When I considered a ministry name that would capture the essence of who I am and the legacy I want to leave, the name Overflow came easily and naturally. The name was born out of a daily routine that I shared with my beloved grandmother, affectionately known as Nana.

Every day Nana and I would share time for an afternoon tea. Each day I watched her take out a beautiful china cup and saucer and, although she followed the same routine daily, I gave each preparation process my undivided attention – a fresh tea bag in the delicate cup, covered by boiling water from the stove. After a few moments of steeping, she would remove the tea bag, add a teaspoon of sugar, and then stir the mixture vigorously as she added milk. During the routine, some of the sweet, milky concoction would spill over the cup and onto the saucer, at which time she would say, “What’s in the cup is for Nana and what’s in the saucer is for you.” She would then lift the teacup, which was my cue to raise the brimming saucer and join her in our afternoon tea time.

The Spirit of the Lord used a precious childhood memory to instill a truth in me. He began to show me that His Spirit within me was for me, while the grace of His presence that overflowed from His infilling was for others.

Many years later, the Spirit of the Lord used that precious childhood memory to instill a truth in me. He began to show me that His Spirit within me was for me, while the grace of His presence that overflowed from His infilling was for others. I immediately understood that it was my responsibility to maintain a daily connection with Him so that he could continually fill me up, providing an abundance of His love and grace so that I would have something for others as they drank from the overflow of my life.

Nana has long been in the presence of the Lord but of the many tremendous life lessons she provided for me perhaps none is more powerful than the call for me, and the commitment to help others, to always live in the overflow.