Psalm 105: 1—2
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”
People from all over the world, if asked, could quickly produce an idiom attributed to the southern United States. Whether it’s “Bless your heart” or “Howdy Y’all,” the film industry has ensured that a few stereotypical phrases are well-known. I grew up in the South and can confirm that these statements are commonly heard in daily conversation. I would also like to add one that I often heard from a pastor’s wife who was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta.
Ready? “I do declare.”
Except you have to pronounce it, “I do de-clay-a!”
Urban Dictionary defines this phrase as “An exclamatory phrase which asserts/affirms the truth of a previous or forthcoming statement.” Urban Dictionary nailed it. When you heard Mrs. Pam exclaim, “I do de-clay-a,” you knew to sit up and listen because you were about to hear big news! Amazing news!
We are so glad you found your way to this blog! The plan is to “de-clay-ya” the wondrous works of the Lord! We are excited to make known his deeds among His people, and hope you will enjoy the fantastic news. Here are some examples of what’s to come:
It’s newsworthy that Campus Outreach is sending an increasing number of staff to respond to requests from international churches for additional laborers. “I do declare” that these 23 staff have deployed to Campus Outreach teams around the world this year.
In more news, laborers are being built through life-on-life discipleship!
In August, Maddie (center in the picture below) asked four female students in Johannesburg to commit to a discipleship group together. This challenge included meeting together weekly, investing time outside the group for personal discipleship, studying the Bible, praying daily on their own, and beginning to think of how they could impact their friends. Since making this commitment, Thanda, Mapula, Bonolo, and Joy (from left to right in the picture below) have been taking giant leaps in their faith. Thanda has grown in her conviction to be in God’s word and seek Him first in everything she does. Mapula has been sharing Christ with her classmates and bringing them to church. Bonolo, a new Christian in July, has been so hungry for God’s word! Joy shared about Jesus with her Muslim classmate. Give thanks with us for all that God is doing in their hearts and their lives!
Going forward, we plan to post twice a month and “de-clay-a” God’s deeds among the people! We promise not to fill every post with Southern Slang, and we commit to “Make known his deeds” so that your hearts may be moved to praise the Lord.
So, tell your friends! At the bottom of each post, you can download a copy of the story to share with your friends! Let them know there’s more where that came from — God is at work, and you can read all about it on the CO SERVE blog.
Encourage someone you know by sharing this story with them.
Please direct them to the blog or click here to print a copy of the story to share!