'Tis the Season to Advent

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

One of my favorite memories about Christmases past is my parents doing Christmas Advent calendars with me and my sisters. It was always exciting to open the little doors or books and discover the truth that it held. When we were little, they were simple pictures that depicted the Christmas story, but as we grew, they became more devotional. It was a great way for us to learn the story surrounding the birth of Christ and have a hands-on experience doing it. Recently, in looking for advent-related material for children’s lessons, I’ve come across some really well put together Advent calendars for families and thought I would share:

“The Wonder of the Greatest Gift” by Ann Voskamp ($27.00) – Interactive book (based on the Jesse tree) that opens to reveal a 13 inch tree, to hang the daily ornaments you will open each day. Devotional book is included as well. I saw this recently at the LifeWay store and it looked really cool.

“An Illustrated Advent for Families” by Illustrated Children’s Ministry ($10.00) – Combines the love of coloring with the advent stories. I would recommend this for older elementary aged children as the illustrations are quite intricate and would be more of a challenge to color. From what I can tell it is a weekly devotional with activities that could be spread out throughout the week.

“Journey to the Manger” by Focus on the Family ($10.00) – Interactive calendar containing puzzles, stickers, and a poster. I’ve not personally seen this, but anything with stickers makes preschoolers and elementary aged children really happy. :):)

“O Holy Night – A Build-It Yourself Nativity Scene & Advent Calendar” by Focus on the Family (FREE) – Each day, along with a devotion, children will receive a new Bible character/object that relates to the Nativity story and by the end of the advent calendar, they will have made a whole nativity scene! More info at: http://focusonthefamily.com/Advent (probably want a colored printer and lots of cardstock paper for this…)

“Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Guide” by FaithGateway (FREE, helps to own a copy of Sally Lloyd Jones’ Jesus Storybook Bible) – This guide has printable pictures/references that relate to stories found in the Jesus Storybook Bible (which is a fantastic book to have for your family) that you could display in any way you choose (suggestions are provided). More info at: http://www.faithgateway.com/jesus-storybook-bible-advent-c…/

“LifeWay Kids Family Advent Guide” by LifeWay (FREE) – A weekly family devotional that also contains daily Scripture readings relating to the Christmas story. There are also hands-on ideas to reinforce the weekly theme as well as life application questions. More info at: http://www.lifeway.com/…/Kids/c/N-1z13zg1Z1z10cb8/Ne-1z141o2

There are also SO many more advent calendars out there – these are just ones that I’ve come across in looking for activities for my lessons and I thought I would share. Whatever you do or choose, just make sure that your kids understand the reason for this season – the gift of our Savior! The Lord commanded us to teach his truths to our children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) and so we shall.  

Happy Adventing!

Adventing at 1 1/2 years old!

Right Living in an Unright World

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” – 1 Timothy 6:11

Outside of work, my life revolves around kids. Not my own, obviously, but rather around the kids I teach throughout the week. Whether these children be church kids or inner city kids, one thing is the same about every single one of them – they’re watching me. Ok, that sounded a little creepy, but it’s true. They are watching every part of my attitude, behavior, and body language. I hope that what they see through me is righteousness. It’s sure not what they see in the world, though.

These past days, weeks, and months have been riddled with talk of people living unrighteously. Some have behaved in ways – in their past and in the present – that are unrighteous; hurting, scarring, and letting down those around them. Some have spoken unrighetously – in person or on social media; giving others the impression that this is the way society interacts with one another. Our world has people that have unrighteous thoughts; creating and developing content that tempts people to live sinful lives. It’s a royal mess.

In his letter to Timothy, Paul tells him how crazy the world is and will be; he urges Timothy to make sure that the things that he teaches and the lifestyle he displays is that which is sound in Christ (1 Timothy 6:2-10). Speaking as a mentor to mentee, Paul encourages Timothy, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). He’s reminding Timothy that no matter what goes on around him, no matter how unrighteous society becomes, to strive to be a person who constantly and consistently pursues righteous living.

News flash. The stories we hear and see are only going to continue and will probably get worse. That’s what sin does – it infects and festers continually. That’s why people need Jesus and his forgiveness of those sins. Paul for sure knew unrighteousness wasn’t going to let up. The theme of righteous living is all through 1 Timothy and continues even into 2 Timothy. Paul, however, offers hope and a solution for how to help Timothy, and us in the world we find ourselves in; he says:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Whether it be with kids or anyone we encounter, it should be our ultimate aim that they see righteous living through us and know what it means to live as Christ in a world that shows them the opposite. Like it or not, they’re watching and it’s up to us to determine what they’re seeing. May we strive to live right in this insanely, unright world.

Learners for Life

“Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. 
Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”
– Proverbs 9:9

School has started for most kids and they are now getting back into the swing of learning and growing in their knowledge of life and academics.  I remember quite a number of first days of school – I was usually the one who was super nervous about starting a new chapter and getting used to new teachers and classmates (well, all except for the years I was homeschooled…my mom didn’t make me nervous :) ).

One of the biggest “first day of school” stories I can recall is the year I started third grade.  We lived in Kentucky and I attended my church’s private school.  It was their custom at that time that on the first day of school they would gather all students and parents in the sanctuary of the church and then bring a teacher up and read off the students that would be in his/her class.  Once your class was called, you went with your parent up to your new classroom.  You wouldn’t know who your teacher was until that moment.  I remember that in third grade I didn’t care which teacher I got – all except for one.  The students who had just finished third grade the year before had said that this one particular teacher was really tough and mean.  I knew I did NOT want her.  We got to the point in the “ceremony” to the third grade class.  One third grade teacher had been called and her class filled and now it was time for the “tough” teacher to get her students.  I prayed my name wouldn’t be called.  Last names were called…and of course, I had to wait until the end to find out if I was in her class (hazard of having a last name with a “y”).  Well, wouldn’t you know it – I ended up in this “dreaded” teacher’s class.  I was devastated.  My mom tells me that as she took me up to my classroom, I was fighting off tears.  What a miserable year third grade was going to be…or so I thought.

As it turned out, my third grade teacher was the most phenomenal teacher I ever had.  What those crazy fourth graders had told us about her was for sure not true and, I suppose, was just to scare us.  This third grade teacher is actually the person who inspired me to one day be a teacher and instill the love of learning and growing in knowledge in others – something I do to this very day.

One thing I have learned in these post-school years is that you never stop learning and growing.  I think that learning as an adult means learning about how to do life and grow in your walk with God.  In this last decade (so over my twenties), I have most definitely done a lot of learning and growing in these two areas.  I’ve learned a lot about myself, about others, about the Bible, about my job(s), and about living life as an adult, among other things.

Proverbs 9 is quite an interesting chapter.  The writer, King Solomon, personifies Wisdom and Folly as individuals and goes on to discuss how these two “individuals” “live their lives.”  I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but I want to focus on two nuggets from it:

Nugget #1: Proverbs 9:9: “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser.  Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”  As growing Christians, we should take this straight to our heart.  It is super important that we personally be instructed and taught in how God wants us to live so that we can be wiser and righteous in our lives and walk with the God.  In order for our walk to match our talk (which makes our walk evident to the world), our talk/walk must be learned.  Additionally, we should heed these words and instruct and teach our fellow younger Christian brothers/sisters so that they too can be wiser and righteous.  Instruction/teaching (academic or not) should always be passed from generation to generation so that whatever is being taught is never lost…and this is especially important as it relates to God and His Word.

Nugget #2: Proverbs 9:11-12: “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.  If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”  Who doesn’t want to have a long and fulfilling life?  These verses tell us that having wisdom will be a benefit to us and add years and days to our life!  How great is that?!  These verses also give a warning of what will happen if we reject or ignore wisdom – we will suffer for it.  Ignoring wisdom is very dangerous because it’s putting you in a place where temptations may (and probably will) abound.  So how will we suffer for our ignorance?  I would tend to say that it depends on situation, but whatever it is, suffering doesn’t sound good. 

From one teacher to another (or even to those of you who are mainly “students”), make special note of this: make absolutely sure that whatever wisdom you are imparting or learning is that which is biblical.  A lot of things can sound really good to the ear, but when the rubber meets the road – it doesn’t always line up with Scripture.  Look what Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:3 – “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”  Sometimes this is completely an accident, but there are sometimes where this is intentional (think prosperity preachers and the like). Part of you being the student (and we are all students of God’s Word) is to do your homework and take what you’ve been taught/what you're going to teach and check the source (the Word), because it’s author is inerrant and our ultimate Teacher.

There are many things I’m so grateful to have learned – these things have made me a more informed and knowledgeable person who is able to live and communicate with others in society.  Conversely, there are things I wish I didn’t have to learn – like about hurt and grief and loss.  All of these things combine, however, to shape and grow us into the people God wants us to be.  When we gain wisdom from what we are taught, we are then able to handle future experiences/challenges and help others down the road who may be going through similar situations.  I’m thankful, and I don't take it lightly, that I am able to do that as a teacher in ministry with children from all walks of life (a passion passed on to me from my amazing third grade teacher) because I am passing the wisdom of God onto the future generations so that they in turn can do the same.

Learning isn’t over when we walk across the stage with a cap and gown and diploma in hand. The reality is actually that we will be learners for life.

Prepare to be a learner for life!

Love Knows No Color

“I give you a new command: Love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another” 

John 13:34

My heart hurt when I woke up this morning and saw the news about the tragedy in Dallas and how it was precipitated by other tragedies that had happened in other cities across the United States earlier in the week.  Jesus calls us to love one another – and that’s not just a specific race to another race – it’s everybody loving their fellow human enough to respect their feelings, and most especially, their life. 

Upon hearing this morning’s news, my mind immediately jumped to a conversation I had with one of the inner city children I worked with last Monday.  For those who are unaware, in January I became the childcare coordinator for a Christian ministry in downtown Nashville (in addition to my full-time job) where I am responsible for not only the kids, but the childcare volunteers and program schedule on the two nights we meet each week.  We keep the kids while their moms are learning and studying to pass their GED test so that they can get a good job and provide for their families.

Anyway…back to my conversation with this five year old little girl…

During Bible story time, she had a very pouty look on her face and so I pulled her out to the hall to find out what the problem was and how it could be fixed.  She wasn’t in trouble; I simply wanted to find out what had happened.  (I ended up finding out that one of the other workers had asked her to sit away from another child, so as not to disrupt story time; and she didn’t like that someone was telling her what to do.)  However, instead of explaining to me why she was pouty, she goes into a 20 minute speech, in which she was basically yelling, about black people and white people and how white people don’t like black people and vice versa.  Calmly, I explained to her that this was not the case – especially here at our ministry, but still she continued.  I explained the Bible and how Jesus calls us to love each other, but she brought up stories that involved beatings and violence. I assured her that no one in our group felt this way against anyone and that she could trust that we had hers (and the other children’s) best interests at heart, but she exclaimed that she didn’t believe me.  Ya’ll, she’s five years old.  Five.

It appalls me that a five year old knows and can articulate division and strife among race in her community.  It breaks my heart that she thinks yelling and hate are the responses to counteracting the division and strife she sees.  But honestly, if that’s all she sees, then that’s all she’s going to know.  Unfortunately, this is the case and not just with her, but with all of the children that I interact with at this ministry.  I pray daily that we childcare workers show these impressionable children how to counteract hate with love.  I pray that they are learning from us how to be civil and handle conflict calmly and not through violence and harsh words.

Sadly, though, it’s not just violent news stories where children see negativity.  It’s in their homes.  It’s in their schools.  It’s in their communities.  It’s in politics.  It’s even in the church.  How can I teach love, trust, patience, kindness, compassion, and so on when pretty much every other place these kids live, watch, play, or breathe are filled with hate or violence or dirty words or distrust or lying or countless other negative acts and feelings?

When asked by the Pharisees what was the greatest commandment that all people should follow, Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).  Everything that Jesus said in Scripture is for sure important and noteworthy, but anything that Jesus COMMANDED in Scripture must be followed…has to be followed...and followed to the letter.  He spelled it out plain and simple - love your neighbor.  We know this command is important because Jesus mentions it, yet again, following His Last Supper, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another” (John 13:34).  What better example of showing love to others than Jesus – the ultimate example of love.  

Loving your neighbor isn’t always going to be easy – they may have caused some serious distrust in your life. 

 Loving your neighbor isn’t going to be comfortable – you may have to step waaay outside your comfort zone. 

Loving your neighbor may cause you to have to give up something that’s been a part of you – a piece of your past that you need to let go. 

BUT it’s important.  

It’s necessary.  

It’s Christ’s command.  

Jesus never promised that this life would be easy.  When we became His followers, we said we were willing to deny everything – our legacy, our family, our lifestyle, and the list could go on and on – to take up our cross and follow Him – Matthew 16:24. 

It’s not about religion, it’s not about lifestyles, it’s not about race, it’s not about flags, and it’s not even about whether or not somebody’s got a tattoo … every.single.human.being.alive. is the “one another” Jesus was talking about.  If He meant for us to leave a particular group out, He would’ve said it…but He didn’t.  One another means everybody.  Loving them like Jesus doesn’t mean you agree with their thoughts and feelings; it means you are being the light of Christ in their lives…and that, my friends, is what our ultimate goal as Christians is in this life – to be His light and help turn the lost to the cross.

I want to end this heart-felt post with a positive conclusion to the conversation I referenced earlier between me and the rather vocal five year old.  About half an hour after her bizarre protest, the precious little girl apologized to me.  She told me she had made a bad choice to say those words and that black people and white people could be friends and get along with one another.  She said, “Even though I have different skin and you have different skin, God made both of us and we are all the same on the inside.”  You’re right, sweet girl, you are so right.  Love - most especially God's love - knows no color.  We are all the same on the inside and we can show friendship and civility to each other.  Now if we can get the rest of the world to realize that.

Love knows no color.  Neither should we.

Love Hurts

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. – 1 Corinthians 13:7

The title of this blog post may seem quite unusual considering today is Valentine’s Day.  We mainly celebrate this holiday by centering on happiness and lovey-dovey gifts and gestures.  However, there’s another side to love that I want to touch on…a side that seems hard to deal with on the surface, but actually says a lot about how we love.  In fact, the purpose behind this Valentine’s Day post is in connection with a statement my pastor, Mike Glenn, made last Sunday.  It is a statement that is a bit strange, yet is absolutely true.  He said, “Love hurts.  If you’re going to follow Christ and love a world that can’t [and I, Allison, want to add in here, might not] love you back, it’s going to hurt.” 

If love is going to get to a place where it can hurt, it’s because we have given so much of ourselves to that person/place/thing.  Although it sounds hypocritical to think about something hurting us as we approach Valentine’s Day, getting to a place where love hurts actually says a lot about our walk with Christ as it shows how we have poured our life into something or someone so much so that we are willing to open ourselves up to potential hurt that might happen.  Paul talked about this in 1 Corinthians 13:7 when he said that love “endures through every circumstance.”  Every circumstance most definitely includes hurt. Maybe someone you love disappointed you, maybe someone you cared deeply for passed away, maybe you lost a job that you poured your life into, maybe you were rejected for speaking the truth into a friend or loved one’s life – whatever happened, something or someone you loved hurt your heart.  It doesn’t take the love for them away, but it still does hurt…and probably very deeply.

Jesus understands, more than anyone past, present, or future that love hurts.  The greatest example of this is seen as we read about how He sacrificed His life by dying on a cross for all of humanity’s sins. 1 John 3:16 says that “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.”  Notice those words, “…Jesus gave…” these words show us the incomparable character Jesus exhibited as He willingly gave his life for us just because He loves us.  Love hurt Jesus that day.  Another example is seen a few days prior to the crucifixion, as Jesus was riding into Jerusalem following His triumphal entry.  Luke 19:41 tells us, “But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.”  Jesus cried for Jerusalem because He knew what the future held for them (and it wasn’t a good future, if you catch my drift).  He had such a deep love for the people He had taught, healed, and ministered to and hated that they were going to have to go through hardship.  Love hurt Jesus that day.

Giving your love to someone or something else is a very vulnerable action.  You are opening yourself up to whatever the other contributor gives back.  It could be a blessing or it could be a hurt.  It could be something you anticipate might happen or it could just blindside you like a tackling football player (sports fans be proud of me for using this analogy).  It could mean accepting forgiveness from the other party or it could mean that you may be ignored by them for the foreseeable future.  There’s always the risk…but the risk of loving and being open to the possibility that the love might hurt you is one that we should all be willing to take. 

Should we get to a place where we should avoid loving something or someone because we don’t want to be potentially hurt by them or even regret that we ever loved them in the first place?  No.  In fact, that’s not very Christ-like.  Look at Jesus; He keeps loving us even though we still hurt Him by sinning.  

Real love may get to a place where it is going to hurt; but getting to that place means that we have invested ourselves, our time, our prayers, and our service to them – something that Jesus has commanded we do (Mark 12:31 - “love your neighbor”; Matthew 5:44 – “love your enemies…pray for those who mistreat you”; Mark 9:35 – “become a servant of all”). 

Missionary Amy Carmichael is quoted as saying, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”  As a missionary to India, she most likely experienced the hurt of love.  You don’t spend 53 years as a missionary and not give yourself to a people and location, that more than likely (especially the first few years) didn’t love her back.  She knew full well that what it meant to love ”through every circumstance.”  But, like Paul urges, she never gave up, never lost faith, and remained always hopeful.  What an encouragement and example to us all of truly loving “through every circumstance”…even the circumstance of hurt.

Quote: Amy Carmichael; original designer unknown

Living in a Crazy World

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."  - Romans 12:2

The world is rapidly…and I mean rapidly…changing.  The things we hear on the news, see on social media, or just hear around the watercooler each day increasingly show us that our world is much, much different than the world of even a year ago, let alone five years ago.  Just stop and think about all of the big headlines (and not necessarily covered by the mainstream news) that have happened over these past eight months – terrorism, environment, marriage, foreign policy, civil rights, gun control, abortion, and the list goes on and on. 

With all that is going on in the world today, do we keep up with it?  Do we change our behaviors and patterns to match today’s culture so that we “fit in”?  Logically it would make sense to blend in with culture because that way we would have friends, be in the “in” crowd, and not stick out like a sore thumb. As believers, though, in our hearts we know we can’t conform to the way the world is turning.  If we did it would be going against everything we believe and stand for in our faith in Christ (marriage – Mark 10:6-9; abortion – Psalm 139:13-16; civil rights – Romans 12:8; and it could go on and on). 

Paul spells it out point blank in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  I believe that Paul is definitely telling us as believers not to get caught up and be a part of the “big ticket” problems and cares of the world such as the ones previously mentioned, but I also believe that Paul is encouraging believers to not get caught up in the “less mentioned and easily overlooked problems and items” of the world as well.  I’m sure you are now wondering, “what does she mean by ‘less mentioned and easily overlooked items’?”  Thank you for asking. 

I believe Paul is also telling us as believers not to conform ourselves to more “common” day-to-day things like pride, lying, deceit, drunkenness, slander, idolatry, adultery, and the list could go on and on.  For some of us, we don’t correlate the “less mentioned problems” of the world with the more notable problems of the world, but they are one in the same.  The Bible even tells us that God hates these things.  Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes,  feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”  In one of his other books, Paul tells us: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Did you see what was mentioned there? While some of those are definitely deplorable acts, notice those “easily overlooked items.”  They seem small, but in reality they are just as equal as the “big ticket items” in the sight of God.  Things like lying, false witness, stirring up conflict, hatred, discord, jealousy, dissensions, etc. … all of these the Lord hates.  Any of those sound familiar and quite common?

Romans 12 isn’t just advice to new, baby Christians to leave the things of the world behind when they choose to follow Jesus, it’s an appeal to established, mature Christians who also need to heed its words.  As Christians we aren’t perfect.  We have our pitfalls and, yes, we sin.  It doesn’t matter whether the sin is deplorable or one of those “easily overlooked ones”…sin is sin and God hates it. 

I think Romans 12 is an even more crucial verse for established, mature Christians because of how hypocritical we can appear to the world if we are following in its screwed-up ways.  The devil is looking for every possible, minuscule way to get into our Christian lives so that we lose our Christ-like witness.  John 10:10a says, “The thief [devil] comes to kill, steal, and destroy…”  Although we are Christians, we aren’t exempt from temptation or sin; we are subject to the world’s ways just as easily as an unbeliever – the devil knows this and will do whatever he can to take advantage of that fact.  We fall into the temptation/sin and end up hurting our Christian witness to unbelievers. We don’t have to just fall into the temptation of “big ticket” sins, we can sin by lying, cheating, stirring up conflict, creating discord, and the like.  Unbelievers see it and immediately call us out as hypocrites because we are doing something we know – and maybe at one time espoused – to be something contrary to Christ and His Words.  This is why God hates sin, especially for the Christian, because it makes us look like fools in His Kingdom.

But because God is a good, good Father, there is hope in how to live in this crazy world.  Just look at the end of the verse I mentioned earlier from John 10:10.  After telling about the devil, Jesus says, “...but I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.”  In Him is fullness of life!  Praise God!  When we take up our cross and follow Jesus…and I mean follow Him with complete abandon …He will give us the strength we need to not conform ourselves to the world.  To do this, we have to be willing to be transformed through the renewing of our mind (I take that to mean delving deep into the Word of God and also being willing to listen and do what the Holy Spirit asks us to do).  That can be hard – even for the mature Christian – to do because it requires sacrifice and giving up control over our wants and desires. 

If we do decide, however, to buckle down and completely surrender our lives to God instead of surrendering it to the world, we have a great reward ahead of us!  The tail end of Romans 12:2 says that should we choose to follow God with our whole heart and life and transform ourselves by renewing our mind, then we will be able to learn God’s perfect and pleasing will for our lives.  I don’t know about you, but knowing what God has prepared ahead for my life is something that definitely interests me!

In a “perfect world,” Christians would separate themselves from the rest of the world so that they wouldn’t have the temptations that the world offers and so that they could truly live out Romans 12:2 with nothing to worry about.  But we don’t live in a “perfect world,” and as Christians we are to be ambassadors for Christ and go into the highways and byways telling others about Him.  It’s gonna be hard because we’re going to be faced with temptations and obstacles along the way.  We’re going to be forced to give up control of what we want to do.  My pastor, Mike Glenn, likens it to swimming against the current...a task that, in our own strength, is quite hard to accomplish.  We’re going to lose friends, stick out like a sore thumb, and even face ridicule and/or persecution.  However, if we set our sights on the Son and our Father and choose to renew our minds in them, we truly won’t have to worry about anything else because they are in control.

This is a loaded blog and I totally realize that.  I’m even convicted and I’m the one writing it!  It’s my hope, however, that you aren’t discouraged and feeling like you can’t step up to the task of following Romans 12:2 because YOU CAN!  Our Savior is so great, so strong, and so powerful and He will give you the strength you need to follow Him in this crazy, crazy world.  In fact, less than 2,000 years ago He prayed just for you as you live in this insane world that you would have the strength to live for Him.  Let the following prayer…prayed just for you by Jesus in John 17:9-25…be an encouragement to carry you through this world and live a Romans 12:2 life.

From Jesus -

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. ¹⁰ All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. ¹¹ Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. ¹² During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

¹³ “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. ¹⁶ They do not belong to this world any more than I do. ¹⁷ Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. ¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. ¹⁹ And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

²⁰ “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹ I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

²² “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³ I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. ²⁴ Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

²⁵ “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. ²⁶ I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Mirror the Word

 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.” – James 1:22

As a teacher to kids, I have the amazing opportunity to speak words into the ears of earnest listeners who are just itching to learn about something they’ve never heard before.  I love seeing the light bulb go off in their heads when something that I’ve said “clicks.”  It’s always my hope, however, that listening isn’t where it stops…it’s always my hope that the kids take what they’ve heard and mirror it in their own lives. 

Thankfully, I’ve had the blessing of seeing kids apply what they hear to their lives.  I think about the times kids have come to me and shared that they want to make missions their career, or the times kids have shared with me how they showed Jesus’ love, and even the times I’ve gotten to go on mission trips with kids and watch them serve.  To see them live out the words that they’ve heard or read from the Bible and reflect that in their own lives fills me with so much joy and thankfulness, but it makes me equally aware that I do that personally in my own life as well.

The book of James has quite a bit to say about how we as Christians should live out our faith…and one of those ways is by putting action to what we learn from the Scripture.  Read this powerful passage from James 1:22-25:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Those first three sentences are very influential and important.  We can’t just listen to what we hear or read from the Scriptures.  We…and notice the word James uses…must do what it says. 

Now in some cases, for a Christian, doing what the Scripture says is kind of a no-brainer…look at these examples (and note that there are many others that could fit in this category):

- Worshipping God (1 Chronicles 16:23-31)

o   Attending church, singing worship music in car

- Telling others about Jesus (Matthew 28:19)

o   Going on a mission trip, teaching people about the Bible

- Reading the Bible (Joshua 1:8)

o   Memorizing scripture, committing ourselves to daily quiet time

- Praying with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:16)

o   Thanking God for his blessings, praying for others

In other cases, for a Christian, doing what the Scripture says is a lot harder than it sounds (and note that there are many others that could fit in this category too):

- Speaking truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)

o   Do we share our frustrations with others lovingly or with no regard to their feelings?

- Carrying another person’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

o   Are we willing to walk with our hurting brothers and sisters in their deepest sadness and hurt?

- Being concerned about others and encouraging them (Hebrews 10:24-25)

o   Do we truly have concern for what others are going through in their day to day lives?  Enough to reach out to them and offer them an encouraging word?

- Losing our life for Christ (Mark 8:35)

o   Would we be willing to lose our life for believing in Jesus, as is the case today for so many martyrs around the world?

Quite a lot to consider, isn’t it?  You see, the words of the Bible aren’t just suggestions for us as Christians to follow, they are the commands of God that He expects we follow.  Some things require simply our obedience, other requests require sacrifice…the giving of ourselves. 

James uses a very powerful visual in the passage above…did you see what it was?  A mirror!  What a great illustration for us to have to visualize how the Word of God is to be an essential part of our lives.  If we glanced in a mirror and then forgot what we looked like, what was the purpose of going to the mirror in the first place?  A mirror is a reflection of who we are.  That is what the Bible is to us as Christians!  The Bible tells us who we as Christians ARE to be!  It’s our guidebook for how to live, it’s our answer key to the tests of life, it’s our mirror into the image of Christ!  Like James says, we must do what it says!

I realize and understand that doing everything that the Bible says is a tall order to fill.  It’s hard to do some of the things the Bible asks us to do.  However, in order to heed the words of the Bible we have to be willing to step outside of our own boxes, egos, and comfort zones to put action to what the Word of God says to do.  James says in verse 22 that if we don’t, we’re simply fooling ourselves.  I don’t want to be a foolish Christian…I want to be a following Christian…one that follows the truths and words of the Bible, no matter how hard they might be.

Look at yourself in the mirror, whether literally or figuratively, and ask yourself this question, “Am listening AND putting into action the Word of God?"  If your answer is yes, then good job, you are totally on the right track and if you have any advice for the rest of us in how to live a life of complete surrender to the Word, please share it with us!  If your answer is no, then stop and contemplate where you are falling short.  Is it in obedience?  Is it in sacrifice?  Is it in something else?  Pray about it and ask God to reveal to you how to follow Him in what He asks you to do through His Word.  Finally, DO IT…mirror His Word!

Mirror the Word of God!

2015 in Retrospect

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  - Lamentations 3:22-23

At the end of each year I devote a blog post to looking back at the past year and “snapshotting” it.  2015 was for sure a year I will never, ever forget.  I think it will be a year ingrained in my memory for multiple reasons until Jesus comes back.  2015 offered for me exciting and new changes, and in tandem hard challenges as well.  It’s been an exciting year to watch my dreams become reality and to take on new and exciting opportunities, but it has also been a challenging year as homesickness and heartache among other emotions, have crept up at the most unexpected times.  Through every millisecond, though, God has been my constant and enduring support and has most definitely shown me this year, in ways I’ve never experienced before, that He is always with me.

NEW JOB

When I get off the elevator to my 7^th floor, downtown Nashville office, there is a big emblem on the floor that says “Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.”  I want to shake my head every day as I exit the elevator and walk to my office for the pure fact that I cannot believe I work here.  Many of you know the story of my journey to my “dream” job.  If not or if you need/want a refresher, I shared about it in last year’s retrospect (click here to read) and also in some earlier 2015 blog posts (New Beginnings and Six Month Nashville Update).  

Floor Logo at SBC Executive Committee Office

I have learned SO INCREDIBLY much about the Southern Baptist Convention this year.  I thought I knew a lot, but boy was I wrong!  It’s been really neat, for me, to see the processes and “behind the scenes” things that happen that make both the Southern Baptist Convention and the summer Annual Meetings succeed in our SBC world.  Before I’d only really been a recipient of the things the Executive Committee had arranged or put together.  Now, I’m a part of helping to put those things together and if you know me, you know that’s exactly where I love to be – right smack dab in the middle of working with others to accomplish great things for the Kingdom!  And my workplace does that each and every day and I am so blessed to be a part of it!

The highlight of the year for me, of course, would have to be the summer Annual Meeting that was held, this year, in Columbus, Ohio.  If you are unfamiliar with the Annual Meeting it is basically a big gathering of Southern Baptist churches/leaders/organizations where over 5,000+ people (sometimes more) are in attendance and make decisions for our denomination while at the same time hearing preaching and singing worship songs.  While this was not my first Annual Meeting to attend, it was my first one to be an actual employee.  The week was very fast-paced, but that’s what I love about it!  My main duty was to put together and send to print our daily bulletin publication that contained up-to-the-minute information that could only be printed once sessions were completed.  This was fun, but challenging too.  I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for how it would work; I was only going to know how it worked after experiencing it.  Everything worked well, however, and I have some mental notes of how to make next year more fluid for myself.  

My view of the 2015 SBC Annual Meeting from the stage

I also was able to coordinate the pages this year at the 2015 Annual Meeting.  My first true introduction to Annual Meetings was actually as a volunteer page (aka gopher, runner).  I was responsible for taking the motions people had written or discussed and making copies of those and delivering them to the appropriate individuals.  I had commented in previous blogs that I wished I could be a page for life…and as it turned out, that wish came true!  This year, I not only got to do my “old paging job,” but I also helped to coordinate the pages that worked the microphones by having their supplies ready and also giving them information of what to expect, times they were needed, etc.  It was like a full-circle experience for me and also for my (now) co-workers.  These individuals had remembered me working as a volunteer page and one even had a nickname for me – “Motion Girl” – which is now a nickname that some people call me around here. :)

My accomplishments this year include all of the publications that I am responsible for putting together.  A lot of my job requires compiling information/advertisements from our various SBC entities around the country (these include seminaries, mission boards, and the like).  It involves organization and checklists…lots and lots of checklists!  The other part of my job involves putting together publications that contain this information I have compiled.  Most of the publications are for the Annual Meeting.  However, because I am responsible for about 3-4 different publications for this one event, I have to manage my time out from January to May as I work on these publications at the same time.  Talk about time management!  The other publication I work on during the same time and also after the Annual Meeting is the SBC Annual which is a book that contains all the information about what happened during the previous year.  I’m so thankful for a very detailed and organized predecessor who left me copious notes and timelines so that I could stay on track with all of these publications – she made an intense task be a lot less stressful for me…and for that I am very grateful!  I have also had the opportunity to take on other projects this year and have enjoyed working with others to get those projects accomplished.

A few of the SBC publications I created and designed this year

This past year of working at the SBC headquarters has been like a dream for me.  I’ve had the honor of hearing amazing speakers, meeting people I’ve only ever read about, and also working with some pretty incredible people.  My coworkers are what have made my experience here so much richer than I could have ever imagined.  They’ve been there for me and supported me through all of my emotions.  They’ve prayed for and with me and have been there when I’ve needed them.  God is blessing me here at my job and I am excited to see what 2016 brings for us at the Southern Baptist Convention!

NEW CHURCH

When I moved to Nashville, I visited many churches, seeking God’s will for the one He would have me join.  About the third month in, I settled on Brentwood Baptist Church.  This church is special to me for a number of reasons.  First of all, my family’s pastor of the church we were a part of when we lived in Hong Kong is now the missions pastor there so I have known he and his wife since I was a child.  Secondly, I had traveled with Brentwood Baptist on three of their past six mission journeys to Hong Kong.  Brentwood is what most would consider a mega-church, but the only way you get yourself out of that mindset and into knowing and fellowshipping with people is to get involved!  And if you know me, you know that’s right in my wheelhouse!

My main involvement at Brentwood Baptist this year has been in Children’s Ministry.  In looking at how I could be involved in the Children’s Ministry and in talking to the Children’s Minister at Brentwood, I decided to become the 5^th grade Life Group (Sunday School) director.  No one had wanted to take on the responsibility of this particular class because it is the only children’s class that combines all of that particular age group together…which of course makes for a really big class!  My average each week is around 50 kids.  The large group makes for an interesting Sunday each week, but we have a great time and they are really good listeners and add a lot to each lesson.  I couldn’t do it, though, without some amazing co-teachers and they really help make my directorship easy!!  

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of a mission trip designed specifically for 5^th graders.  This was actually with my 2014-2015 group (who I began teaching in April 2015).  The 5^th graders were responsible for planning and leading an actual Vacation Bible School at a local BBC church plant.  It was such a blessing to watch these kids who I was teaching on Sunday mornings “take over” this Vacation Bible School and share Jesus with kids in the neighborhood of this church.  They really stepped up to the plate and surprised all of us (adults).  I was and am so incredibly proud of them and know their missions hearts will only get bigger from here on!

The 5th Grade Mission Trip participants and leaders

Towards the end of the year, I started helping out with Brentwood's Wednesday night children’s program.  I’m helping in the 2^nd grade class.  It’s really fun to have some diversity in age groups each week and I am excited to get to know all of these precious kiddos as 2016 progresses.

As for my own spiritual development, I joined my own age-range Life Group that meets on Sunday nights.  While I do enjoy and am growing through teaching my own Life Group, I also need to grow spiritually myself and my Sunday evening Bible Study allows me to focus on that.  I enjoy gathering with girls my own age each week and going deeper into the study of the Bible.  This past year I also took part in a 7-week Bible Study focused on young, single women being mentored by older, married ladies.  Not only were we spiritually fed, but we were physically fed and loved on as well.  This study was such a blessing and these ladies really ministered to my heart and made me feel so loved.

My mentorship group called Blossoms; I'm at the back right

I will officially become a member of Brentwood in February of 2016 (the church has a pretty thorough membership process…which is actually a good thing) and I am really excited to be a part of this fellowship!

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

I’ve had a number of new opportunities to be involved in this year outside of work and church.  The first is with the Tennessee Baptist Convention WMU.  Each year the TBC WMU puts together a children’s missions conference and the while I’ve worked location-wise with them for this conference before, I’d never taught at the conference or anything like that.  This year, my TBC contact, after knowing I’d moved to the area, asked if I would teach at these conferences (3 conferences in 3 different parts of the state) and also if I’d help develop some activities for the missions fairs.  Of course I was THRILLED to do so!  It was fun coming up with activities for the fair and I had the time of my life travelling across Tennessee over the course of 3 weekends in October teaching kids about missions.  It affirmed for me my heart's passion – children & missions!

Teaching missions to kids at the Middle TN JAM Children's Missions Conference

The other opportunity I have had the blessing of being a part of, recently, is the children’s program for the downtown Nashville Christian Women’s Job Corp (CWJC).  Women come to CWJC to work on getting their GEDs and so they go through tutoring and the like.  Many women bring their children, but the children’s program is one of the areas that gets overlooked volunteer-wise.  Right now I volunteer two times a week and help out with crowd-control, homework, and Bible teaching.  These kids are so precious and I love getting to know them.  Some of these kids have not even heard the stories of Jesus before so it’s never far from my mind that these times with them may be the only Jesus they see each week.

I've even had opportunities to travel.  I traveled to new places across TN for the children's missions conference, I visited my mom's family in Louisville quite a few times this year, and I even got to travel with my good friend Bethany to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to attend their Fall Festival which was Adventures in Odyssey themed!  Adventures in Odyssey, a Christian radio drama produced by Focus on the Family, is my favorite radio program and has been since I was a child.  The Seminary literally brought this fictional town to life and they even flew in 3 of the actors who play main characters on the program to have a live Odyssey program!  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it was literally a dream to actually watch these actors voice these characters I have listened to since I was eight years old.

I finally made it to the town of Odyssey!
Below is myself with (L-R), Andre Stojka who plays John Avery Whittiker, Katie Leigh who plays Connie Kendall, Phil Lollar who is a co-creator and has played various characters, and Will Ryan who plays Eugene Meltsner.

NEW CITY

Living in Nashville is definitely different than living in Morristown!  The traffic took a bit of getting used to, and some days the traffic patience wears a little thin, but for the most part I like living in the city!  There is so much that goes on in Nashville – from Opryland to Downtown to historic Franklin – there’s always something to do.  This year I’ve gotten to do fun things in many of those parts of Nashville – I saw an American Idol sing/be filmed downtown before the finale show, I met Christian singers Sandy Patti, Jaci Velasquez, and songwriter Keith Getty at various concerts I attended, and of course I’ve shopped ‘til I dropped at the Opry Mills Outlet Mall!  (And no, I haven’t seen anyone “famous” yet out and about in town).

Me and the Downtown Nashville Skyline

I moved into my first apartment in March which was exciting and different for me.  You sure do learn many life lessons when living on your own!!  :)  If you know me, you know I’m not the greatest cook, and this has proved true still to this day…I’ve had some kitchen mishaps (nothing catastrophic, but still)!  It has also been different for me to keep up with things like bills and the like.  Not saying it has been hard, but it’s just been a new adjustment for me.  Thankful though to have my parents and close friends to offer advice and help when those adjustments don’t make a lot of sense.

NEW CHALLENGES

Apart from living on my own, I have had some challenges this year – homesickness and heartache, among others.  I have and continue to miss my family so incredibly much.  We were a complete family unit for a good 25-26 years of my life and within the past year we’ve all moved to separate areas of the South.  Thankfully we had the blessing of getting to spend some time together this year – Chattanooga in March, Orlando in early August, and most recently Christmas at home – but those times aren’t ever enough.  I know that Nashville is where God has called me and I know the areas where my sisters and parents live is where God has placed them for such a time as this, but it doesn’t lessen the fact that I miss them every single day.  I’m so thankful for texting and Facetime, however, which afford me the opportunity to speak to everyone at the push of a button – thank goodness for technology!!!  

From our 2015 Young Family Summer Vacation

There have been other challenges and heartache as well, and those times have been quite emotional for me.  While this isn’t the time or place to go into any of it, I will say that the heartache I have felt has been unlike anything I’ve ever gone through before and I’ve had a hard time going through it without my family being physically here with me in Nashville; I'm thankful, though, for close friends here in Nashville who have helped walk me through these tough times.  Ultimately, however, through all these challenges, I’ve felt the loving arms of the Father reach down and wrap me in his everlasting arms letting me know that He’s got my back and He is all I need (Deut. 33:27a).  And for that I’m thankful.

NEW REQUESTS

I appreciate your prayers for me in the upcoming year as I continue to adjust to living here in Nashville.  Pray for me as I begin a new year of publications and opportunities at work; pray that Christ would be glorified in it all.  Pray for me as I lead my 5^th graders and as I continue to be involved in church and other ministry opportunities.  Pray for me to make wise decisions as I live life on my own and that God would keep me safe.  Finally pray for me as I continue to struggle with homesickness and other emotions; pray I will continually be reminded that God is always there for me.

NEW CHAPTER

Beginning this new chapter in my life has been a whirlwind!  There have been good times and not-so-good times.  There have been gigantic smiles, moments where I go “Is this really my life?!”, heartache, and there have been tears.  I think all of that happens when you first fly out of the nest and figure out life on your own.  I wish I could sit here and say this year has been a cinch, but it hasn’t.  Leaving home and all that you've known, moving to a new place, and beginning a new life isn’t for the faint of heart.  I will say it helps to have a support system; and for the most part, through family and close coworkers and friends, I have had that.  This new chapter would’ve been a whole lot bumpier without them!  

I don’t regret this new chapter, however, because I am living my dream and also because I have grown in my walk with Christ by leaps and bounds.  He is the author of my story and has never made that more evident to me than this past year.  The opportunities and experiences He has given me have left me awestruck (Psalm 37:4); the challenges and heartache I’ve felt have let me know He is omnipresent and that I need to give all of my cares to Him (Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7).  As this new chapter continues to be written, I’m anxious and excited to see what new things God has in store for me as 2016 begins.

THE WORD OF THE YEAR

Since I started these “year in retrospect” posts, I have encapsulated each year with a word.  Previously they have been words like peace, trust, blessed, and so on.  This year my word is “NEW.”  If you look at each heading above, you’ll see that this word is used for each category of this year’s retrospect post.  I think the word “new” most definitely speaks to this past year as pretty much everything in my life was new.  

Isaiah 43:19 talks about how God is doing new things in our life and to look towards those new things.  I have most definitely lived out this verse this year!  However, I think a better verse that encapsulates the word “new” as it relates to me this year is Lamentations 3:22-23.  I keep this verse on my desk in a place where I can see it daily and it says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  I’m so thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning because that means if we are homesick, struggling, or just having a no-good-bad day, that the very next morning He will have a new promise or blessing or kind act waiting for us.  It may be huge, it may be small, but His love will never end and He will be with us in all the experiences and situations in life – whether they be new or old, recurring or once-in-a-lifetime, long or short, easy or hard.

I pray that as I say goodbye to 2015, a year of new and unforgettable memories, I will always remember how God carried me through each moment and reminded me daily of His love and provision for me.  I pray that I will never doubt His plans and that I will continually trust Him at all times.  This year, God’s mercies didn’t come to an end – just as He promised, each day afforded a new one – and I look forward to 2016 as His mercies begin anew.