How God Used An iPhone Screensaver to Speak to Me

Photo by #shereadstruth

Thanks to #SheReadsTruth I have this photo saved on my phone as my lock screen saver. It's a wonderful tool for ladies who want to memorize scripture. For me, since I'm always checking my phone for one reason or another, it's been a great help. Whenever I check my phone, I see the verse and repeat it a couple of times, trying to get it to sink in.

I've had this particular photo as my lock screen saver for a couple of days now. You'd think it would have sunk in by today, but it didn't. But I'm glad it finally did!

You see, about a month ago God asked me to take a big giant leap of faith and do something I wasn't even considering -- lead not one, but TWO outreach teams this summer! Really. You'd think I would've been excited (I am) but instead I started freaking out a little bit (a lot). In my mind I started thinking of all the reasons why I couldn't go...

• I don't have enough paid vacation days
• I don't have the money to go
• I'm pretty sure my husband will freak out (and he has)
• I know other people on the team that could lead better than me (and they would)
• I don't have my passport
• I have bladder issues
• I have anxiety issues

The list could go on and on. 

But, you say, isn't this your calling in life? The very gift and passion that God put in you as a 13 year old girl? Didn't you spend the last 15 years of your life doing missions/outreach work?

Um, yeah.

Funny enough, the answer to all those questions is a resounding "YES!" From the time I was 13 years old I knew what I was called to do in life. Missions/outreach is and will always be my calling, my gifting, and my passion.

So what's the problem?

Trust. I have trust issues.

And what's that got to do with the photo that's your lock screen saver?

Back to that. So this morning as I was reading and repeating this scripture, it dawned on me... God is speaking those very words to me.

PEACE....I AM SENDING YOU.

When God spoke to me a month ago to take this giant leap of faith to go to Chicago and Mexico, He knew I was going to freak out for all the reasons I listed above and more. Like the fact that this Sunday was the first financial deadline for both outreaches and I didn't even come close to reaching the goal. Or that my car is having major issues. Or that Sallie Mae keeps calling my phone but I just keep ignoring her.

God is going to give me peace in the midst of my doubt because He is the one who called me to go. He is sending me. HE IS SENDING ME. He has a plan and purpose for this summer, of that I have no doubt. And I'm excited to be a part of whatever He has planned!

(If you want to help God send me, CLICK HERE to donate!)

When was the last time you were anxious about something and heard God speak to you through His word?

What Do You Reflect?

Photo by alantakenghoe

Yesterday morning my church, Centerpoint, started a news series called "You Asked for It." A couple of weeks ago our social media team sent out a poll via Facebook, Twitter, and email asking people to vote on specific topics they'd like to hear the pastor address. The topics ranged from "is drinking alcohol a sin" to "did Jonah really get swallowed by a whale." The three topics with the most votes were chosen, and so yesterday morning Pastor Chris tackled a hot topic within the evangelical community: do all religions lead to God?

Without batting an eye, Pastor Chris answered the question head on -- Jesus is the only way. Jesus Himself told His disciples (and us) in John 14:6 that He is "the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me." While to some this may seem like an exclusive statement, the truth is that all have been extended an invitation to accept and embrace Jesus as the way. Jesus came for all, not just a few, but only a few choose to accept His invitation.

Even though the world see's Jesus' message as exclusive, it is inclusive. He has and continues to invite each of us to accept Him. To believe He is who He says He is. To embrace the Truth and to be set free! Not only does Jesus pursue the world, but He invites His followers to do the same: "You are the light of the world... let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

Our lives are a reflection of Jesus.

The words we speak and the actions we take, these things the people around us hear and see, are a reflection of what we believe about Jesus. If we believe Him to be the way, the truth, the life, then our lives will show it.

As I said in a post last week, the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people. When we love people, when we show them Crazy Love, we are extending an invitation to them. I don't know about you, but that's what I want to do with my life. I want to live in such a way that people see Jesus. But I don't want it to stop there. I want them to see Him in my life and also want to know Him.

Mission: Crazy Love

"My mission is to model and impart an understanding of God's love to this generation through service and worship."

Little did I know how this mission statement was to play out 15 years later. All I knew when I sat down to define my calling in life was that I wanted to show people God's love. I wanted them to know and understand just how much God loves them. And the only way I knew how to show folks was to serve them. For me, that's what worship is -- a lifestyle of service.

Nowadays I call this lifestyle of service Crazy Love. The term was originally coined by Francis Chan, but my church and I have kind of hijacked it. Mother Teresa is often quoted as saying that "small things done with great love can change the world." Most people think differently. They think to change the world you've got to do something extraordinary. But I think Mother Teresa had it right; love changes the world. 

Changing the world, for me, starts at home. I've been extremely blessed to be able to live out my mission statement in small town Chillicothe, Ohio for the past several years. I get to work with amazing people from my church and different churches around town. I have the privilege of getting other people excited about showing Crazy Love locally, regionally, and globally by organizing and participating in various Crazy Love projects through my home church, Centerpoint.

Here's the thing -- Crazy Love can be (and should be) a lifestyle for every follower of Christ. Like I said before, it's simple. You've probably even shown Crazy Love to someone just this week without even knowing it. Showing Crazy Love is as easy as:

• buying the guy behind you a cup of coffee
• helping a single mom with her groceries at the store
• mowing your neighbor's grass
• listening to the elderly man at the nursing home share his war stories

Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30-31 that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people. When we show others the grace and love of Jesus through small acts of service, we are showing them Crazy Love.

In what ways have you shown Crazy Love this week?

What I've Been Reading: A Review & Update

Back in January not only did I decide to jump on the one word bandwagon, I also joined in with many others who set a book-reading goal for the year. My personal goal was to read 52 books in 2013, just 1 book per week. As you can see from the list below, I'm a bit shy for being more than halfway through the year. But that's OK. My goal is still the same, and I've got 21 1/2 weeks yet to go. :)

Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Beyond Ordinary by Justin & Trisha Davis

Empty Promises by Pete Wilson

SELAH by Joseph Iregbu

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Illusion by Frank Peretti

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Iscariot by Tosca Lee

God's Whisper Manifesto by Andi Cumbo

The Chance by Karen Kingsbury

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Sovereign by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee

The Harbinger by Jonathon Cahn

Inferno by Dan Brown (not finished yet)

World War Z by Max Brooks (not finished yet)

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (not finished yet)

Frame 232 by Wil Mar (not finished yet)

Most of these books have been enjoyable to read, though a few of them have given me grief. Illusion took such a long time to read simply because I couldn't get into the book. Old-school Peretti was fast-paced and well-written. That was not the case with Illusion. The story line was interesting but a bit far-fetched and the plot just dragged on and on and on.

Neuromancer was another difficult book to read. If you're a sci-fi fan, especially of the Matrix variety, you will probably love this book. I, on the other hand, did not. My personal opinion was that it would have made a better movie. Which is probably why I like and enjoy the Matrix series.

Frame 232, while I have not yet finished it, has really captured my attention. If anything, it has triggered my curiosity with the whole JFK assassination and conspiracy theories that go along with it. If you've not heard of it, Frame 232 by Wil Mara is a fictional account of the daughter - Sheila Baker - of the famed "Babushka Lady" who discovers the film her mother shot during the JFK assassination that uncovers a long kept secret of that fateful day. Upon discovery of the film, Sheila contacts millionaire sleuth Jason Hammond for help. Together, they seek to uncover the truth behind one of the most tragic events the US has ever witnessed.

Though I'm not quite done reading Frame 232, I can tell you that it has been hard for me to put down. I picked it up a couple of days ago and read long into the night, reading more than half. If it hadn't been for work and other obligations, I'd be finished by now.

Frame 232 is intriguing because the author takes a real-life tragic situation with real people and says what if? What if the "Babushka Lady" truly did take a video of the assassination that day but hid it in fear for herself and her family's life? What if one day the video was discovered and the people who had a hand in the assassination were still alive? 

Not only does the author ask these questions, he answers them in a fairly good storytelling way. The story is fast-paced, with a lot of action and history weaved together. The characters are well-developed, and you grow to like them along the way, cheering them on to the end.

If anything, it's an easy read that gives a bit of a history lesson. I give it a thumbs up. :)

Author Wil Mara was asked a few questions about Frame 232:

1. What inspired you to write a novel around the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy?  

I have always been fascinated by the assassination, which, obviously, was one of the most pivotal and enigmatic events in American history. And when I heard about the ‘Babushka Lady’---one of the few people in Dealey Plaza that day who remains unidentified---and the possibility that she may have filmed the shooting, an idea came to mind that seemed too good to disregard. 

2. How much research did you do for this project?  

An unbelievable amount. I spoke with assassination experts, read literally hundreds and books and articles, pored over countless photos...you name it. My goal was to write a fictional story around the established facts rather than alter the facts to serve the story. Thus, I had to know pretty much everything. I ended up loading my brain with more data than I really needed...but I didn’t mind. 

3. How has your research informed your own theory of what happened during the JFK
assassination? 

My personal theory, prosaic though it may be, is that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. If you want to be convinced, get your hands on a fairly rare book called Lee, which was written by his brother, Robert. Once you understand the mind behind the eyes that looked through that rifle scope, you will be convinced.

watch on tyndale.com

I was given an advanced copy of Frame 232 by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Choosing To Be Fruity

In case you haven't noticed, I took a little break from blogging the past couple of weeks. Not for any real reason except that I chose not to blog. I chose to do something else on Monday nights. Nothing exciting, just something different.

The past two weeks have really given me time to think and reflect. This past week especially as I've had a lot of alone time. 

While I've had no grand revelations or anything of the sort, the time alone has been good for me. It has given me opportunity to do things I've not done in a while or at all. For instance, inviting my mom over for dinner and spending quality time with her. Or like making Indian food for dinner this evening.

The time alone has given me plenty to think about, especially about my choices. A lot about what I write about in these "Manic Monday" posts is about choosing to find the good and positive things around us on Mondays (or any day, really). For the most part, I follow my own advice - I consistently try to see the beauty that surrounds me.

But there is more to choice than simply finding the beautiful in life.

The Bible describes what the life of a spirit-filled Jesus follower looks like in several different passages. Galatians 5:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 gives the picture of one who loves, is kind, gentle, patient, faithful, good. Someone who doesn't get easily angered or keep a long list of wrongs.

This person should be consistently choosing to be...

selfless

kind

patient

gentle

faithful

good

All things (and more) I've failed to choose over and over again. Especially in the relationships that matter most to me. 

And that makes me sad.

Yet I want this realization to make me more than sad! I want my heart to be broken so that I no longer continue making selfish choices. I want the Holy Spirit to fill me so full of Him that I ooze patience, kindness, and goodness. That love is the center of all that I am.

Funny thing is, I have to choose to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me. Each and every day as situations arise, it's my choice how I'll respond. Just as fruit cannot grow without first being planted, then watered, and even pruned, neither can I produce the fruit of the Spirit until I've been planted and given the ability to grow.

So today I choose to once again allow the Holy Spirit to work in me. To respond with kindness and goodness rather than anger. To be patient even when my patience is running thin. To forgive and forget, or at least, not throw it back in someone's face.

Do you think allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life is a choice? If so, how has He been working in your life lately? 

Tragedy into Triumph

Mondays suck. 

Today is no different. 

Work was crazy busy. 

My husband is sick but he's on the mend. 

Then there's the awful devastation in Oklahoma that's all over the news. 

Pain and suffering in the world makes my heart ache. It causes me to doubt and question. My mind reels at the possibility that a good God allows so much evil in this world. 

Despite the doubt, beyond the questions, there is hope. 

Hope that God is there, His own heart aching with the families in Oklahoma. As they grieve and mourn, so does He. 

Hope that when they pray for comfort and strength, He offers Himself. 

Hope that He will turn tragedy into triumph. 

Hope that someday soon, He will make something beautiful out of the rubble. 

On this terrible Monday, my heart and prayers go out to the families in Oklahoma. Will you join me?

Monday Motivation

Mondays suck.

We all know it.

And no one is truly ever happy about it.

But let's not dwell on it. Let's not allow one crappy day to ruin the rest of the week for us. In fact, let's change our thoughts and not allow the fact that it's Monday ruin the entire day for us.

Yes, it really can be that simple. If we allow it.

It's all about perspective. 

You and I, we have the ability to change things.

This evening I stumbled across this quote and I want to share it with you. It's so simple but so true. And it's what I've been trying to remind myself this past year as I've embraced each and every "manic Monday."

Photo found at Monday Morning Motivation

What do you do on Monday mornings to make the day better?