GUEST POST.

15 May

 
I had the wonderful privilege of guest posting over at my friend Lore Ferguson’s blog - Sayable.Net
She has taken a month-long sabbatical to escape the hustle and bustle and found any loner cabin or remote destination with poor cell service and little to no wi-fi, so she can focus her attention and energy into writing her book. That’s right, a BOOK! (how incredible is that?)
During her sabbatical she’s asked a few friends to guest post for her, so do me a favor and hop on over there and take a look at my guest post for Lore.

ALSO, do yourself a favor and subscribe to her blog while you’re over there. Scroll back a few post and read the other amazing guest post’s and scroll back a little more to catch some of Lore’s great stuff too. You wont be sorry!

ok, get goin’ now!
Sayable.Net

 

Thanks y’all!

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barbies and birthdays.

10 May

When you think of the eldest child you can’t help but think of… The boss. The one in charge. The protector. The mom.
Which all pretty much describes my sister to a T.

Rachel and I have always got along. We never really fought that much or pulled each others hair, at least not that I can remember. She is a little over 2yrs older than me, yet has always been my biggest fan and encourager.
Since Rachel wasn’t (and still isn’t) really the athletic type (per say), we didn’t have too much in common when we were younger, since I was as tom-boy as they came. I wanted to play outside and she wanted to play barbies inside.

I distinctly remember conversations with my mom where she would say “Sarah, please play with your sister. At least a few minutes just play barbies and then you can go back outside.” We’d eventually begin to barter each others time so we’d both get what we wanted. I’d give in and play barbies in exchange for not letting her into my club with the neighborhood boys (bully alert).
I’m sure Rachel would be mad if I didn’t mention that she DID play volleyball for a season and was pretty good, given her tall and gangly physique… but we all knew that she was way better at persuading neighbors into buying girl scout cookies.

I eventually quit my outdoors/sports life and we both jumped into something we could do together: church.
We co-led a small group together with high school girls and made a pretty great team. She was the organized one and I was the one still preparing the lesson 20 min after our meeting had started.

Later on, we went to bible college together and ended up traveling and doing ministry with the same team of people. I played music and led worship and Rachel ran merch tables and made sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. At all times. Day or night.

And life hasn’t changed too much. She’s still on time, still in charge, and still an amazing leader that people easily and willingly follow. She manages a Tennis shop at a country club now, and runs it like a well-oiled machine. I would expect nothing less, obviously.

You see, Rachel is the type of person you want to know. She’s the type of person that will call you on your crap, and love you through every step you take to get out of your mess. She will also organize and manage your daily life, If you let her..

Today is Rache’ls Birthday and I couldn’t be more grateful for the sister and friend that she has been to me. Constant and steady in love and encouragement, I couldn’t ask for a better person to do and share my life with. I know it’s extremely cliché to say that someone is “beautiful inside and out”, but I don’t think there is a better way I could describe her. So beautiful in heart and in form!

Rachel,
First - id like to say that I’m sorry I diFedn’t play barbies with you or let you in my club that me and the neighborhood boys had. Rookie mistake.

I just want you to know that I think you’re amazing. One of the most solid and loyal people and friends that I think ill ever know. Im so blessed and grateful to have you tightly knited in my life and heart.

I love you bunches and hope you have a really great birthday, sis!!

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loving well.

8 May

It’s the question I sometimes ask myself at night, when the light seamlessly fades into dusk then darkness and all that’s left is the hum of the box fan i’ve slept to for years. The que of its hum is my que to remember and recall what my day looked like. What i said, how i responded, and where the gaps are left to be filled… It’s a question, im afraid i don’t ask often enough- a question that holds a heavy weight with even just a few words.

Did i love well?

A friend of mine wrote an amazing “spoken word” kind of poem several years ago. She wrote about the desires of this world and the lack of fulfillment they provide. How it all ends with loving and wanting to be loved. She ends the poem with this power packed sentence that I still, years later, cant wipe from my brain;

“The age-old saying is true, what the world needs now IS love, because what the world needs now, is God.”

I think I too quickly forget the life-giving source in loving well.

________

I recall a walk in the snow, it was the winter time in 2008, and i was in Kansas City walking from my dorm room to the class room. It’s not that the distance between the two was this great length, it’s that Kansas City winters are as brutal as they come. Especially for this southerner that didn’t know what snow gear was and decided to trudge through the snow in canvas tennis shoes. (ps. worst idea)

I remember my hands feeling frozen, but my heart fully alive with questions spilling over. I was having this dialog with God, talking about the gaps I felt in me and it went something’s like this:

“I really fail at loving others and you, well. I wish i knew how…”

… and in an instant I heard a response in my heart, so gentle in its return, yet so stern and serious in its meaning:

“It takes me to love me, just as much as it takes me to love others.”

What I learned that day on my brutally cold walk, with chattering teeth and numb fingertips, is that the age-old saying is true, indeed… Yes of course what the WORLD in its vast expanse, needs love, but lets narrow our scope a bit.

What our neighbor, friend, family members or cashier checking us out at Kroger – what they need IS love, and not a weak attempt that comes from an obligated heart. We need to freely give and demonstrate the kind of love that comes from a living and breathing reality that says “apart from God, i can do nothing and that nothing includes loving people well!”

And that all sounds good and inspiring, because deep down we should all hope to look and sound and live like that.
But how do we do it?  Because loving people is HARD. It takes time and care and effort and sacrifice and… strength. It takes a lot of stuff that doesn’t come easily and natural.

But trust me, a list of how-to’s is not what we need. It may be helpful at times, but ultimately, what we need is God. His strengthening and His grace to fill the lack and gap our human nature was born with. 

So if you’re ever up late and recounting your day, like i do. Remembering the slip ups and opportunities you missed in showing and being love to another – when you’re feeling the weight of having to give and be something you don’t feel like you are capable of giving and being, i encourage you to pray this simple prayer over yourself, just as Paul prayed over the Thessalonian church and see if God doesn’t strengthen your heart to love greater in todays next opportunities:

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father
– 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

“for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.” – Hebrews 13:8

Today, may our hearts be strengthened by the grace and wisdom of God to love one another.

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MayDay: a birthday post

1 May

Birthdays are always a big deal at my house. I think that stems from the lack of birthday excitement my parents experienced growing up. Nevertheless, our earnest goal is to always remind the birthday recipient just how special and important they truly are. It’s 24 hours (or a week in some cases) to brag on them about the kind of gift they are to our lives.

Well today is another birthday in my house, therefore another chance to brag. It’s my mommas birthday yall!

So here goes just a few things I love and so value about my mom:

- She is unbelievably real and raw, and maybe that sounds cliché, but I don’t know anyone else that loves to get down to the heart of the matter more than my mom.

- She is uber encouraging and in the same breath will tell me if the shirt im wearing is too frumpy. Sure, she’s not on the fashion train per say, but the honest communication she has raised us with has helped in cultivating confident and honest people out of me and my siblings.

- She is the most welcoming and inviting human on the planet. She doesn’t meet a stranger, she doesn’t even know what that is. You will be loved, embraced, and fed as soon as you walk through my front door.

- She is a trustworthy friend to me and I am always confident that my best interest is on the forefront of her mind.

- She is loving. Fully and completely, without limits or boundaries, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt her love will always be there. Constant and steady.

_________________

Mom,

I wish I could find words that carried enough weight to really tell you how loved, valued, and appreciated you are by all of us.

I’m obviously glad you were born, because I wouldn’t be here for starters… but mostly, im glad you were born because God knew that I would need YOU to be my mom and friend through this life. I will be forever grateful for that!

I’m so proud of you and love you so much! I hope today is a really special day for you! You deserve it!
I also hope dad surprises you with a pool. *fingers crossed*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Paul Tripp on The Distortion of Envy.

17 Apr

im a big paul tripp fan.
i love his intermingling of theology and psychology, it attacks you from all angles but  in a really good and tender way.

i read this article of his on Envy almost a year ago when he wrote it and it has remained a source of self-evaluation for me from that moment  forward. every time i read it, i become aware of places in my heart that i’ve allowed envy in, roots that i couldn’t previously define. tripp goes far beyond hitting your initial thought of envy and it being this “i want what someone else has” kind of idea, but he expounds more solely on the distorted heart reality envy produces and how “Envy will cause us to bring God into the court of our own judgment and to sentence him as being unfaithful, unloving, and unkind.”

i promise this read will be worth your time.

________________________

“For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Ps 73:2)

I have said it countless times and written about it often; as a human being made in God’s image, you do not live life based on the facts of your experience, but based on your interpretation of the facts. No one acts, reacts and responds purely based on the actual facts of reality because the moment we are greeted with the facts, we take them into our hearts and process them. Our response is then based not so much on what is, but based upon what our heart has done with what is. Everyone of us is a philosopher, everyone of us is a theologian, everyone of us is an archaeologist who will dig through the past civilization of our own lives, trying to make sense of what has happened to us. Interpretation is an inescapable and profoundly important function of the human heart. The problem is that most often you and I are not aware that we are doing it, so our interpretation BECOMES our reality.

There is a second thing that I’ve often written and talked about, and when I say it to a crowd of people they always laugh even though I’m being quite serious; no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. You and I are in a constant conversation with ourselves and the things we say to ourselves about ourselves, God, others, and life are always formative. Our internal conversation shapes our external responses to the situations, locations, and relationships we live in.

Now, maybe you’re thinking, “What in the world does this have to do with envy?” You must understand that envy is an interpretation. Envy is not an emotional response to what is. It is a particular interpretation of what is. Envy is a way of looking at and assessing what is that results in particular emotions and actions. But this needs to be said even more strongly; envy is not only an interpretation of what is, it is a distorted interpretation of what is. Envy is looking at life through a rippled window that will always distort whatever you see. In that way envy is madness. In its own way, envy separates you from reality. Envy expands certain facts, it neglects certain facts, and it reshapes certain facts; all the while presenting itself as a valid, accurate and reliable view of life. It makes you like the crazy guy on the street. What makes him crazy is that he doesn’t know he is crazy. He looks, speaks and acts weirdly because what he thinks is real simply isn’t real. Such is the world of envy. Envy is rooted in a distorted interpretation of life that will make you mad. Let me explain.

1. The distorted interpretation of envy makes it all about you. Envy always puts you at the center of your universe. It is all about what you have or don’t have. It shrinks your world down to the Lilliputian size of your wants, your needs, and your feelings. The good life then becomes the life that you say is good for you and the bad life is bad because you say you are not getting what you want or need. In this system the world is evaluated solely on the basis of what you do or don’t have. The problem is that life is not about you. You and I have been born into a world that by its very nature is a celebration of the glory of Another. I am not at the center of my world; God is. The fulfilling of my desires and needs is not the most important thing in the world; God’s will is. Envy is angry because my kingdom doesn’t seem to be coming and my will doesn’t seem to be being done. Anytime you have you at the center of your world, you have a distorted perspective on what is.

2. The distorted interpretation of envy is always idolatrous. Envy always puts the creation in the place of the Creator. Envy evaluates life on the basis of physical experiences, relationships, and possessions. Envy says that the good life is all about having a bigger pile of creation stuff than your neighbor does. Envy is obsessively comparative; always weighing the size of your stuff against the stuff of the people who are near you. And why does envy do this? Because envy places it’s identity, inner sense of well-being, and meaning and purpose in the basket of creation instead of in the hands of the Creator. Envy looks to creation for satisfaction and peace. Envy looks to creation for life. Envy looks to creation for what only the Creator can give.

3. The distorted interpretation of envy is self-righteous. What is the fundamental perspective of envy? Here it is; “I deserve better!” I am a better person than my neighbor, therefore, I should have more of this world’s goods, relationships, and positive experiences than my neighbor. That fact that envy begins with “I deserve” is the dead give away of its distortion and danger. Envy isn’t humble and approachable. It isn’t honest and properly introspective. It doesn’t weep over sins of the heart and hands. It isn’t blown away at little blessings and major graces. Envy allows you to look at yourself in a carnival mirror. Yes, you are seeing you, but with distortion. It convinces you that you have done what you could never do and deserve what you could never have earned. Envy denies your crushing need for grace. It forgets that you’ve broken every law. It ignores the fact that each of us is a rebel and a fool, deserving only of God’s rejection and wrath. Envy neglects to celebrate that every day you live and breathe you are afford gorgeous grace; because self-righteous people don’t notice grace because they don’t think they need it.

4. The distorted interpretation of envy is always short-sighted. Envy simply forgets that this is not all there is. Envy is very skilled at ignoring eternity. Envy has a truncated view of reality. Envy acts as if all there is the here and now. So envy forgets that this is not a destination. This is not the final place of peace, rest and satisfaction. In that way, envy misses the whole point of the here and now. This present moment was not designed to be a destination. No, it is a preparation for a final destination. There are times when God ordains it to be hard because that’s exactly what I need in order to be prepared for what’s to come. In this way, the moments of lack that envy rages against, are actually moments of grace. No, I am not having my needs withheld, but in grace, am being given exactly what I need. While I am focused on the here and now, a lovely Savior is preparing me for what is to come.

5. The distorted interpretation of envy is the soil of other sins. Envy never stops with envy. It always produces other sins of the heart and life as well. Envy will cause you to bring God into the court of your judgment and to sentence him as being unfaithful, unloving, and unkind. Envy will make you angry and you’ll act out that anger against the people who are near you. Envy will make you unloving and unkind, because, rather than considering the needs of others, you will be obsessively focused on your wants and needs. Envy will make you ungrateful. Envy will cause you to despise the blessings of others. Envy will put hatred in your thoughts and murder in your heart. It will cause you to will others ill instead of wanting blessing for them. Envy will cause you to say things you shouldn’t say and do things you shouldn’t do. Envy is a source sin.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Wow, Paul, this is really disheartening!” Well, here’s the good news. Jesus conquered envy so you could too. His grace promises you a new heart. Because of his grace, you can grow in thankfulness and appreciation. Because of his grace, you can learn to run from old idols. Because of grace, you can find joy in loving others as you have been loved. Because of grace you can really come to believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Because of grace you can be free from a life that is self-centered and demanding, and begin to live a life that is Godward and thankful. Grace really does rescue you from you. The cross of Jesus Christ really is the only hope for the envious heart, because on that cross sin was defeated and righteousness was given. Trust the grace of Jesus and don’t let the madness of envy control and defeat you.

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Perfect and Imperfect.

9 Apr
I meant to post this yesterday…. but then I lost wifi.
________________
It’s Easter Sunday and I’m on a train.
Started this day with an early morning flight from Brussels, Belgium to Dublin, Ireland. Took a shuttle bus to the train station where we waited over an hour for our train to Cork where we will be visiting our cousins.
It’s weird to be on a train and not in a church service singing special songs that focus on resurrection. I feel like I’m not giving this day it’s due recognition, it’s deserved meditation and gratitude… yet even words like gratitude and thankfulness don’t seem to communicate with appropriate weight the true depth a glad heart can contain.

But I still mean them. 

I’m grateful for a love i so terribly dont deserve. A love demonstrated by the relentless pursuit of a man who took on flesh, lived a sinless life and died a gruesome sinners death to mercifully unite perfect and imperfect together. 

Today im reminded that sin no longer has power and we will forever be united with God through the resurrection of His Son.
Life came from death. 

Romans 6

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from death to life: my friend’s story.

13 Mar

im so grateful for the response from my latest posts and series. i truly belive there is something unique and wonderful about connected to another’s story. experiencing their journey through pain and disappoint, and hopefully their testimony of redemption and restoration in the end. im grateful to have shared a least a little piece of my puzzle with you, but id now like to share a part of my wonderful friends story.

taylor mitchell is a gem. one of those people you meet and are immediately drawn to by her incredible personality and south Arkansas charm. she truly  loves people and has a real and genuine passion for God that is seen in the veins of every friendship she has and everything she does.
if you met her today, you wouldn’t in a million years expect to hear the kind of testimony she has and the story she’s lived out. before i just go ahead and blurt it out, i want you to watch the video below. this is taylor telling her story with her own words and heart. this is a story of real life redemption. of real pain - met by real love. real sorrow and grief - met by real peace and grace. from death to life, we see God rescue, restore, and redeem again and again. please let her words remind you again of Gods unending love and pursuit of your heart and life.
here is an excerpt from TAYLOR’S BLOG about this video and heart behind filming it.

I am Taylor Mitchell. I have a story, just like you do. It may not look identical to yours, but it could possibly have the same ending…REDEMPTION.
I want to share with you my personal journey. My desire is to tell the world my personal experience because it sheds light into the amazing, everlasting LOVE of Jesus. His relentless and unchanging love. The bible mentions in Revelation 12:11 “and they OVERCAME him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony…” I believe that every time this story is told, I not only find more healing, but others find hope and more than anything, they see that life is not over!! It is not how you start the race, it is how you finish!! I pray today, as you watch and listen, God will invade your heart with His love, His healing, His redemption! You are loved and adored. Don’t settle. Keep pressing forward because YOU have a story to tell!! 

 
Follow Taylor
Blog: iamtaylorm
Twitter: @taylormitchell
Sang and wrote on Trinity Church’s worship album “In You” – be sure and check it out on itunes:: HERE

(this AMAZING video was created by my wonderful and talented friends at Jonathan Link Studios)

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