it’s His story…

Faith on my Starbucks cup.  Gotta love it.

The Way I See It  #58
I have faith.  Faith in our wondrous capacity for hope and good, love and trust, healing and forgiveness.  Faith in the blessing of our infinite ability to wonder, question, pray, feel, think and learn.  I have faith.  Faith in the infinite possibilities of the human spirit.
-James Brown (sportscaster)

I have faith in God.  And it’s always great to get little reminders.

What do you have faith in?

As I was leaving Greenville, SC I saw a girl playing the guitar so I went over and listened.  She was playing “The Stand” by Hillsong United.  “I’ll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all.  I’ll stand, my soul Lord to You abandoned, all I am is Yours.”  LOVE that song! 
So, when she finished I told her that she had a great voice and that I love that song- she was surprised that I knew it.  Turns out, she was recording it for her Facebook page to get her name out there and is playing at a local bar- “The Stand” as well as 3 other songs.  She’s 15 and said she wants to be like Paul and tell others about Jesus, through music!  WOW!  She said her name will be “Rescued”- so look for it!  I was really excited to have met her and hear her story… yet another reminder you just have to pay attention and open your eyes!
 
AND on my drive home, I saw a shooting star!

Are your eyes open?  Are you paying attention to God’s little reminders?

I have a history of change… whenever I make a change, it’s usually a huge and drastic one… comprised of several at one time.  I get so tense and nervous that I can’t sleep, eat, or get anything done.  The thoughts and nerves take over my life.  It’s ridiculous that it takes over…
So, the Catalyst Conference is this upcoming week and I am incredibly bummed I can’t go.  This conference rOcKed my world last year!  And it also sends me down memory lane and it’s hard to believe it was only a year ago that I was a part of The Vine… it seems like it was so much longer.  My job was to make church fun for kids and to create an environment so they could grow closer to Jesus.  Seriously?!  That’s all I could think about when I was listening to the amazing leaders speak and worshipping with the Vine team and Steve Fee Band…  And wow, how things can change in a year’s time.  Do you ever have those moments where you wish you could go back to a certain time in your life and… I dunno, just go back and enjoy it and really appreciate it… not take it for granted…  Wow- and when we left the conference the last day, I saw the biggest rainbow I’ve ever seen.  I couldn’t find the end of it.  I seriously drove around trying to find where it ended.
I just can’t figure out how to measure things… in terms of if one thing will be better than the current thing.  What if you make the wrong decision?  I know God will use it all.  After all, He is in control, not me.  Why is it so hard to remember that sometimes?  Oh yeah, because I’m a control freak and a perfectionist.   (<- me right now)  Lately, I have been having to remind myself constantly that God is handling this life of mine and He is ultimately in control.  A friend of mine emailed me last week and said she knows that God has something big in store for me and will use me wherever I am.  Wow- great reminder, I needed that.  He will provide, I just have to wait and expect amazing things.  A key part is that I need to stop expecting things from people; especially people who don’t live beyond themselves.  I need to expect God to show up and use the situation so that I can learn and grow closer to Him.  In the midst of a situation, it’s hard to see the end… but if there’s a theme in my life since I began my walk with Jesus, it’s that whatever I’m expecting or praying for, God goes beyond that.  WAY beyond that.  He is AWE-mazing.  He dreams bigger than I can dream for myself.  So, I’m letting go and letting God.  Letting go and letting God. 
I can’t wait to see what’s next… I have a feeling I’m going to be blown away!  No wait, I KNOW I’m going to be blown away!!!  I’m EXPECTING to be!

Are you expecting AWE-mazing things from God??

So, I just spent over an hour waiting in line to get gas.  Why??  It is 1am! 
I thought I’d be slick and sneak out late to get some gas but apparently I wasn’t the only one who had that thought.  It is crazy out there.  I almost fell asleep because I am so tired.  I read some of Perry Nobles blogs (I’ll be posting some that I read), emailed some friends, read my Bible, took a short nap, …  Seriously.  Then  when I got up to the front of the line, I saw that the sign was blanked out and I almost panicked.  But then I saw that the cars were still moving but only half of the pumps were being used.  And then, there were the people filling up their extra cans.  Is that fair?!  It would be if I had a can to fill but I didn’t, so I don’t really think it was fair.  The guy behind me told me not to “drink it all”.  This is insane.  Send us some gas already. 

So, the last two days have been full of kids.  Yeah!  :-)  I got to see the two kids I nannied a couple of years ago.  They are now 2 & 4 and it has been awesome to see them grow and be a very small part of their lives.  I started watching Alaina when all she could do is lay in one spot.  Then she started doing the army crawl, crawling, pulling herself up, etc.  It’s crazy how much fun you can have playing with a baby and how long you can stay entertained.  The first time I heard her talk, I hadn’t seen them in awhile.  She dropped her blanket so I picked it up for her and she said, “thank you”.  Wow!  So, this weekend we had a little conversation.  I just looked at her thinking about how much she’s grown and it blows me away.  Her brother Jay is the smartest little boy I’ve ever met.  He said he was a scientist.  Haha!  He’s always some superhero or characted but today he was just a scientist.  Their parents blow me away- I’ve told the mom that when I have kids, I’m going to send them to her house so she can train them and then send them back to me.  I have never seen such happy and well-behaved kids.  Wow.  More on that another time.
So, then yesterday I got to take Madison to church with me.  Woo-hoo!  We got to wear our pj’s and it was so fun seeing the kids and adults in their fashionable attire.  We ate doughnuts, played games, sang songs, and made pillowcases.  They were allowed to draw anything on their case and Madison drew a cross!  It just reminded me of how much a life can be affected if you invest the time, ask God for the opportunity, and share Jesus with others.  And to see the way kids grow and change… it’s definitely one of the reasons God created me.
Here are a few pictures.

    
When was the last time you were reminded of an impact you’ve made?

Do you remember when you were younger and every friend you made was your “new best friend”??  It was instant and it was going to last forever… until the next day when something dramatic happened, like they spent more time with another friend or didn’t share their oreos at lunch.  Bringing back memories?!  My best friend in 2nd grade lived fairly close so we spent a lot of time together and we were super special friends because we had the same middle name, “Dawn”.  Well, I honestly have no idea what we got into a fight about but I remember one day saying to her in a really mean voice (or as mean as a little short, skinny, and freckled 7 year old can be), “We’re not friends anymore!  Just forget my phone number!!”  Hahaha!  The funniest part about it is that our numbers were only different by one digit.  What was I thinking?  And the best part is that we were friends all through school, lost touch after graduation, ran into each other 7 years later and still keep in touch!  (And wow, God is really using that girl!)
So, I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older that not many people use the term “best” before friend anymore.  Why is that?  Do we think it’s childish or what’s the reason?  Tonight, two of my friends and I were out eating dinner when one of them said she had referred to me as her “best friend Lindsay” to someone else.  I can honestly say I was shocked, excited, and touched all at once!  She called me her best friend!  To tell the truth, it made me feel awesome and still does!  They baoth are my best friends and I knew that… why have I never told them?
As I sit here, I can’t help but think of how Jesus feels when someone calls Him their best friend.  He must get so excited and happy!  But the BEST part about it, is that Jesus Christ calls us HIS Best Friend FOREVER!  WOW!  It always blows me away to think of how huge God is to have created the entire Universe but He’s so personal that He knows every single thing about every one of us… and He loves us unconditionally.  Now, that’s what I call the BESTEST friend in the whole wide world!!!

Have you told anyone lately that Jesus is your BFF??  Have you told Him?

Wow!  So I just got an email from a dear new friend.  First I have to tell how we met…  It was the Labor Day Retreat with my church and DJ “Tanner” was playing old school music.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see this guy doing a silly dance.  I mean really silly.  I walked over to him and told him my friend wanted to dance but none of us did and since he was obviously already dancing, he should go dance with my friend.  His response?  “My tummy hurts”.  Seriously?!  And I actually think that that word came out of my mouth!  :-)  Later on, we laughed about him saying that and what a lame (but he says true) excuse it was and became instant friends.  And now our friends are becoming friends.  Wow- God sure does answer prayers in an unexpected way!
Okay, so fast forward.   I just received an email from him and he’s asking for prayers.  See, he is a DJ and had the opportunity to speak to the worship leader at the retreat.  Long story short, they are meeting tomorrow to discuss a new music project!  He said, “I think God may be puttin me to work for Him now, in the way I was made for”.  Wow. Wow. WOW.  God is using his talent as a DJ and teaming him up with an amazing worship leader and they are going to change lives for Jesus through their God-given talents!  WOW. 
So, I ask that you all be praying for my good friend…  God, please bless dj tD’s and Aaron Keyes first meeting tomorrow.  Let their faith expect and trust in Your God-size results.  Use them to reach others for Your Kingdom and bring glory to Your awesome name!  Amen! 
No matter what we are doing- our jobs, our activities, our friendships…  God can use us if we are willing to use what we have and have FAITH that He will do the rest and use us in bigger ways than we could ever dream of for ourselves!!!

Are you doing what God made you for?

It has been forever since I wrote… life changed and I wasn’t ready for it.  I graduated college (FINALLY!), left my passion and got a job )-: , and quickly realized that Atlanta will always be my home, no matter how much I think I want to move.
So here I am again.  Getting back to the things I love and haven’t had time for.  722 tonight made me realize that…  God created me to be who I am- as an individual with interests, talents, and a purpose and passion for life.  It’s crazy how things of this world can suck the life out of you so quickly you don’t know what hit you. 
God, please don’t let me lose focus on You.  Let me remember why I am here every single day and let me be intentional in every single thing that I do!!!  It’s by Your grace alone that I am here.
Have you been letting life get in the way??

At age 3, I knew Jesus was my friend and that He loved me.  We did go to church occasionally but not regularly from what I remember.  I don’t remember having any friends at church- we went with the neighbors who were our friends.  I don’t remember learning anything or even what we did.  As I got older and would go to different churches with friends, I only remember trying to stay awake while I was there- and feeling a little out of place because I had no idea what they were talking about.  As I remember all of these things, the one that sticks out the most is the fact that I accepted that Jesus was real when I was 3.  I didn’t ask how or why… I just did.  The faith of a child.  A seed was planted and it was 20 years later that the seed started to grow.  And all it took was someone to act like Jesus in my life- to love me where I was… no questions asked, no beliefs forced upon me, no expectations.  What’s amazing is that when I accepted Jesus as an adult, I just KNEW.  I didn’t know much about Him, except that He was real and He loved me and He wanted to be my EVERYTHING!  When people ask me why I believe, my reply is that there is no way tht I couldn’t.  My eyes were opened to see!  I pray that others would know Him that way too!  ESPECIALLY that kids would grow up knowing the Truth and never question Him!  Let’s plant the seed and keep it safe from harsh weather, water it, and take care of it so that it grows into a vine spreading all over the world!!!
Last Sunday in KIDZU we made thank you cards- while we were talking about who we could give them to (showing kindness), one of the kids said “God!”  He simply said that in order to get the card to God, he’d just have to attach it to a balloon and let it go up to heaven.  WOW!  I love the fact that kids are so matter-of-fact about Jesus.  They need no reason or explanation of why God exists or what He can do for them.  They just accept Him for who He is… and we can’t even wrap our minds around it all!

I know I talk about Madison all the time, but she teaches me so much and God really shows Himself to me through her.
Today when she got home from school, she wanted to sit outside on the patio to eat her snack.  She told me that the leaves were shaking because they were cold and she told them to huddle together because GOd told her to tell them that!
She makes me smile.  I am so amazed at how she sees God through everything and how she doesn’t question if He exists.  She just knows that He does.
Did you know that if people don’t embrace Jesus as their Savior before they reach their teenage years, their chance of doing so at all is slim?  The numbers are over 30% between ages 5-12, less than 6% for ages 13-18, and a little over 6% for 19+ (according to George Barna).  Wow.  I am one of those 6% because it wasn’t until I was 24 that I accepted Jesus Christ.
I remember going to Vacation Bible School when I was 3!  Is that possible?  I remember I had a yellow tshirt with the blue words “Jesus loves me” written across the front.  I remember learning the songs… Jesus loves me this I know… Jesus is the answer what a friend is He…  I remember singing them in the shower when I was 5 and we had just moved to Georgia.  I didn’t know much about Him, but I was obviously thirsty to know Him at a very young age and it stuck with me…. even when I didn’t go to church after that.  A seed had been planted…
More about that tomorrow. 

Do you remember your earliest memory of hearing about Jesus?