Faith over Formula

Background Photo: JusTea

Abraham approached the rock and stuck it with his staff (Numbers 20:8-11)...After all, that’s what worked before, he likely pondered. (Exodus 17:6)…but that wasn’t what God instructed this time (Numbers 20:8 ,12).
 
King Saul, impatient and without authority, sacrificed an offering to God (1 Samuel 13:8-9)…After all, that’s what has to be done for God to be with us in battle, he must have thought. But that wasn’t what God instructed through the prophet Elijah (1 Samuel 10:8).
 
God wants a faith follower, not a formula follower.
 
He knows if there is a formula, we will follow that instead of Him. Plus, He is far too creative to work in the same ways over and over again.
 
Sometimes God shows up in spectacular miraculous & unexplainable ways.
 
Sometimes God quietly uses His people to be His hands.
 
God even has healing properties built into His creation. In nature, in people, in compassion, in opportunity, in hope for a better future.
 
Our job isn’t to find and follow the formula (though that is our natural inclination). Our job is to have faith. Our minds can’t grasp the ways God is working.
 
God works in subtle ways, often not noticed, pulling puzzle pieces together into a beautiful glimpse of His kingdom.
 
This background photo is a purple tea farm. I recently discovered purple tea. Have you heard about this? It grows in Kenya and offers incredible health benefits with less caffeine than green tea. Check out these links for more info… here, here, here are just a few.
 
The tea leaves are purple because they contain anthocyanins...the same antioxidants that make all purple plants have this color, like blueberries and pomegranates. Purple Tea is the only tea that contains these super antioxidants!
 
AND the best part, it is creating hundreds of new jobs in rural Kenya. I see God’s hand at work in pictures like this, His creation + people willing to step into it to make a difference.

JusTea helps bring Kenyan tea to market, providing over 200 jobs in an otherwise hopeless environment. PLUS, they are also proving reading and writing programs to the children in Kenya.
 
I love how God pulls His creation together to make the world look a little more like His kingdom.

TEA GIVEAWAY!!! I’m partnering with JusTea to give away a tin of purple tea and a hand-carved tea spoon. To enter, follow @justeakenya on Instagram (here) and also comment on this picture in the Giving Squared Instagram (here) “done” so we can find you. I’ll also send a few surprises to the winner from some of my other favorite give-back orgs. We’ll pick a winner Friday at 5pm ET.

JusTea is alsooffering 25% OFF...if you want to give purple tea a try...or any of their teas and accessories...AND provide good jobs and literacy programs, use the code “GIVING25” for 25% off EVERYTHING in the JusTea shop!

I’m not affiliated with or compensated by JusTea...i just love their ministry and want to help spread the word. Together we can make a difference!!!! And for fun or more info, you can visit their Facebook page on Saturday mornings to chat live with different tea farmers!

---