God Loves Smart People

God loves that you are intelligent.

God loves that you love to create.

God loves that you are SMART.

Religion makes you blind and dumb.

But God did not make you dumb or blind. He gave you a brain. He modeled you after Himself. If you are a mathematician, guess what? So is He. If you are a poet, guess what? So is He. If you are an engineer, guess what? So is He. If you are a mother, guess what? So is He. If you are a doctor, guess what? So is He. If you are a teacher, guess what? So is He. If you are a lover, guess what? So is He.

And He loves you.

If you are a Christian, you are allowed to be talented, brilliant, and inventive. You aren't just allowed, it's expected. It's part of how He designed you to be.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

We have misplaced the meaning of denying ourselves. We must deny the selfishness in us. We must not, under any circumstances, deny what God has placed within us.

These are two separate things.

God loves that I am a poet at heart. God loves that I love to teach. God loves that I love deep conversations. He placed these things within me. These are reflections of Himself.

I had a conversation with someone that I deeply care about who is going to school for engineering. He said, "You are closer to God because you are good at English. You understand the bible better than me. I am just logical and I just don't get it."

This statement was never ever meant to be true. This person is also a reflection of God. God is logical! God is an engineer! God figured out a way to make EVERYTHING work. Air. Gravity. Organs. God is a builder.

And He has given us authority and commissioned us to build.

***

God doesn't sit around and read His word all day long.

God is His word. God lives His word. God acts on His word. He is not contained or restrained by it.

We eat and sleep His word, but we do so that we may also live His word. Living it is better than memorizing it.

***

If you are not a Christian, being intelligent and believing in God are not contradictory. He designed you to think. He designed you to create. He designed you to desire to know Him.

My friend Zheng told me just the other day, "There's spirituality, and there's also personality." You can have spirituality and personality. Jesus was both natural and supernatural. It's okay, you can have both too.

I'm Not in Kansas Anymore

I love people. I want you to fully understand that. I love people.

But I have to fight this desire to go live in the woods by a lake (not a pond-- Mr. Thoreau) because sometimes I just really miss being alone with myself.

I need cave time. I need time where I can be a stranger in a place. I need time where I can be unrecognized in a place. I need time to dream and write and talk out loud to myself. Maybe that is why I have been driven back to the page. Perhaps that is why all writers are driven to the page.

It's been a few months since I've written with such candor. Life that was once at a stand still picked up speed to a whirlwind and here I am amidst the debris-- checking to be sure my red slippers are still on my feet and also noticing that I'm not in Kansas anymore.

Has that ever happened to you? A few months go by and suddenly you realize through all of the moving and shaking you feel like you have been scooped up and moved into a completely different season in life. It's not like you got a letter in the mail that said, "Hey, we're moving you out pretty soon. You should get ready." It feels more like a friendly kidnapping, where along the way somehow you agreed to it-- not knowing what you were agreeing to.

But you chose the path less traveled, or so you thought, and here you are.

Thanks Dorothy Parker, Here We Are.

I have my bed (or mattress) and comforter, a cup of coffee and a computer. The rest of my habitation is in utter disarray. There are boxes half full and a floor half empty and clothing that has been abandoned to lie in uncomfortable and compromising positions rendering them wrinkled and distorted. Like Still Life Installation: My Bedroom in Moving. Except that it is not pleasing to the eye. But art wasn't meant to feel clean.

And neither was life. I want life wrapped in blue ribbon, like a present waiting to be opened. And then I disagree with myself because I have a better thought. (Leave room for thoughts in progress, a period is not final. EE Cummings had it right when he broke grammar rules to make a point).

I want life as nature sits in Fall. The wind is blowing and the leaves are changing. Nothing is tidy nor clean; everything is in its place.

The Strength of Femininity

Recently, I have observed differences in a sense of femininity. To me, there are a few perversions to femininity that actually hinder and can aid in distorting masculinity and vice versa.

To some women, femininity is rejected, and a more masculine form of this is taken on. I'm not even talking about women who identify themselves as homosexual--nor am I talking about women who are simply more "tom boy" but who identify themselves as heterosexual.

I'm talking about women who take on an "I hate men" mentality. And paired with that is often a sense of "I must be crude and non-emotional if I am going to be a strong woman".

There is another perversion of femininity that is the oversexualized woman. I'm not talking about a woman who is sexy. I am talking about women who find their strength in portraying themselves as objects of sex.

PLEASE do not misunderstand me here, I am not suggesting that it is wrong or against femininity for women to be sexy. I think this is something that should be embraced and is very much a part of femininity. What I am talking about is an over exaggeration of this part of femininity so that it translates to identity.

I really don't think that most men will disagree with me when I say that a woman's sexiness can be powerful.

Sexiness is a part of femininity just like sexiness is a part of masculinity.

But it is a part. It is not a part that is "less holy" and should be divorced from these terms, nor is it a part that should be overly elevated. It is a necessary and good part of both masculinity and femininity.

Femininity can simply be defined as womanliness.

It is the very essence of being a woman.

There is strength and power in womanhood; yet it is different than the strength and power in manhood.

It is different, but it is equal.

I believe that true femininity is not weakness, but a powerful strength to be reckoned with. It is not simply being emotional; men have emotions too. It is not simply being loving; men are loving too. It is not simply being attractive; men are attractive too. It is the very essence of being a woman.

It is embracing the form of the woman-- the body, the mind, and the heart as equal parts of strength. Equal to the strength of a man, and yet different.

I'm not trying to make comments on gender roles or anything like that-- I'm simply trying to say that femininity is strength, not weakness. If you are a woman, embrace and explore what it means to be feminine.

Have a Cave Day

After one week and a day of teaching, it is vital that one remember the importance of the cave.

When I say the cave, I mean the place where you go and hide and find immeasurable amounts of joy being in seclusion.

My cave happens to be my bedroom.

You have permission, no matter what walk of life or profession, to need a cave day.

Or a cave moment.

Go, be by yourself in your happy place for 8 hours or 5 minutes.

Go, do it.

Stop reading this post if you need to and go do it right now!

If you give to all, do not forget to give -- even if just a little-- to yourself.

Rest is the most amazing thing you can do for you.

Rest recharges your spirit and your atmosphere.

If you feel guilty for resting, its probably a lie you're agreeing with.

So, stop agreeing with it.

That's all

#sipstea

Stop Divorcing Yourself

I realized it as I was reading the first chapter in Ericka Morrison's book Bandersnatch: I used to try to divorce the artist in me because it didn't seem "Christian".

Let me explain.

I used to believe that I couldn't be both a poet and a preacher. The two seemed separate to me. Poet seemed worldly. Preacher seemed spiritual.

Teacher was the gift and the compromise and seemed to fit into both.

But I can't deny that I'm a poet. I realized last night that being a poet isn't wrong.

The mind of God is a poet.

Just like the mind of God is an engineer.

Just like the mind of God is a scientist.

Just like the mind of God is a mathematician.

Just like the mind of God is a psychologist.

We all hold fragments of the reflection of God. Genesis 1:26.

If we are only looking at the teachers and preachers we are only seeing part of Him.

If we only accept the more spiritual parts of ourselves we are leaving out soul and body.

My spirit is a prophetess but my soul is a writer. And He made me that way.

What's more than that: He likes me that way.

We are making God religious and boring.

God is mind-blowing and cool.

And we don't understand Him.

When we try to cut off parts of ourselves it is evidence that we are putting God in a box.

**

I'm not saying that God doesn't want to take us on a journey to make us look more like Him. There are things that we will have to get rid of along our journey. There are sins we will have to shed. 

But we also don't have to divorce parts of ourselves.

We need all of the pieces within us to be whole- to be tied together in matrimony to Christ. 

You get to take along your eye for design. 

God has an eye for design.

HE MADE EVERYTHING.

You get to take along your calculations.

HE ORDERED THE MOON AND THE STARS.

You get to take along your art.

HE PAINTS THE SKY.

You get to take along your philosophy.

HIS THOUGHTS ARE HIGHER THAN OURS. 

HE CREATED ALL KNOWLEDGE. 

HE PROVIDES WISDOM.

I'm not talking about "accepting culture". Please don't get me wrong. I am talking about God being much less religious than we make Him. I am talking about God being the creator of everything. I am talking about the fact that we are made in His image. His image is complex. His image contains an infinite amount of faucets and fragments are seen in each of us. 

He cannot be contained, yet we contain pieces of Him.

With something to think about,

-Ashley

Fear

I've been re-evaluating a lot of things recently. I have been thinking about what the next season of my life will look like and quite frankly it both excites and scares me. 

I have seen two pictures that are really speaking to what the Lord is doing right now in my life for what is next.

The first one I saw on my way to school. It was the image of a piece of paper with the word FEAR on it written in red. I saw the piece of paper being torn in two.

The second image happened during service on Sunday morning. I saw myself holding a piece of paper with the word FEAR on it. However, this time I saw myself underwater and a huge whale was coming my way. I thought that the whale was going to swallow me, but instead it snatched the paper out of my hand and ate it. 

So, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that I've been dealing with some issues of fear in my life. The Lord is showing me these pictures to illustrate what He is doing. 

He is removing fear. He is swallowing fear. He is tearing fear in two. 

I think whatever it is that is threatening me the most in my life is going to be the thing that takes the fear out of my hand. 

Consider this for yourself was well. Whatever it is that is coming your way that looks like it will swallow you whole is really the thing in your life that is trying to destroy fear. 

Crazy Joy

The strangest thing has happened in my 3rd block class.

We have been destroyed by waves of joy.

These waves usually hit at the beginning of the class period and leave us in hunched-over laughter. 

Friday, it happened again. It was beautiful. There is a freedom to play and be real and laugh that I have never quite experienced before. Did I mention I get to experience this with my my high-achieving students?

Smart cookies. Real smart cookies.

The kind that believe in Jesus' philosophy of leaving the 99 to go after the 1...the 1 point they missed from making 100 ...

And what are we doing? 

Laughing until we are crying.

After this, they do more work for me than any of my other classes combined. 

The lesson: Basking in His Presence of Joy produces amazing things.

Instead of the following: Saying you are standing in His Joy and striving to do amazing things.

Much of our church culture is flipped completely upside down. We trick ourselves into believing that we are supposed to be working for joy when really God intended joy to work for us.

You want to know why you are tired? 

You want to know why you are miserable?

Because you are working for that joy instead of laying in it!!

Maybe you need to stop working so hard. Maybe you need to stop serving so much. Maybe you need to bask a little while at the feet of Jesus. 

There is always a greater choice-- and it is never serving Jesus's needs, it is receiving from Him what He longs to give us.

If you don't believe me-- go read the story about Martha and Mary. Jesus was just as serious then as He is right now.

How do you foster an atmosphere for crazy joy? Invite Holy Spirit in and let Him surprise you. It's not going to happen if you are working really hard for it. It's going to happen when you walk right into it.

Praying for God to wreck your classrooms, homes, and workplaces with crazy JOY!!!!

Let go of control and put Him in control. Walk in peace and joy will follow you.


** In fact, please excuse any grammatical errors in this post... I'm so drunk on Joy right now that it's a little hard for me to write this for laughing.

Here is some inspiration: Tip of My Toes

100 before January 01

When it comes to exercise, it is important to turn off your brain.

I am sitting under the covers, on my bed, thinking about how I need to go run this morning to reach my goal of 100 miles.

The more I think about it, the longer it takes me to get out of bed and go.

In fact, writing this blog post is postponing my trip another three minutes. But I wanted to get this lesson down.

Another lesson I'm learning is that you don't have to use your brainpower in overdrive all the time. The brain needs a break. Stop thinking so much. 

Goal: 100 miles (biking, running, walking) by January 1, 2016.

25Cents: Lesson 1- Wide Open Life

My best friend informed me that I am 25 years of a century old.

That makes me sound really old. I actually feel younger now than I did when I was 18. But that is another lesson for another day.

There have been so many lessons that I have learned before I turned 25. Some of them have helped me much more than I would have ever guessed. They are definitely worth sharing.

Over the next two or three weeks, I am going to post the most important lessons I learned before turning 25. I hope you enjoy!

Lesson 1: Your destiny is not an enclosed space.

When I first entered into the school of education for my masters degree at the University of South Carolina, I felt trapped. All I could hear the enemy say was, "Well, you've settled for an average life. I hope you're happy".

I don't think I am alone in hearing something like this. I knew in my spirit that I was entering into the teaching profession for a purpose. I knew it was not the 50 year plan. But the voice of the enemy kept repeating a sense of smallness.

As God's children, we are not confined to a smallness of thinking. We are confined only by the smallness that we agree to. God wants us to live a wide open life. He wants to coax us out of the room we have been sitting in and out into the open of the destiny He provides.

This lesson is based on the understanding that our destiny is not in what we do as a profession. This can be categorized as part of His will for us, but it is not, in total, our destiny.

Our profession is what we do, but it is not who we are. In fact, our profession is really like a vehicle to drive through different parts of our destiny. Sometimes our profession might look like one thing because that kind of vehicle fits our current terrain. The Lord has the right occupation for our season at the right time. However, we have to be willing to part with our old vehicle for our new one. And it is not our destiny. Our profession can be a part of our destiny, but it is not our destiny within itself. Our destiny is what we were designed for. Our destiny is what He has put delight in us to complete. Our destiny is linked with destroying plans of the enemy. Our destiny is to directly impact the lives of others.

Do not settle for living in an enclosed space. The enclosed space does not come from circumstances, although it often appears that way. The enclosed space comes from the way we see our lives. We must see our lives from God's perspective. He will take us in His lap and remind us that when we look from a higher perspective, we see more.

You must change your mind in order to live a wide open life. This is a lesson that I learned around the age of 23, but is something that will continue to impact me for the rest of my life.

Mindset Shift

I used to walk around being very aware of the work of the enemy.

Now, I walk around being very aware of the work of God.

There are probably several things that can explain this shift; one of them is a shift of my own sight.

My car has become a very anointed place. Maybe it was all of those hours infiltrating the space with the songs of Jesus Culture, Bethel, and the like.

Maybe God decided to meet me there. Or maybe it's a combination of all three and I just happen to spend a lot of time in the car!

On my way home from work yesterday, I was washed with a wave of His presence. Like getting a goosebump wave from behind and from head on. Then this thought hit me: "Every single place I go, the enemy is going to know I was there."

I feel a sense of power and authority that I have been longing for my whole life. Many of us have a heart to help those who need it, but for a long time have felt helpless. 

We have been more aware of the enemy than of the presence of God. 

The Spirit of the Lord is an insurgent force. He in surges in us and then through us. Plug into His power and release it. 

Shift your eyes to see that the Kingdom of God is building an army with soldiers being equipped with skill, love, truth, power, and justice. 

Many soldiers are shaking awake to the prescence of God and learning to walk in His power. I desperately want to learn more so that I can better equip my children for the times to come. 

Expecting.

I live in a small town outside of historic Charleston, SC.

I have been waiting for this morning for about 3 months. I walked outside and I know something has changed.

The breeze is blowing and I run inside to grab a blanket. It's 55-- (depending on where you are this might be considered beach weather...) and to me it is perfect.

I fix my breakfast and a pot of tea with an overly large portion of local wildflower honey and bask in the glory of 6:15am.

Then, just as I settle in, the Lord says, "You will be pregnant most of your life."

?!?!?!?!?

"Umm, excuse me Lord, what was that?"

And I hear it for the second time. I also hear a chuckle.

"I am going to birth things through you your whole life. You are going to give new life."

The Lord is doing something new, and it's in YOU.

Feed yourself to nourish the creation God is going to birth in you. Stop in-taking what is poisonous to growth. Take in what is pure. Our lives are bigger than ourselves. 

Real Rant: Stress v. Rest Continued

About a month ago, I posted about beginning a journey of rest.

I told you that I would update you on my findings because, honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. And I try to be a woman of my word (#proverbs31 #goals).

Well, this month has been amazing with ZERO stress.

...

Just kidding.


But I have definitely learned some things.

1. Rest is a mindset.
2. Rest is a choice.
3. Rest does not equal laziness-- rest is holy.
4. Rest is a lifestyle.


But most importantly:

Rest keeps you in a state of Readiness. What does rest keep you ready for?

Rest keeps you ready for revival. Rest keeps you ready for rescue.

Rest keeps you in reliance on the One who can be relied on.

Anyone tired of alliterations yet? (Ironically, that was a vocabulary word in Yearbook 1 today!)

Rest is something that creates an environment for a spirit-filled, fulfilling life.

I used to think that rest was inaction. But rest is a state of being. Rest is a place in which you operate from-- not just something that you do.

Rest also helps reorder. Operating from a place of rest helps to reorder the list of things that we deem important.

Operating out of a spirit of rest means that you are focused on Him.
It doesn't mean that all you do is sit in your room singing praise songs and praying in a million ways of rest.

It means that everything else is in order. He is at the beginning. He is at the end. Everything in our lives are seen through His light, from His perspective.

Rest releases an inner high-rise.

You suddenly see things from a higher perspective. You see the things that stressed you as farther away, and therefore, smaller. This is the size stress should always come in: small.

Rest translates to trust. Trust in Him and there is rest in your spirit.

About two weeks ago I had this amazing encounter with God in my car. It was a very normal moment, but filled with so much meaning and power. I was driving my car, worried about the potential danger of a student who was dealing with a lot of stress and anger in his life. I was worried about the safety of my students, my co-teacher, and myself. I was also very concerned with the welfare of this particular young man. Long story short, I could feel myself sitting with all of my neck muscles tightened. I hold all of my stress in my neck since I was in a car accident four years ago-- and I probably held stress there before then as well.

I heard the Lord whisper, "Give it to Me. Give Me your concerns for this student." And so, I said, "Lord, I give them to you."

As soon as those words escaped my lips, I had the most intense feeling of chills I've ever had in my life. All of the chills were concentrated on my neck and shoulders. Small vibrations went up down my stiff neck muscles. The feeling left and I felt completely relaxed and at peace-- as if I had just finished getting a message!

The Lord wants you to operate from rest. Rest leads to trusting in Him. Trusting Him is partnering with Him. All of my fears and concerns did not come true. And even if they had, I would rather be operating out of rest, than stress.

Life in Next and Now

Right now, I am finding myself very fulfilled in the 3rd day of teaching my incredible, crazy, hormonal, insightful, high school students. 

I have a class at the end of the day with a lot of struggling learners and they have made a special way into my heart already.

To think that at one time I dreaded this season. 

I remember hearing God call me into teaching High School like He was calling me to the mission field. (In many ways it has been like that...)

And I remember being so upset about it! 

It's funny how the seasons God drags you kicking and screaming into are the same seasons you gain such a new perspective from. Perhaps it is the perspective of being dragged that makes God appear so much bigger. Or maybe it's because eventually we are looking up at Him and that's what He wants after all.

He has told me that this season of teaching High School students is not my 50 year plan. But today, and the past three days, I really loved it. 

To think that if my attitude hadn't changed my perspective might not have either.

Your season is a training ground, but it is also a place for you to live fully. Now is not the place to live in Next.

When Next becomes Now then live it fully as well.

Just don't stay too long in the Now, overstaying your welcome in the Now will one day mean you are living in past obedience. 

Enjoy now. Enjoy singleness. Enjoy a full house with screaming kids. Enjoy school. Enjoy your profession. Live Now fully. But don't neglect the Next.

Look at Him

Focus.

Focus. Don't look to the right or to the left. He has marked out the race for you.

Let the Holy Spirit train you the way God desires.

Run the race. God has promised us overwhelming joy. Can you feel His joy now. Wait until you feel His joy. 

"Spirit of the living God come fall afresh on me-- come wake me from my sleep"

Awaken--

The time is coming for you, as the bride to rise in strength.

Prepare, the time is coming, when God will pour out His spirit on all flesh.

"Strip everything away, until all I have is you. Undo the veil so all I see is you."

Are you preparing for a wedding? Because you walk around like you are preparing for a funeral.

The things God has promised you in new life and new covenant are far greater than anything you had to leave behind.

Pursue Him! Pursue Him with your heart. He stands in front of you. He is looking into your eyes. Pursue Him from the distance between your head and your heart. 

The Spirit will guide you- go.

Go

Don't look back today. The Lord is calling you forward into the next season. Don't let the disappointments of the last season hinder you from the fullness He promises in the one that is coming.

The next season is about risk. Risk for Him. Risk for yourself. Risk for a life you have yet to imagine.

Go! 

Don't look back. Only pillars of salt await those who focus on what they are losing rather than all there is to gain.

Go!

The old has passed and the new is come. 

Go!

Everything you lost were things you didn't need.

Go!

He is sufficient for you. He is good and will sustain you. 

Go!

He has designed you to be strong and to act in tune with His great strength.

Go!

His arms are open wide. He has been waiting your whole life to walk with you through this season. 

Go! 

Thousands of people you have never met have prayed that one day you would awaken and cross into this season.

Go! 

Hundreds of leaders have been rising up for this time. They have been praying that one day you would join them.

You are the one they have been praying for. Within you lies the destiny and the power of The Most High.

Go!

Rest follow up:

A few days ago I talked about rest. I really had no idea what I needed to do to achieve a lifestyle of rest. I still don't have all of the answers so don't get too excited.

But-- I had two small moments I want to share with you:

(Both of these occurred when I was laying in my bed not thinking about rest at all)

1. This idea flew into my thoughts: kick your cell phone out of your bed. In fact, end the night time relationship. End it and kick that thing out of your room.

So, I relocated my phone to the kitchen. I got back in bed, snuggled up in my covers and...

2. A second thought flew into my mind: get out of bed, walk to the threshold of your bedroom door and let your thoughts go before you walk back inside. No more thought conversations with people who you will see tomorrow. No more worries about the days' troubles. Leave them at the threshold of the door and walk inside.

As I got back into bed, I felt the Lord speak wisdom into my heart: 'the bedroom is a place of rest and connection. Only connect with the people and situations in your room that are actually there with you.'

Right now, the only two beings here are me and God. At some point, this space will include a husband or a child or both. Connect with the people in the present. Not the hypothetical ones or the mirages of those you will see tomorrow. The bedroom is a space of rest NOT a stage for worry rehearsal. 

God is teaching me to reset the culture of my room from just another compartment of worry to a haven of rest and restoration. 

I haven't lived out dropping my thoughts at the door perfectly, but this isn't about perfection. This is about growing and moving. And I really like where this rest journey is taking me...

Real Rant Wednesday: Tired

I am tired. And I'm heading into a full season. 

I am not quite sure why I am tired, or how this exactly happened because technically, I have been on summer break.

I have rested from school work, but I haven't really rested from anything else.

What is rest anyway?

Sometimes I feel like I get it confused with laziness. Other times I disguise rest with "low-key" business. But sometimes time with others turns into work.

Join with me as I journey to discover what rest really is.

I'm going to try to discover the true meaning of rest as I enter into another full season. 

I feel like I have missed out on the opportunity for an extended season of rest, but I also believe that God doesn't want me to have JUST a season of rest, or JUST a  few moments of rest. 

I think God wants me to operate out of rest.

I wish I could say that that meant I was going to forgo all current responsibilities. Unfortunately, I can't sit at home eating bonbons. I'm pretty sure that you can't either.

My main question: How does one operate out of rest? 

I'm beginning to think that operating out of rest starts in how you think. I believe rest can be a mind set. 

I don't have the details on this whole mindset thing just yet. But I am really going to seek an answer to this during the next few days. I will journal my experiences with rest and share them with you in the next few days. 

 

A Lesson from The Three Little Pigs

Yes, you read that title correctly.

If you haven't figured out that this is a rather unconventional blog, then this will surely prove it to you.

So, back to The Three Little Pigs...

You may remember from the good ole children's tale that the phrase "I'm gonna huff, I'm gonna puff, I'm gonna blow your house down!" was used quite frequently by our evil character the wolf.

The Pig in the straw house didn't stand a chance.

The Pig in the stick house might have made the wolf a little winded.

But the Pig in the brick house was like, "Bruh, you gonna have to get me a different way."

If your house is strong, there are some threats you just simply don't have to worry about. 

The enemy is just spitting idle threats if you know that you live in the fortress of the Most High God.

So, what are your life goals if you know you are squatting in a straw house or a stick house?
Get yourself a BRICK HOUSE.

Now, if you know you're living in a brick house, and you're feeling all good and secure because there is NO WAY the enemy is going to "huff and puff and blow your house down", do you think the enemy is just going to leave you alone?

If only...

Instead, he's gonna try to come through the chimney. (At least that's what I think happened in the children's book, forgive me if I'm wrong...).

So, what do you do to keep the big bad wolf out of your chimney?

You light a fire and start cookin' up something good!!

And that's the same thing we need to do in our spiritual lives. So, once we've got a house of brick, we need to keep that fire lit and that water boiling so that if the enemy even thinks about invading our territory, he will get his little sneaky butt burned.

Remember, we are more than conquerors.

Instead of this:

We should be like this:

Or even better...like this:

Roasted wolf, anyone?

One Perspective on Freedom

Me this morning:

4:00 AM exactly. My thoughts: again. Three days in a row...Okay, okay it's only been two. Do you like how I don't even argue anymore? Remember in grad school how I used to mumble at You under my breath for planning a meeting at this hour. 

Yeah, Yeah. I know, I'm not as thrilled as You'd like for me to be. But this seems urgent.

(Side Note: In grad school, I used to wake up pretty regularly at about 4AM. After a while, I figured God was trying to talk to me. I was so busy during that season that He needed a time when He knew I would hear Him. I used to joke and call it "prayer meeting". So now the 4AM hour is like an inside joke between me and God.)

I checked my phone, because-- let's be honest-- that's the first thing us Americans are trained to do when we wake up.

I had a text from my best friend and I sat down with the first journal I could grab (because, yes, there are multiple ones on my floor...don't judge).

As I began to pray some things out, God suddenly gave me an image to share with her. My best friend loves analogies and images. I love how God knows exactly how to speak to us.

The image was extremely specific to her particular situation, but after typing it out in a text message, I realized that it could probably apply to many people.

I'm going to give you the AshNotes version of what I sent to her:

Sometimes the enemy knows that he can't stop your feet because you've already determined to go and he can't stop your mind because it's already made up, and he can't stop your heart because it's already set so he keeps trying to attack your ears. It's like he's forced earmuffs on you to block out the joy that God is singing over you. (Because you better believe that He is singing joy over you...). The enemy knows that if you can hear the song, you will be joyful. And with what you've already got going for you that's the LAST thing he needs right now. But guess what? God isn't worried. You know why? Because He's placed the song that He sings over you in the middle of your heart. That's right. It's INSIDE you.

Wait, wait, wait. This is the time for you to look at the enemy and say, "Come at me now, bro."

Because of all the things the enemy can do to you and around you, he can't stop God from rising up His love and power on the inside of you. The Holy Spirit loves to be stirred up and especially from the inside.

***

God is whispering, "I've already given you freedom in this. Walk out of the cell. The enemy is literally leading you back into the cell by just the words he is using. His words are powerless. Quit walking back into the cell. You putting action to his suggestions are what is leading you back into captivity.

He is a liar. And in some circumstances, not even a good one, if you know who you belong to. Walk out of the cell. The door is open. Walk out of the cell. You don't have any chains on; you're just standing there," He chuckles, "Walk OUT."

Why does God chuckle? No, He's not mocking you. He loves you. He knows that the enemy is far less powerful than He is. He is laughing because the solution is simple.

It's like the enemy looks at you and says, "Yeah, you should really be in prison right now. You remember what you did? You see how you are messing up?" And us, overwhelmed and tired say, "Yes, I really should be". And we walk into the same cell that God just freed us from because the enemy simply reminded us of who we used to be, or that we are acting in our old nature.

It's not because the enemy drug you in by your hair, but because he suggested it.

Can we talk about this please?

Because he MENTIONED it.

God is looking at him going, "Really?"

But sometimes God is looking at us going, "Really? Ignore him and keep walking ahead in freedom."

Let the song God has placed within you rise up. But don't just let it rise up, let it come out of your mouth so that others-- who haven't heard the love in their hearts yet-- can hear a different song.

The Underpinnings

Why The Underpinnings?

Underpinnings are a solid foundation laid below ground level to support or strengthen a building.

I love the idea of building. I love the vision of it. I love how the foundations support the rooms which support the roof which cover the whole thing in protection.

Underpinnings are also known as ways to strengthen the foundation of already existing buildings for additional support. I believe there is a great call on people among all ages to be a people who support the foundations.

To be a people who get down under already existing foundations of local churches and organizations to strengthen them from the bottom up.

Or to start a new foundation. To start a new building. 

The Underpinnings aren't always glamorous. The Underpinnings are rarely dainty.

The Underpinnings are knee deep in dirt. They are sweaty. They are workin'. 

But they aren't working so hard that they can't stand. They are standing on the Cornerstone. They are resting on the rock of Jesus.

So, yes, their work is hard. So, yes, their burden is light.

Feeling the beautiful tension yet?

I hope that you check in with me as I enjoy both the tension and the beauty of living a life as an underpinning.

I hope that you find these posts to support you as you support others.