Get Up!

This morning, I did not want to get up. It was 6:55...and I had already hit snooze five times. I was now awake, but just didn't want to move. Ever have one of those days? Where you know you need to get up and get moving, but you just can't find the effort it requires? When I was laying there, the effort that it was going to require for me to start my day and get in gear felt so great. I did not want to rise from my comfy, warm bed. But we all know what happens once we do. It's not so bad...and not so hard. All you have to do is swing your legs off the bed...and stand up.

While reading through Acts 9 this morning, I heard...again...the words, "Get Up!" This phrase occurs many times, with all different settings.

On the road to Damascus, Saul was crushed to the ground by a blazing light and a surprising voice. After the Lord identified himself as Jesus, His first command to Saul was, "Now get up."

And then Peter instructed Aeneas, the paralytic in Lydda, to "get up and take care of your mat," after declaring, "Jesus Christ heals you."

In Joppa, a much loved saint named Tabitha had died. Peter went to the upstairs room where she had been put. After he knelt and prayed, he turned to the dead woman and said, "Tabitha, get up."

Now, to 'get up' can have a few meanings. It can be used in the sense of waking someone up from sleep, to rise from a flat position if someone was sick, but the deeper meaning of the root word is so insightful. It is the same root word used for resurrection - meaning to arise from the dead.

Do you feel spiritually asleep? Maybe even dead? Most of us are found at some time or another like Saul. Needing to be resurrected from the entrapment of our sin. God requires our immediate obedience...and to get up and get moving towards Him!

"What shall I do, Lord?" I asked.
"'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go..'
Acts 22:10

We may not know where to go, or what to do, but nothing is too big or too great for God! Especially when it comes to turning one of the most hostile opponents of the Lord into a willing servant. He has the ability to save anyone. The challenge is to not be deceived by self-satisfaction...as Saul was pretty content with his life. Stop being content with your life as it is now! Turn to God...and enjoy the abundance of His grace.

"Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."
Luke 8:50

Just move your feet...God will guide you where to go.

My Fractured Foot

About 2 years ago, I fell. Surprise, surprise my friends would say. I fall alot. I fall often. Thankfully, I am vertically challenged so I don't have too far to fall. When I fell, I fractured my foot. And aside from wearing a very ugly shoe for awhile, it looks perfect. But I can still feel it sometimes. That foot has never been the same. If I wear heels for too long, only that foot gets swollen. The doctor said it was healed. It looks healed. But I know it's there. I can feel it.

I think about my foot...and realize that even though it was healed, it is still a problem for me. It is still an issue that I have, and will probably always have. But it was something that I could not heal on my own. Oh, I tried. I tried icing it, not walking on it, but eventually I had to see the doctor. I couldn't do it by myself.

Just like I couldn't heal my foot by myself, you can't heal the issues in your life by yourself. You can try, and believe me we all do. We think that we can handle things on our own. We are prideful and determined to be independent and take care of it. We depend solely on our sheer will. But just like the break of a bone, sometimes things don't heal correctly. Sometimes they need to be re-broken. And it hurts. The issues that you face in your life that need to be 're-broken' hurt. It's not easy. But it's during those times that we need to learn to lean on God, and depend on only Him. Just because you face difficult times, doesn't mean you are out of the Will of God. God will break you. That brokenness that you are feeling and going through...pushes us to God. So He allows it. He encourages it. He wants it. He knows we need it. We need it to know Him more. We need it to show others His Grace. His love. His mercy. That He is the ultimate Healer. Which is why we should not be worried and anxious during these times.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

The only thing left to do is humble yourself. Humble yourself before The Lord and know that His knowledge for your life is greater than anything you could imagine. I mean, remember who we're talking about here! The God of the universe! He has helped you before, He will help you now, and will continue to.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

"But prayer really works. It changes things. It moves mountains. Have faith, because God is faithful. Trust Him, because He is trustworthy. Focus on the spiritual battle that's more real than what we see, hear, and feel. Call upon the Father who loves you, and persist until you see Him move. He will. He promised." - Janet Folger

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

Lessons learned in Charlotte, NC

1. Downtown is really Uptown.
2. My hair really loves the water in Charlotte.
3. There are ALOT of Walmarts.
4. Hobby Lobby needs to expand to Pittsburgh.
5. I miss my Cara more than I realized.
6. Elevation and Pastor Steven know how to have some CHURCH!

So, I traveled to Charlotte, NC to see one of my best friends that I have known since I was 12, Cara. She is getting married in September to a wonderful Godly man and needed some help planning...so I packed the car and away I drove. The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm pretty used to driving long distances by myself...and to be honest, I like the alone time. I made it in record time...stopping only twice to fill the tank up. It's always amazing to me...and a beautiful feeling, that no matter how much time goes between visits or talks, Cara and I pick up right where we left off. We went over some ideas the night I arrived...gabbed for quite awhile...and the next morning got cracking on the shopping. Invitations...check. Stamps...check. Sweet tea...check. I will never understand the obsession with sweet tea. I like hot tea. I like iced tea. Is it really necessary to make either of those any sweeter? Sigh...

Friday consisted of lots of shopping...ending with the bridal shop. Dresses, shoes, head pieces, jewelry...and Cara was beautiful and glowing. I can't wait to see the final result! Her fiance met us for dinner that night...at...wait for it...521 BBQ...the most unique and delicious bbq joint I've been to in awhile! I did feel a little out of place. Everyone was so nice...I didn't know what to do with myself. It's just a different lifestyle there...calm...carefree...and kind. Something I think I could get used to.

Saturday.

The day I was looking forward to.

Church day.

Elevation day.

Pastor Steven day.

I was like a kid on the first day of school. The service started at 6...and at 4, I was pacing. We pulled up...and the greeters were out in full force! They asked if it was my first time (was the smile on my face and sprint inside shouting first timer?) to which I said "YES!!" They handed me a V.I.P. packet...and welcomed me in. There were dozens of volunteers outside greeting people and making everyone feel welcome. Once inside, I couldn't sit still. The worship team came out and played the most amazing music...all so talented! Luckily...we got a seat up front. Two rows behind Pastor and Holly. He gave a message on finding your passion...calling you out. Living your best...empowering the people of God and being united. He asked the question,

"Is there a misery that could turn into your ministry?"

And I started thinking...a calling isn't about something you do...but about someone you become. The belief that the best is yet to come, and it's probably going to look different than anything that has come before it. Having the confidence that what we can do through God is more than we can imagine accomplishing on our own. Your calling isn't going to build your resume. It's going to build your soul.

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Frederick Buechner

Go seek God's will and ask where He needs you. And feed the world!

Not so grateful bank teller

I cashed a check today, and after she counted the money 6 times, yes, I said SIX TIMES, she handed it to me and I went on my way. Walking to the car, however, I felt this ping of something telling me to count it again. I was taking my old intern, who had come back to visit, to lunch. So I got in my car and drove off. The entire way knowing that I had to count the money she gave me. We walked in, ordered, and I opened my wallet. Sure enough, she had given me $20.00 too much. And all I kept thinking about was that scene in The Family Man where Don Cheadle is the angel...and the clerk at the convenient store. Remember that? This girl comes up to buy a pop and hands him a dollar bill. He takes it, says, "Change from ten," and proceeds to give her $9.00 back. She looks at him, astonished that he thought she gave him a ten. He asks her one last time if there was anything wrong, she says no, takes the money, and walks out. He watches her leave and says, "Man...character. And for what? A lousy nine bucks?" I kept thinking that over and over again...that I knew I needed to return it. Her drawer would be off by $20.00. There was no way I could keep it. But there was that moment. That little moment when you think, Well, it was her fault. She messed up. She counted it six times. It's only twenty dollars. And you'd be right. It is only twenty dollars. Would you really jeopardize yourself for a lousy twenty bucks? You don't know what load that teller was carrying today. You don't know if she was having an awful day, if her boss just yelled at her for messing up, if her kid is sick, if her car broke down. Haven't we all had one of those days? So, after lunch, I drove back to the bank. Walked in, and quietly asked if she remembered me, and told her she gave me more money than I should have gotten. She took the money, gave me a half smile, and said, "Huh. Oh." I turned and walked out. Really?? Did that seriously just happen?! Where have everyones manners have gone!? A thank you would have been nice! Especially since that $20.00 could have gotten me a pair of shoes at Target.

It's all Kristin's fault...

For two reasons. One, she threw my brilliant idea to make us alot of money out the window. And two, I bribed her...to start doing her blog more...and to let me give it out to people...which has backfired because now she is waiting for me to update mine. Love you Kristin!

Returning to the blog...feels right to start with a message I heard from our Pastor Kurt. The Prodigal Son. Specifically the older brother. Which I totally see in myself...and was brought to tears. The one thing that stuck out that I find I have to remind myself daily of is "Sometimes sin just isn't the things we do wrong, but the reasons we do right."

Talk about a message just for me! Since I was little, I was the good daughter. The one that my parents didn't have to worry about. The daughter that everyone always depended on. The child that you could assume would just take care of things. And don't get me wrong, I am glad to do it. Most of the time. But I can't help but feel, and after 27 years mind you, just a little bit resentful. Ok. Alot resentful. Why wasn't I allowed to be the one who didn't have to follow the rules and take care of things? Why wasn't it ok for me to go out and do whatever till whenever and not have anything be said about it? Why wasn't I ever the one who just took time for herself...not caring what people thought of me when I did it? Or did that really mean that I did care what people thought of me? After all these things that I have done and continue to do, I always felt it was never good enough. I never felt good enough.

Now we're getting down to the nitty gritty. Did I not do those things because I was fearful of what people would think of me? Or did I not do them because I was trying to control the situation and stay 'good.' Because in 'staying good,' I was hoping that they would see me as good, and therefore love me more. But here's the amazing part. God's love is not bound by our goodness or badness. If you are bad, He doesn't love you any less. And if you are good, He doesn't love you any more.

I always looked at this parable as the younger brother coming home. I never focused on the older brother. Because even then the focal point for me was the fact that all anyone cared about was the return of the younger brother. I was mad! I was angry....for the older brother. And for the older brother that lived in me. But I didn't want to feel this way! I want to feel loved...and secure...and understood. And then it hit me. Like someone taking a bat and smacking me in the head. I was loved. I was secure. I was understood. By my Father. By someone who would never let me down. By someone who would never leave me. And His love and grace is sufficient enough. I started to slowly realize that the father in this story must have felt so conflicted. As my parents must have felt and feel. They must feel so torn, that what they were doing wasn't enough. That no matter what they do it just isn't good enough. Once I started to open my eyes to a new way of thinking, a new way of feeling came. And with a new way of feeling, a new way of giving. I have to stop being the older brother of the prodigal son - let go of my resentment, know that we all are doing the best we can, and come into the love of the Father! The love of the Father that will never waiver and never let me go. Now that's a story worth living!