God-sized Dreams

Where Dreams Set Sail

When the Failure of Your Dream Is Not Really a Failure After All

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Have you ever felt a little bruised and battered by your God-sized dreams?

I mean dreams can be so exciting – when they’re moving forward, evolving, coming true! And then they can be dashed. Kaboom! All the work, time, effort, prayer, emotions that went into that dream can seem all for naught. It feels like the failure of your dream. That hurts! And it can be very discouraging. I know – I’ve had that experience with Circles of Faith.

For years, and I mean like 20 years, I had this dream to have a place to share our stories. Through a number of experiences in women’s ministry, I saw how powerful, life-changing in fact, it was to exchange our stories, our God stories. Stories that are expressions of a Good God, a God of miracles and redemption, a God who demonstrates His love in tangible ways, a God who is near, who cares, who loves immeasurably. A God who is real. These stories deepen faith, encourage, bring hope, and glorify God!

I envisioned a magazine (I’ve been in the magazine business for over 30 years) that would serve my local community. I wrote copious notes and journaled for years, believing that when the time was right, the God-sized dream would unfold.

And that’s basically what happened. Through a series of God orchestrations, I met a group of women who had a similar dream. But now the worldwide web was full speed ahead. So we decided to start there and launched an online community/contributor site, Circles of Faith – Where Faith, Life, and Community Intersect.

We had awesome content from a team of amazing writers. We had a good social media strategy. We worked diligently, along with a team of dedicated women. But our subscriber numbers were flat. They never really grew much from our official launch. Meanwhile, the web was getting saturated with more and more blogs…and our engagement seemed to be waning. What was up with that? Very disheartening.

The good news is we have been able to shift our dreams.

That was not easy. But we took some steps that allowed us to move forward. And these 5 Steps to Shifting Your Dreams just might help you if you find yourselves in a dream boat that seems to be sinking:

  1. Pray – This might be obvious, but how many times do we seek the opinion of others instead of going to the author of our dreams? My partner/cofounder on Circles of Faith Kimberly Amici and I fasted and prayed through the holidays as we sought God’s direction. He was faithful to bring us to the same conclusion when we reconvened to discuss what we felt God calling or not calling us to.
  2. Pay Attention – God is so good at communicating with us if we look, listen, reflect. He flashes “neon sign” messages through songs on the radio, a sermon, a conversation that leads to an ah-ha moment. Also pay as much attention to what God is doing as you do to what He isn’t. Our discouragement can lead to a pity party that blinds us from seeing God’s guidance.
  3. Wait – God is not asleep. He hasn’t left you. Draw nearer to Him. God is always at work. He wastes no experience. Though you may not perceive His actions, God promises to fulfill His purposes in us and His timing is always perfect.
  4. Don’t Go It Alone – I am blessed with a partner and CoFounder who is diligent to pray and who is also very different from me, so we complement each other. I also have many praying friends and I reached out to them during our season of discernment asking them to please keep us in their prayers. Don’t be afraid to ask for prayer or a sounding board from an honest trusted person or even tribe.
  5. Trust – God loves you and He has good plans for you. That never changes, no matter how you feel. There is a new dream, an adjusted dream, a better dream around the corner. When you let go of what was, you open yourself up to what can be ahead.

The process of discernment, letting go, and gearing up for what we feel called to next through Circles of Faith has not been easy. At times it’s been disappointing and frustrating. But we feel certain that God is going before us and leading us. We’ve had some wonderful live events, which have allowed us to share stories in new and exciting ways – our Story Slices series is one of the results. And we are gearing up to launch our podcast, which will continue to allow us to gather with women and share stories in a fresh and dynamic way.

Have you had a dream shift? I’d love to hear about it!

God promises to fulfill His purposes and His timing is perfect.

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Shared by: Elise Daly Parker

Silence Makes Us A Prisoner To The Past

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Silence Makes Us A Prisoner To The Past – Fear Holds Us In Captivity

Recently I spoke to a very large group of women and shared my story — the good, the bad, and the ugly — something I couldn’t have imagined doing just five or ten years ago.

I had always wanted to blend in — to go unnoticed — fearful of being the center of attention.

The truth is, fear had been a close companion for most of my life.

Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the what ifs. Fear for my children. Fear for myself.

I could go on and on.

Breaking free from those fears would be a long, and sometimes painful process.

Recently, God revealed to me that fear was able to control so much of my life because I lived expecting punishment for the choices of my past.

Choices of the past.

There are some things we would like to keep hidden in the dark places of our hearts, the shame too great to expose, the pain too terrible to bring into the light. At least that’s what the enemy of our soul whispers in our ears. So, we keep it all buried, and although we try to forget, we are haunted by the truth.

My past held many hurts for me, but my deepest regret came from my choice to have an abortion–a choice that wounded my heart and tormented me for years.

The fear of those painful truths being uncovered kept me in silence and I became a prisoner to my past.

I knew the truth — Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins — but somehow I managed to believe that I also needed to earn God’s forgiveness and keep earning it. Unfortunately, I would always fall short and that’s where I waited for punishment.

But, as I began to allow Jesus to shine light on those hidden areas of my life, and as I began to speak out about my own shame and guilt, what was hidden and holding me hostage, no longer had power over me. I had already been forgiven, but finally I was free.

You see, we are not defined by the things we chose to do, but by what we choose to do, because we are living in the present, not the past. So, instead of choosing to live fearfully, we can choose to live courageously.

When we push through our fears and share our stories we give others hope.

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We lead them out of captivity. We help them to be courageous and share their stories too.

Something amazing happens each time I speak out about those things that I kept hidden for so long — I gain more confidence and boldness. Not because of anything I’ve done, but because of what Jesus did. I finally understand the depth of God’s love for me, despite my choices. I recognize the lies of the enemy and because of that, I’m not afraid to chase my God-sized Dreams any longer.

Here’s the thing. God loves you too and He has a plan for you, to bless you and to give you hope, and He has a great future ahead for you! And I’m sure it includes a dream or two.

Don’t give up. Push through. Speak out about the hard things. Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy.

Regardless of what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you — you don’t have to live a life of fear, or shame, or guilt, or whatever else the enemy whispers in your ear.

You can choose to live according to God’s promises.

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He is a good, good Father and He is faithful.

The last few years, instead of making New Year resolutions, I’ve prayerfully chosen One Word to remember throughout the year. The first year, my word was Fearless, and reminding myself of that one word helped me to step out in faith and do things I never thought I could do.

The second year, my word was Surrendered. Some difficult things happened that year — my job was eliminated, and for a short period of time I felt rejected and that I had no value, but then I remembered that one word. I chose to trust God and He reminded me that this was the answer to something I had been praying for, and so I surrendered it all to His will.

This year, my word is Empowered. God brought this word to my mind along with a verse.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

Friends, I pray that you live a life fearlessly surrendered and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do all that He has called you to do.

Shared by: Lanette Haskins

Are We Listening, Or Leading?

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Paul Mason Quiet

Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth;
Therefore let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (NKJV))

Dear Dreamers,

Hear my confession. In my early years dreaming God-Sized Dreams, I took the joy I found in writing and supposed it to be the dream I was to build and dedicate to the Glory of God. I meant well , but I was entirely wrong.

Rather than listening in the quiet to hear God’s call, I was rash. I took things out of order.

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I forgot that He was God alone, supposing instead that I could partner with Him. I was not listening to be available to do His Will.

I was trying to lead and getting in His Way.

An innocent mistake, I see now that it took me journeying along in the wilderness much like the Children of Israel, who wandered 40 years out of the way on a 40-day trip. So desperate was I to make sense of my “exile,” I reasoned that God determined me to be an outsider.

I began to make peace with a life in the wild. It was dishonest, but it offered contentment.

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Or so I thought.

It usefully distracted me from my on-going misery about the fullness of joy lacking in my life. I was always mad, disappointed with God that the Joy and the Peace I knew so many experienced eluded me. What’d I do wrong?

The wrong was all in the doing…

My testimony is not so much that I was lost and now am found, but that I was dying spiritually, disconnected from The Vine, busying myself. I was longing for intimacy with God beyond anything I’d ever achieved previously. Or at least I thought so. I was reminded once again that God is always working in the background. Despite the appearance of wilderness, death, and dry bones, there was a Holy Ghost riot happening at the roots of my soul. Finally, it is good to return to the land of the living.

How did I return, you ask? I stopped fighting God. I stopped being angry, stopped filling my time, and quietly waited upon God. Oh, and there is one more thing. When God called, I simply said Yes.

What happened? Not the things I thought might. (and this is not a happily wrapped story ending, as God is not through with me yet). New things. New adventures. New perspectives on the world. New relationships, and yes, new calls from God.

I am more joyful than I’ve ever been, and while everything is not rosy, my perspective has changed (Perspective is key). I worry less and rely upon God more. And, when I get nervous, I remind myself, sometimes audibly, that He has Never Failed.

Here is the takeaway-let’s agree that dreaming is hard. Let’s concede that it takes a certain foolhardy bravery that is part faith and part stubborn tenacity. Anybody putting forth that much effort just to get to the starting line deserves a full serving of Grace.

And there is one other thing.

Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Listen more, and lead less, if at all.

(He doesn’t need your help.)

Shared by: Chelle Wilson

Wild In The Hollow: Chapter 16 & Conclusion Video

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Can you believe our time in this book is over?! Makes me sad…

As promised I wrapped up chapter 16 and the conclusion with a video. I hope you enjoy!

Wild In The Hollow: Conclusion from Alecia on Vimeo.

What are your thoughts from the book? Please share below in the comments/or join us on Facebook if you have trouble commenting here.

Shared by: Alecia Simersky

 

Where Two or More are Gathered

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“I hear you like to take tea.”

Her voice came through the phone, warm and sweet, and I couldn’t help but smile, instantly loving the woman on the other end of the line. A woman I’d never met. A woman who would become one of my dearest friends.

GSD

When I met Wendy I was a twenty-three year old dreamer, and she was the friend I didn’t know I was missing. We met several times a week for a year, both of us writers, performers, and dreamers. We were totally different, and strikingly similar. And the partnership grew despite the fact that time and distance separated us physically.

She now lives in California, and I live in Florida. We live 2,500 miles apart, and yet the Lord has lovingly and graciously knit together this friendship because God loves dreamers, and He loves to see His children in fellowship.

In those early days, when Wendy and I were both newly married and without children, we spent a lot of time dreaming about the future. We dreamt up companies and businesses, books, speaking engagements, and all the many ways that we would work together. Because even then we understood and saw that we were better as a pair.

And now, seven children and fourteen years later, we’re seeing the fruit of all those years of dreaming, the seeds of hope planted in each of our hearts, watered and grown through long talks on the phone, weekends together, and a lot of time spent in prayer together.

There is power in the midst of gathered dreamers. (<==== Click to tweet)

Ideas take shape, and ultimately take flight when two or more come together, and they dare to dream. Of course, every one of us is capable of dreaming on our own, and seeing those dreams come to fruition, but dream chasing is much less intimidating when done with a friend.

That’s why we gather here, in this simple online space. Because we see you, and we believe in your dreams, and we believe that dreaming with a group is powerful. But there’s an important component to this shared dreaming.

You must actually share your dream.

It’s scary to share a dream. I used to be terrified of the idea. I thought that it would be better for me to just quietly pursue it on my own, then on day step out of the shadows and yell TA-DA! Look at what I did.

But it’s lonely in the shadows, and when the dreaming gets tough, and the road is rocky, we’re bound to quit if there’s no one there to grab us by the hand and guide us through the rough parts.

Dream chasing is hard. I had a mentor who used to say that “Worthy goals are rarely ever easily achieved.” It’s true, isn’t it? Anything worth doing is going to be hard. But it sure doesn’t have to be lonely.

So my challenge to all you dreamers today is this: Step out of the shadows! Share your dream with someone, preferably someone who will commit to helping you accomplish it. Whether they help through prayer, encouragement, making coffee runs, or actually working alongside you, know that having a friend or loved one step on to the path with you makes the journey much more fun.

So dream on, friends, and do it together.

“For where two or more are gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:20

Shared By: Kelli Stuart

Wild In The Hollow: Chapters 13-15

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www.amberhaines.com

Hello! Welcome back. Today we are going to cover chapters 13-15. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and let’s dig in!

Chapter 13: See Through

Oh, I love this chapter! Amber asks God for the gift of prophecy, which is a spiritual gift we really don’t hear much about. She asked for eyes to see a deeper meaning in the world around her. I think her trip to Haiti did just that. Didn’t you just love how she described all she witnessed there?

It was all broken, but there was art at every turn. Even in the thickest poverty, there was a man humming. There was the smell of spice. The faces were so beautiful it made me schoolgirl nervous.” (pg.151)

While in Haiti we get to read about the vision of the church God gave Amber.

We were clothed with the same Spirit, all of us…The beautiful church. I saw with my eyes the benefits of churches coming alongside other churches, acknowledging the whole. I saw with my eyes unity, I held the fatherless, and they were there the future of us all. I saw them, and it made me long for my North American church. I longed for us to be one. I went to Haiti for a vision, to fall in love with my own people. There was no us and them. There is only us.” (pg. 153)

In the midst of such poverty she witnessed great hope. She saw people who should be angry and feel hopeless but instead were filled with spirit-joy and servant’s hearts.

We see the shift in Amber and she recognizes how close the kingdom of God is, how if we open our eyes we will truly see like the Haitians do, like she does– we all play a part in kingdom work.

My biggest take-away is that if we each play a part there is no reason to be jealous of each other. I need to always keep a spiritual perspective of my role here on earth. (<====Click to Tweet)

Chapter 14: Hope of the Exiled

This chapter builds on 13, and it gets even better. I loved her conversation with St. Cyr at the Haitian version of Hooters :). He perfectly explains that leaders are mere servants, to be rich means to be rich in faith-not money, and as long as people seek to make a name for himself they will be dissatisfied-in life and with the church.

I went back and read page 166 a couple of times. I wanted the words of St. Cyr to really sink into my mind and heart. “American culture never allows you to be satisfied,” he said. So true.

Sometimes I wonder what other cultures think of us. Especially those like Haiti. Do they think us like a child? Always wanting more, more, more.

The trip for Amber was like waking up from a drug-induced coma. She saw the world, her world, clearly for the first time.

We are over-spent, lonely, and dissatisfied with each other and the church and we don’t know why or how to fix it.(<====Click to Tweet)

Chapter 15: Whole in Sick Places

I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. It was nice to experience it through Amber’s words.

I like the idea of using our gifts to bring healing and wholeness to our community.

When we seek the kingdom of God and our desires point to him, we will live in joy. Isolation is the antithesis of wholeness. We were born for community.

The desires of this world will NEVER be enough. The latest fashions, newest cars, most decadent treats aren’t meant to fill the void of God.  We are weak, He makes us strong. We are sick, He makes us well. We will always be homesick this side of heaven.

How we live here and now, how we love and bring the kingdom of God to earth is important.

He {Jesus} bucked social trends to heal, to bring completeness. He healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath. He told her to get up and walk. That is the very Spirit who makes us. Do we believe him? Do we believe that the Spirit’s embodying brings completeness? Do we know that completeness isn’t an organization, conference, or program that serves up “church” to be consumed like a business serves up a product?” (pg. 188)

Now is our time friends, we are the church. It’s time for us to rise up. If we want the church to be more like Jesus, it starts with us. (<====Click To Tweet)

Questions:

We don’t need to travel to Haiti to see brokenness, it’s all around us. But are you able to be spirit and joy-filled in the midst of hardships?

How do you maintain your joy in the midst of trials?

We ALL have a part in kingdom work. Do you recognize your gifts?

What are some ways we can live lives of greater impact for the kingdom of God?

Jesus was a world-changer. He lived and loved so differently from the people of His time. I want that too. How about you?

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We have ONE more chapter! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. Thank you for meeting me here each week as we dived into our first book club!! Join me next week as we cover the last chapter and wrap it up with a video! 🙂 I figured we started with a video it was only right to end with one as well. Join me in the comments below and let me know your thoughts on these chapters. There was so much good stuff I wanted to cover I wished we were sitting across from each other. If you have trouble leaving a comment below, please join us over on Facebook!

Shared by: Alecia Simersky

Wild In The Hollow: Chapters 10-12

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Welcome to the Wild in the Hollow book club! Today we are going to cover chapters 10-12.

Chapter 10: Sustain

More and more, younger ones joined us to sing and know the joy of Christian community. Even some who didn’t believe, or didn’t want to be associated with Christians, came to be a part of it.”

In chapter 10 we read about the homemade community Amber and Seth unintentionally created. She shares of the beautiful gift of serving and being served and how it all happened organically. Nothing rigged, no barriers allowed. One minute they could be celebrating a birthday and the next a baptism. What a beautiful picture of family, of kingdom come.

After moving from the apartment building and back into the Rock House, we soon get to meet baby Titus. The fourth boy of the Haines’ family.

Titus gets sick and then sicker and there is no medical reason why. And we get to see community once again in all it’s glory as it rallies around Amber and Seth, sustaining them in their time of need.

Chapter 11: Muscle Memory

When a loved one is sick we give them our all. But soon though, we have to take time for ourselves. In those moments we steal away it’s good to be vulnerable and admit how hard life has been. Let the tears flow. Rest in the peace of God.

The words on page 122 really got me: “I don’t want to break. I don’t want to break. After telling a friend about my weariness, she said, “Maybe that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do-let yourself break.”

How often have I gone through a trial and had to tell myself, be strong, be strong! 

We don’t want to break, we don’t want the “what-if’s” of life to be a reality. Can we handle them? Can we still hold onto faith if the thing we dread the most happens? Will we still believe God is good?

These are all real questions that at some point in our lives we will come face to face with. We can move away from God and shake our fists at Him or lean into Him and trust.

Our trials will refine us. We will be able to look back on them and say because my “what-if” happened I trust God more than ever!

Once you’ve walked through the fire with God you will never be the same. (<====Click to Tweet)

Chapter 12: Seed of Desire

This is what I know of desire. Desire affects the whole person, mind, body, and soul. Desire is a drive. It is a hunger that opens its mouth. It is dissatisfaction, a longing, a wintered beast of prey. It is the hand of Potiphar’s wife for Joseph’s coat. It is the madness for the harp of David.”

When we lose hope we lose our way. This is what Amber discovers after months and months of Titus being sick. They had to back out of community because their souls were tired and in despair. They didn’t know how to do anything else but put one foot in front of the other.

This season they were in was draining.

We all have these season where it seems as if life just throws one thing after another at us. And we slip into survival mode without even realizing it.

We cut ourselves off from God, the church, even community because we are trying to get through the day not needing anyone, and yet not realizing how broken we have become.

As we see from Amber and Seth, they were broken and walking around in pieces of themselves. Instead of trusting in their community and God they sought refuge in alcohol, shopping, a new home.

Any time we seek refuge in anything other than God the fruits of our lives will tell on us.

Amber had her embers reignited by someone reminding her who lives in her…the Holy Spirit. This was her wake up call. 

She realized she had gifts given to her! She believed it for others but never once for herself. It’s almost as if we, the readers, can see the stars align in her life. All the mistakes, the doubts, the fears, they were because Amber never believed God had good plans for her and desired her!

How our lives are changed when we believe God loves us, accepts us, and wants good things for our lives!

Questions:

We all long for community. Has community come easy to you?

What are some ways you build community?

How have trials made you into the person you are today? Would you say your faith is stronger or weaker?

Have you ever found yourself in survival mode? How did you break free from it?

Do you believe God has good plans for your life?

Shared by: Alecia Simersky

Wild In The Hollow, Chapters 7-9

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Only in exhaustion would I bow low in prayer, always hiding parts away because I couldn’t let them go. I was always aware that this was my second baby and that I could have torn this family apart with an affair.”

Chapter 7: Thirsty

Seth and Amber gave birth to a healthy baby boy, but as she says, “to love.” However, Amber’s secret is eating her alive. After baby Isaac was born she endured two miscarriages back to back. On page 79 she writes, “I had hoped that I would take rest in God during another heartbreak, but only when the breaking happens can anybody really know.”

I want to park on those words a minute. I want to believe that in good times and bad I will have unwavering faith to hold onto God. Early on my spiritual journey I behaved as a spoiled child when things didn’t go my way. Now, many years later with numerous trials under my belt I see them as the refining tool they are. I don’t enjoy them, but going through the fire with God has brought wisdom I wouldn’t trade for anything.

What about you? Do you find it hard to hold onto your faith when you are enduring trials?

Chapter 8: Secret Hiding Place

There was a parking spot behind a tiny church off Simpson Point Road that hid me. I’ve hidden poetry, drugs, theology, music, and men. The hiding place is always the secret.“

In chapter eight we find the Haines’ home with three babies in three years. Just the thought makes me want to lay down and sleep!

Is there anything more refining than children? “We could feel ourselves being changed by the minute, and change was exactly what we wanted. We always said we wanted to be different, kind, world-changing lives but when it came down to it, we had been everything but different with our big house and fine job and cute dog.”

After reading these lines I had to put in my bookmark and think a spell. I wanted this for my family too, to be different. But as I looked around at my nice home, fine job, cute dogs I knew I wasn’t living what I wanted. How do we make the change from comfortable to different? I’m still asking myself this question…

Slowly life seems to be overtaking Amber. The day-to-day can be overwhelming. She was drowning in sameness…and the lie of her affair was demanding to be dealt with.

The confession, repentance and grace from Seth that followed was a beautiful, hard thing to read.

Have you ever had to confess and repent from a mistake? Were you met with the grace Seth showed Amber?

Chapter 9: Doula

A Doula is by definition: “A woman whose job is to give advice and comfort to a woman who is giving birth.”

By being at the bedside of her MawMaw as she left this earth and birthed her new body in Heaven, through being at the side of her best friends giving birth to their children we see how Amber is a Doula. But she’s also a doula in other ways…in community.

This chapter is about living small, different, and allowing community to heal you. We can feel the heartbreak among Amber’s words. She is grieving for a daughter she never held, her friends are grieving over lost dreams and it seemed as if God kept bringing more people into their lives that needed the healing touch of community.

A community of broken believers is being born.

There’s also something else I want to point out, the desire for smallness. What does this mean to you?

Like Amber, for me it meant scarcity. It meant I believed good things for others, but not myself. I twisted the idea of smallness. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 it says, “…Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you.”

I see now smallness is living out God’s plan for my life. Believing for good things, even hoping for them. Not being scared if my dreams come true. And from the overflow? Being a bigger blessing to those around me.

Questions:
Have you ever had a secret that burdened you so you had no choice but to confess? Describe the feeling after your confession.

How do we make the change from comfortable to different?

What does living small mean to you?

Please share your thoughts in the comments and if you have any problems leaving them here join us over on FB! Do you blog and have written a post on this book? We’d love for you to share the link in the comments! 

Shared by: Alecia Simersky

Wild In The Hollow: Chapters 4-6

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Today we will discuss chapters 4-6. There is so much good material here. Let’s get started!

Chapter 4: Harness on the Wind

She (Mamaw) didn’t mean to teach me that Jesus was one who worked in scraps or one who took on strays, but she did. She taught me what the church is supposed to look like. She took care of what she had. She gave part of it away…It wasn’t her job to make the world beautiful. All she did was feed us and give us a place to rest.”

In this chapter we see Amber as not only a new believer on fire for the Lord, but also a newlywed about to attend her first mega-church where her husband served as youth pastor. I had a feeling things were about to get very interesting :).

As a new believer how did you reconcile who God made you to be, the Holy Spirit’s leadings, and the church’s doctrines? Was this a struggle? Do you feel they can all be in unity?

My favorite lines from this chapter that resonated the most with me are right here:

I made a mistake when I came into the church. I walked in newly transformed, with a diamond on my finger, and asked them, “Will you love me now?” If I change the way I dress, calm down some, use your language, and learn to defend the faith well, if I accept the parades of the church and all the fancy fireworks, will you love me then?”(pg.50)

We so desperately want people to love and accept us. We want others to see we are changed after we become christians. But sometimes I think instead of trying to please God we twist it into trying to please His people instead.

We can’t look to the church to be our Holy Spirit.

Only the Holy Spirit can be the Holy Spirit.

What do you think?

Chapter 5: Hungry

So, in my new faith, rather than give in to desire, fall into sin, and die, I decided to kill off desire instead. This is what I thought church was for. I lay down before her-the church-like I had on the dorm room floor. I waited for passions to die. I waited to feel alive.”

Wow.

In her beautiful spin of words that leave you dizzy and amazed someone actually writes like this, we are reminded we are responsible for our own spiritual journeys. The church is a wonderful place to be, but she is wholly imperfect.

We can’t put our hope in her, because we will only be left disappointed.

We can try-hard holy and will end up putting ourselves in spiritual starvation mode for something real…more. OR we can give into the easy grace and yoke of God. He doesn’t ask us to burden ourselves in trying to be good enough for anyone or anything. He didn’t intend for His church to become a burden, He meant it to be a blessing.

I think for me the question I am asking myself is,”How can I be a blessing in the church and not burden others with religion?”

Chapter 6: A Wolf Revision

I began to revise my future, as if the rewriting would make it better… I saw myself in the past, in love, and I told her, “Revisions of love are perversions. You cannot revise the future for improvements. It is already beautiful-a garden planted, watered, pruned, and bearing fruit.”

This chapter hit me hard and left me looking deep within. Does she not know how to spin a tale of words?!

At some point those of us who are married will go through a spell where we are left wondering, Did we make a mistake? Why aren’t we happy anymore?

Amber had an affair to make her feel alive, loved. She took her eyes off not only her first love, God, but Seth and the life they had created together…for better or worse. New life is forming inside her, and with it I think we are going to see a rebirthing of Amber too.

Conclusion & Questions

What are your thoughts?

Have you ever felt that the church complicates the gospel?

Have you ever found yourself in a cycle of pleasing men rather than God?

Shared by: Alecia Simersky

The John Reaction

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 Lamb of God

I’ve always found this passage in the Bible pretty remarkable.

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” which means Teacher, “where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
John 1:35-39

Look carefully or you will miss it.

John is hanging out with two of his peeps.  Two dudes who have followed him around saying how awesome he is.  What a great preacher he is.  “His disciples.”  They were managing the crowds as they gathered to hear the famous John.

Then Jesus walks by and John says, “Behold the Lamb of God.”  Appropriately so.  Giving the man his due.

What happens next?

John’s two guys, his right hand men, HIS disciples, hear that and leave John to follow Jesus.

There go John’s guys.  His schedulers.  His dinner buddies.  His sounding boards.

I mean no disrespect here.  But that is what happened.  In an instant, John’s fans transferred their attention and became Jesus’ fans.

John does not melt down.  You don’t see him whining, “why don’t people want to follow ME instead.”  You don’t see him trash talk Jesus because he is jealous his followers are leaving him.  In today’s currency, he could care less that Jesus ends up with all the Twitter followers, Facebook friends, blog subscribers, press requests, largest circle of friends, positions of leadership, award wins, etc.

Instead, he simply says (in later verses), “He must increase and I must decrease.”  He says this brings him JOY.  (John 3:29-30)

Whoa.

That’s some transformational attitude there.  Because you know that’s not the “human” gut reaction.

Instinct here would be jealousy or frustration or depression or insecurity.

But at the end of the day, if we’re doing what glorifies God, you know, crying “Behold, the Lamb of God,” then we turn attention exactly where it is supposed to be. {===Click To Tweet}

All this “stuff” we’re doing is not about gaining personal glory.  This is about His glory.

Everyone knows the person with the most Twitter followers doesn’t end up with the most mansions in Heaven, right?

So when we start comparing our “followers” to someone else’s, we need to stop and remember everyone really has to be HIS followers.  Behold, the Lamb of God.  Let’s make sure we’re pointing our attention to Him and set aside worrying about external metrics which only distract us from our purpose to glorify Him.

Shared by: Gindi Vincent

 

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