C. S. Lewis Song

Brooke Fraser is hands down one of my favorite artists. 

She captivates feelings and thoughts I can't verbalize at times, lately more so than ever.

One of my favorite Fraser songs is entitled "C. S. Lewis Song." 

The moment I saw this song on an album of her's I purchased, I knew I would love it, if not only for the fact it concerned possibly my favorite author in the world.

The song opens with a series of lyrics that I will forever adore:

"If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,

I can only conclude that I was not made for here

If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,

then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared."

This song became my inspiration lately.

I will be honest with you, my priorities found themselves rather out of whack the last couple months (wonder who's fault that might be :D) and one day it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Nothing that I was working towards, consuming my thoughts and time with...nothing would matter in eternity. At the end of months worth of full days, I could not pinpoint one that I felt utterly fulfilled by, because "I was not made for here." 

We are made for more, more than momentary troubles, fleeting fancies, and unfulfilled wishes.

We are children of the Lord, set apart, and called out. 

I realize that I will never be fully fulfilled until I am in the presence of my Father, but there is a fine line between the road I was walking and that of my potential. 

All in all, the biggest thing that I took away from these past couple months is that I must understand that my priorities, my passions, and so on are not of this world, or at least they should not be. Christ is my fountain, and all my hopes and dreams must be found only in Him.

So, if this is my reality, what have I done or am I doing today to live out this reality?

That's the question that prompted me to make MANY changes in my life.

Let that resonate with you today, and then please act. Hearing from the Lord and remaining right where you are is a scary thing, trust me, I have tried it.

Just act, do it, take His command and run with it, all else will fall into place in His timing.

I believe this is the essence of peace.

"C.S. Lewis Song"

If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cos my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming 

She Speaks, You Speak, I Speak...We Speak!

It is no secret that us women speak.

Constantly. Commonly about whatever comes to mind even.

But what if an entire movement of Godly women decided that they were going to speak in order to bring glory to our Heavenly Father?

In fact, what if we made the choice and were empowered by God to speak with "wisdom and faithful instruction" (Proverbs 31:6)

Would not our day to day lives look drastically different?

Imagine the potential of Godly women, willing to speak with the urgency and persistency that is so often used for frivolous matters.

This thought brings conviction to my core.

Well, there is a ministry who caught that very vision, and has since drastically changed my life: Proverbs 31. The host of the annual 'She Speaks' conference.

In fact, God utilized this very ministry to continue to crystalize the call on my life to women's ministry. Y'all I can not adequately convey with words the burden I feel for women living in captivity, living under the domain of darkness, trapped by controlling lies. There is freedom in Christ, and only in Him and I yearn to spend my life telling each and every precious daughter of Christ who I possibly can just that. 

Upon discovery of Proverbs 31, while not personally knowing a single staff member of theirs, I felt an immediate connection because I knew that they understood what makes me tick, my passion, my God-given calling. 

These women also understand that upon receiving a calling, whether it be to lead a women's small group, enter into full time women's ministry, or even just hold a couple mom's accountable, there comes a point where we all ask "how" or "what now?"

In order to answer those questions by equipping women for ministry, Proverbs 31 ministries has created the amazing, inspiring...She Speaks Conference.

During this three day conference held right here in my home sweet home of Concord, the Proverbs 31 team discusses an array of topics from speaking, to writing, to leadership...you name it really.

I tell you all of this to say: attending this Christmas would thrill my heart more than having Christmas, my birthday, and 'all you can eat Ben and Jerry's' day...all in one!

Extreme, but true.

Two years ago, I knew I was called to ministry, but never would I have ever dreamt it would be women's ministry. Now, I could not imagine doing another thing on this planet. After having endless confirmation these past couple months that women's ministry is most certainly the area the Lord has called me, having the opportunity to learn from this group of women who have so much so touched my life would be like none other. I would soak in every second of it all.
 Honestly, the idea of this area of ministry is still daunting to me, in more ways than I can describe, probably because I know...me. Therefore, being equipped to lead my sister's in Christ from a team of my own role models would be a blessing comparable to none other.
As I read the description of the conference, I could not contain myself. Speaking, writing, ministering to the needs of hurting and broken women, distinguishing direction.
Countless discussions I would hang on to every syllable of. 
However, financially, attending the conference would not be feasible this year with college on the horizon. Hence why I literally jumped out of my chair when I found an opportunity for a scholarship! 

I know two things as well as I know my name: 

First, I love my precious savior more than life itself.

Secondly, I was created to do women's ministry.

My strong desire to attend the She Speaks conference to be equipped and trained is nearly inevitable coupled with those two things.

I may be young, I may not be the most experienced, but I know a God who does not look upon either of those factors.
Next school year, my first in college, I will begin my first year as a part of the Preministerial Scholars Students, as we seek to discern and prepare for the Lord's call on our life. Having this training under my belt, if you will, would prepare me for more than I could even fathom.

So to the She Speaks Conference Team: I would love to be able to look back on July 22-24, 2011 twenty years down the road, while serving in women's ministry, knowing that is where the Lord began to equip me for the call on my life.

May we speak with wisdom and faithful instruction today. 

The Frivolous List

Today, my senior class had the opportunity to present all of the many lessons learned and memories shared on our Dominican Republic trip that took place just a couple months ago.

We cried, we laughed, we reminisced...it was a blast!

But when I walked back into class and started rummaging through my book-bag, I was nearly moved back to the point of tears again.

I stumbled across an old to-do list from last week.

"UGH" is about the closest I can come to describing how I felt.

As I scanned that list, I realized that very few if any things that I came across will matter in eternity.

Why do I continuously, after experiences such as Passion and the Dominican, continue to fill my time with things that are worth nothing in the big picture. 

I wake up and continue to take my cues from American culture.

But why?

It's a cop out, in my opinion. Those things listed on that sheet of paper I stumbled upon are infinitely easier to do than the things Christ has called me to fill my time with, the things Christ has called me to do.

Make disciples or make my bed.

Go the second mile or barely get my homework done before class starts.

Deny myself or be consumed by my frivolous to do list.

This is only the beginning of the 'to do list' worth anything.

He calls us to perfection, yet He knows we cannot be perfect.

How is this fair? He blesses us with grace, His strength, presence, power, and so on.

We are not in this alone. So rather than calling on my own energy and strength to check off a few frivolous items on a sticky-note each day, I choose to call on the Lord's power to live audaciously and boldly while seeking after the one thing that truly matters: Jesus Christ. I want to spend the time God has granted me with on things that will not turn to ash before me as I stand on judgement day.

We are called to so much more, check out the link below to see what just a few of those things specifically are. It's an eye opener, I promise.

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Bible/Commands/Commands-list.pdf

I Am New

Now I won’t deny the worst you could say about me

But I’m not defined by mistakes that I’ve made because God says of me

I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new

I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved, I am new, I am new

Who I thought I was and who I thought I had to be

I had to give them both up cause neither were willing to ever believe

Too long I have lived in the shadows of shame

Believing that there was no way I could change

But the one who is making everything new doesn’t see me the way that I do

He doesn’t see me the way that I do

I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new

Dead to the old man, I’m coming alive, I am new, I am new

Forgiven beloved, hidden in Christ

Made in the image of the Giver of Life

Righteous and holy, reborn and remade and worthy; this is our new name.

This is who we are now

_______________________________________

Y'all, if I could pick simply one song that hits home the very most, it would be this very song. Jason Gray beautifully describes the concept of a Christian's identity in Christ, something I struggle to accept at times. In all honest, establishing and accepting my identity in Christ has been one of the biggest battles of my Christian walk.

I love that this song says, "I'm coming alive," because it is such a grand reminder to me of progressive sanctification and God's grace. No, I am not perfect. In fact, I am far from perfect, but I am still new and still coming alive. 

Another concept of this song that simply cannot be missed is that, as Christians, we are "hidden in Christ." So many beautiful mental images come to mind when I consider this blessing and reality of the Christian life. We are hidden in Christ, like a mother comforts and shelters a newborn in her arms, as a lion would protects its cub. We are covered in Him. Y'all...He's got us. We are hidden in Him.

Let that resonate in your heart and mind.

Next time you feel alone, insecure, or unsure - take heart and remember that you are new, reborn, hidden in Christ Himself.

Beloved, we have been renamed. 

Here's Why...

Christ August's song (featured below) 7X70 stopped me in my tracks.
This song talks a lot about hurt within the family, trials, burdens, et cetera.
But more than that, it's about what we are called to do with all of that...
let forgiveness make a way.
It's not easy. In fact it's hard, down right difficult.


Can I tell you something about forgiveness?
It is freeing.
I know this not because I am an expert at forgiveness, in fact, I might even say it is an area of weakness.
I don't handle pain well. In fact, I run from it,
but the times where I have surrendered and forgiven, truly forgiven, I have experienced healing.
Maybe that's why this song hit home - knowing the truth about forgiveness, yet having practiced it so infrequently.


As Christians, we are called to a radical life of self abandonment.
I was reminded that forgiveness is both of those things: radical and selfless.
I am called to remember what was done for me at Calvary and take that overflow of love and spread it all around.


Forgiveness.
I want to take the 7X70 journey in my life, join me?

7X70

Yup, He's Still News Worthy

Check This Out:

I cannot count the number of times I have visited CNN over the years, reading articles that have made me read in the face, leaving discouraged at the declining morality of America and other nations.

However, this time, I left CNN amazed and encouraged.

Right after returning from Passion 2011, I got word that there was an article about the conference on CNN. 

After reading the article, I was so thrilled, not because the article was right on target with the Passion Movement. 

In fact, I do not believe it was. The article focused more on the numbers, the speakers, the bands, the glitz and glam. 

I was thrilled because of the quote of a man who gets it, Louis Giglio. 

Louis told the reporter "Church was never meant to be an island of self-indulgence, but a missional community of Jesus-followers so in love with Him that they can do nothing else but carry His name to the world."

See that is just the thing, the commonality between the 22,000 Christ followers that attended the conference, the link between all of those who gave at the 'Go Center,' the bond shared between teens and twenty-somethings: a love, a passionate and zealous love, for Jesus Christ.

That love spurns us to carry His name and whether CNN realizes it or not, that article helped do that, because I have to believe that maybe even just one person read that article and decided to register for next years conference, maybe even just to figure out what all the 'hoopla' is about.

I pray that they come, that they hear, and they experience the Passion.

However, more than that, I pray that all 22,000 of us GO. That we take that Passion, that love, and we carry His name to the ends of the Earth. That is my hearts cry. 

That is my Passion.