Dreaming with God

I love it when God brings things across my path that are exactly what I need, when I need them.

Today, that was this post from The Better Mom. It hit the nail on the head, hard.

I went through emotions of feeling useless when my son was born, and I didn't love being a mom so much. I was grieving the loss of my freedom and felt like having a child was a distraction from fulfilling the call of God on my life. I worked through that though, by saying out loud to myself that I love being a mom, by telling my son that I love being his mom, and by reminding myself that being a mom doesn't take away from God's call on my life; it's a part of it! It didn't take long until I was at peace with the whole "being a stay-at-home mom" thing, and I couldn't remember ever feeling like I didn't love it.

Or so I thought.

This last week I randomly (read: I had an idea and didn't pray about it, therefore trying to make it work by my own efforts) decided to attend online grad school. I contacted several schools with my major of interest (counseling), applied to two of them, got my financial aid information in, ordered transcripts, contacted references...the whole shebang.

But the whole time, I knew now wasn't the right time. I knew it would be overwhelming and stressful and distracting. I knew it would only put us more into debt than we already are, which alone was enough reason not to do it as we're trying to get out of debt, not add to it. I tried to justify it to myself and my husband (who from the beginning didn't think it was the right time) by weighing the pros: we'd get a military discount, I'd make scholarship-applying my part-time job, I'd have a professional degree by the time our son goes to preschool, etc.

But the Lord's still, small voice was ever present, reminding me what He told me months ago: this is my quiet season; a season of much-needed personal rest. (Yet another reason I gave up social media two months ago.)

So, after a week of unnecessary stress, mental unrest, ignoring my kid, and being hit with a full-on cold that probably would have been over by now had I simply taken time to pause, think, and pray...I'm happy to say that I won't be doing grad school just yet.

Maybe someday, but not today.

My reasons for wanting to go right now stemmed fully from feeling bored, a bit useless, a bad case of writer's block, and feeling as though my dreams and goals might actually be unrealistic. I felt as though I was wasting my time and my talents sitting at home, and started listening to the lies that told me I'd never be a published author and that I'd never write anything worth reading; that I'd never be able to support mine and my husband's ministry dreams with a writer's income; that I might as well just get a "real job" when Declan goes to school.

But I stopped listening.For one thing, that's not what God has ever told me. He believes in my dreams, and He should; He gave them to me! If the God of the universe thinks I have what it takes to write awesome stuff and be in full-time ministry, then I ought to believe I can too. And if I remember to let Him guide my pen (well, fingers), then I know I'll accomplish what He wants me to accomplish, when He wants me to accomplish it.

It's no fun dreaming small, and it's no fun trying to make things happen in your own strength. I'll see certain dreams of mine come to fruition when the time is right; when it's His time. I don't have to settle for ordinary, expected, or anything less than the very best that God has for me...and neither do you! I can (and should) work hard for my dreams to become realities, but I don't have to do it alone or force it into existence. God knows what's best for me and when, and at the end of the day, despite my impatience and apparent ADD, I'd rather let Him take my hand and lead me down His path than try and make my own way.

He is the Way, and I'd rather follow Him.

We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. 

(Proverbs 16:1, NLT)

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. 

(Proverbs 16:9, NLT)

Always Moving Forward

I mentioned in my last post that this past year, my biggest take-away was to "just be" and to "just be me" and to "be the same." But if you're like me, sometimes this can be hard to do on a mental and emotional level because you can get so caught up in regretting past mistakes or the woulda-coulda-shouldas of life.

Thank you to Pinterest for helping me discover this quote,
and to PicMonkey for helping design this image!

I've talked about it before online, in my private journaling; in my head, and verbally with others. I've talked about moving forward and forgetting the past and forgiving myself and yada yada yada. All good and true.

Yet, I must admit that I haven't always taken my own advice.

I hate that, but it's true. I'm sure some of you, like me, have experienced this before as well. We tell ourselves to forget and forgive and to move on, and we say that we have and that we are. Sometimes, we really do, but other times are more difficult.

Maybe on the surface, we can even make ourselves and others believe it. But at the end of the day, we haven't actually done anything about it, because we haven't really looked at our hearts. We just know forgiving and pressing forward are the "Christian things to do," so we try our best to do them, oftentimes, within our own strength.

And, oftentimes, we fail. And sometimes we beat ourselves up over...and over...and over again.

We continue to think about our mistakes and regrets and past sins; continue to replay and rewrite scenarios and conversations in our heads; continue to want to change something that is long over and done with, regardless of the consequences we are left with.

This is not only a waste of time, but it's also a symptom of pride. When we mull over the mistakes of our past (whether 10 years ago or 10 minutes ago), we are hoping and wishing to fix things ourselves; we're beating ourselves up for not being perfect, and we're not taking hold of and living out of the grace God freely gives us.

In a sense, we are just nailing Jesus back up on that cross, and without realizing it, saying that His sacrifice wasn't enough to cover our mistakes. As if what I did or said was so bad that He couldn't possibly fix it. As if that thing I said or that thing I did was so bad, that His blood couldn't possibly have covered it.

What a slap in His face!

We cannot beat ourselves up over our past mistakes. God still loves us, and it's pretty dang difficult for Him to stop. We have to remember Romans 8. The whole chapter is good, but specifically:

 Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for US ALL, won’t He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? NO ONE—for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. Who then will condemn us? NO ONE—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. (v. 32-34, NLT, emphases mine)

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?...NO, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, Who loved us. (v. 35 & 37, NLT, emphasis mine)

And I am convinced that NOTHING can EVER separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, NOTHING in ALL creation will EVER be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (v. 38-39, NLT, emphases mine)

NOTHING can separate us from His love. Not anything that anyone or anything can do to us; not anything anyone can say about or against us; and not anything we can do, have done, or will do ourselves, to ourselves or anyone else.

NOTHING and NO ONE (including ourselves) can make God love us any less or any more than He already does. It's absolutely impossible. He will literally NEVER stop loving us. Even those who have gone to Hell or who will go to Hell; that didn't or won't stop Him from still loving those people.

Think about it: if you're a believer, what did you do to get saved? Besides believe and confess, NOTHING! You didn't have to be perfect, and you didn't have to get your life right. You just had to believe and confess, according to Romans 10:9-10; you simply had to accept the finished work Christ had already done for you.

So why do we so often think we have to be perfect to please God? Why do we so often think God is mad at or disappointed in us when we mess up? And why do we think anything that we do ourselves could ever keep us saved?

Yes, our works are very important - far more important than some people today seem to think. But even so, our works don't save us. They never could. They never will.

We are saved only by grace, through our faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear on this, as well as on the facts that works don't save us:

For it is BY GRACE you have been saved, THROUGH FAITH—and this is NOT from yourselves, it IS the gift of God— NOT by works, so that no one can boast.

We are imperfect people who need a perfect Savior.

I'm quite far from being a Type A personality, so I never associated myself with being a perfectionist. But over this last year, the Holy Spirit has definitely showed me that's been a far greater area of struggle for me than I was ever willing or ready to admit. Instead of being grateful for where and what God has brought me out of, I get mad at myself for not having done it all right the first time. One of the enemy's favorite lines to whisper in my ear is that I should have known better and that I'll never be good enough.

And you know what? The enemy is right! I won't ever be good enough.

But the enemy is the father of lies and he always twists the truth - or in this case, leaves it out. No, I'll never be good enough...BUT GOD!

He has made me righteous!

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:22, NLT)

But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us--our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30, HCSB)

He has made me pure, blameless, and holy!

Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. (Colossians 1:22, NLT)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7, NIV)

And of course, we must remember that God forgives us:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, NIV)

So, I know this post kind was a bit long, and kind of went a couple different directions (at least it seems like that to me), but even so, it's been on my heart this past week. To close, here are some personal confessions I've reworded from Bible verses to say about ourselves and to encourage us in forgetting the past and moving forward:

“I don't remember the former things, and I don't dwell on the past. God is doing a new thing in my life!" (see Isaiah 43:18-19)

"I am a NEW creation in Christ! The old has gone, and the new is here!" (see 2 Corinthians 5:17)

"I put aside (and behind me!) the dark things of my past, and I now live in the light!" (see Romans 13:12 and 1 John 1:7 and Ephesians 5:8)

"I forget what's behind me. I look forward to what lies ahead. I am pressing onwards and upwards. I throw away everything that hinders me and the sin that slows me down. I will finish what God has called me to do and I will receive the prize He has for me!" (see Philippians 3:13-14 and Hebrews 12:1)

And let's remember what Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (ESV)

Let's forget the sins, mistakes, and regrets of our past and let's move forward; except for this time, let's really forget them and let's really move on. I for one am tired of dwelling on things I can't change. They are not worth my precious time anymore, and they aren't worth yours!

Let's Be the Same!

Before I begin, here are 5 random facts:

1. As of today, we've been back in Idaho for one year!
2. Four years ago today, we got engaged!
3. I just threw dinner together. Literally.
4. I'm drinking leftover Dutch Bros., and my heart may explode. Not literally.
5. I find "Baby Einstein" rather entertaining.

So...there you go.

Today, I'd like to talk about my biggest take-away lesson from this past year of being back in Idaho, and it can actually be summed up in this quote from Pastor Judah Smith:

Source: ME! Actually, PicMonkey helped me make this image.

Be the same. Privately. Publicly. Personally.

It sounds so simple, and this message has been shoved in my face since I was a kid: "Just be yourself!" It's one of those messages that goes in one ear and out the other because it's so incredibly cliche, in both church and non-church culture.

Yet the Lord has never constantly bombarded me with the same message like He has this past year.

Be the same!
Be you!
Be yourself!
Stop trying and JUST BE!

I think I finally heard Him, and I'm glad for it. Trying so hard all the time is ridiculously exhausting.

I'm definitely ready to just be.

We've all struggled with trying to be something or somebody we're not. We've tried to keep up one appearance with one person and another appearance with someone else. We've tried to define ourselves by outward things, only to feel the exact opposite on the inside.

This is hypocrisy, and it isn't just a Christian problem as some people seem to think; it's a human problem.

Furthermore, I'm convinced it's an identity problem.

If you've been hypocritical and have never repented for it (or if you're currently struggling with it and are ready to repent), I encourage you to do that now. Heck, I've probably been a hypocrite today, so I'll join you:

Father, forgive me for being a hypocrite. 

Forgive me for believing or speaking one way, and acting or thinking another.

Thank You, Lord for Your forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

Help me to recognize when I'm being hypocritical or when I'm being tempted to be. 

Reveal to me the areas in which I struggle with this the most.

Help me to be true to myself, and true to Your Word.

In Jesus' name, amen!

Now, if there's someone our hypocrisy has wronged, let's apologize to them too. We can call them, get together with them, text, Facebook, email - whatever works and whatever you feel comfortable with. I've had to make this apology more than once, and while it's never fun to admit our faults, it's incredibly freeing and it encourages others as well. We're not perfect, and it's OK to admit it.

And after you've admitted it - to yourself, to God, and to anyone you may have knowingly wronged - it's water under the bridge. No reason to dwell on the past; we have good futures to look forward to!

But how do we make sure that from this moment on, we endeavor to live, be, think, and act the same way privately, publicly, and personally? (Which, wouldn't you know, is all a part of living on-purpose as well. Hooray for unintentional tie-ins!)

First, what do privately, publicly, and personally mean?

(I'll be honest: I don't know the context of Judah Smith's quote, so I'm going to give my own interpretation of it.)

1. PRIVATELY. Merriam-Webster defines it as "not known by the public or by other people." This to me speaks of a person's home life, or, what happens behind closed doors (literally).

Brent and I want to be in ministry for the rest of our lives. That's what we went to school for, and it's what we feel called of the Lord to do. We knew going into this that part of being in the ministry ( and ultimately, just part of being a Christian) is that at some point, the reality of "living in a glass house" will surface.

"Living in a glass house" simply means that people are watching you, whether you (or they) realize it or not, and whether you (or they) like it or not. It simply comes with the territory, and quite frankly, isn't worth complaining about (if you're living the way that Christians ought to be living...*cough*).

But at the same time, regardless of profession, every Christian person, couple, and family does have a private life. There will always be a time when the windows are shut, the doors are locked, and my family is all alone in our home or car.

What we do and say (and yes, even think) apart from the outside world is very important, and will affect every aspect of our lives. So will what we bring into our home and the things we're surrounded with in private.

I cannot effectively teach or preach the gospel if I never take time to pray, worship, and read God's Word. I can't effectively encourage others in living a holy life if I'm watching trashy television all the time or constantly listening to secular music. I can't love people if I'm gossiping at home. These are just some examples of what our private lives might entail if we're not keeping them in check.


2. PUBLICLY. Merriam-Webster defines this as "in a way that is meant to be heard or seen by many people" or "in a way that can be used, seen, bought, etc., by anyone."

Regardless of profession, age, sex, denomination, or relationship status, all Christians are called to live out their faith publicly and in front of others.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16, NKJV)

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12, ESV)

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. (Ephesians 5:15, NLT)

How are we behaving, speaking, and thinking in public? Whether we're at work or school; in the grocery store or at a coffee shop; chatting with a friend, at a family dinner, or on the phone with a debt collector; preaching from a pulpit, sitting in church, or sharing the Gospel with a friend...how are we behaving publicly?

What are we saying that will most likely be heard? How are we behaving that will most likely be seen? What are we thinking about that may come across in our facial expressions or body language? All of these are important things to consider.

3. PERSONALLY. Good ol' MW defines personally as being "in a way that involves a particular person and no one else" or "for oneself; as far as oneself is concerned." Merriam Webster also defines personal as "of, relating to, or affecting a particular person" or "relating to an individual or an individual's character, conduct, motives, or private affairs." 

This includes what's unseen about us, but isn't the same as our private life. This refers to our thoughts, motives, character and heart, and is probably the most important of the three. The Bible instructs:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23, NIV)

The NLT words this verse as follows: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. The Bible has a lot to say about the heart, both good and bad. Ultimately the takeaway is that our heart is very important to guard and protect because, if left to its own devices, is deceptive and troublesome ("The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:9, ESV). 

What are our intentions? Our motives? One way we can test our motives is to go to the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says in the ESV: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

We can also ask God to reveal things about our character, motives, intentions, thoughts, or heart that we may not even recognize.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24, NLT)

Obviously, this isn't an exhaustive list of all the things we can do to keep ourselves on track in being the same privately, publicly, and personally. There are so many more scriptures I didn't touch on, and so many more examples of all three. 

And of course, none of us will ever be perfect at this. We'll all have slip-ups from time to time, as we see plainly in Psalm 37:24 (NIV), which says: "though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand."

At the same time, I do believe that we as Christians can live holy lives and not stumble, which we see possible in 2 Peter 1:10 (NASB): "for as long as you practice these things, you will NEVER stumble." Even so, living that kind of a life takes work and a conscious, concerted effort on our part. Check out the verses in 2 Peter 1 leading up to verse 10; that doesn't happen overnight! 

This was kind of a longer post, but it's just something I've been thinking about. Blessings as you endeavor to live each and every day being true to yourself and to God's Word.

Lord, show me the areas of my life - private, public and personal - 

that I'm not being the same in, whether I realize it or not.

Teach me how to be more consistent.

Thank You, Lord, for always being consistent in my life.

You are my Rock; faithful, unfailing, and always true!

In Jesus' name, amen!

Tips on Sharing the Gospel

Jesus saved us for many reasons, but not one of those reasons was so that we could stay comfortable. That’s not to say God dislikes when we’re comfy; He instituted a day of rest, after all, and I don’t know anyone who can rest and be uncomfortable at the same time. So comfort isn't always a bad thing.

But when it comes to sharing the Gospel, we – the Church – must step out of our comfort zones. It doesn't have to be a grand display when we share the love of God with strangers, friends, or family, but share it with them we must.

Jesus said that if anyone's ashamed of Him, He’ll be ashamed of them. If we’re not careful, we can take this verse and feel extremely guilty for not sharing the Gospel. In reality, I think more Christians are afraid of being rejected by men than they are embarrassed by Jesus.

Fear is the biggest hindrance, I believe, to sharing the Gospel.

We’re afraid of what people will say.

…of what they’ll think.

…of being made fun of.

… of looking like an idiot.

…of someone getting mad at us.

…of someone challenging our beliefs and not knowing how to respond.

…of being asked a question and not knowing how to answer.

There are several reasons why we don’t share the Message with strangers, and those reasons seem to get more complicated when it comes to people we know.

But I believe it’s a lot easier than we think.

There are various types of evangelism, but I’m going  to focus on two.

First, there’s what’s often referred to as lifestyle evangelism. This is exactly what it sounds like: it’s relational. It’s living your life in front of people and reaching them for the Kingdom simply by letting them see you living out your daily life. This is typically exercised in work, school, or social settings; neighborhoods, families, and so forth. It can be executed in countless ways and situations.

It’s incredibly natural, incredibly purposeful, incredibly effective, and at its most basic level, incredibly easy.

It’s not scary at all, because it simply requires a Christian to be themselves and live their life. Service – helping your neighbor – is typically a huge part of this kind of evangelism, but that’s also pretty easy in the grand scheme of things.

St. Francis of Assisi said “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” This is the ultimate crux of lifestyle evangelism, and it’s Biblical too.

“By this all will know 

that you are My disciples, 

if you have love for one another.” 

(John 13:35, NKJV)

“You will know them by their fruit.” 

(Matthew 7:16, NKJV)

“Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.” 

(Matthew 7:20, NKJV)

“Let your light so shine before men, 

that they may see your good works, 

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” 

(Matthew 5:16, NKJV)

However, there’s also the good ol' fashioned, “Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?” approach.

Now, I personally would advise against using that as your opening line, but the idea is important and leads to the second type of evangelism; the type most people tend to be afraid of.

I’ll call it verbal evangelism.

While I agree with St. Francis of Assisi, I’m also of the stance that words are actually quite necessary a lot of the time. This is also Biblical.

“But how can they call on Him 

to save them unless they believe in Him? 

And how can they believe in Him 

if they have never heard about Him? 

And how can they hear about Him 

unless someone tells them?” 

(Romans 10:14, NLT)

“And then He told them, 

‘Go into all the world and 

preach the Good News to everyone.’” 

(Mark 16:15, NLT)

“And the disciples went everywhere 

and preached, and the Lord 

worked through them, 

confirming what they said 

by many miraculous signs.” 

(Mark 16:20, NLT)

“But you will receive power when 

the Holy Spirit comes upon you. 

And you will be my witnesses, 

telling people about me everywhere - 

in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, 

in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

(Acts 1:8, NLT)

This is the part that’s scary for people. This is the part that makes people feel intimidated. It’s the talking about Jesus. It’s the answering the tough questions (telling someone that yes, without knowing Jesus, hell is where they’ll end up – that’s not popular, not easy, and it’s definitely not fun). It’s the asking someone if they need prayer, and then it’s the praying. This is where most people freeze up.

But I’m here to say relax...breathe…calm down…because it’s actually a lot easier than we might think. Here are three things that I think may help begin to ease our fear.

1. Embrace the Awkward!

I’m going to make a bold statement and stand by it: awkwardness has never killed anyone. No one has ever died from being in an awkward situation, and no one has ever died from being the one to cause the awkward situation. I promise.

Not only that, but awkwardness isn't actually as bad as we tend to think it is. Going into a situation always seems like it’ll be a lot worse than it actually ends up being. Hindsight is 20/20.

Ken Currie of Desiring God wrote, "A little awkwardness - or even a lot of it - is such a small price to pay for enjoying the power of God's Spirit using us to be His witnesses."

So embrace the awkwardness! But…

2. Don’t Be Weird.

Seriously. We can be weird. I've been weird. I've been downright obnoxious. The Bible may call us a “peculiar” people (1 Peter 2:9, KJV), but we don’t have to be weird. So let’s strive to be the most normal peculiar people there are, yeah? Yeah.

So how do we not be weird? Here are a few ideas:

• Don’t appear intimidated. Even if you are, it’s called “fake it ‘til you make it.” Even if you don’t feel relaxed, act relaxed…because eventually, you’ll become relaxed.
• Don’t be too emotional, but don’t be a robot either. At the end of the day, people are drawn to passion, but don’t bawl like a baby when someone's sharing their life story…especially if they’re not crying.
• Don’t act perfect. People are drawn to realness, to honesty, to openness. The Church has enough problems with being labeled hypocritical; don’t add to it. If self-disclosure takes place, talk about your issues with humor and lightheartedness. People feel a lot more prone to open up and relax when they know they’re not alone or aren't being judged.
• Don’t invade personal space. I have no bubble, but some people do. Some people don’t like being hugged or touched, especially not by strangers, so ask first. If you’re praying with someone for healing, before laying hands on them, ask them if it’s ok – and explain why. People will appreciate that you asked, and you have an opportunity to explain the Scriptural significance of what you’re doing.
• Don’t argue, be a know-it-all, or debate theology. I've definitely been guilty of this. At one point, I was so frustrated with myself for getting into heated discussions about theology, that I asked God for help. (Imagine that.) He brought me to 1 Corinthians 2:2, where Paul says, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.” How simple is that? Just focus on Jesus! (Again, imagine that.) Certain theological issues are important, but they can be discussed later. Salvation is what matters first and foremost.

And finally,

3. Rely on the Holy Spirit.

He’s the Helper; He’ll help you. He’s the Teacher; He’ll teach you. He’s the Giver of spiritual gifts; He’ll give you words of wisdom and knowledge for people you’re ministering to as He wills.

And He’s the Comforter. He’ll comfort you when you do get laughed at for sharing the Gospel. He’ll comfort you when someone does get mad at you or reject you. And He’ll comfort you if (let’s be real, when) you’re weird.

Ken Currie put it this way: “Jesus died for disciples who do a poor job of witnessing.”

So there you go. There are a few things that may help you get over the hump of fear when it comes to sharing the Gospel. A few more tips:

• If you’re going to tell someone that God loves them (some people knock this, but I don’t know why: God does love them), go all out and say that Jesus loves them. Don’t be afraid to use His name. A lot of people believe in God, but it’s by the name of Jesus that people are saved.
• Don’t try to magnify yourself or your knowledge. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. It’s always about Jesus. I always try to remind myself that God gave me today to manifest Him and not me.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you miss it. I've flat out disobeyed God and not prayed for people because I didn't want to be awkward or didn't want to embarrass them or myself. I've also said and done really stupid things when trying to share the Good News. But I repented, and God's given me more opportunities. Don’t let the enemy get inside your head; there’s always forgiveness and grace. Just move forward – you’ll get it next time!
• The more you share the Gospel with people, the easier and more natural it will become.
• Here’s an idea: when you get your food at a restaurant and the server asks if there’s anything else, say, “Yeah, we’re about to pray over our food. Is there anything we can pray for you for?” Brent and I have done this before (we need to get better at doing it every time we go out to eat). We've had people say yes and we've had people say no, but it’s a simple and natural way to let someone know you care, and depending on how open they are, it might lead to a great opportunity to share a bit about the Gospel too! 

There are a lot of people who don’t know Jesus. It’s worth a few moments of feeling uncomfortable to at least plant a seed of truth, if not lead them to the Lord right then and there! This is our job; this is the call of every Christian, to in some way, preach the Gospel in both deed and word. It's not as hard as we (or the devil makes us) think. We can do this, Church!

Slow Down This Season

Today has been the coldest day since the beginning of fall, at least to me. But I've loved it. It reminds me of my Ida-home! And it's just nostalgic in general. This - the holiday season - is my favorite time of the year, and it's a shame it seems to go by so fast each time it comes around.

I got out of class early today, and there was about 20 minutes to spare until the next one started. I started making my way towards the other building. Unbeknownst to me at the time, however, was the fact that I was the only one heading to class so early. When I walked outside, I was immediately hit with the cold air and the fresh smell of fall. I looked around at the gorgeous colors against the gray sky as I approached the door to the next building, when I suddenly noticed how quiet it was. I then realized that no one was in sight - not outside, and not in the buildings on either side of me or in the cars parked close by.

It was silent.

All I could hear was the light wind and dry leaves scratching the ground and each other. I thought about heading inside, but then I decided against it. It was too beautiful...it was too peaceful...it was all God.

He is so romantic, like that. He knows just what sounds and smells enamor and woo me. Autumn and winter scapes, the ocean, summer storms...my heart just melts, and He and I both know I am His and no one else's. No one else can speak this love language to me but Him, because it's one only He can speak.

I took a few pictures (which I'm glad I took because the colors are just amazing), but I wish I would have really taken in the nearly five minutes that I was completely by myself; just my Lover and me. I should have walked the path once or twice more, prayed, and sat silent in His presence.

I had just came from a preaching lab class, where we students get some practice in the pulpit. A fellow student had just spoken on how God is not disappointed in us. Before he began preaching, I already knew that God was not disappointed in me. But by the end of the sermon, I knew it and believed it. It was impactful. It was profound. It was beautiful. And it was God speaking to me.

Those few moments were for me, from Him. They were just what I needed, and I didn't even realize it until writing this. I may go back there today, to take in what I acknowledged but brisked right through earlier. I know He'll show up again. He's already there. He's already here.

I encourage you to not rush through this holiday season. Don't try to keep up with anyone, any trend, or any societal expectation. There are no Joneses to keep up with. There is only God. Love Him, know that He loves you, and love people.

Breathe...

Relax...

Be inspired...

He is here, and He loves you.

I can't tell where my shoes begin and the leaves end!

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105

I actually took this one the other day,
but I wanted to include it here.
It's just so beautiful!

I love those little God-created moments in between the busyness of everyday life, where God just reminds you how much He loves you...What are some of your favorite moments or circumstances, that you know God created just for you?