365 Days of Fearless

We've heard the claim that the Bible says not to be afraid exactly 365 times. We haven't found that to be exactly accurate but we know that the Bible address fear quite a bit. So, what we'd like to do is share one of those verses with you every day in 2017. Nope, we don't expect to write a whole post every day. [We're not that ambitious] Sometimes we'll just share the verse, sometimes we'll write about it. Sometimes we'll put it on a cool background or write it out in pretty letters but the important thing is that every day you'll get another reminder and another reason, not to be afraid.

Happy New Year!

-M. and L.

Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
(Genesis 15:1 ESV)

I love this verse because it seems to be God's response to a step of faith that Abram has just taken. Abram was just offered a huge reward from an earthly thing and he turned it down because of a promise he had made to God. And now God the King of kings and 'possessor of heaven and earth' tells him not to be afraid and promises to give him a very great reward. I'm pretty sure it was a lot better than what the king of Sodom wanted to give him.

When God asks us to give something up he always has something better to give us. Don't get me wrong, he won't always give it right away and what he gives won't always seem better right away. Abram had to wait a long time before he saw even part of the fulfillment of God's promise. Sometimes God will give you something similar to what he asked you to give up like a new ministry or relationship to replace an old one. Even better though, every time we surrender something to God we draw closer to Him as he builds our trust, so when you give something up for God you get to experience more of God and He is better than anything. So don't be afraid to make sacrifices for God because He is better than anything you could give up.
Here are some quotes on the matter from people more eloquent than me:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

-C.S Lewis, The Weight of Glory

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"
-Jim Elliot

[made new]

You have been made new. 

Reborn. 

Reimagined. 

Remixed, if you will. 

Your song does not sing the way it used to.

You consist of entirely different cells than you did 7 years ago. Think back and you will realize your ideologies, dreams, fears, and priorities have all changed in major ways since then as well.

Yet are you still you? Moreover, what truly makes you… you? I never said we wouldn’t get existential at some point on this journey.

Your soul is the essence of who you are and your body is a vessel. Make no mistake, God designed you to be exactly the way you are for a reason and how you look is part of His masterful system. But that body houses your spirit, your life, and the breath that continues to give oxygen to your blood to pump through your veins to let each part do its proper work.

God says that your body, as well as your spirit within you, used to have a nature of darkness. You were a child of wrath, rebellious, selfish, preferring your own way over God’s. Deciding you didn’t owe God every last second of the breath He has lavished you with as if it was yours to be in command of. This darkness was who you were.

But you have been made new. 

Remixed. 

Reborn. 

Rediscovered, if you want. 

Your eyes do not see as they used to.

Now you are “in Christ” as Paul says often. Meaning you take His name, His status, His identity, His inheritance, and His Spirit. You take the name of Christ upon you and bear it. You take on the status of a child of the Creator and Father. You take on His identity of beloved. Beloved beyond compare. You take on His inheritance of reigning with Him and being glorified with Him. I’ve heard it said that the Living One was willing to die so that the dead could become living ones. Finally, you are indwelt by His Spirit. You have the Spirit of Christ now in you. In charge of you. The spirit that once was your own to control is no longer so. You have been given a new nature, a new calling, a new hope, and a new path to walk.

You have been made new. 

Rediscovered. 

Repurposed. 

Reclaimed. 

Your will no longer belongs to you as it used to.

Your life is upside down, not to be controlled by your selfish desires and dreams. Instead, God’s Spirit infuses himself into your very veins and begins to fill you with His will and calling for your life. You were bought with a price and when you submit your will rightly to Him, He takes over. The best part is you will actually eventually enjoy it! You will begin to have a heart for the things God has a heart for. You will want to follow God’s calling for your life because your life will become an unknown adventure where the Creator of the world has the reins and means to let you do absolutely anything that could possibly honor Him. It’s freaking awesome.

You have been made new. 

Reclaimed. 

Redirected. 

And rewarded. 

Your glory no longer belongs to you as it used to.

The credits roll likely wouldn't have your name on it. You're not even quite deserving enough to be an extra in this film because the starring role of the hero is played by the Lamb who died to save the damsel in distress, a church with a torn veil who is not the spotless bride she once was. Yet somehow you are considered a co-heir and a child of this man who hung the stars but still prefers your daily company. It's a strange plot but a beautiful dance. There is no story yet to rival it, and your joy is His company and His presence for eternities on end. 

And yet as each eternity ends and begins anew and you are still with Him forever,

         have        en  re           ed.

You            be           new      

             will           made        again.

-M.        

On Unfinished Stories, Death, and Chocolate Milk

                I got my first tattoo several weeks ago. A few days before I turned twenty. It says “unfinished” with three lines between the prefix and the word. Like this: “un///finished.” It’s a symbol for me of a few things: 1. My story is unfinished. I have more life left to live as long as my spirit breathes inside this body and I want to remember that if I’m still breathing, I still have a purpose. 2. God finished it all on the cross (tetelestai, gk. – “it is finished”). Hence the three lines for the three nails Jesus took. 3. Everyone else in this world is loved by God, and He finished it on the cross for them too, and while they still breathe, their story is unfinished too.

My tattoo was sort of a way of saying goodbye to my teenage years and whatever, but it really is important to me. I really do want that message to be permanent and visible to me for the rest of my life. I put it on the inside of my wrist so that I see it every single day. There is no way I can miss it without closing my eyes the whole freaking day or tying my hand up in a scarf or something. It’s visible and it’s there. I want to make every day count like it’s the last day of my life.

Over three months ago now, a Christian homeschool mom in my community shot and killed her 17 year old son, her 12 year old daughter, and then herself. I knew the kids and the mom. I had been in plays with the kids. The son was one of my brother’s best friends. I still can’t find words to explain the shock of knowing that all of it happened, because that's not something you ever want to read in just two or three sentences, let alone cope with. There's no way to romanticize a murder-suicide of a dear friend. I totally believe that mental illnesses are medical problems that need more awareness and treatment. No questions asked. I also think there are deep emotional and spiritual elements to them too in many ways that need awareness and care. This mom; she ended up deciding she wanted her story finished. She didn’t want to keep reading and see how it goes.

It’s even more heartbreaking because in books, you’d usually want to keep reading at the most scary part or the most dangerous part of the story. You want to find out where the hero wins the battle and where they overcome what is dragging them down. We like reading those stories. They are some of the most powerful and inspiring to us. 

We live day to day, though, and if we see no change, we project that onto our own future. That nothing is going to get better. This is how it is. I want to read my next page of my story right about now. It’s been a rollercoaster for a while. I’ve gone through long spiritual droughts. I’ve walked through emotional pain and emotional numbness. I have lived in isolation and wondering if I am going to see the next day. It didn’t work itself out in the short few sentences I just wrote, like you might think in a story. It’s been years of a process. I’m only 20. 

There is so much left of the story left to write. And I have chocolate milk in my fridge right now, so I want to pour myself a glass and enjoy it! And keep reading the story God’s writing in my life. I have so many things I’ve already learned and still have yet to learn. I’m all too aware of my defects and shortcomings and character flaws, but those are just some of the things that make me, well, me.

Oh, but don’t get it mixed up at this part. I’m not the main character. I’d like to think I am, but truly the main character is the author of this story, and that’s Jesus Christ. I believe that He is real and He works in my life. If you don’t, that’s okay, I’m not offended! I hope you’re not offended that I believe that, and act accordingly with that belief.

See, if God’s the main character, His story is still playing out too. And it’s so cool that His story includes us in, like, actually important ways. His story is unfinished, but the outcome will be the same because of the cross. He defeated sin and death and Satan and evil in general with two pieces of wood, three nails, a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and a sinless life. Oh, and a love that spans generations, that overlooks rejection, that ignores blame and slander, that breathes life into anything that even comes close to touching it, and that totally gives us all a second chance to live our lives – for His glory and our blessing.

I almost got a second tattoo when I went in to get my first one – a vine of flowers. They symbolize new life, and milestones I’ve gotten to. Maybe someday I’ll actually go and get it done, but I got really lightheaded twice during my first one and almost passed out. Character flaw, maybe? I don’t really care.

Read along if you’d like. The stories I post here are never very linear – they could include ramblings from really any point of inspiration in my life that I could care to share about. Sometimes they will be light and sometimes heavy, like life. Sometimes you’ll hear a poem in the making in the way I write, and other times I’ll be straight and to the point. Here’s the point I’m gonna make now. Don’t get this twisted: it’s not my story. It’s His. And I’m gonna write what He tells me to and I’ll write it for His glory, not mine.

Easter - Is Jesus Missing?

Hey friends!!!

Happy Easter and happy almost April!! I wanted to share a poem with you guys!! I wrote it Sunday night when I was really just thinking a lot because this year felt so different from past Easters. Something felt wrong but I was still doing the same basic thing I'd always done for the holiday that is supposed to be designed for celebrating that Jesus rose from the grave. 

Disclaimer: the words of this poem might and probably will be considered offensive to some people. It's not pointed at anyone and I am not blaming or judging anybody in this poem. However, I am shamelessly calling out what I believe to be an oversight in the church and I honestly don't really care if that's offensive to people. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Oops, I forgot to take an Easter selfie yesterday and post it on the Internet with #heisrisen 

so all can see I love Jesus because that's all Easter is, isn't it, 

wait, Easter is the family picture, dressed to the nines, in front of our church, 

reminding the world that our family is perfect, 

that's all it's about. 

It couldn't be about the homeless man who walked up the street 

a few minutes after you stepped in to find a seat 

in an air conditioned room to listen to a sweet concert 

and hear the story again that Jesus died to make a way 

then he rose from the grave and he still lives today

But it can't be about that guy outside too, 

when he smells too bad to step foot in that room, 

you say God is risen but this man feels like he's in a tomb 

and he's starving for something more than just food 

but he probably didn't eat today either, 

but it's okay because you did and this is about you. 

Jesus forgave you for your sin

And he made you alive inside again

And he gave you a home to live in

And he let you take that for granted again

Because Easter is about you, right?

Jesus even died to give you new life! 

But he gave that guy outside new life also 

and he pays attention to him and loves him with all of his heart 

so much that he died,

And if this message moves you 

maybe you'll give your church fund some money,

maybe even go outside and slip him a twenty,

But aren't you gonna ask him his name? Learn about his journey in life? 

Pull him up from his darkness and share with him new life,

Even if it means you'll be late to family night,

All I'm saying is isn't Easter supposed to be about sacrifice? 

I think Jesus is missing not just from the tomb 

but maybe from our churches and hearts a bit too

I'm not trying to be pretentious. 

I'm still learning to walk my talk 

and live the words I give 

and reach out the same way I preach out 

but sometimes I've got to saying it 

so I can start making it happen 

and prove my words have actions. 

What if we start dying to live 

and trying to give light to those in darkness? 

Show em His heart for the heartless, 

maybe they'll see after all it isn't religion we worship 

it's the change in our lives that makes Jesus more than worth it to us 

to give up more than just our Sunday mornings to dress up 

while we mess up the rest of the week 

away from the eyes of the people 

but the eyes of the father still see. 

We are all homeless 

if Christ's tomb was still full. 

We would all be out in that cold 

world so many people are living in, 

they're really missing living in two homes; 

a home for their body but also a home for their heart 

that's why maybe we should think about starting 

to sacrifice a bit of ours to help them find both. 

But this point can't be contained in a single blog post

so I pray it reaches deeper past just mere words 

but transforms people who can then transform the world. 

-MB

The Semester in Review and Destressing 101

 

Hi again, my friends! M. here!

It's great to be back! Do you know why?? IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!! (happy dance) School's finally over and I'm beyond excited for the last 15 days of this year. (Yeah, only 15 days till 2016, guys. Buckle up!!)

I just had the craziest semester in my life. In the best way, I think. I started my true first year of college and it was a blast! There was definitely a lot of work, having 8 classes to shuffle every week along with Life group and Chapel and studying and homework and choir practice and work and... well it was just a crazy semester.

It was a crazy semester for another big reason besides school, though. In the past few months, I've really been growing closer to God. I've heard from Him in more tangible ways since September than I think I have my whole high school life! His call to follow Him with all of myself has never been clearer, and the presence of His grace in my daily walk with Him has never been sweeter.

That's one of the things I love so much about God. My relationship with Him doesn't grow in a linear way (nerd word alert!!) but it grows in an exponential way (slow down, there!) because we can always grow closer to God on this earth and we can always dig deeper into the riches of His love. I know He's always got more for me.

Take my stress levels for example. I think we all know that I'm like a joyful little bundle of stress!!! I carry it with me every day; I treat it like a beloved puppy, judging by how much attention I pay to it. Because there's so many things to stress about, right? I mean, there's stressing about the grade I'm gonna get on that homework I turned in yesterday or the random thing I said to that person last week or every time I've embarrassed myself in front of people EVER IN MY LIFE. This blog is full of regrets like that! And then there's today to stress about: does my face look weird? Does she think my shirt's ugly? Am I talking too much? Am I talking enough? Does anyone like me?? How am I going to get everything done today? And then there's stress about the future!!!! That's the best, because the options are limitless!!! What am I going to eat for lunch tomorrow? How much homework will I have next week? What presents am I going to get for my family for Christmas? What classes will I take next semester? What about summer break? What about after I graduate? Am I ever going to get married? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH MY LIFE???

You probably get the picture...

Stress is the easy way out. It's our human response to the unknown and uncontrollable. To be honest, it's really unproductive too. Ever heard that saying that worry is like a rocking chair; it won't get you anywhere but it'll give you something to do? That's definitely true when it comes to the things I stress about the most - they're usually the least important.

A friend is singing a song for her voice recital tomorrow called "Cecie's Lullaby." I'm playing piano and singing harmonies with her, and it's one of the few things that have been keeping me sane lately. The lyrics are from the perspective of God to one of His children:

"Call my name and I will listen

All you need is here inside arms

Just breathe and you'll be safe and sound

With me

No one knows you better than me

No one's been a better friend 

So rock-a-bye, baby, come and rest

You've been tired lately, lay your head down

Don't you think, baby, I know best

I've been a Father for a long time" 

Because I'm a foster sister, there's plenty of crying kids around. I know nap time and bed time especially can be stressful for babies, so the other day I held my two year old foster sister and sang her those words. And she screamed the whole time, but after another song she calmed down and fell asleep in my arms. There aren't many things in the world that can top that. But it got me to thinking about the whole rocking chair analogy.

Maybe you rocking in the rocking chair won't get you anywhere, but perhaps letting Him hold you and sing you to sleep is how he designed it. The stress isn't ours to worry about. It's His to handle.

How will you intentionally pursue God's rest this Christmas?

-M.