I love seeing how God is moving throughout our country and our world. It’s always a reminder to me that my life isn’t at the center of everything. His Spirit is moving and changing hearts all over the world. Is there anything more exciting to a Christ follower?
Here’s a recap of the Code Orange Revival that took place at Elevation Church this month.
Code Orange Revival from Elevation Church on Vimeo.
While writing is a passion, my family is my number one responsibility. So instead of a Writing Wednesday post, today’s post is dedicated to my baby boy. Today is his birthday! I guess he’s not exactly a baby anymore, but I still think of him as one and since he’s the youngest, he still gets the title.
Two years ago he came into our lives and made us a family of five.
At first we didn’t know what we would do with a boy.
But we quickly adjusted and didn’t know how we had gone so long without him.
As you can see fits right in.
He’s as silly as can be. And our lives are the better for it.
He’s the sweetest boy I know.
I love you Efraim.
Happy Birthday
I’m so excited to partner with a ministry called Witness SF in spreading the Gospel throughout the Bay area. Witness SF is committed to sharing the love of Christ through the stories of real people. Their hope is that these stories will inspire and encourage both believers and non-believers and bring unity to the Body of Christ. They are not from a particular denomination; just a group of young people whose lives have been transformed by the Gospel and desire to see others experience the same.
You can check out my first post with them, and read about how God changed my life through the “F” word.
Have you ever thought about the distinct difference between mercy and grace? We often use these words interchangeably in the church, yet they are two different qualities.
Mercy: Not getting what we deserve.
Grace: Getting what we don’t deserve.
Mercy is being pardoned for a crime, forgiven for a wrong, granted clemency.
Grace is doing something good for someone regardless of their behavior.
Mercy focuses on the act needing to be forgiven.
Grace focuses on the blessing given.
Most of us don’t expect grace, we don’t expect someone to pay for our meal, give us a large gift, or meet our need.
Mercy on the other-hand, is often expected. When we hurt someone, forget something, or act out in selfishness, we expect the one’s we wronged to overlook the offense and forgive us. We assume they will.
A Lesson in Mercy
Last week I used an opportunity with my girls to teach them (& myself) about mercy.
It started out of sheer exhaustion. Filipe had back-to-back meetings two nights in a row and by about five o’clock on night #2, I was done. Done. So when bedtime rolled around, I asked the girls to clean up their toys and get in the shower. About five minutes into it, they began fighting over who was going to clean what.
While they were arguing and yelling at each other, I was upstairs giving Efraim a bath and getting him ready for bed. Listening to the girls argue was making me crazy. After about the fifth time of them coming up to “tattle” on the other, I told them to sit in the hallway and wait for me.
I just needed a minute to figure out what I was going to do, and honestly, I was tired and just wanted to delay doing anything at all. As I thought for a minute I realized what upset me most was how they were treating each other, of course not following directions followed closely behind. So when I was finished with Efraim, I brought them over to me and told them they had 2 choices:
1. Punishment & consequences for disobeying and arguing.
OR
2. They could help one another in taking a shower and getting ready for bed. They weren’t allowed to ask me for any help, only the other. And they had to receive it.
They chose the latter, of course, and within five minutes their attitudes were back to normal. They were helping each other, and getting along again. When they finished, I talked to each of them individually about what they had done wrong that night, what they deserved, and what mercy was.
I wasn’t sure how they would respond or if they would understand, but as soon as I explained it, their faces lit up with excitement. Lily hugged me, gave me a big kiss, and told me she loved me. Cailyn got a big grin on her face and started giggling. It was pretty cute.
They understood, and went to bed at peace with one another (and me) and happy.
After they were in bed, I reflected on all that happened. In those moments I realized how hard it is to extend mercy. I would have been justified in punishing the girls, they had done something wrong.
Then I realized extending mercy to my two girls was a lesson for me. I didn’t do it because they asked for it, but because I simply chose to. It wasn’t easy; it was really hard. Humbling in fact.
I had a new understanding of what it means when the Bible speaks of mercy. I have a new understanding of what it means to not give someone what they deserve.
Who is someone you need to extend mercy to today?
Maybe a spouse, parent, or child?
Maybe a friend or neighbor?
Maybe a boss or coworker?
Maybe a pastor or politician?
Maybe a complete stranger?
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matt. 5:7
It’s easy in our social media world to highlight only the good stuff in our lives. We usually tend to put our best foot forward, and keep the stuff that isn’t so pretty out of sight.
I’m just as guilty.
So for today’s Family Friday post, instead of telling you about all the cute and fun things our family has done this week, I’m going to share with you the stuff that wasn’t all too fun- the ugly, but sometimes funny stuff. The stuff that makes reality TV so much fun to watch.
So, without further adieu:
PINK NAIL POLISH
Last Sunday evening Efraim (who will be 2 next week!) attempted to paint his finger nails with pink nail polish. In his attempt, bright, pink nail polish splattered all over the kitchen floor and chairs. Needless to say, I’m still scrubbing nail polish off of the chair legs.
YUCKY DINNERS
I was repulsed by two out of five meals I’ve cooked so far this week (maybe I should actually use the recipes I have). No one else seemed to really notice (they ate it at least), but I made myself a PB&J after the kids went to bed. Some days cooking is for enjoyment and yummy food, some days it’s out of nutritional necessity. This week felt like the latter.
FAILED WORK OUT ATTEMPTS
While I put my work-out clothes on twice this week (& wore them until bedtime), I never did get around to working out. Too bad good intentions don’t burn calories.
HOMEWORK
Lily completely forgot to tell me about a big assignment for school (it was more like a parent assignment considering this is kindergarten). I felt like we had fast-fwd to high school or something.
SPILLS & CRASHES
While getting dinner started one night, Cailyn & Efraim were talking behind me as I swirled some olive oil on a pan. When I went to set it back on the counter, the bottle slipped out of my hand hitting the edge of the counter and spilling all down the front of me before hitting the floor with a loud crash. An entire bottle of olive oil from chest to toes…what a feeling I tell ya! Cailyn, Efraim, and I just stared at the mess for a good minute before doing anything. After I started cleaning it all up, it took me another few minutes to realize Efraim was standing (behind the glass), but with the spout (now broken off) in his hand. (In case you’re wondering, no he didn’t cut himself.)
CHILD NUTRITION
I let Cailyn (my 4 yo) have a Target pretzel and smoothie for lunch one day. I’m sure that one really qualifies me for Mom of the Year award. What’s worse is that I drove across the street and got Chipotle for myself.
LAUNDRY
And laundry is my forever losing battle, and I’m okay with that.
That was my week. How was yours?
Any not-so-pretty moments you’d like to share?
Writing has become my passion.
It is what drives me. It helps me process. It’s how I learn. I’m at my best when I’m working through an idea. For me, it is a spiritual activity- like someone is whispering things into my ears and I’m just the notetaker. When I’m done (for a moment) I let out a deep breath, and feel at peace knowing that for a a little while my heart and mind were connected with the Spirit of God.
It’s not about who reads it, but what it taught me through it. It’s not about the quantity of words written or erased, but what came to the surface, and sometimes more importantly, what settled below. Every detail matters. Every word has it’s place.
Last weekend I drove home from Starbucks after a three hour writing session with a pounding headache. The kind that you have to squint to see because it hurts so bad.
But while I was driving home that afternoon, I said a prayer to God, ”Lord, if writing means feeling like this, then it’s worth it.”
And I meant it with all my heart.
When you’re doing something you love doing, something like a migraine won’t affect your passion. It may be slightly annoying, but it’s not going to cause you to quit and throw in the towel.
Some days I feel like a complete weirdo. Some days I wish I could just think like a normal human being. But truth be told I feel like I’m most alive when my mind starts spinning and I’m putting words on paper.
What is it that makes you feel the most alive? What ignites passion inside of you? What’s the word you would put in the blank? For the Love of ______________
In fourth grade, I dreamed of being an olympic gymnast.
In eighth grade, I dreamed of being the President of the United States.
In twelfth grade, I dreamed of making it to Congress.
In college, I dreamed of serving in full-time ministry.
At age 23, I became a Pastor’s Wife.
We talk a lot with our kids about what they want to be when they grow up. Currently, Lily wants to be an artist and Cailyn wants to be a cook (or, like she says, “a cooker”). At age 4 and 5, this is the age dreams are born and vision is given.
When we’re young, we believe we can do anything. Fly to the moon, play in the NBA, be in a rock band. As we get older we’re told to “get in line” and be realistic. To do what’s necessary to get by.
Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for church, I opened my computer and tuned into the #CodeOrangeRevival taking place at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. Christine Caine was speaking preaching the Word. I called the girls in to show them.
I explained who she was/what she was doing while they were glued to the computer. They were amazed. ”You can do that too when you grow up” I told them.
I was giving them vision.
I want my kids to dream big dreams and believe they can do whatever it is God puts in their hearts to do.
When you were a kid, what did you dream you could do?
Today we remember a man.
A man who led a movement.
A man who stood up for freedom.
A man who couldn’t just sit while injustice reigned.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr helped change the direction of our nation.
He led a movement to end racial discrimination and segregation, and as a result, died for his beliefs, for his cause.
MLK is remembered and esteemed for taking responsibility for the problems surrounding him in 1963.
I’m so thankful for leaders like him who take a stand- even when it cost him his life.
But what about now?
What about the problems here in 2012?
- Did you know there are 27 million slaves in the world today?
- Did you know that 21,000 children die EVERY day from preventable causes?
- Did you know that in India a mom will sell her newborn baby for a 10 lb. bag of rice?
These are unacceptable. These are inexcusable.
What are you going to do about it?
What am I going to do about it?
It may not make sense. It may be hard to understand why. But it’s Truth.
“If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it-you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked-well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.” Romans 4:5 MSG
Monday night I finished a writing project I spent most of 2011 working on.
(Insert big sigh of relief here.)
For seasoned writers, it could have taken a few days, weeks maybe.
For me, it took over six months.
It’s big (for me).
It’s personal (feels like I’m exposed in a not-so-fun kinda way).
It’s scary (what could happen.).
It’s exciting (what could happen?!).
So what now?
An even bigger project to tackle.
At the beginning of 2011 I felt like I was standing at the bottom of Mount Everest looking up at this huge obstacle/dream. Now here I am at the beginning of 2012. I’ve climbed, I’ve made progress, but I’ve got a long way to go. I still can’t see the top, it’s still out of sight.
But I do know what’s next.
Keep on climbing. Keep pushing forward.
(Pretty sure the cue for Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” just started.)
It’s interesting the emotions I go through on a journey like this. When I’m in the middle of a project, it’s easy to stay focused and vigilant on the task in front of me. I have a goal and I work hard until I complete it. It felt so good to finish the other night- especially considering it’s hung over my head for months.
But all day yesterday I felt like I couldn’t amount to anything. Like nothing I write will ever impact anyone and I should just give up.
Where was all this coming from? How could I go from one day being focused, confident, and excited to the next wanting to turn in my pen and paper and say game over. At one point in the day I actually thought I wouldn’t ever be able to write anything again. Anything. Really? Really?
Where is all the drama coming from? (I may or may not be listening to Daniel Powter’s, “Bad Day” as I write this.)
The funny thing about it:
I couldn’t blame it on my kids. They were being great.
I couldn’t blame it on traffic. There was none.
I couldn’t blame it on my husband. He’s out of town.
It’s all me, myself, and I.
So, what will I do?
Keep writing. Keep going. Keep climbing.
I’m not giving up.
Whatever it is you’re about to give up, don’t! It’s not worth it. You’ll regret it forever if you do. Keep going! You can do it.
