Just Do It

Today's blog is just me getting some thoughts about Scripture down before I forget them. All of these texts are taken from the Message translation. Mainly because when I'm trying to figure out life application, it's easier for me to read them in the Message. 

Ephesians 4:1-3 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. 

This one is a little bit of a conviction and a little bit of an affirmation that I am in God's will. Conviction because for far too long I've been sitting around on my hands; making lofty statements and having a smug attitude, but not putting action to my words. I feel very strongly that I am being called to do something in Women's Ministry. My unique circumstances and story of redemption have not been in vain, and God has to have to some way for me to help another woman along the way. That's the only explanation. So, it's a conviction in that I didn't do this earlier but an affirmation because I believe it points to what I need to do next.That last bit of verse 3 is a call to action if I've ever seen one. I am most struck by "acts of love" and "quick at mending fences." I think that a LOT OF WOMEN pour themselves out for each other, but mostly it's done out of duty or obligation. We've been neglecting the acts of love and quick at mending fences parts.  

Ephesians 51-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. 

3-4 Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect. 

5 You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God. 

6-7 Don’t let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don’t even hang around people like that. 

8-10 You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

I feel like I could bold this entire passage. The entire thing!

First, I love the idea that Paul plainly states that mostly what God does is love us. This is such a tender image of Abba Father. For me, this is helpful because I'm the kid who grew up imagining a big, scary God who punishes instead of a loving Father who wraps His arms around me so that I may find peace and comfort and LOVE. It is even more comforting now because my relationship with my dad has gotten to the point where I can equate fatherly love to Fatherly love. And, I KNOW, that even though I may disappoint, upset, or even fail Him completely, God's still got me. Redemption is such a beautiful concept. I literally cling to Him when it comes to this idea. 

Second, "love like that." Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! In case you haven't noticed, lately God has really been showing me that loving others is being obedient to the command to love God. This is just one more example in a long string of examples that God is showing me. I am pumped to see this. Pumped! Imagine loving others extravagantly. Just, what does that look like? I don't think it's a Hollywood-style version of love, where you bestow gifts upon lavish gifts on others. No. I think to love extravagantly is to love sacrificially; to meet people where they are, regardless of where that is and what they are doing, and love them. Love them even if you are shunned by some. Love them even if they disagree with you. Love them if they literally stink. Love them through their sin and heartache. Let them know that Christ loves them enough to free them from that sin. Love like that.

Finally, how can it be more plain than to "Figure out what will please Christ, then do it."? In the now-immortal words of Nike, "Just Do It."

I Need Thee Every Hour

For the past month or so, I've been overcome with the thoughts/ideas that Francis Chan wrote about in his book, Crazy Love. I've been thinking, "Man, this stuff is so fresh and so new. What an amazing concept to be in love with Jesus! I NEED Jesus like that." Dear reader, keep that in mind. OK?

This morning, I opened up my Bible to read the daily devotion and the lyrics to I Need Thee Every Hour were staring back up at me. Allow me to share them with you (just in case you've grown up in a time where the video screen and praise music is all that you know).

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine
can peace afford. I need Thee, O 

I need Thee;
Ev'ry hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to thee. 

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow'r
When thou art nigh. 

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly, and abide,
Or life is vain. 

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill 

The writer of this song, Annie Sherwood Hawks, died in 1918. 1918! So, I guess you can say that Francis Chan isn't as revolutionary as I thought. Ms. Hawks got it back then. She understood being totally in love with Jesus, and wrote this hymn acknowledging that need.

My point, I suppose, is that God remains the same throughout the ages. It's just that we humans need a reminder, every generation or so, that we need Him every hour.

What do you do?

Just what do you do if it is two weeks out from your mom’s latest release from the state-run mental hospital and she’s already not med-compliant?  What do you do when you realize that you are a 35-year-old woman who is already in the “sandwich generation” but yet, there’s no sandwich because you’re not married and don’t have kids yet? What do you do with that ton of emotional bricks? What do you do when you think you’ve FINALLY gotten over all your past mistakes, yet find yourself tempted to travel down those same lonesome paths again?

If you’re me, you run. Oh, it doesn’t look like running. It looks like asking for counsel from trusted friends.  Running looks a lot like prayer (even though, it’s just mostly selfish talking at God). It looks like investing yourself in the lives of others. Running looks like running yourself ragged instead of facing your fears.

If you’re me, your dear friends are God’s mouthpiece. They allow you to spill your guts, and then with a gentleness that only God could show through them, rebuke you for your disobedience. They also encourage you to speak up and hold on tight to God. They post Scripture that God gives them FOR you. They pray for and with you. They love you – because in loving you they also love God.

And then, because God is good and He hears your half-prayers, He sees your struggle. He begins to show you phrases like “trust” and “obedience” and “my story” over and over again. God begins to weave little pieces of His plan together, and you see it.

You see, “God will fight the battle for you.”

And, you see, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”

And, you hear, "Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me ..."

Because you can’t stand the heartbreak anymore, what you do is fall flat on your face on your best friend’s living room floor and weep. Weep for breaking God’s heart. Weep for time lost. Weep for yourself and all that you grieve. Weep for joy because you feel the presence of God and you know that His love really never fails, gives up, or runs out on you.

Finally, you tell your story.  You start small. You tell a friend. And, then another …  

And when you least expect it, a voice whispers to your heart, “Confess your faults one to another … that you may be healed.”

So, what do you do? You let the healing begin.

What's Keeping Me from My Passions?

Man, this is tough. What IS keeping me from my passions? My initial, gut reaction was to point out that fear is what keeps me from my passions. And, I had a great list of fears, too. Here they are:

•  Fear of failure
•  Fear of exposure
•  Fear of rejection
•  Fear of being “real” aka transparency

Yet, the more I chewed on the topic and the more I talked to my friends about the stuff God unearths in me, I learned that fear is just a symptom.  A symptom of a much greater disease in my life – disobedience.  Yes, fear is a factor, but when I strip away all the layers (and*ahem* excuses) what I am left with is … wait for it …  disobedience.

 Disobedience … in the form of lack of trust
A dear friend shared this quote with me, “True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to His promises.” The word that catches my attention most in that statement is fidelity. Imagine God-sized fidelity. With that in mind, how can I not trust in God? Beyond that, and here’s where the disobedience part kicks in, we are instructed in Scripture to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6). That’s a command. Not a suggestion.

Disobedience … in the form of refusing to believe
I think refusing to believe in God’s infinite power keeps most of us from pursuing our passions. We don’t think we are a good enough for God. We aren’t a good enough writer.  We aren’t a good enough speaker. We aren’t a good enough teacher, etc.  We’ve not lived blamelessly enough.  Plainly put, we all have a deep mental struggle that has us trying to figure out just how much God really loves us. Ironically, as one writer states, “If the Bible makes no other point, it shouts this one: God loves us!” What a novel idea. God loves me. He really, really does love me. I just have to believe that God cares enough to equip me for what He has called me to do.

Disobedience … in the form of not responding
God loves me, and He has told all of us “I love you” in countless ways. Instead of trying to be good enough, I just need to respond to God’s love. Respond. Live my life fully. Live my life in the freedom of God’s unending grace. Who knows, while I’m responding, maybe I’ll help someone else break down similar walls or touch their heart. If I don’t respond and run after what God offers me, I risk not touching the heart of someone else.

So, here I sit and it’s time to turn the corner. It’s time to trust, believe, and respond. It’s time to be obedient. And, now, I dare you. Ask yourself what’s keeping YOU from your passions.

God is so good, and faithful ...

So, while I was downstairs warming up (it's cold in the office today), I picked up my Bible and turned to today's devotional reading. While not all of it applies (because it's talking happy marriages and well, right now I don't have a husband), these are the parts that I felt like were written just for me, right now, in the middle of a neurotic, overanalyzing fit:

"Like Martha, our hearts are distracted and weighed down by many worthwhile things -- concerns about family and friends, daily work responsibilities, church-related duties, financial needs-- as well as by our own ongoing thoughts, judgments and self-talk. Looking to our Lord's peace and inviting His love to reign in our hearts relieves hurt, eases weariness, and sets our feet back on solid ground. "

And then, further down the page, the writer wraps it up with this:

"Yielding our heart and mind to the Holy Spirit's direction transforms our whole outlook. The more we pay attention to our Shepherd's gentle reproof and trustworthy guidance, the less we find ourselves worrying about the things that DON'T matter. Taking the time to slow down long enough to talk to God and delight in the joy of His sweet presence -- wherever we are, regardless of what we are doing, whether it's doing the dishes or driving to the store or shuttling the school car pool or preparing for an important meeting -- can quiet our hearts and minds like nothing else. This is where we find the hidden strength that can never be taken away from us."

I bolded the things that stuck out to me the most. The things that I feel like are weighing heavy on my heart and my mind lately. Or, in the case of trustworthy, things that I need to remember.

Anyway, I thought this was super cool and definitely a blessing from God, so I wanted to share it.

Wait. Expectantly.

"There probably isn't anything harder to do than wait, whether we are expecting something good, something bad, or something unknown."

God says:
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and wait patiently on the Lord. *

"What parts of your life seem to be on hold right now? Do you understand that this may be part of God's plan for you?"

God responds to faith even in the midst of failure.

"Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you ...Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Psalm 5:2-3, NLT

Wait. Expectantly.

What does David mean when he writes to "wait expectantly"? What attitude is he taking? How does that fit into my life? How does it apply to me?

I'm not really sure how/what this means in relation to my life. But, as you can see from my notes above, it's been on my mind. Although, I'm starting to think that waiting expectantly means to wait, knowing that God is faithful and true. Wait, knowing that God works to the good of those who love Him.

What does "wait expectantly" mean for you?





* Bible paraphrasing is mine.

Feeling blue

I'm down in the dumps, and honestly, I couldn't begin to tell you why. Sure, there are lots of things that aren't going how I would like for them to be going, but there's not one thing I can pinpoint. Not one thing that is a "reason" for such a heaviness. Such a sense of sorrow.

I feel like I'm in a downward spiral. I'm running around with no purpose in my life. No direction. Just flying by the seat of my pants. I do not enjoy this sort of life. I want goals. I want plans. I want a future - not the unknown.