The Plan....AIYO!

I'm a published writer! That's a crazy statement coming from a girl who chose to be a math major because it was the major that required the least amount of writing (true story! haha).....Here is peek at one of my articles.

The Plan...AIYO 

What are you doing with your life?  What career path have you chosen and how are you going to climb the corporate ladder?  How are you going to pay off that debt?  How are you going to support your family?  How do you plan to do all of this?  What is your PLAN???  The barrage of questions comes whether internally or via those “encouraging” friends and family who wish you the best, but in actuality, only serve to introduce you to fear.

I grew up in a church that taught me a lot of things, some with which I would agree and others with which I would disagree; however, one thing that they surely taught me with effectiveness was the basic theological building blocks that create a solid spiritual foundation.  I came to understand at a young age that “God is good,” that, “God wants the best for me”, that He, “cares for and loves me”, and that He is full of “joy, love, hope, and peace”. These things were all that I really needed. Those simple values were enough for me to live my life with the principled belief that God intended for me to be happy!  Imagine that, God wants you to be HAPPY!

That core belief led me to follow my heart until I found where I was supposed to be in life.  I was driven to fill the position in life that God had specifically created for me, a place that bred passion in my heart and contentment in my soul and spirit.

You see, the gaze of my eye was never on money, success, ambition, power or any of the other things for which we as humans acquire an insatiable thirst.  Our eyes are meant to be fixed on the Author of the Universe who has created us from the foundation of the Earth for a specific purpose, a purpose that brings fulfillment.  We are meant to meditate on the goodness of the Lord, trusting that He is good, knowing that He has a plan to prosper us.  We know that His infallible intentions are to bring us a future and a hope.

Matthew 6 gives us insight into the heart of God as it says,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.  Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

While many would use this passage to focus on the importance of purity as it pertains to excluding content that causes spiritual pollution, it could be contended that this verse is actually warning the reader from allowing the eye to become an instrument of pollution.   The eye directs the aims, intentions, and goals of the heart.  The eye is what cultivates desire, jealousy, envy, and hunger.  It fuels cravings and passions, whether it is a passion to realize personal goals and ambition, to attain money and wealth, or to yearn for something heavenly.  When the eye looks to earthly desires the whole body begins to be filled with a hunger for those desires.  When it looks toward heavenly aims, the whole body is filled with light.  A heart that is constantly focused on amounting more wealth is never satisfied; it finds itself constantly in need and rarely in a place of rest or contentment.  This heart never finds a place free of bills, debt, or extra work for extra toys.  It’s a cycle that perpetually repeats itself.  In the same way, an eye that is fixed upon power and prestige is constantly operating out of selfish ambition and pride.  The gaze of the eye dictates the condition of the heart; from the heart, our actions follow.

Matthew 6 continues on to say, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.”  When the gaze of your eye is fixed on the Kingdom, we are assured that regardless of the unknown, we will find our self in favorable places.  God has an amazing plan for your life!  More that that, He has an amazing financial plan for you!

You see career and finances go hand in hand.  The need for a financial plan, monetary security, sucess or fortune, often effects the career choices we make and it limits our risk taking.

When following God and being led by the Spirit, will you always know where the money will come from? No.  Will you know what the exact next step will be, most of the time? No.  But walking forward, eyes fixed on the Lord, knowing that He is good and His intention for us is always favorable, you will find yourself in the place for which you were intended.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,
                                     and he will make your paths straight. (proverbs 3:5-6)

In that place of trust there is peace, provision, joy, fulfillment, and a heart that is positioned to fellowship with the Lord and His instruction.

So, what’s the plan?  In a manner of speaking, there is no plan, the plan is to trust that He cares for His children.  That He considers them more important than the lilies (Matthew 6:28), that their purpose is essential to Him and if He placed them where they are then He will care of them so that they can stay there.  You don’t have to take matters into your own hands.  You are in a position to trust that He cares for you, that He loves you, and that He desires good things for you.  If that is His fundamental intention for your life, following Him into the unknown places that don’t make sense, into the risks, into the places that bring fulfillment rather than financial gain, requires little thought.  In understanding His goodness, you can trust His faithfulness.  There is no plan apart from Him.  “For in him we live and move and have our being….” (Acts 17:28).  The plan is to fix our eyes on Him, to seek the Kingdom first, and to believe His word.

The Value of a Buck:

(Represents True Costs)

For $20 a missionary can pay for the Internet bill that allows them to communicate with their friends, family, and supporters back home.

For $20 a missionary can pay for a doctors visit and the prescription medicine that saves them from cauliflower throat (the nastiest thing I've ever seen in my mouth), the endless war with food poisoning, and routine eye/dental procedures.

For $20 a missionary in India can go on a date in a country where cross cultural relationships demand extra attention and effort.

For $20 a missionary can buy one or two ethnic outfits a month in a country full of grease stains, dirt, rough edges that tear holes, and seats that are nothing more than a dirt floor or a dirty rock.

For $20 a missionary can buy one week's worth of groceries, including a few of the western treats that bring a little bit of home to an otherwise foreign place.

For $20 a missionary can keep the electricity on in a country where a fanless night is not only sweltering but full of blood sucking mosquitos that could care less whether or not you sleep peacefully.

For $20 a missionary can pay a cell phone bill that keeps them connected to the people they serve.

For $20 a missionary can share with others in a communal culture where splitting checks is unheard of.

For $20 a missionary can buy trash bags, zip lock bags, foil, plastic wrap, dish soap, shampoo, bath soap, tooth paste, and most important of all in this country, TOILET PAPER!  All of these things, though seemingly insignificant, slowly eat away at a small budget.

For $20 a missionary can put gas in a scooter in a country where the threat of kidnap or rape makes walking or riding in an auto (at certain times) a dangerous proposition.  For that same $20, freedom, independence, and a small bit of self sufficiency are purchased.


You don't notice how much the $20 expenses add up until you don't have $20.  These pieces of everyday life are things that make my life here possible.  They are what connect me to my family, bring comfort, and make living in a foreign country more like living at home.  Things that one would be tempted to take for granted at home are things that I cherish, value, and thank God for every day.  I'm looking for 10 people who are interested to commit $20 a month to making these things possible, 10 people to keep me connected to my family, healthy, full, dressed, and safe.  10 people, $200/month, it makes all the diffence in the world!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank the people who have been faithfully supporting me on a monthly basis.  Your support has paid for my transportation(scooter), my monthly rent, my 10 month deposit (that's the norm here and it is quite expensive), my visa travel requirements (mandated international trips), helped to pay a portion of my monthly obligations to student loans (without which I couldn't be here), purchased a bed, dresser, desk, refrigerator, and a multitude of other every day life expenses that arise.  The need has been great and your contribution has helped me to live a life that is as close to stable as living in a foreign country can be.

If you are interested in supporting monthly, you can email me at tiffbro@gmail.com for more information.  

More than Jewelry

Most of my blogs in the recent past have been about jewelry, the widow's ministry or the utter frustration (cough cough, I mean, bliss) that life in India can bring.  While the majority of my life in the last year has revolved around these things, life changes and so has my role here in India.  While I am still largely involved in Beauty for Ashes, I wanted to take a minute and introduce you to one of my new projects....Elijah Times.  

Elijah Times is a Christian newspaper publication who's aim is to teach, educate, and connect the Christian community in Bangalore, India.  I now find myself to be one of the main writers and editors of that paper.  While I would have never imagined myself in such a position, I feel as though God has placed a vision and a passion in my heart for this project.  There are thousands of churched people in the city; unfortunately, these Christians find themselves heavily influenced by the culture and the Hindu backgrounds from which they come.  Bringing truth and freedom to their lives through solid teaching and Biblical perspectives is something that I find myself being truly passionate about.  Seeing the hearts of devout people, but knowing that they are unaware of the full inheritance afforded to them as a result of their salvation, is a heartbreaking thing.  It is my desire, to see the children of God come into an understanding of what it means to live a radical Christian life filled with the power and strength of the truth of the Gospel.  In addition to the articles that are included, we are a platform to keep the Christian community connected and unified.  We post events, conferences, concerts, and opportunities for Christians.  In a nation largely dominated by the Hindu and Muslim faiths, this is a much needed networking tool.  I'm excited to be a part of this new endeavor and I hope that you will partner with the vision and purpose of this paper by praying for our team as we work to make this an influential and life changing publication.   

Exciting News!

This week marks a major milestone in the advancement of the Beauty for Ashes initiative. For one year we have been tirelessly working through frustrations and obstacles to come to this point.  As of last Wednesday we have employed our first set of ladies in the first of eight manufacturing sites across Bangalore.  Training for these 8-14 women will begin this Wednesday and every week thereafter until we launch the center into full time manufacturing approximately two months from now.  This year has been a trying time, as it would be with any business start up. The complication of running a business that manufactures products in Bangalore but sells internationally has been beyond anyone’s imagination.  After months of problem solving, brainstorming, resourcing, researching, and banging our head against walls, we have begun purchasing from reliable sources and looking into the initial steps of import/export licenses.  While this is our ultimate goal we have formulated business strategies that have enabled us to begin selling jewelry in residential party settings.  These Jewelry parties will function as our primary way of both promoting jewelry sales as well as raising awareness of the plight of widow’s in India.  These parties spread vision and understanding, while encouraging those who live in plenty to support an unappreciated and mistreated demographic of women.  By hosting a jewelry party, essentially the employment and discipleship of these women is made possible.  Not only does it help to facilitate and generate financial income for these women, but it also enables the employment that leads to their salvation and spiritual growth.  In addition to the spiritual benefits that are reaped by the program, the proceeds from any party will go back to paying each woman a fair income.  This income will put food on their table, clothes on their children’s back, school books in their backpacks, and brings a sense of pride and self worth that is beyond any monetary value. We can already see the joy and excitement rising in their faces as they realize that they will be a part of something different.  Through this program, they are enabled to see themselves and their prayers as something valuable and precious.  As these women are taught their true identity, they will come to realize more and more that they are in fact instruments of change.  We as a staff are excited to be witnesses to an expansion not only of the Beauty for Ashes enterprise, but also of the Kingdom of God.  

If you would be willing or interested in hosting a party this summer or sometime in the fall feel free to facebook message or email me at Tiffany@KingdomFoundations.org.

    

  

  

Christmas in India

Holiday Recap

Ever wondered what India is like during the Holidays?  Well, beside the occasional rendition of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer containing references to Gandhi, it's pretty much like every other day in India.  No cold weather, no hot chocolate, no obsession with Christmas presents, No Christmas music in every store, no red and green themed everything, and no ball drop on New Years.  Life in India marches on as normal with little concern for what the Western world deems the biggest holiday of the year.  For all the things that India didn't have during the Holiday season, it provided something just as important as all of those things combined....perspective.  In the weeks leading up to December 25th, I spent a lot of my time putting on Christmas activities for various groups and orphanages.  During the Christmas season it is easy to do the things that bring personal enjoyment, time with family, Christmas parties, stuffing your face with whatever indulgence is placed in front of you, Christmas presents, taking a holiday from work and using that time for personal rest and enjoyment.  There was, however, one thing starring me in the face this Christmas.  My time is not my own, my life is not my own, selfishness is not ok, and there are people who literally have nothing.  With every parentless, HIV infected child I met, it became more and more apparent that although my desire was to rest and feed my need for the "holiday spirit," the children sitting in front of me had no idea what the "holiday spirit" even felt like.  They didn't have parents making the holidays special, they've never made gingerbread houses, skipped school to bake cookies and watch Christmas movies, they've never come down the stairs to a Christmas tree packed with presents.  The kids in front of me were happy to have four random visitors show up to play on the playground with them for one hour.  They were happy that someone from the outside world had come to bring them a piece of candy.  A set of arms to hold them and give them attention was enough, and likely, it was all they would ever get and the most they could ever expect.  It's a bleak picture that challenged every fiber of selfishness within me.  Humanity, its a tough thing to watch in a tough and unforgiving country.  Thank God that, in Christ, there is hope for everything.