Living on Grace

She Speaks Scholarship Contest

2010-03-22T14:52:00.002-05:00

This past year has a been a whirlwind of change in our house. our search for a new church home found in the most unexpected places of Crawfordsville. God had been preparing our hearts for three years for Crawfordsville. Once we were there, we knew we were home. I knew that God didn't just give a us new church home and family. I knew He was preparing us for something so much larger. Not only are we serving in many ways, God has brought Jason full circle in ministry and he is again ministering not only through music but in just about every other way too. He'll be ordained to the gospel ministry next month. Funny that its now happening since he's been doing ministry for 20 years. It's a sweet affirmation of the church recognizing God's call on his life.

What I didn't expect to happen in Crawfordsville was the role it plays in a dream that God planted in my heart nearly 15 years ago. What began as a dream to connect volunteers with ministry and to minister to ministers has evolved into a dream to revitalize and transform a community. The dream has evolved through the years as I tried to implement it in various forms in my own ways. I could have never envisioned what God has planned for His glory.

In the winter of 2009 I applied to be apart of a team that would be coached, mentored, and inspired by a Dream Coach. Ben Arment, an impressive Kingdom innovator and creative type, is the Dream Coach and 30 or so of us make up Dream Year 2010. All of us working on a dream God has given us and hopefully seeing it launch and live this year. I was so nervous and anxious to apply to Dream Year. My dream was still vague but yet I could see it in my minds eye. I wasn't sure how to put it all into words much less fit in the small box on the application. Through the first three months of Dream Year, I've been able to put the dream into words.

My dream is for Crawfordsville to be known as the place where hope lives. That dream is lived out in the creation of The Hope Center.

The Hope Center is a grassroots, church-based, community development organization designed to serve others as Christ did. The Hope Center organizes and connects Christians and ministries with ways they can serve others by meeting tangible needs and sharing Christ.
The Hope Center is a refuge - place to find encouragement, help, and hope. It is a place for practical help and spiritual direction.

Programs will be developed as ministries and opportunities are discovered. Potential ministries:
After school tutoring
Sports/Hunting Ministries
Medical/dental screenings, one day clinics
Home rehabilitation
Christian Women Jobs Corps
Financial Education and Training
PLACE training for new volunteers

The Hope Center will eventually house and be compromised of a medical/dental clinic, legal aid office, financial learning center and small business incubator, education center for children and adults, multipurpose center for worship, events, and fellowship including a gym, arts center, commercial kitchen, volunteer dorms and retreat area.

My next steps in the seeing the Hope Center come to life is to begin having conversations with friends and connections as God leads. I'm looking for support, advice, encouragement, funding, volunteers, and probably much more. My speaking skills are sufficient for me now. My writing skills are sufficient for me now. My ministry organization and creative thinking skills are sufficient for me now. I know that God has big things planned for me and my family as the Hope Center grows. I need to be apart of She Speaks.

I've had on my heart to attend She Speaks for a few years. I've entered the scholarship contest every year. My reasons were a bit vague and the vision not really clear why God would want me to consider She Speaks. Clearly, I needed to know the ministry of Proverbs 31 Ministries deeply. I needed to be seeking to write and to speak for God's glory not my own. Maybe now that this dream is being worked out in my life, She Speaks now has a place as well.

I would love to attend She Speaks for the challenge. To see the Hope Center grow, I need to get my game on. I am ready to put myself out there to be challenged and critiqued. I know I have a story to share. I know I have an audience to reach. More than anything I want God to use me to change the lives of the people He desperately loves.

Help me pray that God opens the door to be apart of She Speaks this year. And pray for The Hope Center. God may be placing a new dream on your heart too.

For more information about She Speaks, click here

My Dream Year

2010-01-22T14:53:00.003-06:00

This is my dream year.

I stumbled upon a blogger, church planter, innovator, creative thinker, dreamer - Ben Arment - from someone else's blog. I was intrigued by his blog and his creativity. In November, he announced a new venture - Dream Year 2010. 30 people being coached by Ben, collaborating and challenging one another, to fulfill a God-given dream. I had a dream. I've had a dream that I've been processing and praying through for more than a decade. It seemed like God was pulling the pieces together quickly and just maybe Dream Year was for me. So I filled out the application, hesitated as always, submitted it thinking it would be another disappointment. But there was a different hope for this. I really believe God is moving and moving quickly in our lives and that this would be a lab of sorts for me. A place to refine the vision, sharpen my skills, and put some legs to this dream. And then in December, I got an email that said, "I'm excited to let you know that you made it into Dream Year!" It's hard to contain my excitement. To be chosen is always a wonderful feeling. To know that your dream has some value to it, it awesome. Check out the link above to learn more about Dream Year and the process. I'm sure there will be more Dream Years in the future. You may need to be a part of one.

My dream is still coming together. God has put us in a community and my dream is to see believers serve the community and share the love of Christ as they meet needs. Each of us is gifted and created to serve in a unique way. I want to help people discover the dream God has given them and see them serve with their whole hearts. Lives will be transformed one by one. It may be after school tutoring to help kids succeed in school, GED or vocational training. It may be medical/dental clinics or health screenings. It could be so many things. So do you have a ministry dream? Do you have skills you can share with someone else that just may change their life? Are you ready to walk through life with someone so they can know the grace that you know?

I'm still working on a name for this dream. I'm not sure if I'm building a community center or a foundation or just what it may be. There are mountains ahead of me ready to be climbed. By joining Dream Year, I made a commitment to follow through. This is all about obedience for me. God has placed this on my heart for a reason. I see the pieces coming together for a reason. I can't just say no. I can't let fears get in the way. People need hope. They need Jesus. Getting saved is just the beginning. It's sometimes the easiest part of being a Christian. Walking through life and choosing to live differently because of Jesus is hard. It's not natural. We need people in our lives to help us know the right road to take. Our culture and world throws all kinds of barriers in the way. Let's remove some of the barriers. Let's help break down the strongholds that are keeping people from living abundant lives in God's grace and mercy.

I would love to talk to you about it. I would love to know what your dream is. Let's see God work through us this year.

Who Was I created to be? Working Mom, Stay at Home Mom, or Both

2009-09-23T09:42:00.002-05:00

God has created me to be an artist with too many projects that are uncompleted, a ministry-leading woman with a heart to reach more and vision from God bigger than I can accomplish, a mom who thought she could never be a mom who feels guilty for having to work to be able to pay for the miracles she prayed for, an employee who is vital and valued in a company making a difference in the world, a daughter helping her mom enter her elder years as life changes and the world becomes small again, a mentor helping young women be who God created them to be.

We are confined to time on this side of heaven. And because of that restraint we only see things in a linear way. On a linear perspective it is hard to understand how God can create us to be more than one thing at a time - to have more than one purpose at a time. And in His grace and understanding of that limitation, he gave us seasons. Just as nature has seasons of birth, grow, death, and barrenness, so do our lives. Not just in a single sense of one cycle of the 4 seasons, but in a continual circular never-ending, hinting at eternity, cycle. God sees things at an eternally present way - circular almost not linear. We have multiple purposes, we have seasons of life that lead in different ways to accomplish different things. All those things are who God created us to be. God did not only create me to be a mom. I'm also a wife. I'm also still that woman who was single for years before I met my husband and struggled with dating and how God was going to bring someone into my life. I know I was created to be a mom and a wife but since that has been fulfilled it doesn't erase the time of my life when I was single. I was just as much created for that as I was created to be a mom.

I don't claim to understand why God moves us in and out of season as he does. My seasons are different from yours. God as the great creator made us all unique and that includes our multi-purposes.

More on our Adventure

2009-06-10T14:15:00.002-05:00

We joined FBC Crawfordsville on Easter Sunday convinced that we are home. I think every Sunday we feel more and more at home. What's funny is that I can't point to just one thing or one act by someone that makes us feel that way. It's just something we know.

There are so many needs, so much work that can be done. Who knows where to begin. Praying for God to tell us what to do isn't the answer. Praying for God to help us prioritize is. What should happen first.

God has big plans in store for this little church and almost forgotten little town. I'm excited just thinking about the possibilities of what God can do. High on the priority list is finding people to help serve. Jason is leading worship and needs some musicians to work with him. He could be a free-er leader if he didn't have to think about where his fingers were suppose to be on his guitar. And there are children coming from everywhere. More kids than adults sometimes. And that is wonderful. It's fun to see them run to church from the neighborhood. We need someone to help organize and push the children's ministry. There are great workers there but they need a leader to help them shoulder some of the work and help consolidate the vision.

So if you need a church home and family, or if you need a place to serve (and be served in the process), come join us. If you want to see God at work, come join us. If you want to be apart of something awesome, come join us.

Seven Stanzas at Easter by Updike

2009-04-17T09:19:00.002-05:00

By John Updike

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His Flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that — pierced — died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

Happy Easter

2009-04-09T11:18:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter Y'all. I love this time of year. I love celebrating Easter. It is my favorite holiday of all. For me, all hinges on the Resurrection of Jesus. I love the songs of joy and celebration, the songs of mourning and introspection, and the songs that tell the great story of God's grace. I love celebrating the whole week of Easter. I look forward to when the girls are a bit older and we can have a Seder Supper and celebrate the deeper meanings of this week in our Christian heritage.

It's a great time to reflect back and see the bondage that we are now free from through God's grace and mercy. To look back over the events in our lives and see His hand and how we were delive

red from the destruction and harmful intent of the evil one, reliving the redemption and rescue leaves me in awe.

As I've been looking back on my life and remembering God's grace, I realized it has been 30 years since I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to be my Savior. The journey of 30 years is full of potholes and wrong turns. But it has been guided by a Great Hand of God that never left me and always guided me. What a wonderful Savior!

This month we will also celebrate Kaylee's 3rd birthday. I can't anticipate her birthday without remembering the month before she was born and how sick I became. We lived on grace during that time. Jason probably more than me. I was a bit clueless to just how desperate the situation was with my health. We prayed for grace for the moment and then prayed for the next moment, and the next, and the next.

We've started attending a new church - new to us but not new to the community. We are excited to see that God is at work resurrecting a church. The resurrection begins one life at a time. We are excited to see what God will do next.

What are you celebrating this Easter? What does it mean for you?

God Size Dreams

2009-03-31T14:12:00.000-05:00

We're starting a new adventure and we're not sure for how long or just where it is headed. We have no idea what God has in mind but we know He is leading us down this road. We're leaving a church that has seems to have everything going for it and attending a church that by the numbers and by the looks of it, well, it looks like it has nothing going for it. We have hope to see lives truly transformed by the gospel and by grace. We have hope to see people understanding how great our God is and how rich his grace is. Some of the change will mean taking on new roles. We'll have to learn to linger a little longer to allow for relationships to grow. It means ministering when needed, leading when needed, mentoring when needed, and being a student as well. We'll have to throw away all preconceived ideas of how things should be and be ready to see things as God wants them to be. We'll have to put aside our ideas of what the church should look like and be ready to embrace what the church is. We're leaving something large for something small and probably gaining much more than we can really imagine.

We're reluctant to say we've found home. Jason, this is a surprise, is always skeptical. I just don't want to be disappointed. I've had enough hurt. But we aren't saying we haven't found home either.

There has been something inside me "singing" since we first found this new church as a real possibility. Singing is the best way I can describe it. It's familiar and I avoid it usually. I'm a dreamer by nature. I have a huge imagination and I love to take a idea and follow its possibilities to see all that it can become. This is good and gets me in trouble at the same time. I've learned through many failings to recognize when that singing is just from me and my crazy imagination and desire to do fun and good things and when it is God placing a passion in my heart. It has been hard for me because of past failings in follow through, life, whatever you want to call it, to share the dreams when I know they are from God. I've shared one that has been on my heart along time but it is always with a "when we win the lottery" disclaimer. There are obstacles in the dreams being accomplished and money is a huge one.

So I'm declaring my dreams and we'll see what God will do with them and me.

The first... a ministry retreat for those in the ministry. For whatever reason, Jason and I personally know over 200 ministers - bi vocational, part time, full time, retired, and in hiding. And coming from ministry families and having been on staff at churches, we have a heart for those in ministry. We understand the rough road and how lonely it can be. We want to offer our home to those that need friendship, encouragement, and retreat whether in just everyday life or in crisis. I would love for that home to include lots of property with cabins and a lake. For now, it starts on Wingate Cove. I would love to gather some of our ministry friends together and just let them get to know each other, encourage one another and learn from each other. Ministry can be isolating and lonely. We want to help bridge the gap.

The second...this is a newer one. I would love to see a ministry center open that provides for those that would otherwise have to turn to the government for help. A place that can coordinate emergency housing,clothing and food but also help train people with new job skills, how to dress for interviews, how to interview for jobs, and other educational skills. A place that could provide intervention medical attention and free clinics that could help direct patients to good and affordable health care. And coordinated with all that Bible study and discipleship classes that would help teach healthy standards for living, finances, nutrition, and parenting. I live in one of the poorest counties in the nation at the crossroads of two of the busiest interstates in the nation. A center like this is needed not only for our residents but for those that pass through and there are plenty of people to help and to be helped.

The third....this is the newest and most related to our change in churches and less defined. It would be just like God to use a small, I mean, small church in a country town in a poor county to make a huge impact on the midsouth. When God takes people who are willing to love people and share the gospel and teach them how to live in the grace of Jesus, lives will be changed. I've seen it happen in large churches where it happened like popcorn popping. You couldn't stop it and you couldn't keep up with it once it started. I know God wants to reach the people of my county and the people in Memphis. There is no doubt in my mind that a work truly orchestrated by Him could impact not only Crawfordsville, Marion, and West Memphis but also Memphis and probably a ton of other little towns too. If you need a place to serve, if God has laid it on your heart to serve, come serve with us.

She made me cry

2009-03-21T15:46:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow Jennifer will be...older. I'm not saying how old because I'm 3 months older than she is!

I just wanted to take some moments to tell you about her. If you don't know her, you should. And she would agree.

I met Jennifer when my family moved to Louisiana the summer before my third grade year. My first real memory of Jennifer was when she made me cry. Now, she doesn't remember this, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. I don't remember what she was saying to me in the downstairs bathroom of J.E. Harper Elementary school during recess but it certainly made me cry. And I'm pretty sure Lisa and Wendy were there too! I should say for the record, just about everything and anything could and did and often still makes me cry. After that though, Jennifer and I were friends.

As the years went on, we got to be closer friends and especially spent alot of time together in high school. Oh there are some crazy stories I could tell but that's not the point of this post. What has always stuck out in my mind was that I knew that Jennifer was my friend. Never questioned it. Never needed to. Regardless if I made it difficult to be loved or not, she loved me.

My family moved away from Minden, LA the day after my high school graduation. I started college that fall at Belmont and Jennifer too went off to college. We lost touch through the years. But sometime in the fall of 2002, I got a phone call at home in West Memphis and on the other end was the very familar voice (if you've heard it, you know what I mean) of Jennifer. I don't know how she tracked me down but I'm so glad she found me. She made me cry again. She had gotten married and had a little girl and more than that, Jesus had transformed her life. I was so glad to hear from her again and get reconnected.

The following January, Jennifer's life again changed. She called me to pray. Her daughter was seriously ill after an asthma attack and in ICU. I felt so helpless being so far away from her when all I wanted to do was to be there to hold her up. God kept precious Presley alive. Jennifer's journey through that illness and living with the challenges that Presley now faces is one of rock-soild, firm-rooted Faith. I cried with her and for her during so much of that journey. But recounting it and see her faith in action, well, she makes me cry all over again.

There is so much more to the story of Jennifer. A beautiful tapestry that God is weaving using the good and the bad through the years. I'm glad that I can look at that tapestry and see my threads in her life. It is awesome to be included in such a journey. One day, I believe God will give Jennifer the strength to tell more of her story. He's doing a fine work in her life. And I know, as so many of us have already been blessed by her, that even more will be in the years to come.

Jennifer taught me alot of things...how to cuss (she said to not do it though because it just didn't work for me!), how to use the fine art of sarcasm, that friends aren't separated by race, and most importantly how to love just because of love.

You should know Jennifer. But I warn you, she might just make you cry.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Christy

P.S. I didn't send you a birthday card!

Cries of judgement drown out the whispers of grace

2009-03-21T15:38:00.002-05:00

I can't remember where I found this. I'll try to post the original writers name soon and link to his blog. This is great stuff.

"When God is reduced to our feelings, He becomes less awesome to us while people become larger.

After exhorting us towards honest community and away from comfortable religion - “Religiosity presents no opportunity for people to be sinners,” he read us from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together - he said, “Most people haven’t been affirmed enough to be good repenters.” Put another way, all too often cries of judgement drown out the whispers of grace, and we respond by hiding our failures and forsaking the commandment to confess our sins to one another, an unavoidable facet of true community.

“The greatest lie believed today is that one can know God without being known by someone else.”

Absolutely, I agree. I, too, have been reminded time after time lately for our need for community - for church. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:25"

How often we've heard lately that don't miss church because you'll be sinning. This means you must be at every service and every opportunity the church offers to meet or you will be in sin and leading your children to sin. (Honestly, that a near direct quote!) What this is telling us is that church is US, when we are together. And this is far beyond when we gather for worship services or Bible study. It is about doing life together. It is about not being isolated and living your life that your too busy for a neighbor or a friend or even a stranger. Paul encouraged the new believers to not give up meeting together - don't go back to your old habits - you need one another! Who needs you today?

Great way to describe a church

2009-03-21T15:36:00.002-05:00

I found this on a church website not too long ago and I really like it.

"...where families are hurting, hiding, and hoping for something better. We are excited about the opportunity God has given us to tell them that there is a better, more exciting, more loving life for them in Jesus Christ."

What a great vision for a church?! And isn't that exactly who we should be reaching - the hurting, the hiding, and those hoping for something better! I love it!

What is it gonna take?

2009-03-21T15:23:00.003-05:00

What will transform and change our culture and our churches more than anything is to take seriously the Word of God and live out the greatest commandments.

Matthew 22:35-40

"One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So he tried to test Jesus by asking, "Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?"Jesus answered:Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself." All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments."

It is not about action. Anyone can act loving when they choose to. It is about the reaction! What do you do when you are pushed, and pressured, and hurt? What's down in the well comes up in the bucket! It takes work - work on your heart by the Holy Spirit to transform you and to create in you someone who loves in the reaction. When the church and the community see us handle ourselves with love, that will create change in others.

Perfect Small Group Model

2009-03-21T15:17:00.003-05:00

Small towns/small churches are the perfect community/small group model - everybody knows everybody's business. And while most of the time, this is said as something negative. As Christians we need to see it positively because it is exactly what we are craving - to be known! What we don't want is people talking about our mistakes, making up things about us, hurting our feelings, embarrassing us. So we have to begin to change, one by one - not through some denominationally supported and written program, but one by one, decide to deal with our mistakes and offer grace and love to those that deal honestly with their mistakes.

You Gotta Know about this!!

2009-03-20T14:07:00.005-05:00

The She Speaks Conference sponsored by Provers 31 Ministries is slated to kick off this summer on July 31st in Charlotte, NC. I haven't had the opportunity to attend but have heard AMAZING things about the conference. The speakers and writers that have graduated from the conference are producing incredible works that are expanding the Kingdom and helping women across the country. Visit the She Speaks Conference website and learn more about the conference. You just might need to be there! Whether you are a speaker, writer, blogger or women's ministry leader, this is a place for you. You can also read about an amazing opportunity to win a scholarship to this conference at Lysa TerKeurst's blog.

This conference has been on my heart for a few years. I've not been able to go mostly because we have two toddlers and well, take up most of my time and money. One of the dreams that God has placed on my heart has been writing. I'm not a great writer. I'm not even sure that anyone really wants to read what I have to say. But I cannot get over it. I can't let loose of the idea that the things that God has placed on my heart, the things that He has helped me work out as a part of working out my salvation, those things I believe need to be shared. He's been working on me for sometime now. Polishing up the silver to be used. I still have plenty of dross and rough edges. But He has placed me and my husband on a path that I believe is meant to teach and to mentor and to lead others to see His goodness, His grace, and what freedom in Christ is meant to be.

So what would a conference like this do for me?

One...oh how I miss the fellowship of Christian women. My best girlfriends are spread out around the country and we keep in touch in our virtual community. And my sweet friends that are nearby, we do what we can to keep in touch and keep each other encouraged. But you know, girls need a big ol' slumber party every now and then. The stories of friendships started from this conference are enough to make anyone want to go.

Two...I need help. I've read books on writing books. And that has helped but I would love to have the critique of peers. And honestly, I'm at a place now in my life, by God's healing and by God's grace alone, that I am ready to be critiqued. My confidence in the message that needs to be shared and the knowledge that it will help someone's life is far greater than my pride now. I'm also eager for the advice from those in the publishing industry on what to do next. How do I refine my ideas to reach the target audience and keep them engaged throughout the book? How do I submit my ideas or manuscript to magazines or publishers? Should I self publish or work with an agent to get my manuscript looked at? I have alot of questions. And like I said, the books on writing are helpful. But real life in person help, is priceless.

Three...I would like to learn how to transform my blog into an interactive community and ministry for women, particularly women that are not in a healthy or active church community. A blog would be a great place to cultivate friendships, encourage the hurting, and disciple the learners. Having watched the impact that good blogs, I realize I need to do a better job. I need to be intentional in what I write, how I present the message, and how I care for my readers.

Don't forget to check out Lysa's blog and the Conference Website. If you don't know about this, you gotta know! You probably need to be writing an entry for the scholarship contest and planning on attending the conference, too! Who knows?! We could be roomies for the weekend!!

I would love to hear your comments on my dreams, your dreams, or whatever you need to share today.

Thanks for reading!!

Christy

God Size Dreams

2009-03-20T07:40:00.002-05:00

Boxes

2008-03-14T10:33:00.008-05:00

Boxes can be useful. They help to keep things organized. They are good at preventing clutter. Presents often come in boxes.

Boxes can also be irritating or bad. Sometimes we open a box, and cannot fit the contents back into it afterwards. We’ve all heard the phrase "opening Pandora’s box."

Many Christians today have tried to put God in a box. We think we can clearly define His nature. We think we can understand Him. We’ve (wrongly) given God attributes that are based on our limited understanding. The Creator of all is beyond our comprehension. "For now we see through a mirror, dimly..." Why do we assume that the Infinite can be categorized by the finite?

My family and I are now part of a Baptist church where "tradition" is revered, if not worshiped. We are at this church because this is where God has led us. He hasn’t given us the "ok" to leave, despite that we are not happy. Being in God’s will is not about happiness...and this is a difficult lesson to learn. God is not a genie in a bottle, of which we are the master. It doesn’t work that way. Service to the King is not full of "ifs." Either we are in His will, or we are not. Either we are serving Him, or we’re not. He will not be mocked.

In our current church, God has been put into a box of tradition. He is expected to respond and act in "traditionally accepted" ways. If something is proposed that falls outside of those "traditionally accepted" things, it is summarily rejected. There are no new ideas that are acceptable, unless they come from the headquarters of the SBC in Nashville and someone has written it into a program. Don’t question things...ever. Do what your parents did, and your grandparents, and their parents before them, and so on. Just go along, be part of the program. It was good enough for your parents’ generation, it should be good enough for you. Believe what you’re told from a pulpit because it’s easier than thinking for yourself.

Tradition is not bad, in and of itself. My contention is that when tradition becomes something we hide behind, and more important than the work God has set before us, it couldn’t be more evil.

When we were asked to help bring the church out of the 1960's (technologically speaking), we offered to do whatever we could. Once we started making suggestions, we were told (concerning worship services), "We don’t want them to become so produced that we inhibit the spontaneous nature of the Holy Spirit." That is just an excuse to keep things status quo. I haven’t seen a truly spontaneous movement of anyone, including the Holy Spirit, since we joined this church. We haven't suggested anything outrageous...simply ways to streamline things and have the services run like they were not just thrown together.

People are generally afraid of change and that’s why we like our boxes. They’re safe. We reject the idea of anything different. Rejecting change leads to stagnation. That always leads to complacency. Jesus told the church of Laodicea (Rev 3:15-16) "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish you were either cold or hot. Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." You see, it’s easier to put God in a box and try to limit what He can, and will do. What if, just for the sake of argument, God wanted us to reach the lost and dying world in which we live? If we choose to stay inside the box we’ve created for our churches, we will never reach anyone. That is why the church is now failing to effectively reach people with the Gospel. The church, as a whole, has failed to adapt. We are making great strides overseas, but our next-door neighbors are going to hell. We’ll send people to Africa, but not on the other side of the railroad tracks. We do not know how to meet people where they are any more. People today want to be part of a community, but the church (in general) will not accept "outsiders." At the same time, the church has become more of a country club; a place to network and commune with those in our same social status.

Basically, my point is this: can you see if there is a box around you? If so, does that box inhibit God’s movement in your life? Does it inhibit your effectiveness in reaching others for Christ? Personally, I’m trying to identify all of the boxes in my life and eliminate them. I don’t want to limit God, in my life or in anyone else’s.

Jason

Welcome to My Blog

2008-03-08T14:34:00.003-06:00

My name is Christy and I'm a blogger. I hope you will take some time to read the posts. Most of what I write about is about my journey with my Savior. I've learned alot along the way and just have to share. I would love to hear what you have learned along your journey in life. I'll be sharing some more soon. Thanks for visiting.

Leave me a comment or two. I would love to hear from you!

Corn Pudding Recipe

2008-03-08T11:02:00.004-06:00

My friend Lysa...Well, Lysa is one of my favorite bloggers. I feel like she's a friend because I've gottent to know her so well through her blog. Truth is she doesn't have a clue who I am (well, she may remember some of my crazy comments left on her blog). Anyway, she may not be able to call me friend, but she is mine nonetheless.

My friend Lysa is hosting a Recipe Swap and Hop at her place http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/. Feel free to join in. Add a recipe to your blog, go to her blog, add your link to her list and visit the others on the list. Be sure to link back to her blog so people can find the other recipes too.

This recipe is super easy and my family loves it.

Corn Pudding

1 can of sweet corn

1 can of cream corn

1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 stick of butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Use the stick of butter to grease a square casserole dish. Be sure to get the sides good too. Empty the contents of the Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix in the dish. Add the can of cream corn. Drain off the excess liquid in the sweet corn and add to the dish. Mix well and pat out to cover the casserole. It will be lumpy. Add the remaining butter to the casserole by slices until you have added all the butter. You'll want to mix some of it down into the casserole. Bake for about 30 -45 minutes at 350 degrees until set and knife inserted comes out almost clean. The longer you bake it the drier it will be.

SNOW

2008-03-08T10:14:00.003-06:00

We got 4.5 inches of snow in West Memphis on Friday!! And even better, there wasn't layers of ice underneath it. Just SNOW! It's the biggest snow in a long time. Kaylee enjoyed it alot. She cried when it was time to come inside.

I'm sure there will be more pictures when we get out in sometime Saturday. Right now it still isn't above freezing so I think we'll wait a little while.

The Gift or The Giving

2008-02-21T05:55:00.001-06:00

We have struggled financially all of our married life - being self employed is difficult. We committed to living as close to a cash basis life as possible. We committed to being as debt free as possible. We committed to being generous as God blesses us. We haven't always made the wisest money decisions. We haven't seen an abundance of money flowing our way. We have seen time after time after time that God provides. We have learned to be obedient when God says give - we give. The blessings of that have been so much fun for us. We have loved been able to bless someone else that was in need. We wouldn't necessarily know the scope of the need but we knew God wanted us to give. We recently have been on the other side of that blessing. We have been the ones who were blessed. It was odd, overwhelming, and just outrageous. Now that will preach! 3 points - all beginning in "O"! It was beyond words explaining how God would use other people to reach out to us. People we would have never expected to help us in a tough financial time. And all I can say is thank you!

We've been in Chapters 3 and 4 of Genesis for the last couple of weeks in our Sunday School class. Recently we were looking at the offerings of Cain and Abel, it was so clear to see the theme of relationship emerging even more. God wants that with us more than anything. The difference in Cain and Abel's offerings was the difference in their approach to God. It wasn't that Abel's offering was any better than Cain's. It was that Cain's was not from the "first" of what he had. Giving from the "first" of what he had shows the importance that is placed on the relationship with God. I don't know about you, but that just kicks me in the stomach. Takes the breath right out of me as I realize that I dutifully give but I also selfishly give after I've taken. It isn't about the amount or the "best-ness" of what I give - it is about how I give. And how I give is a picture of my relationship with God.

Even though we have committed to being generous and being obedient to when God tell us to give, I will admit it is really tough. It is tough give money away when you don't have enough in the bank to cover all your bills. And that's when my relationship with God is really tested. Is He who I say He is in my life? My reluctancy to give and my disobedience in giving says alot about how I view Him and how I treat Him in my life.

There are so many lessons in this for us...for anyone. What I think God is teaching me is

1. Live a life of belief. Live as you are believing that God is who He says He is. Live as you are believing that He will provide for you. Most likely, He already has. Trust Him to do the work.

2. Expect the unexpected. God is a very creative God. He will bless you in ways you will not expect. I think He loves to surprise us!

3. Stop comparing my offering with other's. You see later in the story that Cain was quickly caught up in the "why do you like my brother more" pity party. God graciously warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door but that warning wasn't heeded. And you know the rest of the story. Looking at others and ourselves will only lead us away from the real problem. The real problem is the fracture in our relationship with God.

I would love to hear how God has blessed you and what other lessons you think are wrapped up in this discussion.

Thanks for reading!

Christy

Great News

2008-02-07T09:35:00.000-06:00

My cousin Cindy has been battling cancer. Here is the latest update from her husband, Stan.

" We went to the Oncologist today to get the results of the CT scan from Jan. 30. There is no sign of cancer what-so-ever. The lymph glands are back to normal size, and only the parts that are expected to be there have shown up. The doctor told us word for word.........."this is truly amazing"...... She said she had radiologists look all the scans over, more than once just to be absolutely sure. She even re-emphasized "amazing". The down side right now is that Cindy has pneumonia in all of her right lung. But, compared to cancer, that's nothing. She started taking some antibiotics tonight. The next step right now is to have another Esophageal scope done Thursday, as well as an appointment with one of the Neurologists at Barnes. This is in an attempt to decide it the neurological problems are permanent or not. The area of her esophagus that was burned so bad with the radiation is still not working. That may require a stint to be permanently implanted there so she can eat. Her muscles twitch and jump constantly and her eyesight has been affected. She now stands at a robust 116 pounds. She has to start eating something on a regular basis. We will be getting a phone call this week to schedule 10 radiation treatments on her brain. This is a preventative measure to kill off any cancer cells that may be "hiding out" there, since chemotherapy doesn't affect the brain. That makes us both a little nervous. Imagine that. We've had a front row seat to the hand of God performing a miracle, and we're still "nervous" about something. "Thanks" is not nearly enough to say to everybody who has prayed for her d during this past few months. We've seen it work.

Like Stan said, Thanks for praying with us. Cindy still needs your prayers.

When the Church Disappoints You

2008-02-01T08:54:00.000-06:00

I think it is safe to say that we've all been there. And it is to be expected. The Church, made up of imperfect, sinful people, will at some point hurt you, disappoint you, and maybe even try to kill you.

I'm not going to get into the details of my recent disappointments. I'm afraid in a public forum that will only cause more hurt and pain. That is not my intention. I do want to begin to discuss how the Church can rise above where we are. How can we begin to truly form community and care for one another? I believe that it is when we do this within "the walls" that we will be able to reach out to those in our neighborhoods and love them into the arms of Christ. That is really our job. To love them into the arms of Christ.

But what do we when the Church disappoints us or hurts us?

1. Realize that the Church is not God. We can not project our hurt and disappointment onto God. God is not the source of the hurt and disappointment - our brothers and sisters are. Many people leave the church and give up on God all together. Don't let yourself get to that point.

2. Do everything we can to deal with the situation Biblically. That means going to God first with that disappointment and hurt. Deal with it there first. Sometimes dealing with God is all that is needed. Sometimes He can whisper back to you the words to heal your heart. And sometimes that may also mean going to those that hurt and offended you and making reconciliation.

3. Take the time to be introspective and let God reveal your part in the situation. Maybe your expectations are not realistic. Maybe you are making a standard that God doesn't need you to make. Be honest with God and let Him show you somethings about your own heart.

4. Talk honestly with the leadership in your Church. There may be bigger issues that need to be dealt with.

5. You worship.

That's my list so far. But what do you do next? What do you do when the situation doesn't get better? What do you do when the disappointments continue? What do you do when the loneliness from the superficial community physically hurts? The only answer I have come up with is to - taken from the instructions on my shampoo bottle this morning - Rinse and Repeat. Hmmm... that just might preach, my friends.

I guess we just start over with number 1 on my list and keep working my way down.

Obviously, I'm speaking from personal experience. We just don't know what to do. We've asked alot questions...did we hear God wrong when He said to come to this church? Is there something wrong with us? Is there something wrong in the church? Is it time to move on to a new church? Is it time to work with a church plant? We just have lots of questions. So I'm back to rinse and repeat.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Church Life and how you deal with it.

She Speaks Conference Scholarship Contest

2008-01-31T11:33:00.000-06:00

You can find out more about the She Speaks Conference Scholarship Opportunity at this link

http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2008/01/win-scholarship-to-she-speaks-2008.html.

You can read more about my interest in the conference and some general information in my post titled "Time to Start Getting Serious... NO! Time to Be Serious". Enjoy!!!

Bumper Sticker Theology: Which would you prefer?

2008-01-31T11:08:00.000-06:00

You've seen it...one of my least favorite bumper stickers: When God closes a Door He opens a Window.

I'm sure it was written with the best intentions to encourage people to keep going...God has something better for you. But it is just plain wrong. And besides that, it's not right!

Think about it this way...today when you come home from work or from picking up the kids at school, would you prefer to enter your home through the door or through the window? Of course, the door is how we want to enter our home. But it is also how God intends for us to enter into His Will for us. Why would He ever want us to use a window? Who enters through a window? Usually only thieves and people locked out! Have you ever had to crawl through a window to get into your house because you were locked out. I did one time while I was in college. The window was small (very close to the same size of my hips) and it was just a bit taller than I could easily reach. Thankfully there was a crate near by to stand on. Did I mention I was by myself, pre-cell phone days, in the rain, at night? Anyway, the crate on the rain soaked ground wasn't a great idea. But I did manage to make my way through the window although a bit muddy, scratched up and very glad that no one could see me. It was not very lady-like. And my roommate showed up 10 minutes later. God doesn't want us entering anything He has prepared for us with such antics, struggles, or indignity.

God certainly may close a door. But when He does our response should not be to try to find a window to get in through. He closed the door for a reason. He has another plan. He has another door open for us.

So maybe the better thought is to wait on the Door Opener to go before us and prepare the way. In Revelation 3:8, the Lord puts the open door before us . We see throughout the Bible how God goes before His people to prepare the way and open the door to what He has for them.

I would love to hear how you have learned this lesson as well. You can share your bumper sticker theology thoughts too.

Thanks for reading!

Striving is good, isn't it?

2008-01-31T11:00:00.000-06:00

Be still and know….be still and know that I am God. I’ve heard the verse all my life. Psalm 46:10. You probably have too. We all probably have it somewhere on a t-shirt, a card, a bookmark, bumper sticker, and probably a paper weight or two has been given for gifts that have that verse etched on it. A nice reminder. Be still and know that I am God. How many times has it been just a reminder? Honestly for me, it is just that… a nice reminder. I do know and understand that He is God. I understand what it means to be still…for a time. I understood what be still meant one Sunday morning when my Daddy was preaching and well... that’s another story. I really like the idea. I want to be still. I have so much to do… I have two babies at home…How can you be still with an 18month old on the loose? And it begins to wear on me, the pressures of life mound up around me, and I cry out for rest. But, I remember, I have been still. I’m still before God each day for a quiet time. I’m still before God every Sunday for worship. I did learn that lesson, by the way. It doesn't seem like it is enough.

I was visiting a friend in the hospital. A sudden heart problem brought his life to a halt instantly. He told me that it took this heart problem, a life threatening problem, to get his attention. He was forced to be still. We talked about God and scripture and particularly Psalm 46:10. But he mentioned it in different way. Sometimes reading the same verse we’ve read for years is brought to new life for us by reading it in a different translation. In the New American Standard Version of the Bible, Psalm 46:10 reads a bit differently than what most of us memorized. It says, “Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” Cease striving… Huh?! Cease striving. That opened my eyes to see my life so differently. Cease striving...

To strive after something is looked at as noble…a good thing to do. The dictionary defines the word strive as to devote serious effort or energy. That sounds like a good thing to do. We applaud strong work ethic, and serious efforts of students, and athletes, and business men and women. We applaud the serious efforts and energy put forth to maintain our schedules. But then the second definition, probably the better definition says the word strive means to struggle in opposition. The word is derived from the words meaning to quarrel, to fight, to contend. Our word for strife is from the same derivative. Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Oh, I was striving…I was seeing quickly how my serious efforts were actually works in opposition of really knowing that He is God. My mind was suddenly flooded with thoughts. He was telling me….Maybe he’s telling all of us…

Cease striving after the next big deal at work and know that I own the cattle on the hills

Cease striving to find the money to pay the bills and know that I am Your Faithful Provider

Cease striving to have to the perfect high school resume for colleges and know that I am the Open Door. I will provide the way.

Cease striving to find the perfect spouse and know that I am Your Bridegroom

Cease striving to cover up the mess of my life with bandages and make up and know that I am Your Healing.

Cease striving to follow the right career path and know that I am Your Shepherd; I will guide you

Cease striving to be accepted and know that I am Your Father and I have covered you with grace

Those verses say so much to us individually but they also speak to us as a church…Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

What are we doing that is in opposition, or contending, or causing strife….What should cease? He will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth. He wants us to join Him in that. We don’t want to miss it.

Cease striving…Be still….know that I am God.

What we learned from Anniversaries

2008-01-31T10:49:00.000-06:00

The last week of April is an interesting week of anniversaries for us. It was a year ago April 24th that after a check up at the doctors office, I was told that I needed to have more tests done and would need to be hospitalized for at least 24 hours for the test. We were overwhelmed to say the least when the doctor told us we might be delivering a baby that week. God in His precious provision gave us wonderful doctors that made such timely decisions with Kaylee’s health and mine. I was getting very sick very quickly. And at the end of the 24 hour test, we did get the news that we would be having a baby the very next day. And then the whirlwind really started. Kaylee was born on April 26th at 5:11 p.m. weighing 3 lbs and 11 oz and just 16 ¼ inches long. She was perfect, just tiny.

Here we are a year later, Kaylee is still perfect and although she has grown so much, she is still tiny compared to her cousins. Our motto throughout the pregnancy with Kaylee was “God made her. God will take care of her. God will pay for her.” And he has! And he still is! Some of those bills were huge!

And here we are a year later, pregnant again and facing some of the very same health issues. Our motto should be the same. Just as we were when we found out we were pregnant again, we are mostly speechless.

I found it interesting that Jason and I were shocked that God not only provided a HUGE miracle in creating and giving us Kaylee but He created Elisha too. At a time when weren’t trying to get pregnant, He saw fit for us to be parents again. We hoped for more children but were fairly resigned to the idea that Kaylee was to be our only miracle. Why in the world would we think that God would provide only one miracle?

I don’t think the mountains that we are facing today are any bigger than the ones we were facing with Kaylee. But it feels that way some days. I don’t think that my faith is any less. But maybe it is and I just don’t want to admit it.

Now this next part is mostly for my benefit but maybe you need to hear the same thing today…

This is the truth:
God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If I can say He provided a miracle in caring for me and Kaylee last year, then the same will be true this year. He has made Elisha; He will take care of her (and me!) and He will provide for all of us as we need. And even the next time the mountains surrounding us looking very familiar and daunting, the truth remains the truth. He can and will provide for us again!

God hears and cares for our every need. We firmly believe that it is through the power of prayer that God acts on our behalf. We believe in sharing our needs for prayer. If only one of you joins us in praying, we know God will hear and that prayer will make a difference. No matter what the need, no matter how small it may feel or no matter how tall the mountains seem - He cares.

God will fight for us. He knows the plan and is working out the details right now. I just need to be still. My favorite translation of Psalm 46:10 is “Cease striving and Know that I am God.” Cease striving says so much more to me than “Be still”. How much am I striving for today? I just need to rest in His promise that He is God. But that's another post coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

Time to Start Getting Serious...No! Time to BE Serious

2008-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

Many of you have known for along time of my mini and many spurts of writing. Many of you suffered through rambling emails that I wrote late at night while working a midnight shift. The addition of two babies to our household in the last two years has slowed the efforts but not the desire. My heart's desire to write and to speak is hard to describe. Many times I don't feel as if I have anything worthwhile to share but yet, I feel that I must. For those of you that have quietly read and not marked my emails as spam, I am very grateful. You have been guinea pigs in my experiment. This blog is the next level. We'll see where it goes. My prayer is that the words that encourage me in my heart and in my mind can be translated into "real" words to encourage you as you walk with the Lord.

And although this blog is a big step, there is an even greater opportunity available. Many of you are already encouraged through the daily devotionals and minsitries of Proverbs 31 ministries. They also sponsor and lead a conference every year called She Speaks. The conference is for writers, speakers, and ministry leaders. The conference is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in writing, speaking or leading in the area of women's ministry to gather together to learn more, hone their skills, and be encouraged to do what God has placed on their hearts. You can find out more information about the conference by following this link : http://www.shespeaksconference.com/. The awesome opportunity is that they are giving away a scholarship this weekend. What a blessing that would be! They will be reading blogs and entries this weekend. The winner of the scholarship will be announced next week. I'll keep you updated on that.

I have known about the conference for a couple of years. We've never been in a place financially for me to be able to attend and having two babies took priority also. It's been on my heart very heavily this year. As Jason and I have both been pondering where God wants us, what He's doing with us...we both keep coming back to writing. I believe God has a plan for us to share our story and our lives. I just can't imagine how we go from here to there - wherever there is. Maybe this conference is starting point for me. Maybe this blog will be that as well.

I'll be posting some of my random thoughts soon. (They have to have something to read by February 1st!) I would love to hear your comments!