At our February “Seasonings with Sarah” we talked about the social media phenomenon of using #hashtags. A hashtag is a # symbol followed by a clever combination of words with no spaces, or even a company or product name. If you watched Super Bowl commercials or spend anytime online using Facebook or Twitter, you’ve likely seen lots of #hashtags.

Because we don’t want to be left out, Salt and clay has created our own brand #hashtag:

It’s our way of encouraging you to think about how you can #besalty in your daily life.

Some ideas: bring a meal to a neighbor, do a favor for a friend in need, pray for someone who’s hurt you, share your “story” with someone, do something out of the ordinary for God…you get the idea!

And WHEN you are #supersalty (get the idea?) send us an email at info@saltandclay.org, post it on our Facebook wall, tweet it to your friends, or shout it from the rooftops! Just be sure that if you’re writing it on Facebook or Twitter you mark it with #besalty!

Think of it as our little way to show the world what Jesus meant when he said,
“You are the salt of the earth.”

Sarah Beckman is the co-founder and owner of Salt and clay ministries which is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Sarah is a Christian speaker/teacher and blogger, and also hosts a local coffee hour twice monthly at Dunn Bros in Eden Prairie, MN which is open to the public. For more information on her ministry and how and where she spreads her salt check out Salt and clay ministries website.

The following is an excerpt of Wednesday’s live presentation of “Seasonings with Sarah” at Dunn Bros Coffee Shop in Eden Prairie, MN. We’d love to see you at our next gathering on Wednesday, October 13, 9:30 a.m. Directions

If each of us intentionally fostered encouragement in our sphere of influence, I am convinced the world would be a better place.

In the Bible, we have an amazing example in the person of Barnabus, who joined with Paul the Apostle on his missionary journeys and building the early church. Barnabus literally means, Son of Encouragement. He was “The Man”, as they say, when it comes to the art of building others up, cheering them on and walking alongside them (literally and figuratively).

From his life we can learn the essential qualities of an encourager.

First, Barnabus was sacrificial. As the early church was gaining momentum Barnabus sold his field and brought his money and possessions to the Apostles. (Acts 4:36-37) He put his money where his mouth was, to be sure, ultimately sacrificing his time, talents and resources to show his support for this vital movement.

Secondly, Barnabus was bold. When Saul (Paul) was converted he began to preach and the Apostles originally didn’t trust his intentions and calling. It was then Barnabus stepped in and pleaded his case to the early disciples – at the risk of his life. After which, Paul went on to become one of the central figures in Christian history. (Acts 9:26-30) His holy boldness paid off, and adds to his credibility as one of the great encouragers.

Finally, Barnabus was humble. In fact, his greatest asset was his ability to be “second string”. As such, his name never ended up on the authorship of any book in the Bible. Nor was he considered one of the 12 apostles, although he was by their side from the beginning. Neither does he receive the recognition in today’s world like his counterparts Peter or Paul. Yet he was just as pivotal a player – uplifting, supporting and coming alongside others to build their ministries and impact lives for the Kingdom.

The world is desperate for more encouragers. In fact, someone out there specifically needs you for just that purpose.

So are you willing to to find your inner “Barney” and give it a try?

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As we entered our last day of serving the Green Bay community, we knew we had one more chance to make a difference in the lives of those we have met and to make our mark at our ministry sites. Perseverance was key, as thoughts were turning to home, the circles under our eyes had become larger, and our stamina was reaching its limits. But as it says in Hebrews 12:2:

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

It was a matter of pressing on, doing everything excellently and not quitting until we have finished well. But these kids far surpassed well…

There were the kids that purchased flowers at their morning work site – Salvation Army -and then delivered them to “Grandma Bea” to thank her for making a special place in their hearts. There were the managers of one nursing home who made a special trip to the church tonight in order to thank three amazing young women and their leader for their service and gift them with crosses to show their gratitude. There were the clinging hugs and tearful goodbyes from children at the Boys and Girls clubs – East and West – who had formed special bonds of love with our youth and adults. There were the girls who packed eggs for 3+ hours at the Pantry with all the love and care you could imagine going into every recycled donated carton – 3 palettes full! There was the group at Goodwill who stuck with their difficult task to the end, despite the adversity they sometimes faced there.

There was the entire hungry brood of our youth waiting to eat dinner at the Free Picnic we hosted – until after every single one of the 80+ people from the community had gone through the line (sometimes twice) – after working hard all day themselves. Not to mention the countless people that stretched themselves to begin conversations with complete strangers over dinner. There was the group that organized and taught (without adult assistance) a mini bible school at the homeless shelter, complete with craft, games, teaching and drama (the kids from the shelter were the fishies in the Red Sea!) There was two of our girls sitting alongside two girls from the shelter – teaching them to make friendship bracelets, but building so much more than that.

I have not captured even half of the momentous events that occurred today or even this week – but one clear example of perseverance today was the group that worked tirelessly at the Salvation Army all week, sorting and pricing. It was close to quitting time (and more importantly, lunch time!) and they decided that they had enough time to finish 2 of the 3 bins left. As time was running out, one of the girls said “You guys I really think we should just finish this last bin before we go – come on we can do this!” And that’s exactly what they did, and by the time they were done, they had used half of their lunch hour in order to finish the work that had been set before them.

This morning’s devotional captured the essence of what we have learned this week:

“This week we have been talking about being FREE, free from the things that we hang onto, things that hold us back, things that keep us from really loving God and loving other people. This kind of freedom is truly revolutionary – it changes the way we live our lives.”

We witnessed this kind of freedom especially during Club tonight, during a foot washing ceremony. The leaders were able to honor and cherish each of their crew’s individual contributions of love and service this week as we washed their feet and prayed over them. These amazing kids were able to humbly receive the love of Christ demonstrated this way, and its impact cannot be expressed by mere words. It was a holy time, as we followed Jesus’ example when he washed his disciples’ feet, and was followed by spontaneous prayer and encouragement in small and larger groups of students.

A page or two doesn’t do justice to the growth and depth I witnessed this week – it is of the kind that can only be of God. Under our own power, the things we experienced and achieved would not be possible. We cultivated trust and built relationships – the kind that enabled us to enter into people’s lives, if only for just a short time, and make a difference in the name of Jesus.

That kind of freedom is truly life changing. And when you see your own children you won’t be able to help but recognize it.

They didn’t just run the race this week – they finished it with excellence, perseverance and love. And it was my honor and blessing to be there to see it.

We are officially on the second half our trip today, it’s Day 4 of 6– and it certainly feels like it. The newness has worn off for the kids, it’s harder to get up in the morning, clothes and towels are getting more moist and patience is wearing painfully thin. It’s crunch time, as they say.

So it was very fitting that today’s morning devotion theme verse was:
“My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.”

We are definitely there… when we arrived we were rested, well fed and energized; now we are nearing the end of our proverbial ropes, and we must draw closer to God and his strength, because clearly we don’t have enough of our own. At least I don’t, and that means that at least 50% of the people around me probably don’t either!

We went to our worksites as usual today, many of us to the same spots, but with perhaps new games to play, or new people to meet. Day 3 presents an interesting dichotomy; even though the newness has worn off and it can be hard to motivate the kids, the comfort level is higher, so the opportunity can be greater for them to be effective and influence people.

Despite our “weaknesses” in many areas, whether it was a mishap in the work place, getting pushed by a bully at the Boys and Girls Club, dissension between friends, getting reprimanded by the High School janitor for messy locker rooms or countless other failings, God showed up strong and had grace to get our backs.

There was much to be thankful for at the end of the day including an opportunity to pray with a single mother and offer her hope when there seems to be none, a group of kids being invited over for treats at “Grandma Bea’s house” in the assisted living center, singing karaoke over picnic lunch at the nursing home after praying with staff there, teamwork and humility coming out in full force while fixing a pricing mistake, and generous kids giving away their extra ride tickets at Bay Beach Amusement Park.

If I wrote them all down, I could fill pages, but there is one story I wanted to highlight:

One group has been serving at an entirely free food shelf every day this week. Each day their only job has been packaging the ‘food item’ of the day (think cherries and sausage!) – but today was different. Today they were invited to stand together with fellow volunteers in a huge circle and to pray the Lord’s Prayer. It was an amazing moment as they circled the boxes of food they themselves had been helping to prepare for the last 2 days, and asked God to bless it and the people who would receive it. An interesting thing happened afterwards too -these girls were re-energized to work without complaint for the remaining three hours, cutting over 2,000 lbs of salami, hamburger and butter into family packs for those in need.

And that in a nutshell is how God shows up – even when we don’t think we have anything left to give…

His Power is made perfect in our weakness.

As I type tonight, there is a crowd of over 50 youth playing “WAH” (don’t ask me what it is but it sounds fun and loud) with fervor in the next room – I can hardly hear myself think! Even though we had a busy day, they are going strong and don’t show any signs of slowing. I am taking my opportunity to type now because last night I was typing in the darkened cafeteria while they slept, but tonight we are having a “secret leader’s meeting” after they go to sleep, so I can’t do it then. We gotta have our fun sometime right?

We began our day with a devotion about how we can be FREE by sharing our wealth, whether it is time, talent or actual money. As we embarked to serve today, the kids were given a coin to hold in their pocket – a reminder of looking for ways to give all they can in their ministry sites today.

The groups had varied tasks again which included: Going to the Zoo with the elderly, (the first time they were able to go there this year because they had enough volunteers!) serving at the Boys and Girls club – playing games like Steal the Bacon and making new friends with the kids, sorting at St. Vincent, pricing clothes at Goodwill, playing mini golf or “jackpot” at various nursing homes, an all female crew bagging and dividing up 80 lb. bags of sausages – instead of the cherries from yesterday (you go girls!), decorating for a baby shower and cleaning the playground at the homeless shelter, and packing boxes for the underprivileged at a food pantry. Whew! It sounds tiring, but everyone has such an energy when they finish, and a great sense of purpose and accomplishment abound at the end of each work day.

After the East High Showering Escapade – which was accomplished with far more order in far less time today (hoorah!) – we headed out on our big adventure to Lambeau Field. Now many of you know I’m from Wisconsin, so it’s no big surprise that my son, Nick and I were delighted at this prospect, and have been for many months! We loved every minute of our time together, and I was even able to make a “trade” with another leader so we could enjoy it together! But actually it was fun to see the excitement of all the kids, Packer fans or not, and many of them shopped at their various thrift stores today in preparation for the outing – and came dressed accordingly in brand new, used Packer Duds! Many kids commented that even though they don’t like the Packers they thought it was a great outing.

Taco Tuesday was a hit for dinner, in small part because of the good food, and in larger part because of the table at dinner (Andy’s table!) that decided to feed each other instead of themselves – it was hilarious, albeit messy! At Club tonight, we shared Packer Props and Yea, Gods which are an awesome way to hear what impacted the kids each day. Especially because often they are complimenting their peers for the things they saw them do during the day.

I witnessed an amazing thing today at the food and household pantry, Manna 4 Life, as we waited near the front counter for our assignment. A woman was purchasing a few grocery items and apparently didn’t have enough money to pay her entire bill. The balance was a mere 11 cents, but she was leaving the building to try and get it. I looked up and one of our students had left the group and politely asked her, “Excuse me ma’am, can I help you with that change?” She graciously agreed, and then he proceeded to collect the money between him and his friends. It was a sight to behold, not because of the quantity that he or the others gave, but because of the bravery that it took to step out of the comfort zone of the group, and also the observation it required for him to even notice her in the first place.

These kids are seeing many who have little, and experiencing firsthand what that means, which allows them a true understanding of how blessed their own lives are. And they are stretching, giving and sacrificing this week to serve God, which in turn brings them even more blessing.

And that is a gift beyond measure.