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Living Inside the Testimony… in Spain

Aug31

Have you ever met someone and wondered how in the world did he turn out like this? It can be a really good or a really bad impression. Either way, you probably remember him for the rest of your life.

When I first met Alex Galloway, Psy.D, he was working with Memphis Healthy Churches and Christ Community Health Services in Memphis, TN. He is a clinical psychologist who I had pictured in my mind as one who could (and should according to the world’s standards) be earning 100’s of thousands of dollars annually based on his education, skills, and abilities. However, he was devoting his time and energy to the under-served and poor of the inner city. He certainly left a lasting impression on me.

After he announced he was leaving Memphis to join Church Resource Ministries, (CRM) my heart was sad because I had never met anyone quite like him. According to CRM’s website, “CRM empowers leaders to go to the unreached and unchurched, bring transformation among the poor, and mobilize the Church for mission…so that disciples are made among the nations.” The website describes Alex like this: Alex is a clinical psychologist with specialized interest in marriage counseling, trauma recovery, and the holistic care of God’s people. He has worked among the poor for ten years in Memphis and has a passion for the marginalized and victims of injustice. He enjoys encouraging, equipping, and empowering those who minister on the “front lines” with CRM.

I would miss him terribly, but I knew God had a much greater calling on his life. He and his wife, Amy, along with their 3 daughters, would be giving up everything to move overseas to serve in an even greater capacity. Alex wouldn’t be able to do what he does without Amy, whom I may add, has a master’s degree herself. CRM’s website describes her like this: Amy makes a special contribution to the team with her deep love for women in ministry and their families. Her authentic living, transparency about the spiritual journey, and deep passion for Jesus permeate her teaching and ministry. Amy is passionate about prayer and commits herself to praying for CRM and our staff.

If they knew I was writing this blog about them, they would surely blush. If they knew I still had a hard time calling Dr. Galloway simply “Alex,” they would wonder why. If they knew I was mentioning their degrees and worldly earning potential, they would probably ask that I not write this blog post. However, it’s all part of my story: Living Inside the Testimony…in Spain.

Alex, Amy, and their three girls - Karis, Bella, and Lexy

Alex, Amy, and their three daughters – Karis, Bella, and Lexy

Today, Alex, Amy, and their three girls – Karis, Bella, and Lexy – live in Málaga, Spain, where they are establishing a missionary care and training hub. I subscribe to their newsletter, and the latest one is what gave me the idea for this post. Below is an excerpt from their newsletter.

Every wonder WHY we’ve been appointed to this particular era… the era of ice water fund-raising challenges, partisan stand-offs, the redefinition of marriage, and the disintegration of trust between the police and the people?



And what about the turmoil in the Middle East?  It’s horrifying to know there are videos of beheadings (American or not!  Children or adults!) circulating on the internet fueling the religious and ideological wars among religious groups.  We see the footage of entire villages being gassed to death and hear of Iraqi Christians being crucified because they won’t renounce their faith.  Then we close our computer, refill our coffee, swallow our helplessness and guilt, and go on about the day. I mean really, what can WE do about it?



Christianity Today recently posted an excellent article titled, “Crisis in Iraq:  Five Things You can Actually Do to Help” see the attached link:  (http://www.christiantoday.com/article/crisis.in.iraq.six.things.you.can.actually.do.to.help/39094.htm).

Two of their recommendations ring especially true for me.  



1)  PRAY for people living in these war-torn zones.  When I am worshipping on a Sunday morning, I often think of people sitting in refugee camps, young girls held hostage by religious fanatics, or Christians sitting in jail cells… all of them facing daily torture, and despair.  I ask God to sing over them, wherever they are, to send angels to minister to them, to reveal Himself to them in the darkness, and to strengthen their spirits.  And I pray for those receiving the overflow of refugees.  You think our immigration problem is bad – they estimate more than 30% of Lebanon will be Syrian refugees by the end of the year.  Yes.  Thirty percent.  Now that’s a humanitarian crisis that reshapes a whole nation.



2)  GIVE to organizations who are serving on the ground.  I know it seems “easy” or insignificant to just write a check.  But my belief is that our checkbooks can help to remind us and align us more clearly with our priorities and with the suffering around the world.    There is a practical (and I believe spiritual) release of resources that take place when we invest in the poor, the oppressed and the forgotten.

In case you are unconnected to an organization working in the Middle East, Alex himself (and several on our team) are working directly with the crisis in Syria, Iraq, Israel, and Lebanon.   Here’s how we are involved:

  • Alex trains workers from refugee camps and NGOs how to do crisis and trauma debriefing.  The trainings and materials are translated from English to Arabic as the workers come from many nations.  They then take those materials and train others… there’s a multiplication effect in resourcing others.
  • Our team provides debriefing and crises care for workers who themselves have been traumatized through sexual assault, deportation, abuse, and/or burnout.  Sometimes it’s a Skype call, sometimes we go to them, and other times they land here in Southern Spain for a period of time.
  • We host retreats where workers in the Middle East and north Africa  come for spiritual care, counseling, and rest.   They are always weary and often their belief in God and His goodness is rattled by the suffering they’ve seen.  They need a landing place, a M*A*S*H unit so to speak, to rest, heal and receive care.

We tell you this not to be self-promoting (though we do have needs), but to give you an opportunity to participate in something tangible you can do for people on the other side of the globe.  And it’s not insignificant – to us or to them.



Join with us in praying and serving our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world!

In Him,


Amy

That is what I want to share with you today, Amy’s message in the newsletter.  Don’t you see now why I wonder how they ended up like this? I’ve heard of overseas missionaries, but I’ve never seen a couple so totally devoted to it like they are. They have given up everything to serve others, and I’d just like to share their message with my readers. You can read more about Alex and Amy at this link that follows. Be sure to scroll down beyond the top story after you click the link to see some really cute pictures of the family’s visit back home to America. Click here: Galloway Updates from Spain.

The Galloways are living inside the testimony in Spain

The Galloways are living inside the testimony in Spain

I have been making a monthly contribution to help them fulfill their mission ever since they left Memphis years ago. If you feel led to make a one time or ongoing, tax-deductible donation to support the Galloway family and their ministry, you may give in the following ways:

ONLINE:  
http://www.crmleaders.org/give  or click here.

BY MAIL:
CRM Empowering Leaders
1240 N. Lakeview Ave #120
Anaheim, CA 92807

BY PHONE:
Call 1 (800) 777-6658 x122 to make a donation by credit card.

Thank you so much for taking the time to live inside the testimony with me by subscribing to my blog. Like I always say, “We all live inside testimonies meant to be shared to help inspire and encourage others.” The Galloways inspire me all the way from Spain! I hope that I have inspired you today.

Constant Reminders

Jul1

At work the other day, I was chatting with a co-worker (who I will call Jill), and somehow we got off task. Before I knew what happened, Jill was telling me how her mother always told her how much money it took to raise her. It wasn’t specifically in dollar amounts, but even as a young girl, Jill was constantly reminded by her mother that they had to pay for so many things to take care of her. To a young child who doesn’t understand the value of money or that it costs to raise a family, being constantly reminded of this fact simply didn’t mean anything. As she got older, Jill realized her mother was actually complaining about the cost of raising a family.

The more we talked, the more off task we became. Then another co-worker chimed in and said that God gives her constant reminders too. These were of a much different sort. Her reminder that morning was a song “Fix my Eyes on Jesus.” Instantly, she was reminded that no matter how bad her day at work was going, she did not have to stress out about it. Instead, all she had to do was fix her eyes on Jesus, and she knew he would help her through the day no matter how stressful the job was.

That sidetrack at work made me think about God and all the constant reminders that we get from him. Sometimes we’re like little children who don’t understand the value of the reminders. Then there are times when that’s all the hope we have left, and if it wasn’t for the Lord’s constant reminders, we would surely faint.

A magnificent sunset over the horizon after a stressful day at work, the calm after a raging storm, holding a tiny newborn for the very first time so close to you that you can feel his or her little heartbeat, an astronaut’s view of this wondrous earth from the vastness of outer space, and simply falling in love – deeply and profoundly in love for the very first time. All of those things are constant reminders that God is ever-present, and this world and everything in it is what he created in the beginning. Knowing he has the hairs on my head numbered simply blows my mind, but that too is a constant reminder that He knows absolutely everything about me.

So as I continue this journey of discovering the storyteller inside me, I am constantly reminded that I write because He called me to do it. I tell people that I’m a nurse by profession, author by passion, and storyteller by the grace of God. I have a purpose for writing and sharing testimonies with others, and it has nothing to do with me. It’s not a job, nor is it my chosen career path. It’s so much more than that. It’s a “calling” that I have answered. As I share my thoughts through this blog, my prayer is that each of you will be inspired and encouraged by the stories that I share. As I seek the Lord for guidance as to what I should write, I earnestly pray that you will be blessed and inspired. As Revelation 12:11 teaches us, we are overcomers by the words of our testimonies.

Living Inside The TestimonyThat’s how I started my first book, Living Inside The Testimony. And that’s how I will end this post, with a gentle reminder for each of you. Remember that we all live inside testimonies meant to be shared with others. I finally realized that God doesn’t have to constantly remind me of that. Thank you for living inside this testimony with me.

Are there reminders from the Lord that you don’t recognize or perhaps ignore? Are there things in your life that you need to share with others to help inspire and encourage them along the way? Does God have to constantly remind you that HE created you for a purpose? Are you fulfilling that purpose?

Why Did I Write the First Book?

Feb19

Living Inside The Testimony was my first book; however, I didn’t plan to write it. I had never considered myself an author and had no intentions or aspirations to write a book. However, the Lord had other plans for me, and after I submitted “my will” to become the same as HIS will for my life, things divinely changed, and I embraced this new passion. Here’s how it all began.

I had asked Kartriece Ward, a friend who owns Visions Promotional Agency, to make a DVD for me. It was going to be a personal keepsake of all the pictures I had taken of our dream home while it was under construction along with the audio of my testimony about the house that I had previously shared at church.

Kartriece sent me an email telling me this testimony was “meant to be heard by more than our circle of family and friends.” She said my testimony was “a sense of hope and encouragement during such a time as this…It’s an amazing thing what one willing person’s boldness to stand up and proclaim the goodness of God can do in the hearts of His people and the sense of hope it can bring…. It can help form thoughts and seeds of faith…” She felt sure God would lead and guide me through the entire process so those the Lord wanted me to witness to would hear or see me through whatever platforms He used…. I noticed she had typed platforms with a plural, red letter “s” at the end. Hmmmm…. platforms…. I had not thought about it before. I never (never ever) desired or planned to write a book, but now things had suddenly and dramatically changed.

LITT book coverShe sent the email January 9, 2009, and I dreamed about the front cover of the book that very night. What I saw in my dream was the outstretched hands of Jesus with our dream home coming out of his hands as if it was a gift. That dream became the design for the book cover.

I started writing the book the next morning as soon as I woke up with the words “Elvis died.” How weird that my testimony would begin with that simple sentence which seemingly had no relation to my testimony at all, but I soon discovered that my writing experience would not be what one would anticipate for a first time author. I sat at a blank computer screen and simply started typing. A month later, the book was finished. What started out as a personal home video had suddenly become my new obsession—my passion to share my “personal” testimony with the world, by whatever means the Lord would see fit to use it.

In the end, the book really wasn’t about the 3-year faith journey to purchase the land and build the house. That’s only 2 chapters in the book. Instead, it’s a collection of stories where I share the inspiration, faith, hope, humor, romance, and love that I had experienced throughout my lifetime. The stories revolve around my experiences with my family, friends, and other individuals who have contributed, often unknowingly, to the path God had chosen for my life.

As one book reviewer noted: “Living Inside The Testimony is not your everyday read. It’s far from it. It’s a wonderfully amazing story of Ms. Collier’s walk with God. It’s her living testimony, her daily struggles, her daily acceptance that she is walking with her Father. Ms. Collier’s testimony is told with exuberance and love, helping people to understand that there will be trials along the way, but having faith and hope in your heart will help you to overcome any obstacle. Though humorous at times, and a fast paced read, this is not a book that should be taken lightly. It’s anything but that, and will keep your wheels turning and your heart filled.”  Reviewed by Molly E. for Readers’ Favorite

For more information about the book, please visit my website: http://livinginsidethetestimony.com

Watch the 2-minute book trailer here.

Although I thought this would be my one and only book, now I’m on a God-inspired journey to write an inspirational collection of books, the Living Inside The Testimony ® Book Series. Thank you for joining me on this journey!