Ministry, Faith, & Fellowship for Spiritual Literacy Month: 

Comfort, Care, & Uplifting Thoughts for this Christmas Season  

The reason for the season… We hear it every year…  

And that’s the problem: We hear the message; we don’t listen for what it means…  

We all let the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season get to us, it’s easy when people are in a hurry, and only focused on their frame of mind. Buying, shopping, entertaining, it’s certainly a whirlwind of a season… 

We are called, as Christians, to not let the world get to us, to live in the world, not of the world. We are asked to be patient, kind, loving… We are asked to be stewards of the Word of God, sharing the meaning and purpose of Christ with others around us, loving on our fellows, and uplifting others to be their highest-selves…  

There’s enough doom and gloom, it’s time to cherish, relish, and be re-invigorated in the light of the season, the real reason for the season.  

Spiritual Literacy Motivation & Uplifting Thoughts:  

Connecting Community with Ministry  

 Featuring Anthony Cummings of Fireside Ministry and Ignite YLP 

“I have learned over the years, and through many trials and errors, that leading comes in all shapes and forms. Leading from a Christ-centered lens takes time, practice, and failure. Yes, failure. Failure is often our best teacher but something we don’t like to admit or risk doing something outside the box (because it could fail). However, if we stop and look back at our lives, we’ll find that we have often learned best from failing.” 

“I try to take an approach of pausing, observing, and asking (also following) the Holy Spirit. This means that I also take time to SPEND time with God. Relationship, not religion.” 

“If you look at the bible, we are constantly invited into relationship. We are also invited into following the same ethos as Jesus did. He did NOTHING without consulting his father (John 5:19 below). And it also says he will leave us with a counselor to guide us (John 14:26 below).” 

“And here are a few more scriptures of Holy Spirit and his availability to us:”  

Connecting with the Word of God 

Reflection in His Word with 4 Scriptures 

1. “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”  – John 5:19 
2. “But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (Jesus), will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” – John 14:26 
3. “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time…” – Luke 12:12 
4. “And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” – John 20:22 

Adding God’s Wisdom to Practice 

Quiet Time of Reflection: Being More Intentional 

“What does this look like?”  

“In my approach, It’s stopping the business. Setting aside intentional quiet time. And shutting off the world (that means putting the phone on silent).”   

“And in this time, I seek advice. I listen to calming music. I seek guidance. I write down my thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Jesus, what is it you say about this situation? How should I approach this? When should I bring this up to that person? Jesus, I’m really hurting here, and I need your help.”   

Surrender Yourself to God, Be Vulnerable with Him 

“We all try and accomplish things in our lives on our own strength and knowledge…” 

“We love our independence and control. And at times, it works. And other times, it does not.” 

“But as we can all attest to, when we give our problems to God, His way is 100% times better than our own. As a son of God, I am constantly invited into following scripture and surrendering. And through the surrender, God always uses my past skills and experiences, along with HIS WISDOM and INISGHT, to help me lead.” 

Growth Through Fellowship & Ministry 

“Ministry is all about the heart. It’s NOT about numbers, facts, or how many scriptures verses you can memorize.” 

“Ministry is about coming alongside someone in their journey and letting them know they are not alone. We ALL have something in our lives that is hurting our heart. All of us.” 

“As a follower of Christ, I do my best (not always) to stop and ask people their story.  I try and take time to listen.  Sometimes we just need an ear, a kind word, and someone saying,”  

“I see you; I hear you, and it’s ok.” 

Continuing in Next Week’s Blog: More Spiritual Literacy! 

WeShare in a community that is uplifting, caring, and rooted in faith! 

WeShare members have admission to the largest, independent PPO PHCS network in America, with access to over 1.2 million doctors and specialists. Not only that, but members can also access pharmacy services at over 68,000 locations, nation-wide. WeShare is so much more, WeShare as a community and truly care for our members with a holistic approach to wellness, one which focuses on a preventative and proactive approach to one’s well-being.   

Call us at (800) 900 – 8476 or send an email to hello@uhsm.org and we can’t wait to chat with you about WeShare, our healthcare sharing ministry memberships!