in a position of really starting over. And let me tell you: A LOT has changed since I raised my daughter, like laying babies on their backs instead of their stomaches, not giving babies water, and because I had a boy instead of a girl this time, I have to be very mindful of the way I wipe him since he was circumcised. Obviously he was sore so it took a little longer to change him than it did with my daughter. Laughing out loud, it’s not fun to get urinated on at 5 a.m. but thats the type of thing you go through when raising kids. New Beginnings helped me to develop those skills that I am taking with me through this journey of raising my beautiful little person. One way they help is by allowing me to live in a wonderful, safe, Christian-based environment in a home setting with enough room to allow me to be the mother I was 15 years ago, but better, because I’m learning to put God first. Second, New Beginnings teaches me to brush up on some of my domestic skills. Every month, we have a themed pot-luck that we all bring a homemade dish to. We also have an assigned monthly chore and every Saturday, our apartments are checked by staff. Every week, we have one-on-one Bible Studies and Goal Meetings. I thank God for New Beginnings for giving me the room to grow as a mother, a person, and someday, by God’s grace, an educated woman since we do have the option of going to school or working on a career path. That will allow me to live depending on myself and being accountable for the choices I make which works out better when I put God first. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). God loved us first. I couldn’t imagine giving my son up as a sacrifice but God did and with New Beginnings’ help, I will keep seeking Him. Letisha joined the New Beginnings Family in January of 2017 and had her son in May 2017. She is pursuing her education while making God and her children the center of her world. |
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