The value of being broken.
Do you ever feel like a cracked cup? A bit ugly, unimportant, and useless? Perhaps you just feel a bit boring and average. I know how you feel. I also know that's not the truth. A broken cup has a lot of uses that a normal cup simply can't do. Just because you can't do what you used to, doesn't mean you're useless.
God is even better at taking broken lives and using them for something beautiful than I am at turning broken cups into beautiful items.
Keep reading to find some inspirational books and teaching aimed at helping you realize different is wonderful too.
Do you know what it feels like to be a cracked cup? I suspect we all do, though some of us have bigger cracks than others.
This short story describes being broken from the perspective of the cup. It’s a mug’s tale of being dropped, repaired, and dropped again before finally discovering why the master chose to buy it from the rejects pile.
Will you find encouragement to love your cracks in this poignant story of the master’s love for a damaged cup? I did.
Bring the family together as you build new habits this Lent.
Challenge yourself to read about Jesus every day until you finish the book. Will you make it to the end without skipping a day?
The Lent Challenge acts as a Lent calendar by including Sundays. It can also be used as a good habit-building tool. With easy-to-read stories paraphrased from the gospels and a larger-than-normal font size, it is perfect for younger readers to join in too. You also get the scripture references and a group game suggestion, so there's something for everyone.
What will you discover about Jesus this Lent?
“I'm afraid I cheated and read it all in one go; but I loved it so much I don't care!”
S. P. Muir - Author of The Fourth Prayer
"I enjoyed the way this book takes you and your family through the whole life of Jesus not just the events around Easter. Christina's style is easy to read, she seems sound in her teaching"
J Hall - Amazon review extract
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Jesus
Happy Birthday to you
Let’s rediscover Christmas truths as we enjoy family time. Sit together and read the events surrounding Jesus’ birthday, retold for you in twice weekly short stories for all the family.
Look up the bible references, talk about these events, make notes, and colour in the unique illustrations that accompany every story. There’s something for every family member to engage with.
What will you discover about Jesus this Christmas?
If you like the books but want to go a bit deeper, have you tried my YouTube clips?
My aim is to provide insights on bible passages familiar and unheard of, in the time it takes for you to make and drink your favourite hot drink.
This is the start of my series looking at Christmas. I hope you find value in my observations (most of which have been gleaned from many years worth of sermons).
“Well done Christina. Interesting links and thought provoking.”
Jan Hall - Student of God
If you're struggling and need to soak in the word of God, these are some of the places I've found help, support and encouragement.
The vision for Cracked Coffee Cup ministries was slow to develop. Perhaps I'll write a story based on the vision one day. This is a summary of how it all began.
In 2019, I attended a conference for women. Someone gave me this vision:
"There are lots of coffee pots on a conveyor belt and you are putting a few beans in each pot"
Slowly this message merged with a vision I received many years ago about a broken pot:
"I saw a pot, rejected by the potter, and smashed into many pieces. It was joined together again with bits missing. A light was placed inside the pot. Together the pot became stunning."
I even made a model of the broken pot, using a rejected cup from my local pottery.
As the visions came together in my mind it became clear that God has more for me than my day job and had been at work for a long time.
He took me out of depression by giving me a passion to know him more. This passion led to the authorship of The Lent Challenge, based on a Lent calendar I invented for my children when they were young. It was a long time editing, before finally being published in December 2020.
Meanwhile, God was doing something different. He was calling me to read his word to people just like you. And so, The Best Book Ever was launched on YouTube in the summer of 2020.
I think it's incredible that God should choose to use me for this ministry. He's got a dyslexic person writing books and an autistic individual communicating his truths via youtube. I have been broken in many ways, yet God uses me and I know he can use you too.
Let's let his light shine through us today.
