Have You LOST it?

You know...I've had A LOT on my mind and my heart lately. Sure, that list includes the typical life stuff - working to pay for rent, car payments, groceries, going back to grad school, working in ministry, finding the time to get things done and feeling like that list in-of-itself is endless...okay, so some of that stuff may not be on YOUR list, but it is on mine.

One thing that has really, really hit home with me is the gospel of Matthew and the book of Romans. I think there is a lot that Jesus says that directly correlates with Romans Chapter 12.

Matthew 10:39 says:

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

When I first read that, I was so confused. But, I think I get it. The first part, "Whoever finds his life will lose it..." This has a double meaning...the more obvious one points out sin.  If we find our life in this temporary high, this life, these moments - in those things of the sinful nature: idolatry, fits of rage, drunkenness, sexual immorality, discord, rage, anger, then we're going to lose it. Hear that, we are going to lose eternal salvation by turning the other cheek to Christ.

I think there is also a more hidden explanation for that part, too that is explained by the second part, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." 


So, think about the word lose in terms of this verse; the first time, we are told if we lose our lives we are actually losing salvation with Christ...but, if we lose our lives hear me now, for HIS SAKE, then, we gain salvation and favor...we find life...eternally. 


Essentially, we lose either way...we either lose our lives now, or we lose them later on judgement day. Which one do you think produces good fruit? Which one reaps the eternal reward, while the other just breeds selfish necessity? Which option glorifies God and His Son, Jesus, who lost everything for US - sinners. (Albeit, redeemed by His blood). Which form of loss shows submission, humility, authority, understanding and transformation? If you're still confused, consider this. 


It's a memory verse for a lot of us who have been diligently studying Romans in Sunday School class.


Romans 12:1-2...


Therefore, I URGE you brothers (and sisters) in view of God's MERCY, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. DO NOT CONFORM any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and PERFECT will. 


So, this tells me quite a few things...we should lose our lives now to gain the ultimate life later...lose your life for Christ's sake...why? We were called to. He was NAILED TO A CROSS for our sins...and we think we can go on sinning - Romans tells us BY NO MEANS. Look at what this verse says!

• Paul is URGING us. Why...is urgency something we should take lightly, by no means! Paul is exhorting us, pleading with us because it is that important...
• God's mercy - in view of God's mercy, his sacrifice, His son's sacrifice - that should be more then enough of a reason!
• If we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, we are - what does it say? Holy, and pleasing to God. Wouldn't  you love to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant?" I know I would.
• Do not conform...be transformed - God did not call us to be of the world...but of His mission...how can we do that if we do not allow a spiritual transformation into someone who He can use?
• By the renewing of your mind - His mercies are new each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23, I believe). Renew, everday, re-new. New....we are new creations!
• Then! - we cannot test and approve what God's will is unless we what first? The word then in English grammar implies that we have to DO something, take action before something else can happen.  So, DO NOT conform, DO be transformed. 
• THEN, we can approve GOD's GOOD, PLEASING and PERFECT WILL. 

God has been layin' it on my heart lately...in ways that I have never even imagined. And yet, I still tend to get so caught up in daily chores and lists like I wrote out at the beginning of this post. How in the world do I get so stressed out when I have something like this sitting in front of me - God breathed, just waiting for me to listen and to open my eyes.

Back to Matthew 10:39:
When we are transformed by the renewing of our mind - people notice. When we LOSE our lives and GAIN Christ's...the world wonders. Some may rebuke us, some may embrace us, some may call us, weird, crazy or out there. Well, so what? I have had the privilege of spending quite a bit of my not-so-existent free time in one on one time with some of my girls - and I have been SO blessed in it. It makes me frustrated, I must admit, because that is ALL I want to do. They are a large part of the reason I wanted to study ministry and work in college ministry - because I was that girl, and still am. And because we are called to serve one another in Romans 13...let no debt remain outstanding except for the debt to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Man, my time with my girls is so blessed and encouraging...it's an annoyance that life stuff gets in the way, but God has a purpose for that, too. 

The point I am trying to make is this. If we put down the 42965092495 different distractions that we have everyday to be transformed, to lose our lives for Christ, then we are going to win souls for Jesus and build relationships with each other that cannot be formed in any other way, that will spur us on in ways we cannot imagine. 

People are losing their lives (salvation) because we as Christians are not willing to lose our lives.  

We are called to do that in the Greatest Command, the Great Commission, by Jesus' own words in Matthew 10:39, by Paul who was a former Christian persecutor in many of his letters...so, what are you waiting for? Your college campuses, your workplaces, your friends, your family - they are begging in God's timing to be told about the life that you have in Christ; they are ready to lose everything they have to find Him (like the pearl of great worth to the man in the field).

Are you ready and committed to losing your life? Are you prepared to be sold out or as I like to spell it "souled" out for the Christ...? 

If not, what's holding you back?
I'll give you a hint: it will never, ever be God! (:

Blast from the Past.

Sometimes, I think we as Christians have to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord & let Him work. We sing about it, so, why not do it?

This post has two parts. First....

I have definitely had times in the past where I have neglected to do what is good, right and pure; as Christians, we are called to live a life that is acceptable and pleasing to the Father in whatever we do. Lately, I have really been touched by some real, honest conversations with women whom I look up to and respect in their Christian walks.  So, the other day as I was watching television, the face of an old acquaintance flashed across the TV screen in a commercial. We had what some may call a falling out - for a difference of opinion when it came to agreeing on what proper faith should look like. We did not agree on what is righteous and what is wrong, what is worldly and what is Godly and that sin, is sin, is sin. To make a long story short, I was shocked because after all these months, Satan needed a way to get to me - even if it meant using a nationally broadcasted channel to remind me for that 30 seconds of everything that happened before. I felt a little discouraged because I felt as if Satan would never quit trying to get to me. But then, a few things happened. I won't name them all, but I was reminded ("coincidentally") by text message that there are people in my life who seemingly do want the best for me and that I don't have to make my past my inevitable future.

I was encouraged by two passages in the Bible - in 1 and 2 Corinthians.

"'Everything is permissible' - but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible" - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." - 1 Cor 10:23-24

and

Do not be mislead: Bad company corrupts good character." Come back to your senses, as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God - I say this to your shame. - 1 Cor 15:33-34

Don't be someone who is ignorant of God. We so easily think that we are invincible when we are on spiritual highs or having a good week. We still need to humble ourselves and remember who allowed that to happen.  In the situation I was in, I felt like my faith was enough for the both of us, but I have learned that we must have  our own faith apart from any other person, and that in a friendship, a group or a relationship, our mutual faith can encourage (Romans 1:11-12) each other; but, we cannot force someone to believe...and as Paul is clearly trying to explain, we should not remain in the company of bad character and destructive choices.  We affect others with our own actions, not just ourselves. Your fellow brothers and sisters are watching to see what kind of influence you can and will be - the question is, what type of influence are you choosing to have/what type of influences are you allowing in your life?

I am glad to say that lately, I have set some boundaries that change the types of friendships and relationships I choose to involve myself in.  When we allow pieces of ourselves to be given to other people as a relationship deepens, we allow them to either use it against us or help us to grow. When I think about the things that are important, I consider if the other person is also seeking God out on a daily basis. How do they love God - do they love God at all to begin with? Are they encouraging me in my walk or luring me away from it? Am I tempted to engage in any sin while I am around them or, are they sinful even if I'm not...? If the answer to these is not an acceptable, pleasing way to honor God, then why invest in the relationship or the friendship? God calls us to love Him first, then love our neighbor in His greatest command BUT, the other party needs to be of that same opinion. What fellowship can light have with darkness...?

Be encouraged to know that we all have struggles. Satan, even when we are on a "spiritual high," will try to infiltrate in any means that he deems necessary to tempt us, to guilt trip us, to pursue us and to get us to walk away from the grace that God has given us and the wisdom of his scripture to help us walk upright.  Remember which God delivered Israel from the Egyptians and Pharaoh? He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Entrust your heart and the things Satan tempts or annoys you with to Christ and you will have peace. In fact, unexpected blessings can even result from trust and faith in a God who will never let us fall if we are seeking wholeheartedly.  Walk in the light as He is in the light. The darkness has not, and will not ever understand it.

Searcy, Ministry & Broken Cars, Oh My!

Well, folks, it's been a few weeks - and let me tell you - it has been an adventure. A few of us from CIA Tampa headed up to Harding two weekends ago for the CMU Workshop: Get Lit - Passing the Torch; what a blessing to be among so many people with the same goal and purpose. Among the highlights of my weekend are Jonathan Storment's Keynote (listen here: Passing the Torch: Moses to Joshua), Patrick Mead (see links here: 2011 Searcy CMU Audio), and praising as a part of for a brief moment, and with the ACB Praise Team from Lindenwood & The Crossings Church.

Anyways, to probably the greatest lesson I learned on the trip & the story behind it. This, mind you - is a lesson I have been taught before, but apparently when God spoke it, I didn't remember, so He reminded me just what he can do with a humble heart.

We left at 5am on a Wednesday morning; on the way up to Harding which is, give or take 900 miles from Tampa, FL to there...at about the Florida-Georgia border line - my car (which is an automatic) stopped shifting out of first...result? Using overdrive to shift manually the rest of the way there...lucky for us it was mostly interstate.

I worried about it the whole trip up and the whole time we were there (despite my calm demeanor).

We left Sunday AM at 5:30 Searcy time...my RPM gauge/tachometer doesn't work. We get to Alabama and my tire basically shreds. Cue stopping on the side of the road with Kelly and Coach to change my tire to the spare, GPS navigating to a Wal-Mart and paying $93 for a new tire I did not want to buy. It ended up being a 20 hour drive home...

Long story short, the repairs on my car were upwards of $500 +labor that may dad was going to wipe out by fixing it himself; I made my parents take the car home to Orlando and I borrowed my mom's for a few days - I got a call later that week that my car looked/shifted fine and that my tachometer magically worked. Considering that car had over 100,000 miles on it and a good 7 years, I was wondering how much more money I could stick into a used car over what I originally paid, without being frustrated.

God provided. BIG TIME.

I worked out my finances and determined that with a special college rebate incentive Toyota offers recent college graduates, and a special 1.9% financing rate with deferred payments that we saw advertised coupled with a gift that my grandpa gave me to put towards "something special" aka not my student loan repayment...that I may be able to get a new car.

Well, I now own a beautiful 2011 Toyota Corolla S with upgrades and a pretty legit looking spoiler & sport front end, it's my baby, and I'm so blessed to have it. May I use it, ENJOY it and remember God's provision for me. And if that wasn't enough, I am now able to work more hours at work since we are short-staffed right now - I'm telling you people....when you give it to God WHOLEHEARTEDLY, He is not a God who delays in giving blessings to His children.

It is my first "adult" purchase in which I am responsible for a huge investment; it has taught me to sacrifice things I used to take for granted (Qdoba, Wendy's, Steak n' Shake...) and appreciate how our Father loves us and helps us to mature in life - prepared for every good work. Just like my first new car here, I have a new start. :)

Also, I passed my Harding class with an A. Praise God for that, too.

I've had a very good week so far, been able to spend time with and talk with some special people in my life and also some girls that I love and adore, and...

Plus, tomorrow, my girl Careda and girl Becca are joining me for FREE QUESO WEDNESDAY at Moe's.


God is good [Romans 12:1-2]
Memorize it.
Learn it.
Love it.
Practice it.

Transition.

I want to talk about transition. It's an ever-occurring theme of my life right now...graduating from USF, beginning coursework at Harding's Center for Advanced Ministry Training, my job, the search for a new apartment and place to call home, even a new chapter in ministry in CIA Tampa with Randy & Yvonne - it is all transitional. 


More about my new journey through Harding at the CAMT, though. 


In Colossians 3:22-24 we read: 


"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."


I see two things here. First, what we do has to be in sincerity of heart and reverence. The second thing and I see as most important is in verse 23. Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men; sometimes in life you might agree that it becomes a task-oriented to-do list...even going to school. 


But, I stepped back and said, you know - it's going to cost time, and money and energy & more brainpower that, after 16 years in school - I don't know if I have left! Funny thing is - that's not the purpose of the program; I'm going [back to] school and allowing that experience to mold me for more work in the Lord's Kingdom - to work for Him. All of these variable inputs are nothing compared to the output of a greater mission...even if it means more college. :)


Another thing about sincerity and reverence...flip to 2 Corinthians 2:


¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? ¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.


You can read this for yourself -- some are saved, and the rest are perishing...to one, we bring an aroma of  death, the other, life.  Think about the transitions in your life today -- are they leading you closer to Him and His purpose?  Which aroma should we be as Christians and, the work that we are doing today -- is it to please men, or to please the Lord?

At the end of it all - for me, I want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant." Do I think I'm going to do so perfectly? Ha, absolutely not! But, if I'm going in the same direction Jesus is, I think I've got a right idea. I am excited to start this new journey - to be able to gain practical ministry skills with Randy & CIA Tampa; I am even more excited about what my future might hold in the way of Campus Ministry and being effective in that mission field - one that changed my life - see My Story for more about that. I also hope to work closely with Lynn Stringfellow & CMU to help change the lives of others as I progress through this process.

Final Thoughts: 
Transition is a part of life - in fact, I think that life is one big series of transitions...but, as I said in my Mission Trip post, someone wise reminded me - Jesus is never transitional; so, stop looking around and start to look up.

Mission Trip '11: Faithbook - Connect, for Real.

Man. What a crazy two weeks it has been! I just got home from a Mission Trip with inner city kids from Norman/Tulsa, OK. To be entirely honest, there are a lot of things that transpired before the trip that made me reluctant, scared and just plain resistant to go. But, I went. Here's the shortened condensed version.


Our Mission Team from Tampa, Corpus and Miami all arrived at camp Saturday and had the evening to prepare things for the kids.  We had communion Sunday morning and the kids arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon;  Man, what a crazy week; we deal with attitudes, homesickness, and many other "typical" problems, but then, Tuesday hit. We got pelted with a big hailstorm that scared a lot of the campers, and looking back, some of us counselors who have never experienced that! Turns out, a big tornado that knocked out power to thousands jumped over us and hit all around us...praise God that He watched over us during that.  We lost power for a little less then a day, but what astounded me is the positive attitudes throughout the heat, lack of running water, bathroom conditions and just plain "annoying" situation.  By Thursday, I got to study with three precious girls, and many other counselors studied with several others; we had four baptisms at camp that I recall and three more at Contact Church on Sunday, and one of our Mission Team counselors also was baptized at the Lake (I just got the text message!)


The counselors, those kids, the weather and the difficulty of camp itself tried my patience, my attitude, and my humility, but by Friday when we had to send the kids back home, I got very emotional for a few of my girls.  It's very difficult to build bonds in just four and a half days, but God allows it to happen...and it rips your heart open to see them commit to Christ, to love, to laugh and to just be kids for a week at the end of it all. I am forever changed...it is all LOVE.

2 Corinthians 3:3-6 - You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Not only did the Spirit work in the Mission Team to give life to the kids, but, the kids gave life to us, too. I could write a short novel or fill my blog with post after post about my experience at camp, but all I can say is that I came home with the perspective that the Spirit gives life continuously. If I can make it through camp, then all of the tough life choices I have are not tough at all. I have the answer now...it doesn't matter that I don't know where I am moving, what job I will have or what will happen with my Master's Degree because the answer is the road(s) that will lead me closer to God. :) He already has the plans, I just don't know them yet. Everything around me has been transitional, but thanks to Clint's gentle reminder, Jesus is never transitional. If we are to look up to Jesus, then we never have to fear what comes next. Will we? Sure, it's human nature, but how relieving to know we don't have to fear!


We also got to see Lynn & Carol's house and it provided for me at least, some much needed closure to see that they are not as far away as it seems; they may be far in distance, but never in heart. I know that God blessed them in an incredible way with that house, and that they will use it to glorify Him even further. Their example is one that teaches me that walking in Faith allows us the freedom to believe that God will always provide for our needs. Afterwards, we headed to Lake Tenkiller for some traditional detox R&R and Big Daddy's! Being out on the boat, I opened my Bible and started reading 2 Corinthians...the first chapter tells us that He is the God of all comfort, and through Him it overflows. How comforting it was to sit and feel the sun, and hear the wind and just be still.  It was beautiful there; I'll add a picture soon...God's natural creation is so incredibly peaceful and gorgeous. 


I am exhausted, but ironically, so very refreshed and renewed.


This week, I had to display all of these things to those children:


Love,
Joy,
Peace, 
Patience, 
Kindness, 
Goodness,
Faithfulness, 
Gentleness,
and Self-Control. 


But, in turn, I also received those blessings in my life through them, through bonding with the Mission Team and through His grace and Spirit speaking to my heart. Against these such things, there is no law -- and no end to how many blessings they bring when we allow them to work in and around us. 


Next on the agenda: on the road again for Searcy, (oh I'm sorry, "Seercy")in two weeks for the CMU Workshop -- Passing the Torch and Getting Lit! Excited and looking forward to growing more in ministerial leadership and learning yet again from some very wise souls. 


God is Good. :)