Urgency

Ladies & Gents!

As I type away to you, I have an urgency that might not completely make sense in words — but it’s on my heart.

I have read, listened to, soaked in, tried to make sense of, and thought about many peoples’ stories. It is so interesting to hear how God has been working in many lives, and will continue to.

It’s also alarming to read how many view God and the gospel, how some take away the parts of the Bible that they want to follow, and leave the other parts sitting aside. There is no word or truth of greater importance than the gospel of Jesus Christ — But it’s also alarming to know that so many aren’t openly sharing the Gospel with others. We are missing a key part of being a child of God. 

We live in a world where half the population is living on less than two dollars a day, and over a billion people dwell in desperate poverty. Billions of people are engrossed in the worship of false gods, and approximately two billion of those people are still unreached with the gospel, meaning they have little chance of even hearing about the sacrifice of Christ for their sins before they die.*

Like WHAT?! Does this concern you? Is the urgency now placed in your heart? I pray it has some weight to it, for you. 

My question(s) and concern is why don’t we have this joy, this love, this urgency in us? Why are so many of us silent about the Gospel? Why is there a lack of passion for it? 

Are you worried about the response of sharing? Are you scared of being ridiculed (because you will be — probably more than what you may/may not see on this blog). You will be challenged in ways unimaginable. You will be asked questions that you won’t know the answers to (go & learn from them and be honest that you don’t know the answer). And don’t be afraid of asking the questions, too! 

But most of all, don’t be selfish! By keeping this Truth from those you love, you are keeping them from eternal life and that is about as selfish as you can get.

We are called to be a disciple and to spread the Word (like a wild fire). The commission Christ has given is clear: make disciples of all the nations. Spend your lives spreading the gospel for the glory of God to the ends of the earth.*

I want you to grasp something: Jesus is worth it. 

We can assent to the spirit of this age and choose to spend our lives seeking world pleasures, acquiring worldly possessions, and pursuing worldly ambitions — all under the banner of cultural Christianity.

Or we can decide that Jesus is worth more than this. We can recognize that he has created us, saved us, and called us for a much greater purpose than anything this world could ever offer us. We can die to ourselves, our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions, our priorities, and our plans. We can do all of this because we believe that the person and the plan of Christ bring reward that makes any risk more than worth it.*

Friends, this is my challenge: share the gospel. Start small, maybe with a friend have that deep and terrifying conversation. I wouldn’t sugar-coat it, rather share the raw truth. Be graceful, be honest, and show your joy about your salvation! You should be jumping for joy, per say, about your salvation. Don’t keep it hidden — that’s dangerous. 

I long for the day where the Kingdom of God is growing so rapidly because of the obedient children of God. I long for when His people are so on fire for Him that they cannot keep quiet about His goodness. Why hold back this beautiful story of redemption from others?

I challenge you to take that risk —

*David Platt (from the forward in “Risk is Right” by John Piper)

Dearest 2013,

Help me to listen, to love, to appreciate, to stop, to embrace, to make mistakes — and then learn from them. Help me to read more, for my own pleasure. Help me to get out of my small box, to explore more, to buy myself flowers just because, help me to accept change better, to check off my 20’s list — as best I can. 

My new year, help me to stay active in new ways — go skydiving and don’t put it off, run more and consistently, try something new. Save more, because I know my more “adult years” are coming quickly! Make others a priority over me, love them — though it may be difficult. 

Oh, and don’t let me be so hard on myself (though at times it’s good). Help me to accept myself and my mistakes — don’t let me dwell on the past. I’ve got far too much life ahead of me to dwell. Reach out to new friends, new relationships, new acquaintances — they may not work out, or they may stick in my life forever. Let them happen or you’ll never know. 

Finally, my new year, help me keep focused on the one thing in life that matters most — Christ. Help me to gain strength in Christ, daily, to know Him more, to be reminded of Him when I stray (because He knows I will). I need His help to love Him more, and help me to not give up. Help me to remind myself that I’ll make it through — I always do, with Him. 

It’s been a good one 2012,

Meg

Hands and Feet.

"And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15) 

I’m excited for what’s happening in my heart, in our hearts right now. There is a group of five girls, myself included, that have been brought together — tonight was our first meeting, out of weeks of trying to make this small group happen. 

We’re reading Undaunted, by Christine Caine. We were to read the introduction and the first chapter. My word, friends — He is stirring in our hearts. Tonight we focused on the simple, but oh so big question, “Why didn’t you come sooner?” 

For those of you who don’t know who Christine Caine is, she is a God-loving woman, Greek, and from Australia (and SO much more). But she has had the calling of reaching out to young ladies in sex-trafficking. I first heard her speak at Passion 2012 conference, in ATL, GA.  In Undaunted, Caine speaks about her conversation with young girls whom she helped rescue from the brothels, they asked her, “Why didn’t you come sooner?” 

This is a question that has tackled my heart, and is just urging myself and this group of girls to take action. We need to actively become Christ’s “hands and feet.” We talked about one young ladies’ call to international missions, but collectively decided to pray and earnestly seek Christ and show Christ in the local city of Wilmington. 

There was a long discussion, prayers, comments, and just an overwhelming emotion to make the young, Christian community known there. We want to help do our part in this generation, who’s yet to succeed in a way to evangelize effectively, in the local city. We have big ideas — we have ideas that are molding and we pray will form into something so successful, ultimately for the glory of God. 

My friends, we need your help — please pray. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that we can use, here. We need to seek God. Pray that we are actively seeking Him. We are taking small steps, we are looking to reach out of our comfortable lives and spread His word. I don’t want to be comfortable anymore. 

“God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” 

Next Saturday will be our first outreach. I humbly ask that you pray for us — pray for open hearts, minds, for us to be uncomfortable, for us to have hearts like servants for our Father. Prayer for us to prepare ourselves for reaching out to the homeless — that we can share with them, talk with them. Pray that we can be His hands and feet. 

"for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)

thankful for those days.

I will be quite honest with you. I was a bitter young lady, this morning. I was grumpy, tired, and a concerned soul. 

Waking at 3:00am and not being able to pass the “almost asleep” stage.

My good friend isn't talking. He has been on my heart and I’m concerned for him, but he’s the type who locks all emotion up in him and doesn’t budge. I’m the kind who likes to help when “problems” arise, and not being able to is troubling sometimes. 

But I have since gone on a run; the kind of run where you run and just keep running. Your mind carries you and you reflect and simply think. 

And it got me thinking, I don’t have control over this life of mine, nor his. I have this tendency to like to have control over certain things {which is surprising because of my care-free attitude towards most of life}. And I realized I don’t. God ultimately has control and it’s a bitter battle between He and I. 

But in this run, my attitude switched, recognizing all I have to be thankful for. And I am thankful for the listening-ears that He’s provided, and the willingness to listen when appropriate. I cannot push one to talk, so that I can get satisfaction in helping them. I need to have the opposite motive. I need to want to listen, because I want to listen, not so that I can feel better about myself; like another “gold star” for me.

Moreover, I’m thankful for the discovery of new things. Be it music, quotes, people.

As I posted the video, “You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are,” I realized I truly, in it’s truest sense, don’t know how “lucky” I really am. I posted yesterday about being experienced, and I got a kind note from a dear friend. She stated something like being content in where you are and being able to find “experience” in the everyday things. It rang close to home for me. I can travel fifteen minutes away, in two different directions, and be in two different states.

Shoot, how could I not experience something glorious out there? I’ve got to recognize and appreciate what I have, for all it’s worth. By doing so, I believe I could become more experienced — and if not experienced, than definitely thankful.   

So, thank you. Thank you to Him for bringing light on the subject, in which I am having difficulty with. I’m in a much better place this afternoon

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

We read this last night, as a part of large group’s sermon. It really hit home as things shift from the busyness of school, to summer. I will be the first to admit that I do worry about the future.

I do worry — how am I going to build up my savings account {prepping for getting out of college} when I only work all of 12 hours in a week? How am I going to make it, paying my “bills” monthly, when I can barely get by pay-check to pay-check. 

I do worry about school. I’ve had my set-backs in college, learning lessons, and I am “paying” for them. As much as I would love to be done next year, I will most likely be going an extra year or so. It’s not ideal, but it’s something I’m learning to cope with. 

And I was reminded last night that I need not worry, for He already knows what is on my heart. He knows the things that I really need. It’s a marvelous thing, you know? If only I can recognize that all of the time. And I was reminded that when worrying comes my way that I only need to pray — recognize the good in the situation, praise Him for that, and ask Him to help me through this struggle. Grant-it, it’s much easier said than done. But there is definitely truth to that. If I take the time to pray, just be still, and pray, be it every five minutes that I need to rejuvenate my faith or every few hours, etc. I need to pray. And by doing this, you’re slowly letting God take control of the situation {this will be hard for those area’s of my life that I am a control-freak about} and the worrying will subside. 

I got to thinking this morning, as I reread that passage, and I think I’m going to take on this challenge. I didn’t give my life to Him for no reason, I gave it to Him to take ownership — it’s about time I start letting Him take control again.