Designed Service

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Designed Service

God designed. Service in ministry. Aspiring to present Biblical truths in a fun and relevant way.

Designed Service aspires to present Biblical truths in a fun and relevant manner. Offering more than 12 years of service in Preschool and Children's Ministry, Danika LaBrant developes engaging and applicable lesson plans that are relevant to today's youth. Incorporating kitchen science with life application discussions of Bible time truths that are alive today, students will have fun while (shhhh) learning.

06/05/2020

Colossians 1:9-10, “9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (NIV)

10/30/2019

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
As a mother of a child with special needs, I do not want the light on me or my child. We are doing our best, but we are messy and difficult and unpredictable and cranky and, quite frankly, tired. But we also have good works, so maybe we need to let the light shine on us. People try to be kind, but no one wants to get too close. Maybe if they saw our light, they would understand that yes, we have moments that are very unpleasant, but we also have moments that are remarkable. My son is a human weather station. If he tells you to take an umbrella, you take an umbrella no matter how clear the sky looks. My son cannot sit still in a classroom or a living room, but you put him in front of a window with a weather event brewing, he will sit there for hours. His hero is Sean Casey, the filmmaker gone storm chaser that created the T.I.V. (tornado intercept vehicle). The light that shines through my son when discussing weather is remarkable, and it is a handy skill when trying to decide if you need a jacket.

07/25/2019

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 NIV God wants to answer prayer. God wants to bless his children, but he has one condition. You must believe. Sounds easy enough. I believe in God. I believe Jesus rose on the 3rd day and I believe the Holy Spirit is a huge blessing. But do I believe God will answer my prayers as I start year three of praying for my baby to overcome his special needs challenges. Sure God loves me and my baby but as the song goes, "I will never understand how my broken heart is part of your plan." But God tells us we need to believe. So another song says "I will believe in the unseen. (or something like that)" My son is not "cured" but he is much improved. When he was a baby, we feared for his health, but today his health is good. When he was in preschool, we feared for his speech and cognitive abilities, but today he speaks well and has demonstrated impaired cognitive abilities but high enough to learn to read and offer hope. Middle school was a nightmare as aggressive behaviors made it necessary to remove him from our home. Today he is still in a group home but we have seen much improvement and can now take him out for outings. High school will start for him soon. I have so many fears, so many prayers, but I do believe and I have seen how "great is our God." I will pray and I will believe.

11/04/2018

God loves us even in the little things. I was privileged to create the bulletin board for the English I team in one of the halls of the 9th grade pod. When I finally finished, my entire team was gone for the weekend. I grumbled to myself that I would have to wait 2 whole days before getting any input or reaction on my creation. Just then a teacher I don't know walked by and commented on how clever and the kids would really like the interactive part (you have to flip up a circle to read underneath). I said thank you and then laughed to myself. Our God is so great!

06/16/2018

Romans 15:5 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had” (NIV)
This is a great verse. When you read the section/chapter, this verse is in; it is even better. The chapter starts by telling us to accept one another and goes on to tell us to love one another and help one another just as Jesus did. It also says give thanks and praise to God. This section ends with a powerful and joyful blessing for each and every one of us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This section is all about everyone. It says, “accept one another.” It does not say accept just the pretty people or the rich people. It does not say accept just the white people or the black people. It does not say accept just the Jewish people or the Baptist people. It does not say accept just the heterosexual people or just the LBGTQ people. It says accept one another. God is for all people. He loves all people. He sends endurance and encouragement and hope to all people.
But previous posts this week have been about fighting personal demons, this verse is great for that too. Ephesians 4:23 “to be made new in the attitude of your minds” (NIV) and this verse says, “attitude of the mind.” Perhaps we are reminded that the battle is more in the mind than in our physical world. Perhaps these verses remind us that renewing our mind with God’s word will renew our attitudes and fill us with endurance, encouragement, joy, peace, and hope. Each day is a new day. Though the battle has been raging for years, or simmering in the back of your head, your personal demons know when to strike and how to strike. You need to know how to fight back and the Bible is telling you to renew your mind through the Spirit, “May God give you endurance and encouragement…” “May God fill you with joy and peace.” And what is even better, it does not say, “come to me when you get your act together.” God loves you now just the way you are, and He wants to bless you. You just have to believe. He will give you the strength to fight those personal demons. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (ESV) The Bible will not sugar coat it. It says in John 16:33, “…In this world you will have trouble.” The Bible does not throw you into the wind and say good luck. In the same verse it also says, “…But take heart! (Jesus) has overcome the world.” With your hope in Christ and your mind renewed by God through the Spirit, you can overcome. Believe what you believe, renew your mind (pray and read your Bible), and you will be blessed with endurance, encouragement, joy, peace and best of all, hope.

06/15/2018

Ephesians 4:23 “to be made new in the attitude of your minds” (NIV)
As I fight my demons today, this verse gives me much hope. My demons continue to tell me I am worthless. My demons tell me that I am a hurt to this world and the ones I love. Yes, my demons are mean, and they use every struggle, every hiccup, every road block to demonstrate to me how worthless I am. But this verse tells me otherwise.

This verse tells me the battle is in my mind which makes it an exceptionally difficult battle. If someone came at me with a stick or a fist, I would know to block and fight or flee. If someone said some nasty things about me or to me, I would know they are just being nasty. But the battle is in our minds where our deepest fears lie. This verse tells me to look to God’s word to renew my mind and strengthen my resolve and improve my attitude.

Of course, there is more to the story. When you read this chapter in the Bible, there is so much more encouragement. You read verses about Christian living, and it mentions a few other things we would consider sins or character flaws. BUT the beauty of the Word of God is it never stops there. If you keep reading, it tells you that God loves all of us and wants all of us. This section ends with, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)) These verses are not for everybody else but you, and they are not just for you, but they are intended to include you. God forgives everybody. God loves everybody. God tells you to be kind and compassionate to everybody and that includes being kind and compassionate with yourself. Don’t let the demons beat you down. Be kind and compassionate to yourself. Remember God knew you were going to fail, and He still created you to be a part of His plan. You are loved, and your life has purpose.

06/12/2018

We have all been told that humans are not perfect. You would think that would mean we would accept all humans and their imperfections, because we are all human and we all make mistakes. But I guess that is it, we see imperfection as a mistake and mistakes have to be corrected thus the demons are born that rob us of a full life.
How do we defeat the demons, correct mistakes and accept imperfection? I don’t really have a good answer for that other than what we have been taught in church. Believe what you believe, God created you and God does not make junk, God sent his Son to save ALL of us and you are part of ALL of us, everything has purpose, and God has a plan for you. Ramblings to say, in my humble opinion at this moment, we defeat the demons by believing in God’s word and loving ourselves.
When I read Ephesians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (NIV) and put it in the context of fighting my demons, I think God has equipped me with spiritual blessings to fight my demons. As I read more of the chapter, I see that we are all created by God with a purpose. This section is a snapshot to remind us why we are here. God loves us and wants us and has a plan for us. This section reminds us that God knew our path before we ever set foot on it. He is not surprised by our demons. He knew our struggles and our failings before we were created, and He still created us. He still loves us, and He plans to save us. We just need to believe. Believe in the hope of Jesus Christ. Believe God has blessed each of us with spiritual blessings.

06/08/2018

“A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)
I am just not feeling it today. I don’t want to right, but here we go anyway. As I read the first half of this verse, I was hopeful, but as I read the second half of the verse my heart sank. I am not one to go for a get rich quick scheme, and I am pretty sure I will work until the day I die since we have had to dump my retirement fund several times just to get by.
But this word of instruction comes from God the father. If God is the perfect example of a father, what am I supposed to think? I am a parent. I remember when I held my first-born son in my arms. He was just days old. I was rocking him in a chair in his nursery. It was a perfect moment in time and then I remembered how God had sacrificed his son for me. I cried. The love I had for my son made me feel like I was going to burst. God loved me that much and more. As I went through the journey of parenting, my love for that child never diminished but only got stronger, but there were days I wondered who brought this smart mouth, lazy butt, disrespectful child into our world. There were days I wanted to just hit that kid in the back of the head, “If you would just follow my instruction, I could bless you so much more!” I would get so frustrated allowing my son to make choices that would turn away from a reward. I suppose that is how God feels with me. I suppose he has a rich blessing for me, but I keep making the wrong choices and never get to where I need to be to realize these blessings.
How do I get to where God wants me to be? So here is where I hear the Lord loud and clear. The backstory, about a month ago I lost my job, and it hurt. A person on campus who I knew of but did not know came to me to tell me that God had a word for me. That word was Proverbs 3:5-6 and Deuteronomy 31:6. Fast forward to this week, this person has inspired me to read my Bible again and to write again. And as I wrote, I confirmed my love and faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. And even today as I just did not want to write, I am struck by the beauty of God to make himself personal and real in my life today.
How do I get to where God wants me to be? Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV) Remember the verses given to me about a month ago? And I ask again, how do I get to where God wants me to be? Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NIV) But how do I know I am on the right path? Matthew 7: 14 “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (ESV) Ok. That really does not say, “Hay, you are on the right path.” But it does tell me that even though it is hard, does not mean that I am not following God’s will or that somehow, I have misunderstood or veered off the road. It does mean that the road is hard, and I need to continue in faith. It does tell me that the Lord my God is with me and will never forsake me.

06/07/2018

Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.” Proverbs 10:6 (NIV)
I have never been a proponent for violence, but when you think about words cutting like a knife, I see the correlation between violence and mouth. I am guilty of using words to cut through someone to win an argument. I think all of us have at one point or another. I have been the victim of words as well and feel the haunting of those words.

I struggle with the fear of success. Sounds ridiculous, but as I grew up, I was punished for being excited about an award or good grade. I was teased for being a “goody two shoes.” I was taught success was pride and pride was bad, however I did have a saving grace. When my mother divorced my biological father, she turned to the church to try and piece things back together. I met Jesus at a young age. In middle school I decided I wanted to go into ministry. I was politely pulled aside and told women could not go into ministry. So even the church did not think much of me. But I did say I had a saving grace. Yes, Jesus was the center of my world, but I struggled being in this world.

As I reflect on this verse, I see that I have my own demons to work out. I want to claim that I am on the righteous side and deserving of blessings, but I feel I am of the wicked who allows violence to overwhelm my mouth. But as I said, Jesus is my saving grace. Jesus performed many miracles. We can debate how many and what constitutes a miracle, but we can all agree; Jesus performed many miracles. Many miracles involved saving and helping people including healing the blind, casting out demons, raising people from the dead and more. Before Jesus would heal, many times he would say something like, “By your faith, you are healed.,” or for the unbelievers he would say something like, “be healed, go forth and tell others.” At no time did he ask, “Are you righteous and deserving of healing?” He did not stop to define righteousness and ask for accountancy that demonstrated that the afflicted person was righteous and deserving of healing. I may not be perfectly righteous, but I am not perfectly wicked either. I do believe and by my faith I will be healed.

I claim the healing of Jesus Christ and accept the blessing given to the righteous. I am thankful for the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the blessings that are still to come.

06/06/2018

“You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.” Psalms 21:3

When I first read this verse, my mind jumped to Jesus Christ. Of course, it is about the King of Kings being crowned. However, the King of Kings was not crowned with gold and this is an Old Testament verse. Perhaps, there is more to the story. Looking at the whole chapter, it is a song of praise, giving thanks to the Lord for the many blessings showered on a king.

Reading it again, I noticed that the king was showered in blessings, because he asked. He said a prayer and his prayer was answered, and as each prayer was answered, the king gave thanks to the Lord. It reminded of a metaphor I once heard in church that used the water cycle to illustrate prayers and blessings. Our prayers go up and the blessings rain down.

Reading it again, I noticed that it discusses enemies. The king did not worry about his enemies because he trusted the Lord to take care of it. Sounds like a common theme. Romans 8:31 also says, “If God is for us, then who can be against us.” (NIV)

At this time in my life, I feel I am my own worst enemy. I pray. I try. But I seem to be hit right and left by hiccups and brick walls. My heart aches for my family. I want to help them; bless them; give them a good life, but I can barely take care of myself. How can this verse mean anything to me?

That is the beauty of the Bible. It is packed full of meaning that relates on many levels to reach person where they are. Psalms 21 is a beautiful chapter of hope and joy; thanksgiving and courage. These are things I need to keep going. I will claim joy, thanksgiving, boldness and courage; and I will ask the Lord to rain blessings on me and all those who are around me.

06/05/2018

“because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.” Genesis 49:25 (NIV)

This verse gives me hope that blessings are coming. I am thankful for the blessings we have had; our children; our home; our provision; my puppies (God love the little stinkers). Though things have been tough, there are stories worse than mine. I am thankful for God’s protection and deliverance. I give thanks to the Lord, though I don’t think my special need’s son situation is ideal; I do believe my son is safe and well cared for. If I must give my son into the hands of strangers, I am thankful that God’s hand has been there to guide us and open doors to find a safe place where he is cared for.
I am also thankful for the blessings showered on my older son. He just finished his first year of college with a 4.0 GPA. God has blessed us with provisions from family members that made it possible for him to go to college. My son has not squandered this opportunity but embraced it, and I am thankful. My son has also been blessed with a full-time job for the summer. As we look at finite and dwindling resources, I am thankful that the Lord knows what we need before we do.
The Bible verse reminds me that God’s blessings are limitless. However, as I try to look forward to blessings for myself, my children and all that I know; I can’t help but be reminded of how God has blessed us already. I am thankful.

06/05/2018

“All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God” Deuteronomy 28:2 (NIV)

Obey and you will be blessed. There are a lot of rules in the Bible especially in the Old Testament. But we live in a time after the New Testament; after the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must remember our roots in the Old Testament; the Ten Commandments are just as true today as they were back then. We must also remember the love Jesus gave us and the mercy and the grace.

For me right now, on my current path, I think it is telling me as long as I keep my faith in the Lord and am not afraid; I will be blessed. It has been a bumpy road for me and fear has come to cripple me. But thank the Lord, God has sent people into my life to encourage and revitalize me. I will draw on their strength and stand up and walk forward without fear.

My favorite prayer is, “God’s will be done.” I believe God is love. I believe God is grace. I believe God has a plan. I will claim this verse in Jesus’ name that I will be blessed if only I trust in the Lord with all my heart. And Bonus, if you read the rest of the chapter in Deuteronomy, if I obey, I am not the only one who will be blessed so will my children, my work, my city, and more. God’s will be done.

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Our Story

Designed Service, founded by Danika LaBrant, has evolved through several missions. Initially, Designed Service was a design service; a name for a freelance business where Danika offered graphic design and copy writing skills to small business and non-profits. Then Designed Service evolved into service designed by God for God. Danika developed metaphors for Biblical truths using object lessons, like kitchen science, to reach preschool and elementary school children with the love of Christ. Then Designed Service evolved into finding God’s hand in everyday things. Now Designed Service is a hodge podge of faith, humor and life as seen by Danika LaBrant.

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11/04/2018

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