Freedom and Tattoos...

When you think of Christianity, do you think of freedom or a list of do's and don'ts for your daily life? I would say that more often than not, your answer would be the latter. Why is that? I think one reason is because we constantly hear "Don't drink alcohol. Don't have sex. Don't get a tattoo. Don't. Don't. Don't." Sound familiar? It does to me. This was repeated into my head for years. I'm gonna let you in a little secret, though, I have a tattoo (*gasp*), and I am still going to Heaven.

The Church shouldn't be defined by boundaries, but by freedom. We've heard it. Freedom in Christ. But what does that mean?! I taught a lesson on this a few weekends ago to a youth group. Below is the illustration I used. I heard this about a year ago, and it honestly changed the way I viewed the phrase "freedom in Christ."

What are boundaries designed for? To keep some things in. Keep cattle in the field.  Keep children in the yard. However, no matter what you put the fence around, they are always going to go up to the fence see how close they can get to whatever is outside of the boundaries. What do people do when we put "don'ts" on them? They try to see how close they can get without crossing the line. Think about the little brother and sister in the backseat of the family car. Mom tells the son to keep his hands off his sister. What does he do? Puts his finger 1/2 an inch from her face and exclaims, "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!" We do this in life too. Tell a person, "Don't have sex before marriage," and they are going to figure out how far they can go while still keeping their virtue.

Look at the top half of the drawing. When boundaries are placed in Christianity, we only focus on that and not on Christ. Our backs are actually AWAY from God. On the flip side, look at the bottom half of the drawing. When no boundaries are placed, our focus is on God. In focusing on Christ, there's really no need to worry about do's and don'ts, because our focus is on the right thing. On the best thing.

Let me know what you think about boundaries and freedom.  

Another Year...

Dear Nanny,

It's so hard to believe it has been 6 years since the last time I talked with you. Six years since your last bit of advice. Six years since called me out for not standing up straight. I miss it. I miss you. While time has healed a little, it has by no means stitched up the wound to where there's no scar. It's still there. It hurts often. It hurts more often now that I live alone and am not in constant camaraderie with others. It hurts especially hard now that I can't go visit for the first time in 6 years. It was always our little secret. I would sneak away from life for a few hours, bring you a purple orchid, and sit and tell you about life.

Life is good. Life is busy, but that's the way I prefer it. I work with people that I love, and serve the Lord in my job. I know you would be proud of the ways things have turned out. I hate that you didn't get to see my high school or college graduation. That you never saw me play basketball in college. I know you would have been so excited when I signed to play. You were always my biggest fan and toughest critic. One of the many things I got from you is you honesty. My friends can attest to that! But I also got your sincerity. I pray that people know how much I care just by the words I say. That they can hear my heart. That was one of the things I loved about you.

Another thing I loved was your wealth of knowledge. I was enthralled by your stories of our family. You always shared my passion for Appalachian history. I miss so badly how you could connect me to almost any person in the room through our family tree. I mean, we are from East TN, right?! Everyone's related.

All the above is just my own heartache and selfishness, because I know that you are doing great. The best you can be, actually. I mean, you're with the Lord!!! Hello! That's be best it can get! I love you and miss you incredibly. I can only hope I'm making you proud.

Jessica

Before my 8th grade prom. I'm her look-alike.

All the grandkids about 4 years ago.

Your Story...

We all have different stories, different testimonies. For Christians, these usually consist of how we came to know the Lord and how our lives have been transformed through knowing Him. Some stories tell tales of overcoming addiction, divorce or some other tough situation. Some stories, though, outline a great childhood of growing up in the church seemingly knowing Christ from a young age. Oftentimes, the folks in the later situation downplay their testimony because it doesn't seem a hold a candle to overcoming drugs and an abusive family. They think since their life doesn't show a stark difference between before coming to know the Lord and after. That their story is somehow lesser of a journey. So not true!

See, all Christians before knowing the Lord were dead. We all were. Period. I don't see how a horrible life situation can compare to being dead. Not just dead, but eternal separation form our Creator. But, in surrendering to Christ, we become alive. That's something to celebrate! Something to share. Not matter what the world says about your life, your hardships, and your story, know that you were once DEAD and Christ has made you ALIVE. He has redeemed all who choose to follow Him. Now that's a story!!!


*I'll step off my soapbox now. This is just something that I hear all too often and felt like addressing.

Be Where You Are...

This is from a post I did at the CentriKid Blog.

Don’t be so focused on what’s ahead that you’re useless where you are. Where you are is where the Lord has placed you. Of course we all have future plans and aspirations, but that doesn’t negate our purpose where we currently are.

This is something I have trouble remembering. I am always looking ahead at the future and planning accordingly. In doing so, I often miss out on great opportunities in my daily life. I miss out on investing in long-term ministry projects because I don’t know where I will be in a year or two. Sometimes, I don’t take time to really love people and listen to their stories because my mind tends to be thinking ahead and overlooking what is happening now. I get so busy that once I finally stop, I get overwhelmed in the fact that I don’t know my next move. It is in these moments where I have to remember that the Lord knows my heart and my path. He has it all under control. He knows where I am going to be and when I am going to be there. Daily, I have to make a conscious effort to remember that God knows me better than I know myself.

This morning I was reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It was just want I needed to hear.

“I am leading you along the high road, but there are descents as well as ascents. In the distance you see snow-covered peaks glistening in the brilliant sunlight. Your longing to reach those peaks is good, but you must not take shortcuts. Your assignment is to follow Me, allowing Me to direct your path. Let the heights beckon you onward, but stay close to Me.

Learn to trust Me when things go “wrong.” Disruption to your routine highlight your dependence on Me. Trusting acceptance of trials brings blessings that far outweigh them all. Walk hand in hand with Me though this day. I have lovingly planning every inch of the way. Trust does not falter when the path becomes rocky and steep. Breathe deep draughts of My Presences, and hold tightly to My hand. Together we can make it!” – Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

Anticipation...

I'm sitting here in my apartment exactly 24 hours (and 8 minutes) before I meet my 2012 CentriKid team. I have the unsettled stomach of when you are about to leave for vacation or when your best friend is about to come visit. I have been praying for these 30ish staffers for months now. Even with no names to pray for, I've been praying that the Lord will use them to spread to Gospel to 6500 kids. I prayed that they would love the kids, that they would mesh together into one CK6 family, that they would be sure of what they believe, and that they would pour into kids and adults from the overflow of the heart. I've been lifting them up for months. Now, it's almost time to meet them. To invest in them. To teach them. To be challenged by them. And to be their biggest cheerleader. I can't wait to get to know their hearts; hear their struggles; and share in their triumphs. I can't wait to love on them and be encouraged by them. I know they will do great things for the Kingdom of God.

As I am waiting in anticipation, I know their are 15 other Camp Directors and Assistant Directors feeling the same. Would you please join in lifting them and their teams up in prayer.

Just Listen...

Forewarning, this is a very transparent post. I don't know why I feel led to write this, but I am none-the-less.

Over the last few weeks or so, I've really been struggling emotionally. Part of it is because I'm pretty sure by hyperthyroidism is acting up (it makes me really emotional), and the other part is stress. I also think it's because I haven't been turning whole-heartedly to the Lord with my struggles. I've been pretending to be ok and to be strong. I've just been in a funk. I've been working long hours (as is our whole office--it's camp season!) and not taking care of myself spiritually. I haven't had a chance to talk to the ladies who really speak Truth into my life. I haven't been seeking the Lord in all of my decisions, nor have I been having intentional conversations where encouragement and compassion are central. Instead, I've been trying to discern for myself where I think the Lord is leading me.

Tonight as I was reading a devotional, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, I heard just want I needed to hear.

"You are on the right path. Listen more to Me, and less to your doubts. I am leading you along the way I designed for you. Therefore, it is a lonely way, humanly speaking. But I go before you as well as alongside you, so you are never alone. Do not expect anyone to understand fully My ways with you, any more than you can comprehend My dealing with others. I am revealing to you the path of Life day by day, and moment by moment. As I said to my disciple Peter, so I repeat to you: Follow Me."

Tonight I heard the Lord say, "Just listen. I've got everything quiet around you for a reason."

So, for now, friends, I'm going to sit here dive into the Word and pray for what God is doing in me and through me, and how He is constantly purging my heart. I hope you'll take a moment to "Just Listen."

Cleaning...

As I was cleaning my apartment this afternoon, I began reflecting on why I love cleaning so much. When I'm happy, I clean. Sad, I clean. Stressed, I clean. Cleaning is my form of relaxation. I started thinking about why I enjoy it. For me, it provides instant gratification. I am able to take something in disarray, and make it clean, neat, and put-together. (This may seem weird, but just stick with me.) When I'm stressed, oftentimes what I do is clean. In my mind and that moment, it is the one stresser that I can fix (and fix it fast!). I can change it into something successful. Isn't that what we all want?--something we can fix. And, it's even better if we can fix it quickly, right?!

If you've been around me for any length of time, you know that I like to see how I can fix something and make it better. In fact, according to the book STRENGTHS FINDER 2.0, my top strength is "Restorative." Here's a little of what that term means:

"You love to solve problems. Whereas some are dismayed when they encounter yet another breakdown, you can be energized by it. You enjoy the challenge of analyzing the symptoms, identifying what is wrong, and finding the solution. What is certain is that you enjoy bringing things back to life. You fixed it, resuscitated it, rekindled its vitality."

On Friday morning, JE and I were working on a project to meet a need at CentriKid Camps. We had dreamed an idea and were trying to make it happen. Like most dreams, we ran into a few snags. Through trial-and-error, we began celebrating small victories as our dream came to life. It was so exciting to solve problems and make the project into something that will help communication at camp.

I don't really know why me cleaning the house caused me to think so introspectively, but it did cause me to dust off my Strengths Finder book and remember the things that I am good at because I tend to only think about the stuff I need to fix. Hence, why I'm a Restorer:)