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Monday, June 3, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 8: Gentleness


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Day number 8 of our journey through Galatians 5:22-23 is here!  Today we touch on gentleness.  If you missed any of the first 7 days of this series make sure you check it all out HERE.

I think one of the most challenging "spiritual virtues" that we have touched on in this series so far is the one we're discussing today...gentleness.  It's challenging in the sense that describing gentleness or rather defining what it means isn't really an easy task!  After all...what does it really mean to be "gentle" anyways?!?!

Take a moment to ponder the question - what does being "gentle" look like? - and see how you would define it.  

What comes to mind?

When I think "gentle" I naturally think little fluffy kittens, but hey that's just me.  Hopefully you had something a little more defining in the sense of our own human gentleness come to mind!

In the broader sense of gentleness I think we get a glimpse of how God demonstrates gentleness every single to our very own beings when we look at the way he loves us.  The way he loves on us, shows patience towards us, and gently molds us into who He created us to be is an incredible picture of gentleness.    

Gentleness can most beautifully be shown when we are embodying the previous fruits of the Spirit that we have talked about here.  When we are embodying love, patience, kindness, goodness, all those things, we tend to have this gentle ambiance radiating from us.  In the same way that the Lord actively practices those virtues and shows gentleness in His works, we too can do the same as we learn to embody all the Fruits of the Spirit and begin to practice them in our own lives.  

Being patient and kind and loving on those around us is the first step to becoming "gentle".  Are you starting to see how it all comes together?!

To walk around with a loving, open, God serving heart, we start to naturally relate to others in a more gentle way; not judgmental, not "I'm better than you", not dominance, not anything but just gentle, humble, love for one another in Christ Jesus. 

Sounds like a wonderful thing doesn't it?  

What is one step that you can take today to begin living with a more gentle heart and life?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23


 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 7: Faithfulness


Big hearts.
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Hello day seven!  We've moved along through Galatians 5:22-23 discussing the different Fruits of the Spirit and now find ourselves ready to discuss the seventh Fruit of the Spirit; faithfulness.  Missed the first 6 days?  Check them out using this link here:  Fruity Spirits Series

Faithfulness...what a big word.

Faithfulness can be applied to many different things in life.  

A few things that faithfulness can be attributed to are:
  • A husband to his wife (and vice-versa!)
  • A dog to its owner (that's how the old saying goes at least, isn't it?)
  • A parent to their child
  • God to us
  • An employee to their long standing employment at a certain job
  • To our friends
  • Faithfulness to.........you get the point, lots of different things!
With so many things that faithfulness can be attributed to we often forget that we are even practicing the art of being "faithful"!  

The best example of faithfulness though is God's faithfulness to us.  Not only does God say He is faithful; He proves it each and every day.  He means what he says.  He never leaves us.  He is THAT faithful.

So here's a challenge question for you:

Are we being as faithful to God as He is being to us?  

God doesn't walk away from us when times get tough.
He is always faithful.
God doesn't just say that He is going to be faithful to us.
He is always faithful.
God isn't only faithful when He feels like it.
He is always faithful.

...So why then do we choose when to be faithful and mostly only do it when we feel like it or when we have nothing left but to give God our most faith?

Let us truly be faithful to God and never leave His side just as He never leaves ours!

Allow us to practice faithfulness in all aspects of our lives (work, play, relationships, etc.) but let us start by first and more importantly living out our faithfulness to God!  

It's not a matter of "I'll be faithful later" or "God wouldn't really like to see me like this, so I'll just come back to him in a minute"....NO.  Make faithfulness the unending bond between you and Jesus.  God deserves back what He shows to us every single moment of every single day, and though the list of those things is endlessly long...faithfulness is one of them.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Wicked Inspiring | Zach Sobiech





"...I want everyone to know, you don't have to find out you're dying to start living." -Zach Sobiech

As did many others, I began watching this video with no intentions of sitting through the entire 22 minutes of it......but you guessed it.....22 minutes later I found myself still watching.  Zach's outlook on life is so inspiring.  His story is a reminder to all that we need to live in the present and enjoy life while we can.  Things can happen so fast and change everything in the blink of an eye.  Take a moment to sit back and be inspired by Zach Sobiech and then make the decision to start living because life is a gift from God and oh so fragile and that's something that I know I sure take for granted much too often.   



 

Fruity Spirits Day 6: Goodness

www.facebook.com/naeemcallaway
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 After a brief hiatus here we are back on track for day 6 of the fruity spirits series.  Reading on in Galatians 5:22-23 we arrive at the sixth fruit of the spirit; goodness.  Missed the first 5 days?  No worries!  Check them out by clicking HERE.

Goodness.  Answering the question "what does it mean to be GOOD?" is not an easy task.  We initially attribute being "good" as what keeps us out of trouble.  But again, what DOES that MEAN? How do we do it?! Being "good" can be done in SO many different ways and can mean SO many different things to so many different people.  In the eyes of a kindergartener being good means sharing, being nice, and using manners.  For a full-grown adult being good looks a whole lot different. 

Tackling the task of stating what exactly it means to be good is one that cannot simply be done in a few mere words.  If something can be stated in just a few simple words it's this:  God is good.  Not only is God good...He is good ALL THE TIME.  

So maybe this post is going in a little bit of a different direction that the previous posts.  The way I look at, who am I to sit here and tell you how to be "good"?  I can only tell you what I know, and that's the fact that there is no better example of goodness than God's goodness.  

No matter what happens in our lives, no matter how disappointed we get, no matter how upset we are, hurt, mad, sad, or confused, we can assuredly rest in the fact that God is STILL good.  

There is no circumstance in life that can change the fact that He is good.

That problem you're facing?  God is still good.
That disappointing news you just received?  God is still good.
That devastation you feel?  God is still good.
The hurt you feel?  God is still good.
Whatever it may be...God is STILL GOOD.

Here's the thing with God's goodness...it doesn't go away, it doesn't change, it always remains.  It doesn't grow weaker; only stronger.  He isn't good only when He feels like being good.  He's always good.  He's constant.  He's consistent.  He doesn't change.  He's even good when we aren't.

Imagine if we were the same in our behaviors.  Imagine if we were good, all the time.  Never disobedient to God's leading and the life He set out before us.  

What would that look like?

Challenge Question:  What does "being good" look like to you?  How would you define it?


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23

 

Friday, April 26, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 5: Kindness

Always.
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 Well hello and welcome to day 5 of our 9 day journey through the fruits of the spirit!  Today we talk about kindness as we march on through Galatians 5:22-23.  If you missed any of the first 4 days of this series be sure to check them out using these links:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience.

Today as we reflect on kindness and what it means to be genuinely kind I want to take a moment to think about kindness.  

What IS kindness?  

When I think about kindness I personally think first and foremost about generosity.  I think of kindness as an outpouring of happiness and love.  Kindness is a universal tool that can be shown through so many different mediums.  Kindness can show through our words, our actions, and even our thoughts!

How would YOU define kindness?

Take a moment to check out this previous post about kindness as it ties in PERFECTLY with today's fruit of the spirit (click the link):  RANDOM KINDNESS

Kindness goes beyond the random acts of kindness, kindness is a way of life.  Choosing a life of kindness is choosing to live not for yourself.  

Kindness can manifest itself with something as simple as a smile...give it a try!  

Here's a challenge for you:  For an entire day make the conscious decision to be aware of little bits of kindness.  How much kindness can you spot in your day to day life?  It can be your own kindness that you are outpouring or it can be the kindness of others you observe.  Keep track and see just how many accounts of kindness you can see in an entire day - I think you'll be surprised!  Remember no act of kindness is too small!  

Take a serious look at your own life...not only in the random acts of kindness department...but in the overall kindness department.  Are you a kind person?  Are your words, thoughts, actions, and motives kind?  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23

  

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 4: Patience

Patience Quote
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Greetings to day number four out of nine of our Fruity Spirits series!  The journey in Galatians 5:22-23 continues today as we talk about the word no one really enjoys hearing...patience.  If you missed any of the previous day check them out using these links:  Day 1  Day 2 Day 3

Let's be honest...whether you're 5 or 95 you're not really fond of the term "patience".  Nobody likes waiting and nobody REALLY enjoys being patient...if you do then I admire you greatly!

Patience is so universal in our lives when it comes to WHAT we have to be patient with.  Sometimes its a person, sometimes its ourselves, sometimes it's God....the possibilities are endless.  Patience comes in all ways, shapes, forms, and not always at the opportune time.

Whether you're 7 and have a REALLY cool story to tell your mom but instead are tested in patience when you find out that she is having a conversation on the phone or you're 87 and you're asked to be patient as you wait for your prescriptions at the pharmacy...no matter how old you are you've experienced SOME kind of situation where PATIENCE was asked of you.

As Christians walking in a relationship with Christ we are often tested in our patience, especially our patience in God's timing.  Learning to have patience in the Lord's timing is a task that I am starting to become convinced takes a lifetime to acquire.  Unfortunately, I think learning to be patient means using a great deal of patience (uh-oh....).

I'm hopeful though because I am almost positive that I am not the first person to ever struggle sometimes with being patient in God's timing. 

So what do we do when we're over here being all patient waiting on the Lord and His timing?!

We worship.
We work.
We serve.
We praise God.

Living patiently in the Lord's timing is saying "While I wait Lord, I'm going to serve you.  I'm going to work and I'm going to praise you.  All while I wait...patiently!"  

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..."
- Psalm 37:7

 
This song says it all perfectly:

 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 3: Peace

Don't worry... About a thing...
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Here we are on day three of our nine day journey through the fruits of the spirits series entitled "Fruity Spirits".  If you missed the first two days take a moment to check them out now:  Day 1: Love , Day 2: Joy  Today we move on in Galatians 5:22-23 and discuss peace!

PEACE.  

If you're thinking along the same lines as me you most definitely just pictured a bunch of hippies with their two fingers up in the air declaring the peace sign.  Or maybe you thought of peace on a completely different level and wafted off to a peaceful place in your mind where you were spending an afternoon snoozing in the hammock....seriously though lets chill for a second and for the sake of this post talk about peace on a more literal sense.

Let's talk about peace as a trait of our character.
Let's talk about peace as a way of life.
Let's talk about BEING at peace.
Let's talk about living IN peace.

To be at peace it means we have no worries, no second thoughts, no apprehensions about what may come.  Being at peace is knowing full well that God has it ALL under control.  

Peace is the ability to rise in the morning, lay our heads on the pillow at night, and fill all the moments in between by saying "it is well with my soul".  

Peace is knowing IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY.

Peace is saying "God there's so many things in my life that I should be scared to death about but because of your precious hand on my life I can breathe and know that there is no need to worry because YOU HAVE A PLAN".  

Being at peace is having full confidence in God's plan for your life.
Being at peace is having no doubts that there IS a plan for your life.
Being at peace is having awareness that there IS a BIGGER PICTURE.

Being at peace is saying "God whatever comes my way I'm trusting that you have a plan".  
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

We begin to live peacefully when we are at peace with the realization that God's hand guides our path, not our own.  God's plan overrules ours.  And whatever comes our way, must be for the glory of God...somewhere, somehow, all in the bigger picture that only God can see.

Laying our burdens, worries, and fears down and saying "God, I trust you." is the first step to living a peace filled life.

" For our God is not a God of disorder but of peace."
- 1 Corinthians 14:33 

I urge you and challenge you to examine your own life and ask yourself, am I living IN peace?  Is it well with MY soul?

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you."
- 2 Thessalonians 3:16
 
And finally, since we've talking about peace so much it just wouldn't feel right to end this post any other way....

Peace out! 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23 



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 2: Joy


Joy
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Welcome to day number two of the Fruity Spirits series!  If you missed day one make sure you check it out here:  Day 1: Love  Today we venture on in Galatians 5:22-23 by spending some time discussing the second fruit of the spirit...Joy!  

When I hear the word Joy there is definitely some catchy song lyrics that pop into my mind almost immediately:  
"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart
WHERE?!
Down in my heart
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart
WHERE?!
Down in my heart to stay!" 

...Now that that's out of my system....

Take a moment to think about joy and what it means to you.

What brings YOU joy?

When I ask myself that question I find my mind suddenly getting flooded with a thousand-million (yes I quite possibly could have just made that number up) different things. So many simple little things bring joy to my heart and I'm sure there are many things that do the same for you!

 But now here's the tough question...how can you have a joyful heart?

I think for the sake of this post its safe to say that having a joyful heart and a joyful attitude all stems from the way you look at things.  Being joyful is not only a feeling or emotion but rather a perspective in which you see the world and the things you do.

Quite possibly the best way to achieve this perspective is through the truth that Colossians 3:23 speaks:  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." 
 
When we begin to do the activities of our lives not for the sake of the world but for the sake of the Lord we begin to see things through a new perspective.  We begin to find a new joy in the activities that once seemed so mundane and unrewarding. 

Joy is more than a feeling, joy is a way of life.  Joy is an active decision to embrace the little things in life and embrace where you're at.  Joy is doing life not for your sake or for the sake of others but for the sake of the Lord.  Joy is being content.  Joy is knowing that each moment plays a role in the bigger picture.  Joy is happiness in knowing the Lord has a plan for your life.  Joy is what we feel, joyful is what we are, when we're doing it all for the Lord.

So the question is....

What brings you joy?  

I want to know what brings you joy (hobbies, activities, babies laughing, green grass growing, you name it!)!  It might be something simple, something funny, something ordinary, something crazy, or maybe even something you didn't even realized brings you joy.  Leave a comment and let me know what brings you joy!  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23


 
Focus on what brings you joy
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Monday, April 22, 2013

Fruity Spirits Day 1: Love

LOVE never fails
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Fruity Spirits Introduction:  Over the course of the next nine days we will be walking through Galatians 5:22-23 which talks about the fruit of the Spirit:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  If you counted the same way I did that's nine "fruits" of the spirit, and since we're blogging for the next nine days...you guessed it...we will be elaborating on one "fruit" each day.  Today we kick things off with the first "fruit"....love!  

What is love? What does it mean to love?  What does it look like to truly love?

Love can be described using a lot of different words like commitment, chemistry, longing, etc. 

Biblically speaking there's no better way to describe it than this:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails."  - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

There is no better story of love than the act of God found in the Bible.  "This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live, through him.  This is love:  not that we loved God, but the he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:9-10 

If THAT doesn't speak true love to you then take a moment to flip through the pages of your Bible and view story after story of how Jesus loved.  Talk about endless love!

God's love is a love that never fails, never goes away, and is endless.  

So how do we love like God?  How do we embrace this whole "loving" thing as part of one of the fruits of the spirit? 

May I suggest you go back and re-read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 again.  

Ephesians 5:2 says "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

You've heard it before...WWJD...let's think WWJD when it comes to the question of asking how to love more like God.  

"And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love." 
- 1 Cortinthians 13:13 

To go along with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and defining what love looks like here's a great way to wrap it all up - make sure you listen:  


...And make sure to remember that love never fails, God is love, and God NEVER fails!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
- Galatians 5:22-23 

Want more on love?  Check out this previous post all about love by clicking HERE. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

HE WANTS YOU!

i want you.
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"I want THAT one.  The broken one.  I WANT him.  I don't NEED him, I WANT him."

There can be a sea of Christians and children of God and one single lost soul amongst the crowd and God is going to point them out and say "I want THAT one.  I NEED that one."

Jesus searches out the broken, the wrecked, the ones in need of a love so immaculate words can't even begin to describe it and he tells them He wants - NEEDS - them in His family.

This blows my mind!

A God who has all things looks down at me and you in our imperfections, weaknesses and insecurities and say's "I want you in my family!  I need you in my family.  I would do anything to get you into my family!  Come child, come join me.  Be a part of my family for ever and always."

Jesus doesn't need us, He WANTS us.  He looks at us in our weaknesses and failures and STILL WANTS us.  He WANTS us in His family no matter how bad we mess up, He WANTS us!

The question is...how are you going to respond to His desire for you to be in His family?


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Dig Baby, Dig!



There's nothing on earth like digging in the dirt!
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If you've ever taken a history class you've heard all about archaeologists.  If I know one thing about archaeologists it's this:  they like to dig.  They love to dig and find things that no one has yet discovered.  They ultimately dig to find things of value; things that mean something!  

I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "archaeologist" I immediately think of someone out at the bottom of mammoth whole in the ground digging up dinosaur bones or something of the sorts somewhere.  Maybe that's not accurate but you get the point.

If an archaeologist was to sit inside at their desk all day doing nothing, their job would NEVER get done. No dirt would be turned and no discoveries would be made.  An archaeologist is only able to find new things and make new discoveries when they are digging!  

As Christians the same goes for us.

Should we choose to sit around all day and not do anything but still hope to "score the gold" we're going to lose big time.  Just as an archaeologist must dig to find "treasure" we too must dig...into the Bible!  

What if we were to start digging in the Bible like an archaeologist digs looking for historic artifacts?  

What if we were passionate about discovering "treasure"?  

WHAT IF we were PASSIONATE about digging deeper in our relationship with Christ?

Start digging.  I dare you.  Dig baby, dig!  You might just strike gold.  

 

 

Monday, April 1, 2013

You Are What You Eat



You are what you eat...
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Since we were little we've heard it AT LEAST a thousand times..."eat your veggies!"...or at least I have.  Now that I'm older I realize the importance and healthy benefits of vegetables, and I now find myself actually enjoying my veggies...Ironic how that happens, isn't it?   

Parents stress to their children the importance of eating vegetables because they help you to grow and help your body to stay healthy.  Children, from a young age, learn about how sugary treats are not so great for your body and don't provide you with the same healthy benefits as healthier foods like fruits and vegetables.  When it comes to how we fuel our bodies it all comes down to this:  what we're filling our bodies with will essentially determine how we grow.  

Are you completely confused on where I'm heading with this yet?

How we live is a lot like how we fuel our bodies.  Ever heard the phrase "garbage in, garbage out"?  What we choose to fill our lives with is inevitably what we start to be about. Think:  junk food = overweight and unhealthy, fruits and veggies = healthy weight and healthy body. Just as what we eat determines our bodies health.  What you're filling your mind with is essentially what you are pouring out.  

In the same way that a trip to a fast food restaurant "every-now-and-then" turns into "yesterday-today-and-most-likely-tomorrow", little things that we let start slipping in to our lives can soon escalate into bigger things and all of sudden become "who" we are.  

Whether we're filling our bodies with fast food everyday or fruits and veggies we're changing the way our body lives.  

Whether we're filling our minds with the garbage of Hollywood or the words of the Bible we're changing the way we live.

We must understand that we can't start to grow-up until we start to fill-up with the proper stuff!  

So the question is....what are you filling up with?  

Is what you're filling up with helping you turn into the person God intends for you to be or is it making you stray away from that person God intends you to be?  

Now there's some food for thought!


“Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable”  
Philippians 4:8

"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."  
Colossians 1:10



Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Unashamedly Blemished



face
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As I stood in the mirror putting my make-up on I dabbed at a little red blotch on my face with a nice glob of foundation.  Heaven forbid anyone see that little red spot.  As I made my attempts at hiding this ugly little imperfection that had decided to camp-out on my face I made a realization.

Us girls, embarrassed to let the world see our imperfections, dab the make-up on.  Covering up all the things we're ashamed or embarrassed to let the world see.

In the same way that we cover up our blemishes with make-up we cover up things in our lives.  Things that we are embarrassed or ashamed for others to know about or see.  Things that *we* think will make us less of a person in the eyes of others.  

We try to mask our imperfections and hide pieces of our lives.

It's like we're playing a game of hide-and-seek with the world.  One minute we're out in the open and the next we're off hiding somewhere.  

We walk around with these masks on trying to make the world believe that we have it all together, that we are without a flaw, and that we're something we're not. Life isn't really a masquerade ball though, is it?!


I'm blemished.  I'm imperfect.  And so are you.


Here we stand in our imperfect lives trying to hide all the little details we don't like or don't think
"look good".  What a slam that must be to a God who oh so thoughtfully and uniquely hand-crafted each and everyone one of us!  A God who created us in His own image.  A God who knit us together in our mothers womb. A God who so fearfully and wonderfully breathed the very breath of life into each of us.  


Here we stand as unique individuals crafted for a unique purpose and instead we're opting to hide from the world the very things that make us unique and perfect in the eyes of God!

The good news?  Though we ourselves are imperfect, we serve a perfect God.

I stand here in my imperfections and I choose to be unashamedly blemished.  

Will you join me in removing the masks that we hide our lives behind and instead embrace our imperfections?


" For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mothers womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."
~ Psalm 139:13-14 ~

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Stuck in the wrong gear

God's way
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A few posts ago I talked about my adventures in learning to drive a stick-shift, which you can read about by clicking HERE.  Reflecting upon that adventure brought me to the memory of another learning step in the process which...you guessed it...paints the picture of another analogy to share.  So here it goes....

As my confidence started to evolve in driving my manual-transmissioned vehicle I figured I would have no problem taking a 45 minute, out of town drive to get to where I needed to be. After all, driving was how I was learning the ways of shifting, right?!  

About 15 minutes down the street I found myself at a stop sign stalled-out....not once, not twice, not three times, maybe four, maybe five...who knows....I lost count.  A man from the car behind me got out and walked up to my window and asked "Is everything all right?" I quickly responded saying "I'm just trying to get this whole standard thing down!"  I thanked him and he was on his way back to his car where he sat until I FINALLY drove away from the stop sign....after a few more stalled attempts of course.  

A few minutes down the road I realized what my problem at the stop sign had been.  I kept putting my car into third gear instead of first gear (which you would have thought I would have been smart enough to realize).  First gear is where you start, not third, silly me!

Moral of the story?  

If we're going after the same thing over and over again and keep "stalling" maybe our problem lies in what "gear" in.  Maybe we're in the wrong gear.  Maybe we're in our gear and not the gear God needs us in.  We need to throw our life back into neutral and realign as we shift into the correct gear and give it another shot.  

It's only once we're in the right gear that we are going to be able to succeed at what we're trying to do - just as it is with driving a manual-transmissioned vehicle.  

As I sat at that stop sign trying to drive in what I thought was the right gear I continuously found only failed attempts.  Though I kept telling myself "You can do this, you'll be fine just....go!" the hopes of leaving that stop sign we're very small.  However, once that car was in the right gear I took off with ease and was on my way down the road!  

If we are continuously experiencing failures and continuously stalling it might be time to say "Clearly my way isn't working.  God I want to try your way."  

It's time to get OUT of our own gear and INTO God's gear!



    

Monday, March 18, 2013

Huddle-Time!


SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Montana Huddle PHOTO NR
[ photo source ]

Maybe I don't know a lot about football - all they do is tackle each other and fight over an egg shaped ball anyways, right? - but I do know that they like to "huddle" a lot.  

Football players gather in a huddle to plan out their next move and to create a strategy to win the game.  When they're in this huddle they get themselves psyched up for the next play about to happen.  Sometimes this huddle happens simply because the players need a pep-talk...maybe the game isn't going so great and they need a word of encouragement to pull them through and get them back on track.  

When the players are done having their "huddle-time" they break off from the huddle and go back out to the playing field re-focused and ready to make some winning moves, all thanks to the pep-talk from the huddle.  The huddle isn't where the game is won but simply where the focus to win comes from. 

You can learn from this idea if you think of football players as Christians and "huddle-time" as church-time.  As Christians, when we go to church that's our "huddle-time" and the broken, lost world is clearly our playing field.  Church shouldn't be what Christians "do", it's where we should be going to get our "pep-talk", to be rejuvenated, to get re-focused and to get psyched up for the game!  The game is all about ministering and spreading the Gospel to a broken world!  

You can't win the game inside the huddle but you can win the game out on the field when you apply what you learned inside the huddle. 

Church should be that time to re-focus on the game and to get ready to jump back out on the field.  Church should be that time to come together as a team and to prepare our game-plan for the field.  Church-time is huddle-time.  COME ON TEAM, LET'S DO THIS!

"Church isn't the game, it's the huddle."  

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Confessions of a control freak...


"I'm not a control freak, I just want it how I want it."
[ photo source ]
Here you have it:  Confessions of a control freak. 
 
Maybe this doesn't come as news to any of you but I've come to realize that I'm a control freak.  I tend to have this need to take-over and have control over certain things.  I tend to like to be the one in charge.  (Miss Bossy pants when I was 4, why would it be any different now?)

Besides realizing (or maybe it's more like finally admitting) that I'm a control freak I've come to see and realize that with God that doesn't really work.  He doesn't exactly "roll that way".  Know what I'm sayin'?  

I guess you could say God's a control freak Himself...and His control freakness ways overrule any of those tendencies I may possess.   
He's boss.
He rules.
He's in control...not me. 
ALL.  THE.  TIME.

I can have control over what I eat for breakfast, or what I wear for the day, but I CAN'T be a control freak when it comes to my life and my relationship with Christ.  I can try to manipulate and state the way things should be in my life but at the end of the day God has final say. There is simply no room for my control freakness ways in my relationship with Christ.  It's not ever "I" because it's always "Him"!  

Realizing that there's no room for me to be in control can be a daunting thought, but when I look at who's in control I realize that I'm okay with handing over my control freakness for once....

....I realize that maybe sometimes it's better to let someone else have a turn.  And who better to let have a turn than God with your very life!  I say it's worth the forfeit of being in control because He knows what He's doing.  HIS ways are higher.  HIS ways are better.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are you ways my ways.' 
declares the Lord . 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"
~Isaiah 55:8-9

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The predicament of shifting.

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[ photo source ]


A year ago I found myself in quite the predicament.  I found myself one day as the proud owner of a brand new car.  A vehicle with a manual transmission to be exact.  The problem?  I couldn't drive a stick-shift.  (See the predicament?)

So there I was with a vehicle that was all mine and that I was so excited and blessed to have....except I couldn't drive it.  

As I sat in the drivers seat and sputtered through many failed attempts at moving my vehicle forward even a few feet I often began reconsidering my decision to buy such a vehicle.  I mean, how many times can you really stall before you want to give up?! Once I got rolling I had no problem...it was simply the starting to move part that was hard! But with much determination I finally succeeded in getting my car out of the driveway.  Realizing the only way to really get a grip on this whole shifting-while-driving thing was to ACTUALLY drive on the road. So I made the crazy decision to perfect the art of clutching, shifting, and actually getting somewhere by taking this vehicle and hitting the road.  For some reason I thought the humiliation and embarrassment of stalling at stop signs and in public places would motivate me to learn faster!

The journey on the road began...and much to my surprise...it wasn't a complete fail!  I actually began grasping this whole stick-shift thing!

I realized quickly that sitting around listening to people tell you how to drive a stick-shift and thinking about how to drive a stick-shift wouldn't get you anywhere. (Big shout out to those that offered up their time...and safety...to attempt teaching me!) The learning happened through each stall, each successful gear-shift, and each drive on the road. 

Reflecting upon this today I realized that life is a lot like a manual-transmissioned vehicle.

We sit there with all these hopes of getting out of first gear and actually going somewhere.  However, we get so frustrated about the struggles that come our way when we try to leave "first gear" that we end up just sitting in the driveway thinking about life "out on the road".  

We let these little set-backs HOLD US BACK instead of HELPING US to move forward.  The frustration from being stuck in one gear keeps us from getting to the next gear.  

What we don't realize is that these moments of "stalling" in life are moments that are teaching us how to move forward!  

If we're just sitting in the driveway complaining that we can't "drive" we are definitely NOT going to be getting ANYWHERE.  Jump back behind that wheel and give it another shot!  When you stall, turn the key in the ignition and give it another go!  Don't stop moving forward just because of one little set-back.  Before you know it shifting gears will be as easy as buttering toast (weird analogy?  Yes.)

Oh, and for those of you that were wondering...I kept my manual-transmissioned vehicle and I have learned to embrace the adventures of driving it ;-)