Can I Tell You a Story?

Can I tell you a story? It's a story about how my life has been transformed over the last year by two incredible women.

It starts with an amazing homeschooling mama of four from Alabama. With an awesome accent, a great laugh and tons of fantastic quotes ranging from "If God wanted me to fly He would've given me wings!" to more everyday quotes that automatically put a smile on our faces like, "You guys!" Brandi is an inspiring, encouraging and hilarious woman who makes me smile and laugh on a daily basis.

She hangs out in the Alabama heat, tending her garden, does an amazing job of homeschooling her four adorable youngsters, and chases around some super cute puppies. She cooks and cleans and takes care of her family while somehow still finding time to create amazing Christian, inspirational fiction at her old fashioned scroll top desk. I have no idea how she does it all. But those are just a few of the reasons that she's so amazing.

Then there's the brave Eastern Washington girl who ended up transplanted in Colorado. With a coat of armor of snark and sarcasm, a super fast wit and one of the best senses of humor I've ever had the pleasure to encounter she also has one of the deepest hearts I've ever found. Coffee is the lifeblood that flows through her veins and she makes sure she keep us educated on all the adventure movies and superheros that are out there. This amazing lady could easily take on the world and she's proved it again and again in the last year that I've had the pleasure of knowing her.

Instead of taking on the whole world she just tackles her corner of it by juggling homeschooling, teaching, taking care of her family and coming up with fantastic stories that twist and turn and climb and dive in ways you'd never expect. She keeps Brandi and I laughing, makes us cry with her sweet encouragement and cheers us on through the hard times.

And then there's me. The Oregon girl who forgets her words, laughs so hard I can't breathe and is so incredibly grateful that God orchestrated events to bring these two amazing women into my life.

Friendship is a blessing. An incredible blessing. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

When you find those friends, the ones who make you laugh, make you cry, encourage you, cheer you on and support you no matter what is going on in your life, hold on to them. If God brings people into your life who will pray you though a cross-country move in just a few weeks, friends who will make you laugh when you're ready to cry because you're renovating a house and roadblocks keep coming up, don't let go. Those people who will make you laugh so hard on a train ride that the other passengers look at you like your crazy, who will send you encouraging messages and tons of prayers because they know your terrified of an upcoming interview, the ones that you can share some of your deepest fears and the stories held most closely to your heart with, hang on to those people. They will light up your life in ways you never imagined.

Last April God took three women from different parts of the country and put them together in a unexpected ways. He did it because He knew that they needed each other, even though we didn't realize it at the time. We thought that we were joining a writing group a mutual friend of ours had set up so we could encourage each other, teach each other and help each other grow in our writing. And we have, all of that has happened but so much more has happened too.

So let me tell you a story- God can take people from anywhere and put them together to become friends. He doesn't do anything without a purpose and His purpose with friendship is to bring blessings to our lives. Blessing of laughter, encouragement, prayer and love. That's what friendship is. So when you find those friendships, hang on. Even in a year they can change your life.

So here's to two of my wonderful friends. I can't wait to see what times of laughter, excitement, adventure and of course, stories, the next year brings.

Love Authenically

Love authentically. That's how The Voice translation words Romans 12:9 "Love others well, and don't hide behind a mask; love authentically. Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it."

So what does it mean? Love authentically? Part of it is in the verse right there- don't hide behind a mask. When you say "I love you" let it be sincere. Don't say "I love you" so that you can get someone to do what you want. Don't say "I love you" but in your head say, "I wish I never had to deal with you again", that's not love. So what is? And how can you love authentically?

Let's start with love. What is love? 1 John 4:7-8 (ESV) says "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it's own way; it is it not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

We're not talking about a shallow kind of love here. This isn't infatuation with a crush or an 'I love you' because we have a lot in common. This is real love. Agape love. God's love. Perfect love. This type of love cannot be hidden behind a mask. It's real and authentic.

Authentic. That's our second word. The definition is "not false or copied; genuine; real".

So we're told to love authentically. Give real love in a real way. Don't just pretend to love someone, or do things for selfish reasons, really love them! Show them your love. Genuine love given unselfishly and freely.

This verse seems to apply in so many areas of life. How we love our family, our friends, the people we minister to and the ones God put in our path. It's not enough just to be nice to them or even just to take care of them. We're told to love them without hiding behind a mask, give them authentic love. And pursue what is good as if our lives depend on it.

Dreams

I remember as a little girl I had all sorts of dreams of what I was going to be when I grew up. It was always changing. At one time it was a ballerina, or a gymnast which I practiced for by hanging upside down from anything that would support me or doing cartwheels off the church stage. At another point I had an obsession with ice skating, not that I'd ever been ice skating in my life but I wasn't going to let that stop me! Unfortunately a lack of natural grace and an inherent klutz gene created a bit of a roadblock to those plans.

One of my favorite dreams that I had was when I decided I was going to be a missionary and I was going to travel to villages on horseback. I feel like that plan needed a little bit of work but most of my dreams did. Especially the ones where I dreamed of being a princess, taming a dragon and riding a unicorn.

My dreams have obviously changed a lot since I was a little girl. I realized I'm a terrible dancer so now I just dance when no one else is around. I learned that I don't have the discipline, much less the talent or balance to be a gymnast or an ice skater. I realized that God wasn't calling me to be a full time missionary overseas but instead calling me to youth ministry right here. And although I enjoy riding horseback I wouldn't want it to be my only source of transportation. And even thought every little girl wants to be a princess and probably ride a unicorn, reality looks a little different.

Everyone has dreams. They'll look different for different people. Someone who's in the hospital may have a dream of getting out to spend more time with their family. A person who is lonely dreams of finding connection. That little girl sitting at her window staring out at the yard may be dreaming of her prince charming coming someday, or she may be dreaming of what career she'll tackle when she's old enough or what country God might send her to as a missionary.

Dreams are always different. For every person, even for the different situations in your life. The age you're in or the stage of life you're in make a difference of what your dream is. There's short term dreams and long term dreams. Funny, silly dreams like my dream of being a princess or a ballerina and more serious dreams like buying a house or having children. There's forgotten dreams and dreams that you've never let get too far from your heart. Dreams you're actively seeking and dreams that you've never told anyone.

Proverbs 16:9 says "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

This verse got me thinking about the dreams that we have. We have a dream and so we begin planning for it. Maybe we stop to pray, "Lord, please let this thing happen." or "God, please clear this roadblock so my dream can happen." But do we ask the Lord His opinion on our dreams?

He directs our steps. If we want to follow His leading and if our desire is to go where He directs us then first we need to talk to Him about it. When that dream comes to life in your heart don't just blindly follow it and ask for God's help along the way. Hold it up to God and ask if it's the direction He wants to direct you. Let Him direct your steps and your dreams.

When you share your dream with God ask His opinion before you go off to chase it. Ask Him to give you His dream for you. Sometimes letting go of your dream is heartbreaking but the dream that He'll give you to replace it will be far better then anything you can imagine.

Jeremiah 29:11 says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

God won't just take away your dreams but sometimes He replaces them. Let Him decide what dream you chase.

Even For Just One

I'm a youth leader. I've talked about that on here before. I love being a youth leader. The teenagers I work with are worth every moment of blood, sweat and tears (lots of tears) that my fellow leaders and I pour into them. God overflows us with joy, love and encouragement and we try to pour those things back into the kids. As rewarding as it is, it's not always easy.

In my time of working with teenagers I've seen lots of different situations with lots of different outcomes. I've seen kids who have wholeheartedly dedicated their lives to the Lord. Those who have gone on to live their adult lives as productive members of society. Some of them have married, had children, gotten good jobs. Some have even turned around and poured their own time, energy and money back into the ministries that drew them closer to the Lord in the first place. Those kids are such a blessing. Youth leaders can look at them and thank God for the encouragement that they get by seeing how those kids have turned out.

Then there's the other side of the spectrum. The kids who have completely walked away from the Lord, from their family and from everyone who ever tried to help them. These are the kids that routinely break your heart. You keep holding out a hand, wanting to help them back onto the right road and they keep slapping it away. So you pray and pray and pray because all you can do is leave them in the Lord's hands.

There are in between situations. The kids who start out strong and then slowly drift away, leaving you shaking your head and wondering if there was something you could've said or done differently to change their trajectory. Or the ones who are such a mess all through those years you were in their life and you spent that time shaking your head wondering where on earth they were going to end up and sometimes they end up on the right path, other times it's years later and you still don't know what's going to happen.

Our human perspective is so short sighted. When a kid seems to be doing well we rejoice, but we have no idea what's happening under the surface, in their hearts. We see a kid going the wrong way and we cry out to God, 'Lord, why aren't you stopping them? Why aren't you intervening?' but what we don't realize is that kid is going to be a youth pastor some day and reach hundreds, maybe thousands of kids.

Thinking about the different kids makes me think of Jesus going to the cross and looking out over the crowd. People were jeering at Him, mocking Him as He was taking on, not just their sins, but the sins of the world. Your sins. My sins. He was taking on the sins of each of those kids I talked about. He went to the cross knowing who would walk away, knowing who would eventually accept Him and knowing all the pain that He would survive because of each of our decisions.

The pain that we experience with the decisions of our youth kids is nothing compared to what Christ experienced when He took on our sins on the cross. He endured it all knowing there were many who would never accept His sacrifice. Even if it was just one person who accepted His free gift of salvation He would've still gone to the cross to be crucified and rise again three days later. He would still have gone through that pain for just one person!

That’s the example we need to remember every time someone hurts us. Every time one kid walks away and breaks our hearts again, every time you're tempted to give up remember that even if you only reach one person it's worth it. God doesn't tell us who's life we're going to touch or who's life we'll make a difference in. He hasn't told me which kids to pour into, He just tells me to be there for the teens He puts in my life and leave everything else, including my heartache, to Him.

Just This One Thing!

Do you ever wish your kids would behave for just one day? That your boss would acknowledge how hard you work just one time? That your family would ask if they could help you put dinner on the table just once in a while or that someone would  call and offer to help you out instead of expecting you to do everything just once? Or that God would answer just that one prayer?

Maybe you've been unemployed for two years or you keep getting laid off and you say to God- "Please God, all I need is a steady job. Why won't you just answer this one request?"

Or it's the loneliness that constantly haunts you when you head home to an empty house. You've tried dating but nothing ever works out and so you're always praying- "Lord, I want to be married. Would you please just bring me a spouse? Show me the person that you have for me. Please just give me this one answer."

Sometimes it's a financial burden. You've been struggling and budgeting and cutting spending and you keep praying, "Father, how are we going to make it? Would you please just take us out of this debt? I know you can provide, please Lord, just get us past this point. Please give us just this one thing."

Perhaps it's an injury that isn't healing or a chronic illness you'll never be rid of. Or a person you deeply love that you're continually trying to witness to but they just have no interest in Christ. Maybe it's watching someone you care about continually make poor decisions and no matter how much you pray, God isn't stopping them and you can't seem to understand why. It's just one prayer, why won't He give you just this one thing?

So you go back to the Bible and you end up looking back at the people of Israel.

Starting in Exodus 2:23 it says that the Israelites cried out to God because of their slavery and He heard them. So he answered by sending Moses to bring them out of Egypt in Exodus 5-12. And their 'just one prayer' of being led out of Egypt was answered. Until you get to their first sign of trouble in Exodus 14.

Here the people are encamped by the Red Sea, the sea is in front of them and the Egyptian army is behind them. Between them and the army is a pillar of cloud during the day and pillar of fire by night. There's nothing natural about that! It's clearly a miracle from God, a sign that He is protecting them from Pharaoh and his army but instead of saying, 'Okay God, I'm trusting you', the Israelites say- 'Moses! What did you do? You should have left us in Egypt in slavery! Surely that would've been better than being led out to the wilderness to die!'

But God's not done and He answers this 'just one thing' for them by parting the Red Sea, having Moses lead them across on dry land and destroying the army behind them. So again, God answered their prayers and saved them, but not in the way they expected.

Then, only three days after this incredible experience, in Exodus 15 the people come to a place called Marah and they can't drink the water because it's bitter. Again, instead of trusting God and his appointed servant, Moses, they grumble against him. 'What are we going to drink?' So again God, using Moses, made the water fit to drink. Then God led them a place with springs and palm trees for them to camp at. This is the third time He had answered that desperate prayer of 'we just need this one thing'.

The story continues as the people of Israel constantly cry out to God, asking for one more thing and He gives it to them but when the next bit of trouble comes up they doubt Him again and again and again.

It's easy for us to look at the nation of Israel and become impatient with their lack of faith but maybe that's because we can see the whole story. We already know how it ends. They didn't. Should they have trusted? Of course. But so should we.

Too often we focus on the problem that is right before us. The illness, the person, the finances, the whatever it is you're facing. These things are, without a doubt, hard for us to face. I don't want to trivialize that but what about what's already happened? What prayers has God already answered?

Maybe you've been praying for two years to find a job but hasn't God provided for you in that time? Maybe you want nothing more to be married, but instead of focusing on how lonely you are be thankful that God has put friends and loved ones in your life in different roles.
Finances are tough and you don't know how you're going to make it but God's not ignoring you or your prayers. He has a plan, and even if it's not going to turn out how you think it should He has a reason for it. He's still in control.

The point is that our 'just one thing' is always changing. There's never just one thing we need from God because we need Him for everything! Focusing on the little things (even the ones that seem really big to us) distract us from our real need, our need for Him.

There's nothing wrong with giving our burdens to the Lord, with telling Him what we're struggling with, He wants us to do that! It's part of having a relationship with Him but remember Jesus' words in Matthew 6:20-21 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

God cares about that 'just one thing' you're struggling with. Share it with Him, lean on Him, trust Him to get you through this trial but ultimately don't let it become your focus. This need will pass, your need for Him never will. And that 'just one thing' we all need is Jesus Christ.

Walking on Water

I've always lived near a body of water. A creek, a lake, a river, an inlet and even the ocean. And I love being out on the water, in a boat or sitting on a dock. I enjoy swimming but I prefer to be on the water without actually having to be in it. I even love just being near the water, watching the waves encroach on the shore or seeing how fast a river will carry away a log. Maybe that's why one of my favorite Bible stories when I was a kid was the account from when Peter walked on water. The full story is found in Matthew 14:22-33.

In verse 25-27 Jesus is walking on the water towards the boat his disciples are in. He tells them not to be afraid because it's Him, Jesus, their friend, their teacher, the one they've been following around the country side but what happens next is what I want to talk about today, starting in verse 28 and going through verse 31.

"'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'
'Come,' he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'"

There are so many incredible nuggets of wisdom in this short passage that I doubt that I could even begin to uncover them all but there's one specifically that caught my attention recently.

As I was talking about earlier I love watching the water. So there have been countless times in my life that I've thought about this story and wondered what it must have been like for Peter to walk on water.

I mean here's Peter in a boat with his friends and first Jesus appears, walking on water, coming towards them. This isn't like anything they've ever seen, heard of or dreamed before. I mean at least if Jesus was walking on water towards us we've got the account from when he did it last time! Is it any wonder that they were freaking out? But Peter doesn't let that fear stop him. He takes a chance on trusting God. 'Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.'

To be honest, I'm not sure I'd be that brave! Go to Jesus on the water? Hmm... no thanks, the boat seems much safer, but I appreciate the offer! Still this is Peter, not me, we're talking about. And Jesus responds to his request with just one word. 'Come.'

So Peter doesn't even hesitate, he gets out of the boat and walks on water! On water! He's walking! He's not swimming or floating or hanging on for dear life to the side of the boat, he's walking on water! Can you imagine?

But that's not the cool part. I mean walking on water is great but is it any more amazing then any of the other miracles Jesus performed? He created the universe and the scientific laws that govern it, of course he can allow someone to break them when he wants!

Here's the really important part. Peter was walking on water towards Jesus. That's what matters. That he was going towards Jesus. That he was trusting Jesus. That when he began to doubt he reached out to Jesus. That's the point of this story!!! It doesn't matter whether you're walking on water or through a desert, it matters who you're walking towards! Because without Jesus being able to do something as cool as walking on water has no meaning! Nothing in this life has meaning because without Jesus it's all temporary. What we have today will be gone tomorrow and the one thing, the only thing, the only person that will still be there, that will never leave us, that will always stand by us and will always reach down to pull us out of the waves when we lose our faith and began to drown is Jesus.

That's what matters. Jesus. It's not about where you are or what you're doing. It's not even about walking on water. It's about who you're walking towards.

Community

When God keeps bringing up the same thing over and over again it seems like a good time to start listening. A while back my friend posted on her blog and one of the things she talked about was the importance of community. Then I was visiting my aunt's church and the pastor was preaching about community. Later another friend shared how much she was longing to really connect with a community in her new town.

Community. What do you think of when you hear that word? A town? A church? A community center? School? Work? Friends?

The truth is, community is not just a location. It's people. The people in your life. For me I have a couple of different main groups of community.

-My youth leaders- Okay so not all of them are actually youth leaders but these are the people who work with me in the youth group and they are a huge support system in my life. We talk about everything from what's going with the kids and their families, how we can pray for them, to what's going on in our own lives. We encourage each other, lift each other up in prayer, hold each other accountable and mercilessly tease each other. We would not have the youth group we have, nor would I have grown as much as I have without this crew by my side. And since I know at least one or two of them follow my blog let me just say- I love you all!

-My critique group- Honestly we don't always talk about writing but they are amazing people and I wouldn't know what to do without them. Over the last year these ladies have become a constant support system in my life. They comforted me when I cried, made me laugh when I wanted to scream, cajoled me out of bad moods and cheered me on through the ups and downs of life and of course, offered up tons of prayers on my behalf. In fact, they are often the inspiration behind a lot of my blog posts and the fact that they take time out of their crazy, busy lives to read these lets me know how much they care. You two are amazing! I will never stop being grateful God put us in each other's lives!

-My parents- They have and always will be heroes in my book. They were my confidants and cheering section all through my childhood and they still are now that I'm an adult. They taught me what it means to live by faith, to be real instead of just putting up a good front. They inspire me to put myself out there and risk the pain because I've seen them do it again and again. They've never hesitated to open up their hearts and homes and even when they got hurt it didn't stop them from helping the next person who needed it. Thanks Mom and Dad, for being the amazing people you are and teaching me how to draw closer to Christ by living out your faith every day.

-My friends- Even though everyone I've already listed are definitely my friends these are the few people who don't fit into one of the other categories. They are the ones who listen to my rants and laugh when I do something stupid then turn around to help me figure out how to fix it. Without these people I would be at a loss. They offer me an outside perspective on just about every situation under the sun. They give me a hug when I most need it and they translate my incomprehensible ramblings when I'm at the end of my rope. And they spoil me with things like, gifts just because, cookies, chocolate and meals out. Who could go wrong with that?

These are the groups who keep me going. They're such a part of my everyday life that when I don't talk to them I feel disconnected. They're so different but they all have one amazing thing in common. Every single person I've listed continuously points me back to Jesus. That's not by accident. These are the people that God has put in my life and I've chosen to open up to. I've weighed their advice and found it to be godly, wise and trustworthy so I continue letting them further in.

The people in your community will affect so much about your life. They'll affect your mood, your decisions and over time they'll challenge and even affect your beliefs. That's why it's so important to keep a good community around you. God didn't make us to be alone. He made us to be social beings. Some people are less social then others but we all interact and we need to be careful who we're letting in to the deep places of our hearts.

I remember when I was in middle school and while at a family party my great-uncle sat down next to me. He said "So Kattarin, tell me about your friends." When I asked him why his answer was simple but profound. "If I know about your friends, I'll know about you."

Who you surround yourself with is of critical importance. Make sure that it's people who are lifting you and up and pointing you towards the God who we were made to have community with.