Positioning My Heart

I woke up today with a song sitting in my mind and heart. It's a song that has been sitting with me for a couple of weeks now. It is a reminder, an encouragement, and it stirs my heart. The reason is simple and is declared in the title... "Great Are You Lord"!! It may seem simplistic, it may be obvious, but I'm trying to not rush past it. I want to let it sit and soak and allow myself to meditate on it's words. I want the lyrics to stir my heart every time I hear them. I don't want to miss it.

Will you Listen to the song with me right now?

"You give life, You are love

 You bring light to the darkness

 You give hope

 You restore every heart that is broken

 Great are You Lord"

THIS, this is our God. This is the one who created us, who loved us so deeply that when sin overcame us and separated us from Him, He sent His wonderful Son to restore us. He is the giver of healing, the giver of wholeness, He is the mender of hearts. I don't know if this is coming across clearly not, but it's burning in my heart because He's just so good. 

I never want to forget all the things He has done in my life. I never want to forget the healing, physically and emotionally. I never want to live a day where I don't thank Him for the freedom I get to walk in; for the salvation He gave me SO FREELY! I never want to miss the chance to remember His hand reaching down and pulling me out of the pit of sadness, anger, bitterness, and hurt. I want to always remember Him revealing who I am as His daughter, chosen, called, fierce, and loving. HE is the reason I am today. 

"And all the earth will shout Your praise

Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing

GREAT ARE YOU, LORD!"

In the deepest parts of my heart I pray that we would be filled with the awe of all He is, all He has done, and all He will continue to do. I pray that our hearts would be filled with thanksgiving and praise. That we would allow Him to fill us so that we can pour out our praise. He is so great and so deserving.

And I pray that if you have a hard time recognizing His goodness; or if your past has hindered you from processing goodness, that healing would come! That you would be loosed from the heaviness that bogs you down and that the JOY of the Lord would fill you. I pray that your heart would recognize His hand at work in your life, and in recognizing it that you would be stirred to praise. 

He's so good. He's so faithful. His grace is astounding. His mercy, never ending and new every morning, is beautiful. His heart is for you and His heart is for me! His will for us is perfect and wonderful and beyond anything we could fathom. 

So Lord, my God, my beautiful and wonderful Father, we worship You. We praise You for Your hand at work in our lives. We glorify You for the peace that You give us that surpasses understanding. Thank You for Your faithfulness to love us, through every moment that we turn our backs, You are right there, arms opened, calling to us, loving us. You celebrate our victories; You mourn our losses. You lead us by still waters for us to be refreshed; You go before us in battle. Lord there is none like You. Thank You for being You, thank You for loving us. Great are You Lord!

South Africa - November 2018

South Africa 2018... unforgettable.

For months leading up to this trip I knew the Lord had big plans. Why?? Because so much was going wrong around me. The enemy was hitting every area you could imagine. It was obvious to me that he didn't want this trip to happen... which became my source of encouragement to push through. The enemy would not be so resistant if he wasn't scared, and that was exciting to me. The Lord had plans and I was ready and willing to be a part of it.

I look back over the two weeks spent traveling throughout South Africa and Swaziland and realize the Lord did more than I even realized in the moments. One of the biggest miracles to me was that our team, a group of 28 people from all over the place, were united in one purpose and got along. There was a bond that could only come from the Holy Spirit's leading, and it was beautiful. Every person was there to serve the people of SA, but also to serve each other. It constantly stirred my heart to pray for the church to walk in the very same perspective. Lord, teach us to love and serve in the same way You did.

We started the trip off with our safari, which I feel was strategic in team building. We enjoyed seeing the animals, and even got to see the lions being fed... incredible. We were staying at a lodge that also had so many cool animals roaming around. One morning we were having devotions and several zebra walked right next to us and started drinking from the pool. I don't think I've ever felt more at home, lol. 

From there we headed back to the airport to fly to Cape Town. We spent the weekend ministering at The Gathering in Paarl. People were set free, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. I was praying for a lady on the last night to be filled with Holy Spirit and I felt the power of God moving in a strong way, but she was so quiet that I couldn't tell if she was speaking in tongues or not. I leaned my ear towards her mouth and started laughing because the spirit of the Lord was moving so much she couldn't 't stop moving her mouth. I love getting to see people filled with His Spirit! I'm believing that she will allow the empowering of the Holy Spirit to give her boldness to share His love in great and mighty ways!

From Cape Town / Paarl we made our way to Nelspruit. This was probably the most surprising part of the trip for me. We joined up with a smaller church that we had never visited before... no one knew what the expect. But the Lord in all His wisdom knew what was needed. This church encouraged me. they LOVED each other. When the pastor had everyone greet one another, they literally greeted every person with such depth. I laughed because in America greeting times in churches are so awkward and everyone tries to get through it quickly... but they rejoiced in getting to be with each other. They honored each other with hugs and huge smiles. It was really beautiful. Some of us then shared briefly things the Lord was putting on our hearts for the church and we ended the night with a prayer tunnel. There is just nothing like a prayer tunnel in Africa when it's already hot and you're asking for more of the fire of the Holy Ghost! Whewwww!

After a quick nights rest we drove in to Swaziland. My favorite! As we were crossing the border I could immediately feel my heart swell with love for the children we would get to encounter. And my heart was not let down. When we visited the Care Centers there were children of all ages waiting for us to just love on them. We brought them sweeties (candy) and toys and clothes and tooth brushes and so much more... but above all that, we brought them hugs. We brought prayers to pray over them. We declared that they would have a hope and a future. That their future would be filled with kingdom things! And I prayed that they would have endurance to run this race of life, because life isn't easy but God's plans supersede the craziness of it all.I could have stayed with those babies for two weeks alone, but I am so glad we got the time we got with them. 

We ended our time back in Jo Burg at the big tent. On Saturday we held an outreach in the park across from the church. I told one of the guys that from the second we drove up I felt the Spirit of the Lord stirring, the atmosphere was thick. We unloaded all of the supplies we brought with us and all the food we purchased. We gave testimony, danced in worship, called on the Lord to meet us there, the word was shared, we prayed for the people, and then we fed them and distributed supplies. It was beautiful. It was precious. And I won't forget the faces of thankfulness from every person I handed something to. Thank you for sending me with supplies to share with these wonderful people!

I know this is lengthy, and doesn't have a ton of detail, but my heart is still processing all the Lord has done. I will say that this trip changed something in me. I mean, these trips usually do change me, but this was something I needed in the place of life I'm in. Not only did I get to reconnect with dear friends, I was able to establish some new relationships. I was encouraged constantly, which I hadn't realized how much I needed. I just left feeling so full and ready for what the Lord has next... whatever and whenever that may be!

So, please, keep praying with me. Praying for the people of South Africa and Swaziland. Praying for all the seeds that were sewn and every life that was touched. And please pray with me for the next steps in my life. The Lord is faithful and I am honored and humbled that He has chosen me to reach out to some many different people in my life... I'm ready for even more! 

Keeping People In a Box

It’s to the detriment of the church and self that one not serve the Lord in action; but it is to the plight of those who choose to serve that leaders are content with them remaining in the place where they first started.- Something the Lord has been speaking to me about.

I hear it said all the time: to be in ministry means to have a willingness to serve; scrub toilets, mop floors, pick up crumpled bulletins in the sanctuary, hold crying babies, sing in the choir, etc. And I agree... But I have seen all too often someone take that step to serve in whatever area is needed and leadership become content with keeping them there. And it’s not necessarily on purpose, in fact most times it is subconscious. It becomes easy to not pursue that person or help them find what they are called to. They have found a void to fill and that removes an ounce of stress from the leadership’s shoulders. It’s hard to find volunteers; it’s hard to keep volunteers. So I understand the peace that comes from finding a willing worker for a job that needs to be done.

But this is sad, and beyond sad it’s dangerous. Yes, we must all have the humility to do the dirty work, the simple jobs, or the unwanted tasks. We should all start somewhere... but the most important part of that sentence is “START”. One of the goals of being a leader, especially in the body of Christ, is to be build up and release people in their giftings and strengths to be beneficial in their home, work, church, community, and world.

We need to build up a body that keeps movement and growth happening. If someone is kept serving in an area that does not match their gifts/calling, it not only will harm their growth, but the growth of the church. Not to mention, missing out on what they truly have to offer.

“God calls every believer and gives every believer gifts and abilities. Our role as church leaders is to help people 

discover and utilize those gifts – and help them understand they will be held accountable for how they used them.” 

- A Spirit Empowered Church: An Acts 2 Ministry Model

I have been involved in many church settings, ministries, and Christian communities. I have seen and personally experienced the lack of motivation for helping our fellow followers of Christ to use the talents God has given them, and instead unconsciously (and possibly at times purposely) asking them to bury those talents in the name of (first) necessity and (then) comfort. 

I feel as though we are missing out. We’re missing out on the creative things the Lord has placed inside of people because it takes work to pull out of them. We are missing out on fruit for the Kingdom because we have allowed gifts to remain un-searched and covered up. And it’s time we break that mold. 

I’m challenged to dig deeper into the people I know and meet. I’m not the leader of a church or ministry, but I want to start somewhere. And I’m praying that leaders will grasp this idea, this goal. I’m praying there will be a longing stirred in their hearts to not just build up and release the personalities that are comfortable to them, but to create an atmosphere in their churches where people know their gifts will be sought out and put to use. That their congregations will feel the support and strength of the leadership helping them find who they are and what they are called to.

And as a disclaimer: don’t get me wrong, we need to serve and do things sometimes that are not “what we are gifted in”... but there is something different that takes place in our hearts when we are doing those tasks alone and when we are doing them supported by our leaders and community. 

I’m reminded of David as a young boy, caring for the sheep of his father while his brothers all stood before Samuel. Samuel saw with his natural eye attributes in David's brothers that could make for great leadership. But God's admonishment in 1 Samuel 16:7  shows us that God was not looking at what the outside presented, He saw what was inside. We also see in this chapter David's own father dismissing the gifts inside of David... it doesn't seem as though he was doing it to be cruel, but simply out of his lack of insight. But God, in all of His wonderful ways, speaks to Samuel of who David was created to be and by Samuel's obedience to release that over David it changes the course of a young man's life and the history that we have because of him. It's a beautiful imagery of what can change in someone's life when people are willing to hear and see who God has called them to be.

And as I have typed all this out I have been praying that a shift in the body of Christ would take place. That we would take time to hear and see what the Lord has placed inside those around us. Let us begin seeing people step into who they are and what they are called to because we take the time to acknowledge it in them and help them grow. May we not be content with simply filling voids and handing out tasks, but may we take the time to learn about the people around us and help them find the place where they prosper. And in doing so, may the Kingdom of God be multiplied and the body of Christ be strengthened.

Friendship

This meme has been floating around for a few months now. I posted it on my Instagram story when I first saw it because I literally laughed out loud. But the more I see it the more it really clicks with me.

I've been in my 30's for 1.5 years now. I have experienced a LOT of changes in my life during that time frame. One of the biggest areas I'm noticing change in is my relationships with people. It's become harder to spend the time I want and used to spend with my friends. Seasons of life are changing, people are becoming parents, jobs are becoming more demanding, ministry goals are beginning, many have moved in different directions/states/countries. I have lost some relationships and have seen some relationships turn into acquaintances. 

For someone like me, who is an extrovert to the core and who's #2 love language is quality time, this season proves to be one of lots of stretching; lots of remembering that the world can't stay the same; and a lot of turning to Jesus to fill my tank. And that is good! Because I want my friends to grow, mature, build lives, live dreams... and I want myself to rely on the Lord. But sometimes, lots of times, I miss the friendships of my teens and twenties. 

In all my younger years when I would imagine my adult relationships, never would I have pictured them how they are now. I never would have imagined how hard it would be to keep them going. How very purposeful we would all have to be to spend even an hour together. Sometimes it is just hard work... and what adult wants more work in their lives? But it is VERY difficult for me to let people go: 1) Because I'm stubborn and 2)Because I fight for the things that are important to me. I often have had the thoughts "what could I do/buy/say to entice my friends to spend time with me"...and though my heart was pure in that, who wants friends that are manipulated into spending time with them? 

Makes me think of the free will God has given us in choosing Him... why would He want children/friends that He has forced to love Him? He doesn't, no one does, that's not love at all.

But as the years move forward, I'm learning to ask the Lord the hard questions. I'm learning to wait and hear from Him whether it is beneficial for me to fight for a relationship or if it's now time to release it. I'm learning that spending all my energy trying to chase down friends is not only exhausting for me, but exhausting for them as well. And I'm learning that the seasons must change in order for fruit to come in our lives... and that is good!

The take away for me from this processing has been RELIEF. I don't need to force friendships, I don't need to worry about gaining or losing friendships, and I can just be. I trust the Lord knows the very core of my being, and He knows what I need more than I do. He's proven it time and time again, and this is just another area that I can give to Him and see fruit blossom. Hard seasons don't equal bad, hard seasons equal refining, maturing, ripening.

And I know I'm not alone in this. I've had many conversations with many people that have confirmed that I'm not just scaring my friends away (LOL) and being a failure in friendship, but that this season of life just gets hard when it comes to this area. Thankfully, for those of us who have a relationship with God, we can learn through this season. And in the end, us learning and growing through it will make us better friends anyway. It seems pretty full circle to me.

So if you are struggling with friendship... it's ok. If you're feeling unfulfilled by your friends, that also is ok. Take this season and apply your energy and time in to asking the Lord what He wants it to look like. Instead of stressing over how things used to be and feeling as if you have failed, grow. In the least cheesy way possible, become a friend of the Lord. Turn your view from negativity into positivity. That's what I'm doing and I can honestly tell you it is so relieving and freeing! :)

We are better together, but sometimes being better together takes us learning how to be better in our own selves first. So when friendship "fails" us, let's take the opportunity to become the better us and see what happens from there. :)

A Person Is A Person

Dr. Seuss left us with a quote often perceived as cliche... 

...but I would beg to differ. In fact, I'd like to add to this wonderful quote:

A person's a person no matter how tall, how wide, how thin, how educated, how light 

or dark their skin is (or anything in between)! A person's a person not because we approve of 

them, a person's a person because the Lord created them... in His image... 

with a plan and a purpose for their life. A person's a person NO MATTER WHAT!

Today my heart was stirred for humanity. And because of that I'm causing myself to recognize and remember that each person on this earth is deserving of being treated as a human being. Meaning what? Meaning they deserve to be loved, deserve to be encouraged, deserve to be cheered on by their family and friends. Every person deserves to have someone in their corner, running this race of life with them, celebrating with them in victory, and mourning with them in sorrow. Because a person is a person.

Today I witnessed something that has radically shaken my core. It is causing me to reach deeper inside of myself, break down comfort zones I have built up, and to remember that God's most important commandments to us were to love Him and to love each other. The story I'm about to share could be a trigger for someone, and so I want to warn that it pertains to suicide. If this is a sensitive topic for you, first, know that I am praying for you, second, PLEASE reach out to someone, and third, you may not want to read any further.

My morning started early, and on not much sleep. I got up and turned my Uber app on and I was out the door. I ended up picking up a couple going to the San Jose Airport, only for them to realize as we were getting off on the exit that they had put in the wrong airport and their flight was really from SFO. So I helped them get it figured out and we started the long drive to SFO. I knew I'd probably go in to the city after that because that's the norm for when I end up at SFO. But what I didn't know was that I would get all but 2 of my rides in for the day during that trek to SFO. 

When we reached SFO I dropped of the couple and had 2 people heading into the city in my car... just as I figured. I got to the city and picked up my last 2 rides and then I was done. Rarely am I ever done that early and so I was excited to be heading home to catch up on my lack of sleep from last night. I got to the bridge and something just didn't feel right... the only way I can explain it is that the atmosphere felt very heavy. I tried to shrug it off and stay excited for my nap, but I quickly learned why. 

The bridge had 2 lanes closed off and because of that traffic was backed up and moving slowly. I was driving with my windows down, as I usually do in the city. All of a sudden I was hearing screaming and crying and men shouting: "Ma'am please don't!" "Stay calm" and whatever else they could say to try to change the direction this moment was headed. As soon as I heard all of the chaos I looked to my right and there, on the ledge of the bridge, was a sobbing woman about to take her life. Just as I was passing the scene the highway patrol got ahold of her legs and were able to pull her off the ledge and to the ground. The last thing I heard as I left that moment were the most hopeless, hurt filled words I've ever heard; she began screaming over and over: "please, just let me jump; let me go!"

If you need a minute after reading that I truly understand... I needed several minutes after seeing/hearing it to breath. It was heavy, actually, it still is heavy. I cried. I prayed. I felt the Father's heart for her in her hopelessness. And then started remembering the many stories of people I know, or know of, that didn't get the intervention this woman got... and I cried all over again.

Man, we're missing something guys. We are missing a piece to the puzzle that reminds us that we need each other. We need to be honest and vulnerable with each other. We need to check in on each other. There are so many out there trying to fight these horrible thoughts about themselves on their own... and we just weren't meant to do that. And today something changed in me from seeing and hearing the cries of this woman as she almost lost her life. I don't know all the answers, but I know we need to pray and we need to be purposeful in loving each other... EVEN WHEN IT'S HARD and AWKWARD! Let's be available and let's even pray for the Lord to send people our way so He can use us to intervene. Because a person is a person, and they deserve someone caring enough to stand with them.

Lastly, I want to say to anyone who is reading this that is struggling with any thoughts that are negative about yourself... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE know that someone cares. I am here. And if that freaks you out I have attached the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 

(1-800-273-8255) and the link to their online chat site. Please reach out! I am praying you find the strength and courage to reach out, and for peace in your heart and mind. You are a person, and you deserve for us to care about you... and we do!

Link to chat with confidential support!

There Is ALREADY Victory!

Can I be vulnerable here for a minute? I am in a season of discouragement. I am not content with where I'm at, I can't seem to see the path the Lord has put before me to be able to move forward, I feel alone in my race, and I don't see the support of the people around me. That's what is going on in my flesh, HOWEVER, my spirit is saying "I'm not giving up, the Lord is faithful, I've seen Him do too much to forget it all, He's never going to leave me, and people will always fail me but this gives me the opportunity to really learn to love unconditionally."

I was chatting with my best friend the other night about where my heart, mind, and spirit are at. As I was processing through the conversation I reflected on the fact that this season always comes and goes, I'm guessing kind of like a thorn for me. There are seasons of ebb and there are seasons of flow. But one thing I am noticing in this season of ebbing is that, though it is difficult and frustrating, I KNOW it won't take me out. How do I know that? Why in past seasons of the same struggles did I not know that? What is different now? And the one word that sums it up is: testimony!

You see, the older I get the more God stories I have to look back on. The more I submit to Him, the more I die to self and let Him have all of me, the more testimonies I carry in my back pocket for seasons like this. When I look at all the miracles and works He has done in my life, and the lives of the people near to me, the more my faith is built; the more my faith is built, the more I am able to stand firm in His Word and my faith and trust can be sustained and grow exponentially.

There is a verse in Revelation (12:11) that talks about overcoming the enemy by the blood of the Lamb AND the word of their testimony. It really sheds light on what I'm saying here. First, we have Jesus' blood that has already given us the victory! Then, we have the testimony of the victory that blood gives us that helps us to overcome all over again. It's a cycle. It's a tool. It's freedom. It takes all the pressure off of us to perform or make breakthrough happen in our lives. Instead, we simply get to lean in to the Lord and remember all the things He's done for us. Gosh, that's amazing!

But He doesn't stop there, Revelation (19:10) makes this statement: "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Wow. When we are releasing the testimony of who Jesus is and what He has done we are releasing the spirit of prophecy into the atmosphere. What does that even mean: the spirit of prophecy? Through reading commentaries and looking up the Greek of this verse I have found that... it means just what it says. Real deep description huh? The spirit (or essence) of prophecy is Jesus, it's the testimony of who Jesus is.

So what does this have to do with being in a season of discouragement? Well, thank you for asking... When we testify of the goodness of God, the faithfulness of who Jesus is, we prophecy to our circumstance the truth of the victory we ALREADY have.

When we know that Jesus is the testimony of the spirit of prophecy and we know that we overcome by Him and the word of that testimony, we can STAND in a strengthened faith and our trust is deepened. Thus, we do not become overcome by the natural circumstances taking place. Yes, we still go through life with ups and downs... but the more we persevere the more our downs are overcome by our ups because of the testimony of the faithfulness we encounter with the Lord. HE NEVER FAILS, and when we allow Him to never fail in our lives we walk in His testimony.

So the encouragement to myself, and to you: Look at your situation, your emotions, your hurting heart and declare: "You are overcome because..." and begin to call out some of the testimonies of Jesus in your life. See what happens! I bet your flesh begins to shrink back and your spirit begins to rise. And when you have allowed it to do a work in your life, then share it with someone else. Because the blood and testimony of Jesus can also bring them victory!

The Impossible

I have been thinking on the subject of impossibilities lately. I have several dreams in my heart that, to my natural mind, make no sense and seem impossible to make happen. I have stretched my mind trying to imagine or create plans that could bring these things to pass... all in vain. And so I turned my mind in a different direction, in a better direction. I began reading the story of Gideon in the book of Judges.

As a Christian, a lover and follower of Jesus, I 'know' that nothing is too hard for God. I have read countless stories, heard thousands of testimonies, and actually seen Him do impossible things in my own life. Yet, it seems every new situation that comes along I am starting back at the bottom of the mountain, down in dry bone valley. It takes me allowing the Lord to stir up the seed of faith in my heart and mind until my perspective has changed and I am now overlooking the valley I was once in through the lens of hope. It's there that the Lord actually begins letting me see the impossibilities of the natural beginning to live and breathe; and it's there that I see those dry bones coming to life.

One of the ways I know to begin to stir up faith is digging deeper in the Word. In this season Gideon's story kept popping up all around me, and so I decided to do some digging. I am amazed at several things about Gideon. First, he was a normal human being. When God calls him a mighty warrior, he looks around at his current circumstances and does not understand how that can be truth. And when God calls him to GO he asks the very simple question of "how?". Second, when God tells Gideon that He is with him Gideon's human mind does not immediately jump on board, he asks the Lord for proof... and the Lord appeases his requests, not once, not twice, but three times. Third, his obedience to do the crazy things the Lord is asking him to do brings victory in his life and the lives of his people.

It is easy in the midst of an impossible scenario to give up, walk away, and try to forget about it. But here's the thing I am reminding myself right now: "If the Lord planted it, it's gonna grow!" Every promise He ever spoke will not return void because He IS truth. But Gideon does remind me that sometimes the fulfillment of the promise takes a response of obedience from me... from us. A lot of the time the watering of the seed, making sure it's getting sunlight, keeping the nasty bugs and critters away from it takes hard work, it takes diligence. The promised harvest, the sweet fruit, is really just a short time away if we'll put the effort in to protect and grow it.

BUT, there are also promises that the Lord wants to stretch our faith in. These promises just take (not so simple) yeses to the seemingly strange or unnatural requests. For instance, let's get back to Gideon for a second: When the Lord tells Gideon to defeat his enemy BUT that He wants to weed down the size of his men first, Gideon's response is not "OH Lord, we'll never be able to defeat them with only 300!!!" Instead he says to the Lord, "What would You have me do?" And then he does it. He takes his men and weeds them down twice in this story. First, he removes all the men who are fearful (and that is a whole sermon in itself... who knows that when we get rid of the fear around us we can accomplish so much more?!?!). And secondly, he takes the men to a place to drink water and the Lord has him keep the men who lap up water like animals, rather than the men who kneel down to drink. I am certain, because Gideon was human, that in his mind he was thinking "well this will be an interesting crew I am left with", but none-the-less he obeyed.

Ultimately, there was victory in Gideon's story because he allowed his faith to lead rather than his human understanding. And that is what I want to take away from this. Though my dream of ministry seems so far off and I feel alone in the push towards it, victory is already there. And I will choose to say yes, no matter how crazy the request or instruction of the Lord is. There is already victory in the simplicity of being obedient.

I hope today that if you have been questioning how or been having trouble looking through faith rather than the natural, that the story of Gideon would encourage you as it has me. And if it doesn't, go find one of the other hundreds of stories about faith in the Bible and let it do it instead. The Lord gave us His Word so that we could grow and be encouraged... we don't have to live in doubt and discouragement. I pray that as the Lord is stretching me in this walk of faith, may He also stretch you! And may the impossibilities of the natural become the launching pad for more faith, more testimonies, and more victory!

Something I've Learned From Uber

If you've ever taken an Uber (or any other share ride option) you have probably experienced what I'm about to talk about.... The silence! The awkwardness of knowing there are other people in the car but everyone acting like they are by themselves. You probably pulled your phone out to check your Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc for the twentieth time in a thirty second interval.

You're not alone. This is now the norm.

I have been driving with Uber/Lyft for almost 7 months now and I have experienced so many riders in these very shoes. The other day I had 4 strangers in the car at one time (a carpool). As they got in the car each one of them immediately pulled out their phones, even before putting their seatbelts on. I was astonished.

People just don't know how to interact anymore; how to have a good 'ole, small talk conversation and instead end up filling the void by creating things to do on their phones. They try at all costs to avoid the awkwardness instead of trying to move past the awkwardness by interacting.

Now let me clear something up... I am an extrovert! I am generally loud and obnoxiously nosey; I thrive when I am finding out information about people. BUT, there is just something about being in a car that calms me down. There is a mellowing effect that takes places. Ask anyone close to me who rides in cars with me often, I get quiet and pensive most times... it's weird lol!!! This doesn't mean I don't try to initiate conversations with my riders when they get in, it just means I'm not going to fight for your conversation when I could enjoy these quiet moments all the while knowing how uncomfortable and awkward the silence is making you. I know, I'm a little ornery. :)

But this blog is not even about me... well I guess in a way it is... it is about something I have learned through those awkwardly silent car rides. And something I feel we need to work on.

As a culture we have slimmed down the need for real life, human connecting and traded it in for robotized, overly processed, well rehearsed conversations via technology. And I feel like this is an issue.

You see, we were created for connection... yes, even you introverts who are reading this! And when I say connection I don't mean texts that took you thirty minutes to write and re-write and then remove anything that may be offensive (or in some people's cases, add things that are passive aggressive as to leave the text up for interpretation... yeah, I know that happens too!) Connecting is so much more than just words, it's body language and seeing raw, first responses to things. We have forgotten the importance of processing through life together. I feel as if this trading of people for technology is leading to us carrying so much more weight on our shoulders because everything has to be presented perfectly. We've forgotten how to have a conversation, filled with flaws, words said wrong, unprocessed ideas that others can become sand paper for and help us smooth our thoughts out... we've forgotten how humanity was supposed to be. We were supposed to be there for each other, supposed to encourage each other, be iron sharpening iron. We were never created to become robots who exist within themselves and the phones in their hands.

I'm sure you chat with some of the people you're closest to. I'm sure you have one or two people to in life that you open up to. But my warning is this... what is practiced most becomes habit. If we are habitual in turning to our phones instead of to each other now, what will the next generation look like?

I honestly don't mind a quiet ride in the car, but I can see past the car. I can see all the dinners where people are sitting around the table on their phones instead of enjoying each other. I can see the parent's on their phones while their children watch tv. I see us texting the people sitting 5 feet away from us. It doesn't just stop in the car. And I am hoping and praying that we will realize the problem with this technological epidemic and really work on learning how to love, interact, communicate, conflict with each other in a natural way again.

I wonder what problems might be solved if that happens? :)

A Call To Christians

This morning we learned of the passing of Reverend Billy Graham in to the sweet presence of the Lord. I did not expect that my heart would be hit this hard with this news, but it has been. I have spent all morning reading quotes, articles, personal posts, and testimony after testimony of lives changed because of the obedient life of this wonderful man. In the midst of reading all these words of acclamation, I've found my mind wondering where "America's Pastor" had struggles? It is easy in this time to think of him as above the human struggle, but from what I have read, I believe he would want us to remember that he was a sinful man forgiven and covered by the blood of Jesus, who chose to walk obediently in the call of God... and each one of us has the same opportunity.

You see, we all have sinned and have fallen short. But the message of Billy Graham's life was one of the grace given to us through Jesus. It's through Jesus' perfect, spotless sacrifice that we are able to be  alive. It is through the love of the Father that we are able to be saved through Jesus. And if you are someone that may not understand that Christian-ese lingo, I want to break it down:

"For God so love the world (us), that He gave His only Son (Jesus), 

that whoever (opened to ALL) believes in Him shall not perish (die a sinful death),

 but have eternal life (life with Jesus in Heaven and on earth)." 

John 3:16

(If this is new for you and you want to find out more about what Jesus has done for you, 

please message me or someone so we can explain and pray with you!)

Sometimes as Christians we forget that the simplicity of the cross and the Word is all we need to progress. We make it complicated, confusing, stressful, and hard to understand. But God is love, and He longs for us to love Him and the people around us in simple, tangible ways. It is the greatest commandment after all. And I am grateful for the trail blazed before us by a man that was not perfect, but walked fully in the grace of God, leading everyone he could to the feet of Jesus. 

And it sounds like I should be finished there, but I'm not. One of the biggest things that stood out to me in reading about BG's life was his stance in politics. I honestly don't know if we could ever find a Christian man more involved in the lives of presidents from generation to generation... And though he had all the opportunity in the world, he was not a man to turn his podium into a political rant. He was a man that understood the importance of praying for his leaders and offering Godly, scriptural counsel whenever he could. WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THAT EXAMPLE! 

I have seen so many posts by Christians on social media lately that are politicized and jabbing at those they would consider on the "other side"... but can I be candid? They aren't the enemy! And I would pose a challenge for us as followers of Christ to remember no matter how passionately we feel about legislation and politics that "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

Can we grasp that word? Can we remember that yes, we can have opinions on things, but they should never cause people to turn their heads from Christ and distract from His great name because of how we represent them! My goodness, if we could only be as passionate about serving the Lord and each other as we are about guns and gun laws. Yes, I went there. Live a life that causes people to turn their heads to Jesus. Don't let your legacy be one of ostracizing people through your political stances. Because ultimately, it just doesn't matter.

With that, I am sounding an alarm. I am making a call for us to lay down our divisive politics and remember that we are NOT each other's enemies. And if we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we need to be reminded daily who our fight is against, and who we are called to love. We are in a season of urgency for the love of the Father to be spread in this earth and that will not happen if we keep allowing the enemy to bring division... why do you think he's trying so hard right now. So, rise up! don't give in to his schemes. Let's see the Kingdom of Heaven invade the earth in a reviving of His church to walk out the harvesting of those who just don't know His love yet!

Lord, may we be a generation that steps up to the legacy that has gone before us. May we walk in love and dedication to serve, and may we release our strong grip on the politics that have so easily distracted us. May we be united in You! May we walk in the grace You have given us! And Father may we see each other through Your eyes. Help us to remember who our enemy is, and give us the wisdom on how to combat his lies. Help us Lord to see the harvest and to have a heart of passion for those in need of You still. Let our priorities align with Yours fully. And Lord, please comfort the Graham family in a huge way as the begin the process of this mourning period. Thank you for their father who was always willing to point back to you. In Your holy and precious name, amen!