Inspiration | Duoimagery-John and Bethany Detweiler

Summer breeze.. makes me feel fine..

On April 18, 2013 / Inspiration / Leave a comment

I have never been as excited for summer to come as I have been this year. I’m not really sure why. But for months now I’ve been dreaming and longing for warm weather and sunshine and green grass and color and new life.

Summer is happiness. Sunshine spreading all over everyone and flowers popping up everywhere sharing their exquisite colors. It is about friendship, about love, about being with the ones God has brought into your life.

I know it is not officially summer yet. But it has arrived already where I live.. and this year I am welcoming it with open arms.

It think what delights me about summer more than anything else is new life. Everywhere around me new life is happening. Baby birds, flowers blooming, grass turning from the drab brownish color it dons in winter to a vibrant, soft lime green in summer. Everywhere is an image of Life and an image of the One who breathed life into being. When I sit outside on a warm summer day and feel the cool breeze playing with my hair and hearing the birds sing their melodious songs.. I believe in the depths of my heart that there are second chances. That there is always new life for the asking.

My dream for this summer is to spend as much time as possible out of doors. Basking in the beauty that God has brought to life.

Chilling with people that I love and that love me and enjoying their presence.. not taking them for granted.

Breathing in the colors, the vibrance, the life all around me.

Soaking up the rays of sunlight that streak across my path.

Diving into life heart first.

Loving as I have been loved.

Serving as I have been served.

My dream for the next 2 1/2 months is this. To raise $22,000 to bring clean water to a community in Ethiopia. Because I want to give, to inspire, to love my family around this big, beautiful world. Because my Jesus lived like that. You can join in my dream to help bring clean water, and a new life, to some beautiful people by clicking HERE.

Peace and love,

Bethany

PS. I so love this song:

A campaign for clean water, an answer to prayer

On March 4, 2013 / Giving Back, Inspiration / Leave a comment

A couple months ago I started a campaign with charity:water to raise $1000 in just 90 days to bring clean water to a community in Ethiopia. It seemed daunting and as the deadline ticked closer, I started feeling discouraged that maybe it wouldn’t all come in. But God has blessed me with generous friends – both those I know personally and those I may not know. Gifts have come in steadily over the past couple months. But I still had over $500 left to raise and not even quite a month to raise it in and I was starting to wonder if it would happen. I crawled into bed last night just praying that God would send one person to give. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on the big picture but it’s really about just one gift at a time, no matter how small. I fell asleep with this prayer in my heart. This morning I had actually forgotten about it and when I leisurely checked my campaign it said $951 raised. I blinked and then refreshed the page – it must’ve been jinxed. Last night there was only $451 raised. I refreshed and it still said $951. I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and there at the top of the list of donations was an Anonymous donation of $500.

God sent me one person to give a gift.

I’m so floored. God answers prayer. All He needs is open and willing hearts. I’m crying as I write this because I am so overwhelmed by the Almighty God I have – and the generous people out there who love Him.

THANK YOU. To every single person who gave, no matter how small it felt. I know it was from your heart and to me that is all that matters. I know that’s all that matters to God , too. You gave generously from a willing heart, and that made all the difference.

I only have $50 left to raise to complete my campaign – and nearly a month to do it! But lets see how far above and beyond we can go!

Thank you EVERYONE for helping me change a community in Ethiopia – for being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Please share my campaign with your friends and family- spread the word to whoever who know! Let’s see just how much we can change this community!

Visit my campaign by clicking HERE.

Peace and love, Bethany

And whatever you do…

On February 1, 2013 / Inspiration / Leave a comment

Sometimes serving can seem mundane. Sometimes it can feel pointless.. or that what I’m doing is not really making a difference. I work at the food pantry at the Christian Mission in downtown Mooresville once a week. My job is to fill the boxes with food, making sure each person gets a variety of vegetables, fruits, breads, deli items and desserts. Box after box after box. My little sister stands at the desk and greets each person with a charming little smile and a “Hey darling.. how are you today? You look gorgeous!” .. or something like that, depending on the person of course. They love her and I love watching her shine. I load and heave boxes and sometimes, not too often, but sometimes I feel like I’m not really serving, not really loving like Jesus. I’m just tossing food into boxes and heaving them onto a counter. But it seems like whenever I start feeling like what I’m doing isn’t making any difference to shine Christ’s love to someone, I catch the eye of someone I hand a box to – and their eyes are glistening. They’re choked up and barely can whisper – “Thank you.” When this happens, my heart soars. I want to cry.

I’m sharing this because sometimes changing the world can feel overwhelming. What can I really do anyway? But its not always the big things – like rescuing girls out of brothels or digging a well. Sometimes it’s just the little things. Like tossing food into boxes or making pancakes at your local soup kitchen. But here’s the thing.. whatever we do for God, it’s a blessing. It doesn’t always have to be the big things.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Jesus didn’t always to big things. He did of course – raising the dead and healing the sick. But sometimes, he just stroked a child’s head and looked into their eyes and winked at them. He lived generously. And that’s how I want to live. Someday I dream that I can work in an child’s home, or somewhere like that. But for right now, God has me loading boxes. So I can love like Christ right there, handing someone a box of food. I can shine for Him and maybe help them see that they are not alone, not forsaken. There is someone out there who cares about them, because there is Someone in her that loves them.

xoxoxo, Bethany

Countdown to Christmas {day three}

On December 3, 2012 / Holidays, Inspiration / Leave a comment

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28

Make a difference this Christmas

On November 24, 2012 / Giving Back, Inspiration / Leave a comment

I want to invite you to join in my vision of making our world a better place for children – as simply as giving life changing gifts in the honor of friends or family for their Christmas gifts. Check it out!

Extravagance

On July 13, 2012 / Beauty, Inspiration / 1 Comment

Extravagance. The word leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Images rush to my head of .. opulence. Ridiculous expensiveness.. wasteful.. excessive..
But the word has been redefined for me.
I was having my morning alone time with Jesus and was reading in my devotional book about the widow who gave her two last coins. I’ve read the story countless times, heard messages preached and illusions drawn. But it hit me in a fresh way. A radical way.

Get this.

“She gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all.” (Mark 12:44b The Message)
That’s how Jesus described her to his friends.
It was a praise.
Extravagance.

Suddenly, the word is beautiful. Giving more than she could afford.
Risk.
Trust.

That’s what Jesus is asking of us. To not just give enough that we feel better than the next guy.
To not just give our all.
He wants EXTRAVAGANCE.
What we can’t afford.

That’s it.
I’m so tired of living a life centered around my trio of most important people.
ME.
MYSELF.
I.
I’m tired of just being a great Christian. Tithing, serving, faithfully attending church.
I’m gonna give what I can’t afford. I’m gonna live an extravagant life.
I’m gonna climb out of my cozy,comfy boat and stagger onto the waves.
Radically take risks, join the war.
Follow the One who is the Light.

{beth}

The moments that count.

On June 21, 2012 / Beauty, Inspiration / 5 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last few days. About life. Relationships. The differences between perfect online friends and real messed up people. Don’t freak out that this is an anti-social media blurb. It’s not. I love social media. You can connect instantly with people you love all over the world. I can see pictures of my international friend’s babies within minutes of their births. It’s a gift that has connected us to the world.

But I think there’s a catch. It’s so easy to instead of being in the moment you are in, enjoying the people you are with, to constantly be in the other world. How many times do we take a photo just to post it online? Or as soon as we get to a restaurant with buddies we have to “check-in” so all of our online friends can see that we are having a great time? What about actually having a great time? We spend so much of our time, energy and love creating this perfect life of ours online, where we can be whoever we want to be. We can be shallow, fake, perfect. No one on there has to know about our hurts, has to know about the stupid things we said, the embarrassing things we did. What if instead we stopped and set down the phone, looked into the eyes of the people we are with and focused on them? Their pains, problems, hurts, joys, loves, interests, passions..

Because the last time I checked, real, raw, messed up people are better than fake, shallow, online people any day.

{beth}

One Day Without Shoes

On April 11, 2012 / Giving Back, Inspiration, Outdoors / 2 Comments

Yesterday, I joined thousands of people around the world and walked around barefoot. So that kids don’t have to.

Why?

Kids all over the world don’t have shoes. They can’t afford them, can’t access them, there’s a variety of reasons. Shoes protect these kids from getting cuts and injuries, from transmitting hookworm and other foot diseases, and last but so important, many children are not allowed to go to school without shoes. That’s why I’ve joined up with TOMS shoe company, where for every pair you purchase, they give one to a child in need. They team up with the local schools and organizations in the countries where they work, and hand place the shoes on the children’s feet. It’s life changing.

Join us next year for One Day Without Shoes by signing up HERE. Be sure to check out TOMS shoes! Not only do they serve an incredible purpose, but they are stylish and also the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. And no, they are not paying me to say this, I swear. I’m saying this simply because I truly believe that it’s a great cause. Because I want my fashion to reflect the heart of God, the reaching out and touching his children for Him.. and giving them a better life. -beth

Give a gift. Change a life.

On April 10, 2012 / Beauty, Birthdays, Giving Back, Inspiration / Leave a comment

Today is my birthday! And this year I’m asking for something a little different. Instead of presents, I’m asking for gifts for the children around the world through my gift catalog with World Vision. There’s a large variety of gifts to choose from: a goat, medicine, school books, fruit trees, clean water, a soccer ball… and the list goes on. If you feel lead to give towards my birthday catalog, please click HERE. Even if you don’t feel like this is the time or place for you to give personally, I have a request. Please share my gift catalog with your family and friends via Facebook, twitter, email, reblogging this or any other social media outlets. The more people who known about it, the more people who get a chance to give! This gifts are literally life changing and not just for the child who receives the gift, but for the whole community as well. It’s life changing for the giver, too.

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

-beth

Raindrops on Roses – er- Spiderwebs…

On March 23, 2012 / Beauty, Giving Back, Inspiration, Nature, Outdoors / 2 Comments

It rained during the night. And I woke up to a world covered in mist and raindrops. It was foggy and cool and you could feel the moisture in the air. And then I saw all these shimmering jewels in the grass. I ran over and there were all these little tiny spiderwebs covered in shining raindrops. It took my breath away.

I love rain. It’s refreshing. I love how the world smells after a rain. In fact, that is my favorite smell in the world. I love walking in the rain. I think it reminds me of God. Like little kisses falling down from heaven onto me. Little gems of beauty. The cleansing, the fresh air, the nourished earth – it all reminds me of what God does in my soul.
-beth

To purchase these photos in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits will go to help people in need.

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