Fresh Inspiration

When I first started this blog, I chose to base it on my favorite verse, James 1:2 & 3. Little did I know, I would be challenged by it stronger than ever before. Once I made that verse a public personal motto, it was like a big red bulls-eye was right on my forehead. Here's how the verse is interpreted by Eugene Peterson in, The Message:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows it's true colors. So don't try and get out of anything prematurely. Let it do it's work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way."

Ahhh, just writing it challenges me! I read it over and over again and have to force myself to say, "Yes, this is possible...but only in Christ. Cause on my own, I fall seriously short!"

But as I ponder each verse, I come up with this equation:

TRIALS+PERSEVERING=MATURITY IN CHRIST

When I break it down, I realize, I can do that! The Lord wants to see us come out on top. He loves us enough to make good out of bad. That's our God! The One who doesn't leave us hanging, stranded or alone. Instead, He give us the strength to make it through the hardest of hard times, and then gives us a beautiful gift of spiritual maturity that we didn't have before the trial. Gee, thanks God...you ROCK!

Hey, I know it's hard to think of a rough patch in life as a gift from God. Been there too! And am still there sometimes! I know that as soon as I post this entry, the spiritual warfare will begin. As soon as we declare joy or strength in our weakness, Satan wants nothing more than to tear that down, little by little, till we find ourselves doubting and wallowing in our despair. Well, let's declare together that Satan has no place to speak over our lives (especially our trials!)...cause those trials belong to Christ!

Let Him help you surrender your trials and heartache to Him so you can come out on TOP, "mature and well developed"!

I Believe

A lifetime of putting on a smile

wonder if it's all been worth the while

Doubt creeps inside of me

Wondering if I believe...

Yet words flow like honey off my lips

My heart sinks when I think of it

My mind's a carousel

Spinning round and round...

It all seems impossible, do I believe?

Don't wanna get my hopes up too high

Cause they could collide in an instant

Don't wanna open my eyes

For fear of waking the infant in me.

A childlike faith seems so freeing

Yet a childlike faith doesn't come to me...

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

Deep down I know that You are right

Your Word is true, You are my Light

Why do I question You?

My faith is small.

A mustard seed is all that I will need

To move the mount in front of me

Lord give me more of You

Place me right next to You...

Nothing's impossible, when I believe...

Now I wanna get my hopes up so high

That they will collide in an instant

I wanna open my eyes

and wake the passionate infant in me

A childlike faith has come to free me

And a childlike faith came so easy...

Now I believe, I believe, I believe.

These are words from a new song I'm in process of writing. It was inspired by my own life experience. It's easy when you grow up in a Christian home to sorta "assume" the same beliefs and values as your parents-it's all you've known & seen. But there comes a time when the decision is made to make the beliefs, values & morals that were demonstrated to you become your own. And really, that's the moment when I truly knew Jesus. It doesn't mean there won't be times of questioning and wondering, but it was the new beginning to my journey in my relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I believe...

2x2x2x2x2=Proud Mama

Today is a day full of 2's. 2 girls are turning 2 years old. 2 of everything will follow - 2 cakes, 2 presents, 2 hugs...well, you get the picture.

I get how my mom felt all those times when I heard her say "time flies"! I feel it...and now I find myself thinking, "In 13 years, the girls will want to get their driver's license...and then they will want to date..." I know, let's not get too ahead of ourselves : ). So, I'll do my very best to enjoy life now. This will be a full year - potty training, big girl beds, dressing themselves, more independence...so much to get ready for! Pray for me - I'll need it! : )

Today I can look back on the difficult season of life we persevered through while trying to get pregnant and I can see how we are better because of the trial. "Bad circumstances have a way of bringing the best out of us." (Mark Batterson, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day) I am also reminded of the verse that inspired this blog in the first place: James 1: 2-4 "Consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

The Call to Chase.....Lions?

I just started a new book. It was so strongly recommended that I almost wanted to put off reading it. That sounds strange, I know, but I could tell the recommendation came with a string attached-it would be a life-altering-kick-you-into-gear read. And it has been. I'm only a quarter of the way through and my heart is being challenged like never before. Here is a quote to give you just a glimpse of the gems that you'll receive if you choose to take on Matt Batterson's, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day:

"Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Our calling is much higher than simply running away from what's wrong. We're called to chase lions-look for opportunities in our problems and obstacles, and take risks to reach for God's best." (pg. 19)

Another...

"Spiritual maturity is seeing and seizing God-ordained opportunities." (pg. 19)

Is your interest peaked? Well, it should be! Maybe it's just where God is leading Ryan & I right now that has me glued to this book, but Batterson is quick to point out that each of us need to be looking for "God-ordained opportunities". They will stretch us, grow us, mature us and help us to understand how BIG our God truly is.

I'm pumped up about this...if you couldn't already tell :)! Let's be willing to look foolish for the glory of God. Let's be willing to "put ourselves out there" in ways we thought we never would!

As I end this post, I pray the Lord would encourage and strengthen you today and you as you prepare to face lions you never dreamed you could face!

Love,

Emily

Nothing But The Blood

Even when my heart knows that change brought to my life in the form of a new season is good, my mind & spirit sometimes end up kicking & screaming. I guess I can admit I've been on somewhat of an emotional roller coaster this summer. Deciding to leave our home church was one of the most difficult decisions Ryan & I have had to make thus far in our marriage. It meant putting our friendships on the line, leaving the ministries we've both put our heart & lives into, and so much more. But through it all, the Lord has been so faithful. Not sure why I ever doubted Him, but I did.

Today I was gently reminded that yes, He cares about what I'm feeling and where the next step for our family will lead, and it all boils down to His love for me. What can wash away my doubt & fears for today & tomorrow? What can make my life whole again after such a drastic life change? Nothing but Jesus' precious blood. This song gave me such peace today and I wanted to share it with you.

Assessing 1-2-3...

For those of you interested, I've decided to make my next blog about the assessment we just returned home from late last week. Wow, what a ride! Enlightening, challenging, stretching, growing, encouraging...just a few adjectives to describe our unforgettable week. This may be long, so bear with me : )...

When we arrived at Grace Fellowship, the host church, my stomach was in such a knot! My mind full of expectations, yet had no clue what to expect. As we walked up the stairs, we could hear others chatting and my inner hermit began to want nothing more than to sink deep into my shell! But I persevered and instantly, the Lord gave me a friend. Another wife, around my age, who was warm and friendly and we began an easy conversation. "Whew, thank's Lord..." was all I could say. All the couples were friendly and eager to make the rounds and shake hands-we were grateful! Interestingly enough, the assessors were assessing from the very moment we walked up those stairs; watching how we interacted with each other and our spouse-there was never a dull moment!

As we all made our way into the main meeting room, the whirlwind began. Introductions of each couple and each assessor gave us an idea of who we would spend the next intense 4 days with. After the intros, we were quickly catapulted into the first assignment. Ryan (each guy) had been asked to prepare a 10 minute mini-sermon. Ryan did great (I'm partial of course) and I was probably more nervous than he was! After his sermon they called me to the front to join him for some Q & A's. They also asked us to share 5 adjectives to describe each other - fun to hear what the other would say : ). Towards the end of the day, Ryan then presented his Philosophy of Ministry to another group of assessors, again followed by the two of us participating in some grueling Q & A's. I say grueling, but mostly it was challenging. They asked very poignant questions to get to the very heart of your calling as a couple-it was very good to say the least!

The next day was spent split off into smaller groups (spouses separated) doing activities. The main goal was to see the different personalities come out. The assessors were taking notes the whole time about how we interacted with each other-in the end, great exercises to help us learn to better communicate and identify others' strengths. Speaking of strengths, I'll end with this. Before going to the assessment, the assessment group gave both Ryan & I 3 different personality/strength finder survey's to fill out. One was the Golden (basically Meyers Briggs on steroids), D.I.S.C, & the Clifton Strengths Finder. The strength finder was by far the most insightful for me. It helps you identify your top 5 strengths. And honestly, I was surprised. It identified areas in my life that were completely untapped. But I'm thrilled because they are areas I've always felt called to explore more deeply, but kept second guessing myself. I won't do that again-too much wasted time! If you are interested, I can't encourage you enough to get a hold of one of the strength finder books-in each book is a code to give you access to take the survey for yourself...SOOO good!!!

Here is a link to their books & website for more info.

All in all, an amazing week away. We did end the week with a "result" so to speak. There was only one way they look at the end results: are you the right person for the lead pastor in a church plant. Not, are you fit for ministry or are would you make a good pastor. The 4 outcomes are:

Recommended-yes, you have the building blocks necessary to plant a church and are ready, but we encourage you to still make sure this is what the Lord is calling you & your family to do.

Recommend w/ Conditions-you have most of the building blocks, but should take the next 6-12 months to work on some of the suggestions they give you.

Recommended w/ Strong Conditions-Take 2 years off and really seek counsel and the Lord's heart for your next step.

Not Recommended-you're not the right fit to be the lead pastor of a church plant.

We were Recommended with Conditions, which is where we thought/hoped we would be. We have some areas to pray through and walk through but we're excited to see what the next few years have in store. Thanks for reading!

~Emily

When You Don't Obey

Today, my 90-something year old neighbor passed away. I never met her. Her sweet husband, Fred (or Neighbor Fred as the girls call him) is always good for a conversation across the fence. He loves to know how the girls are. He tells great war stories-served in WWII and loved hearing about Ryan's trip to Germany as he was in most of the same places serving our country. Not only was he devoted to his country, but he was devoted to his sweetheart of nearly 65 years. Virginia has been house bound ever since we moved next door. And today, she quietly left this world and her Fred behind. The worst part about her passing is the uncertainty of where she will spend her eternity. I just don't know. My heart was heavy all day. When the aid car pulled into their driveway, I was bringing groceries into the house...and I just knew.

On my flight home from Minnesota Thursday night, I wrote in my journal about Fred & Virginia. At our Church Planter's Assessment this past week, I was freshly challenged to reach my neighbors in a new way. I wrote down a few ideas I had about practical ways I could serve them. I'm disappointed I didn't act sooner. The Lord had been subtly prompting me ("bring them flowers" or "bring them extra muffins") but I was way too caught up in my own needs that I keep ignoring the call. I can't beat myself up for it, but the reality is, I disobeyed the voice of the Lord. Living in guilt won't serve Fred. So instead, we now know exactly how we can be Jesus' hands and feet to sweet Fred.

How can you serve your neighbors today? Do you really know what their true needs are? I'm asking myself these questions too. Serving those around us in practical ways fights spiritual battles we never could on our own. I'm reminded of the verse in James 1 where he writes,

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I now have a tangible circumstance to relate to when reading this verse. I'm going to close this blog with a quick prayer for Fred. Pray along with me if you'd like.

Heavenly Father, I lift Fred before you. You know how his heart aches tonight. Lonely, confused and hurting-would you touch his life in a special way. I know he knows of You, but I don't know if He truly knows You. Would you open his heart as we reach out to him in a new way through his loss. Especially be with him tonight-his first night alone. In Your mighty, precious, powerful name...Amen.