American Honey

What Would Deacon Fry Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:31:00 +0000

Since my last post I've still been thinking a lot on the same subject. Welcome back to writing, Haley. God is now going to plague you with a series of related events until you write the heck out of them. I call it "inspired."

First I had a good read. There is a wonderful chapter in the middle of a book called "Living with Fred" by Brad Whittington. In this chapter we have a teenage boy sitting in his father's office discussing punishment and process. The boy's father happens to be a preacher who had just received a call from the head deacon, informing him that the boy was seen hanging around the town drunk.

As the father's anger and disappointment increases, so does the boy's defense. He cannot understand what is so wrong with friending a man who has hardly any friends. After all, isn't that what Jesus would have done? All of his friends were sinners and outcasts.

The father of course, not wanting to be wrong, reluctantly agreed but also explained how the Bible teaches us to live with holiness, and be "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves", therefore it looks bad hanging out with the guy so it's considered wrong in the deacon's eyes, not to mention everyone else's eyes too.

The boy comes back with a seriously profound question that captures my point, I believe.

"So, you're saying I should ask myself, 'What would Deacon Fry do?' instead of "What would Jesus do?" (not a direct quote.)

Wow. How do you respond to that? How do any of us respond to that? We say we love Jesus and church and babies and everything, yet we are still living for each other and not the One True God. We act like everything is perfect and we hide our sin and we avoid outcasts and lame events with meaning because it looks bad to everyone else. We read the Bible and challenge ourselves, our children, and our friends to be "more Christ-like," but I think that looks like something so polar opposite of what we envision.

Jesus didn't stay squeaky clean.

He didn't avoid sticky situations.

Christ was known for doing the opposite of what people thought he would do, and you know what? I think 2,000 years and a ton of Study Bibles later....we've still got it wrong. I bet he'd still surprise us today with his actions.

But what do we do about this? We're human. We will always fall short; always be wrong. That's why we so desperately need Jesus. Without him we're hopeless.

Yet because of his great gift of life and love to me, I want to do my best. I want to give back what he gave to me.

I had a moment like that once I suppose. God told me to do something brave. Something powerful. Something society saw as sin and dirty and awkward and messy. But I loved Jesus and I was convinced it was from him, so I did it.

You know what happened?

Absolutely everyone I had been loved and supported by turned their back on me. Some of them still don't talk to me, others only talk to me because my life looks more correct to society now.

Many people still think what I did was not from God--but I don't care. He spoke it to me, not them. And you know what? The more I think on it, the more I know it had to be from God, because people treated me the way they treated Jesus--yet I had done nothing wrong.

So who is it that you really want your kids to live for?

Preacherman I love ya but you're confusing me. I hear what you're saying but I just don't see any church folk doin' it.

The church is the first to turn on you when you do take action. Take Deacon Fry, in the book for example.

The church doesn't actually want you to live for Jesus, they want you to live for them.

The church doesn't want you to be a radical disciple, they want you to be a casual Christian.

When I say "the church" I'm talking about me.

I'm talking about you.

I'm talking about your parents, your siblings, your preacher, your friends and your Christian school.

They don't want you to be sold out for Jesus--it costs too much.

Real Jesus-living Christians are outcasts and dangerous...a little crazy too.

It's better to just be "normal"--something in between that doesn't rock the boat.

Pick up trash, call your grandma, go to Sunday and Wednesday night services, but no more please. Praying with prostitutes is dangerous and feeding the homeless is a lie. You can't spend that much on a mission trip when you have school to pay for. Don't hang out with them; they have a record. We want you to be safe. good. like us.

---Sincerely,

Stuck.

The Kid Rock-Cash-Cyrus Approach

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 20:20:00 +0000

One question seems to plague me today.

It's something I've thought about vaguely for a while, and until today it has nested in the back of my mind. But now I'm wondering, and so I'm asking--not for an opinion, but for a truth. A Jesus-truth.

Around a year ago I really became fascinated with Johnny Cash. Today I watched "Walk the Line" again and saw it from a whole new angle.

I have also become a huge Kid Rock fan over the past 24 months, and although I consider myself a devout Christian, I find his "in your face", almost-offensive lyrics refreshing somehow.

I think what draws us to these pop culture masterpieces is their originality. Kid Rock prides himself on being a master of mixing hip-hop, southern rock, and blues all into one. And listening to his music, I can tell you it is truly a beautiful collaboration and somehow he makes it work--and he has made it work with his obvious multi-platinum record sales.

If you look up Johnny Cash on Wikipedia it explains that his originality and rebelliousness to the country music genre is what set him apart and put him light years ahead of his competition. He too was creative in his mix: gospel, blues, and western music.

What further intrigues me about Cash is that he considered himself a very devout Christian, yet he was the "biggest sinner of them all." To be so complex and contradictory really confused a lot of people, especially his Christian fans.

And in the movie there is a scene where Johnny goes to his record company asking to design a concert tour around the nation's top penitentiary systems. His record company tells him that this is clearly not going to reach his loyal fans.

"Your fans are church folk, Johnny. Christians. They don't wanna hear you sing to a bunch of murderers and rapists, tryin' to cheer 'em up."

Mr Cash's striking reply was,

"Well, they're not Christians then."

I guess what gets me is that WE are Christians. We are to model Jesus. Jesus loved sinners--murderers and rapists. But in the church today, you don't hear or see anything remotely close to that. No one loves them or hangs out with them or buys them lunch--much less sings to them or tries to cheer them up.

In fact, I would assume it would be easier and much more popular for the Christians to look down at Mr. Cash for doing such a thing.

His lyrics are just so rebellious!

He sings about popping pills, killing people, and getting drunk!

How can such a person consider themselves a Christian??

I heard he started out as a gospel singer--I wonder what happened to him?

Poor guy--he's so strung out on drugs he doesn't know what he wants.

Of course, I wasn't around for Johnny Cash's career and the live gossip that followed. But we are all here for Kid Rock. Also to many people's surprise--he too sings several songs on faith, Jesus, and God. He is a political and social activists and participates in several charities. But I'm sure most of my fellow Christians (I used too as well) can be caught with this kind of opinion:

Kid Rock? He's definitely not a good guy. Have you heard his lyrics?

Didn't he go to jail for drugs and stuff?

I think he is pretty strung out on drugs too..

I have no respect for him.

He is disgusting.

But really, would Jesus gossip like this? Well, Jesus wouldn't gossip. But he would definitely hold the same opinions as us...right?

What about Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus' new stunt??

Yeah and did you hear about Amanda Bynes?? Oh my gosh, she is totally loosing it. Such a shame too because she was so talented...

So it's okay to make "pity" comments and judgmental thoughts about them because they're famous right?

What about you? How are things on your end?

I heard she's been hanging out with a rough crowd lately..

He might be gay, we better keep him at a close distance.

I pray for them, but gees there's just no changing them. They are total hypocrites!

And I'm the one writing this so you know I'll get slammed!

Who is she to talk? Why does she always think she has the right to preach to us??

Well she obviously can't say anything..she dropped out of school for a year!

I don't trust her beliefs anymore..I heard she works at a bar.

I think we've all wasted too many precious hours lying and covering up our mistakes with cheap Covergirl cosmetics. You see, I am a very black and white person. Tell me what to do and I'll do it, but this question I have seems to have no clear answer--and so I'm asking you to think on it with me. Let's think and pray until the Lord searches our hearts with a solution.

Here's the question:

In my family, (Disclaimer: Obviously I love my family, this is just a thought so don't freak out.) we were raised to keep our sins on the down-low. Yes, we acknowledge that everyone sins and Jesus totally forgives those kinds of things--but at the same time, we really don't want the whole world knowing about our weaknesses...it just gets, well, kind of messy. It's too much to explain.

Like your father's infidelity for instance. We won't mention that because it was wrong, he knew it was wrong, and so him and your mother worked out amongst themselves and moved on.

Or your sister went to jail on a crazy party mishap. That's great that your parents got her out immediately and had it expunged from her record, but please don't bring it up ever again--especially in a family setting. We don't need to discuss that.

Part of me agrees with this approach, part of me doesn't.

The Bible teaches me to expose sins and confess them to my prayer warrior friends so I can be healed and set free (James 5:16, Proverbs 28:13, 1 Timothy 5:20.) But when I do that, I get more gossip in return and worried looks from parents, family members, and old teachers. I even got awkward talks from many people who barely knew me or my situation!

On the other hand..if you keep quiet about the whole thing and handle yourself between you and God then everyone avoids the awkward conversation and we all politely disregard the fact that you also are human and you have sin. Because we disregard this fact we can quite confidently turn around and not only judge each other for listening to Lady Gaga's music, but we can join forces together by calling her a "sinful ugly whore who is desperate for attention."

I guess in a perfect world we would follow the Bible and stop judging each other, but we don't live that way--so we sin. And we sin more to cover up our sin. And when people ask us about it we lie about our sin.

It's a lose-lose situation.

I had a wonderful friend once who was THAT honest with himself, his friends, his parents and his church family.

Now we all hate him.

I just don't get it. What are we to do? Save face and be (fake) clean little Christians with good (outward) habits and hobbies, or do we take the Kid Rock-Cash-Cyrus approach and be upfront with everyone about being "troubled but devout Christians."

Mysterious People..

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 15:29:00 +0000

I am and have always been, a very open person. I get told this a lot by strangers. I guess it helps in writing, but it hurts in other places. Recently I have been learning about the "real world" and how you sadly can't trust everyone you meet. I hate this. It is one of the most disappointing things I have come to face. It's like parents and all those teachers and coaches all these years worked so hard to teach you right from wrong and make you a good person, but in the end you go to grown up world and those rules don't matter. Everyone is egotistical, selfish and heartless. It is rare to find a trustworthy person, and those wonderful gems usually turn out to be the ones that get screwed. How sad.

Being as open as I am it is frustrating. I can never, ever ever ever keep my own secrets..no matter how hard I try, and I easily find myself falling into conversation with someone and spilling my guts. Oh wait I'm doing it now. Awesome, someone is going to read my blog and take advantage of my weakness now. Ugg..

Some people say my honesty is refreshing. I guess I just see things in black and white. I like simple. Puzzles irritate me because they aren't straightforward. Learning Spanish was hard because it changed and was relative. Basketball and I didn't work out because of the ever changing plays that depended on circumstances. Why can't everything just be pure and simple? If I ask a question, answer me and tell me the truth, the whole truth...and nothing but the truth. Who would even think to lie about it?

idealist.

I suppose it is my black and whiteness that leads me to be intrigued by mysterious people. Today at the coffee shop I just had two mysterious customers leave. They weren't creepy and I wasn't suspicious...they were two of my favorites, one being a close friend. Today we sat all three together for the first time and I listened and watched as one tried to pull stories out of the other. Both of these men fascinate me because when I ask them about themselves they are short; interesting but lacking in details. It's that puzzle thing again. Why are you making me work so hard for answers? Just tell me.

I guess I have my parents to thank for my pure-mindedness.

One of these guys is an older gentlemen. I think he is a secret-something. Perhaps an angel sent by my late grandfather. Maybe grandpa sent him here to teach me culture, understanding people, and adventure. Or maybe he is a secret agent, sent by the government to try and capture me in a lie so they can arrest me for some absurd reason. More realistically, I like to think he is an undercover counselor. He sits down for a quick 15 minutes at a time and asks me deep, introspective questions that get me thinking about myself, and then leaves.

One day I decided to trick him. I wanted a turn too, ya know. As soon as he walked I jumped on him verbally and asked him to tell me about his wife! Ah-hah! There was a conversation that was sure to stick on him for a while. I wanted to analyze him for a change. Unfortunately, I soon ended up on defense again. And boy do I have a poor defense. It's wide open!

I guess you can be that way if you have no secrets.

Is it bad to not have secrets? Maybe I am missing a psychological piece of my mind. Perhaps I need to be more sneaky and have passions I don't tell anyone about. People like that are intriguing, but cowardice I think. Maybe we all care too much what people think about us, so we don't risk sharing our hearts.

Maybe mysterious people have been through a lot in their lives and don't want to get hurt again.

But how do prevent that?

You can't.

Even with a superior family, secured living locations and protection from God Almighty, you still have to live life in a fallen world. You still have to constantly interact with bad people, fallen people, and hurtful situations. Pain and failure is inevitable. We need to respect them and treat them as what they are rather than avoiding them at all coasts and pitying ourselves when we find them.

Kalhlil Gibran, on "Pain" from The Prophet:

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell than encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break,

that its heart my stand in the sun, so must

you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder

at the daily miracles of your life, your pain

would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your

heart, even as you have always accepted

the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

Therefore, trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips,

has been fashioned of the clay witch the Potter has moistened with his own sacred tears.

Coffee and Bikes

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 19:05:00 +0000

So I'm trying to get more consistent again at blogging. I started working at a coffee shop a few weeks ago so I can be up at 6 a.m. and have time to get things done before socializing becomes a priority and distraction and so I can have time to read, write and pray, as I enjoy doing so. You've probably noticed the last two weeks I have posted (yay) but it is Thursday and I have yet to post for this week. So this is a forced post, but they say you have to make yourself do the hard stuff so you can reap the benefits later. Plus the more you do something, the more you do something. So as this may not be the best post, (it's not inspired or amazing) it is a post and it is out there. I might have other unusual posts soon too, because I am trying to expand my talents as a writer and creator.

Tuesday was a fun morning at the coffee shop. A regular and I sat there talking and drinking like always when two adventure-loving souls walked in. Two young men dressed from head to toe in biking gear. Red faced and sweaty from the already 100 degree Oklahoma weather, they looked around confused and asked me if they could park their bikes inside the shop. "Sure, why not?" I replied.

Instantly my head started reeling with questions. Who were they? Where were they going? Why were they getting coffee before a bike ride? Isn't that bad for you? I took a breathe and calmed myself down before I burst with questions.

"Hi, how are ya'll?"

"Great, just thought we'd come by and grab some coffee before we head out."

"Where are you going," I asked, relieved I finally had an opportunity to question them.

They then began to explain that they were "riding for affordable housing."

"What the heck does that mean?" I asked.

The redheaded guy began to explain that it was a non profit organization called Bike and Build (Bikeandbuild.org) The organization is made up of 18-25 year olds raise money then ride form coast to coast building houses and working in conjunction with local Habitat for Humanity locations.

What a fun idea! I thought to myself, and proceeded to ask dozens of questions about everything from camping to biking gear to their physical fitness. Surprisingly enough, neither of the young men had any type of bike training before they jump on a cross-country ride. The darker one said the furthest he had rode before this was about 8-10 miles. Wow! I couldn't believe it. I did a duathlon a couple of years ago and my first day of training was 5 miles. 5 miles on a bike is so insignificant if you are even in halfway decent shape. Within a week I was riding 10 and for the race I rode 18 miles.

What about the pace? I asked.

With a group of about 40 riders on each of the 8 American routes, it is hard to ride in a pack. The group tends to break up into smaller groups of about 3 or 4 and ride at their own pace, so speed is never a factor. A supply van rides behind the pack with all sorts of medical things, food, and luggage.

In between my questions I had the chick who was in there with me pipe up.

"I don't know what all you guys do, but here's 10 bucks and any coffee or treats you get today are on me" she said.

How cool! The guys were super appreciative, as they were pinching pennies to get across the states. We asked them a few more questions about the routes, the set up and the fun they'd had. Before they left the chick and I prayed over these two guys and asked the Lord to give them safe travels. After only 5 minutes of adventure-talk these guys had to hit the road. Dissapointed hope left me there in the shop. I was dissapointed because I wanted to go with them, I wanted to ask more questions, and I wanted to hear more stories. However I was hopeful because I had an idea of what I might do next summer. :)

For more information check out bikeandbuild.org and if you are a personal friend of mine please contact me if you would like to look into applying further. I am very interested and would like to bring some friends.

Well that ends chapter 1 of the coffee adventures. More to come soon..maybe!

"Go Play!!"

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:26:00 +0000

Last week's post seemed to generate a surge of excitement, introspective, and lots of interesting discussions with others. At least for me, my honest post encouraged me to seek out conversation with friends my same age. Much to my egotistical surprise, I opened my eyes and realized there is a large handful of us who are all in the same boat. Wow, Satan is sneaky! He makes us think we are constantly alone in our struggles, when in fact we are always in good company. Anyhow, since I have seen such a reach for twenty-somethings who are "Happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time," (as T-Swizzle puts it), I have decided to write a few more posts on the subject...if for nothing more than to satisfy my hungry mind.

"The safety of the fence or the danger of the ride,
I'll always be unsatisfied.."

--Miranda Lambert, Airstream

This week is a very similar post, and hopefully just as relatable. I always say I think too much, and when I have freetime I really get to thinking too much. The other day I was pondering all the exciting and uncertain possibilities for my future (before and after college graduation.) Very quickly I was overwhelmed by the hugeness of it all. I mean really, you think about it and after you have that diploma, the world is yours. You are free to do absolutely anything. Or in many of my friends' cases, I have noticed that taking a break from school is very helpful, that too opens up the possibility of doing and achieving absolutely anything!

As I sat and pondered and quizzed and hummed, I finally reached an emotional hot spot and broke down in tears. (Yes, I am a girl.) As I lay there crying for about 2 minutes, I finally asked myself why I was so frustrated. My brain responded with this scenario...

Being at this stage in life is like being 8 years old all over again. I remember as a kid, wanting to spend summer days inside watching TV while my mother would stand close by in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning and what not. It was easy, safe, and natural; yet instead of letting me do this, my mother wanted me to "Go Play!"

"Zap!" The TV is turned off and the remotes are gone...all in about 30 seconds. Defiant faces and angry hearts from my brother and I are aimed towards Mom as we compete against her in a stare-down. (She always won, of course, but we would always try.) "Go play. Get outside...now!" she would command us.

After losing a losing battle, brother and I would reluctantly obey her. We'd take the first step outside and then awkwardly stand there complaining that we were bored and had absolutely nothing to do outside. Besides, it's 101 degrees and there is no one to play with.

The truth is however, you are not bored, you are only scared. As an 8 year-old you are experiencing the fear of the unknown. Although on a small scale, you are still experiencing the fear of leaving your comfort zone and conquering the world on your own.

My brother and I would try complaining to Mom, but she would always shoot back with the "You're only bored if you choose to be bored" speech and repeats her "Go play" command. Frustrated, a little scared, and unwilling to try something new, we would then make our way across the yard to our neighbors house. "Can Austin come out and play?" Of course, Austin was always up for an adventure. Next we would go get Jacob, Jonathon, and whoever else happened to be in the neighborhood.

What happens next?

Well pretty soon we are all so caught up in who's going to find your new hiding spot in Hide-and-Go-Seek, or the barrel role game, or how far you can jump on your bike, that you have absolutely no concept of reality. You are a child completely and utterly consumed with the present. No worries, no concerns, just laughter, fun and adventure. This is the way we were meant to live. Right in the middle of your heavenly bliss, where everything is perfect, and the step outside the door was way worth it. You are laughing and playing and living and loving and then...you are called to dinner.

Ugh. Frustration and anger again.

...Poor mom, she must have only seen the angry sides of us. Bless her soul..

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The terms "Mom" and "Google" are interchangeable.

"Leap and the net will appear."

I don't know, but do you ever feel like that? I've noticed the fear and excitement that comes when students approach graduation (more-so college than high school, but the feeling is still similar.) You want to be good, successful, and exciting, but at the same time you are so careful about not messing up and taking the wrong path that you completely miss out on the fun adventurous part. Sometimes risk is right. (Risk is Right is a book by John Piper that I have not read, but my brother claims is wonderful.)

I've seen a few classmates do great in college. They excel straight through just like they did in high school, graduate with honors, and then what...well they go right back to school again. Personally I think "Wow, how could you possibly go to more school?" But a friend of mine pointed out the other day that well...you're 22 years old, you just graduated college and well, for the past 16 or so years of your life you have been in school. It's safe. It's comfortable. It's what you know. So of course, if the possibility exists, why not go back? Just like the 8 year-old's comfort is sitting on the couch till noon watching cartoons under mommy's close supervision.

I'm not at all saying that going back to school after graduation is wrong. I am challenging you though, if that is you. Is that really what you want to do? Is that going to be an adventure worth telling your grandkids? Perhaps, instead you should do what your heart tells you to do. Move to Venice and be the missionary God has called you to be. Join Journey-men and live fully for the hope of the Lord. Or maybe its' jumping out and starting your own business. Whatever it is, don't be afraid to jump off that ledge. Peter would still be in the boat if he would have listened to fear. Yes, failure will probably happen, but that's where you learn, where you grow. Failure is a beautiful thing not to be avoided at all costs.

Hmm.. for me it is leaving this part of the state, let alone this state. I want to stay here, I want to move back to my hometown and live a quiet life. But really? At 22 don't you think I should go do something?? We have more energy and vigor than any other age group right now, so why not use it for some learning, growing, and helping. Staring my fear right in the eye, is the desire to go travel..everywhere. I need to learn and experience different cultures, true art, and meet people. That's what I want...at least for now. But hey, don't sweat it. Let God be your guide.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..."

Jeremiah 29:11

Twenty-Two

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:39:00 +0000

So I'm sure you've heard the new Taylor-Swift hit, "Twenty-Two." I love it. How cool is it that someone is finally celebrating 22. It's the first birthday doesn't mean much. It's the beginning of the next 8 years. Everyone loves 21 and it's excitement. But 22 is often neglected. Thank you, Taylor Swift, for representin'.

I've been wanting to write about the song for a while, but haven't sat down to be inspired yet. I love the fact that it captures the age. Basically it's like "blaahhhhhh." You are at the awkward in-between age of no specificness. Like Taylor, most of the world sees this as an opportunity to "dress up like hipsters and make fun of exes".."have breakfast at midnight"...or "fall in love with strangers." Who cares? you're 22 right? Right...to an extent. As a Christian there's more to it than that.

"We are happy free confused and lonely at the same time," she sings. So true. How you are all four all at once, no idea, but it is very true.

Sunday I talked to an old friend for a long time. The conversation of two 22 year olds sounds much like Taylor Swift's song. We talked about the bar scene, college, and life after college. What the heck are you gonna do?

So in a heart-felt writer's puke...I wrote this, and realized I have a special friend and Taylor Swift to thank for this post. (Plus a random mix of emotions, little sleep, good morning cookies and crazy circumstances.) Enjoy.

Twenty-Two

Fear.

I guess I am admitting that I am scared. Underneath the layer of happiness and confidence and passion…I am scared. I’m scared of what life holds next. I’m scared of what it doesn’t hold and the fact that I have no idea where I am going. I love my life here, but I don’t want to stay here. I want to go back to school but I’m scared to finish. I don’t enjoy my major as much as I should and I don’t really want to go into that field. At the same time I hate the disappointed stares and sighs I get as I walk in a room and tell people I’m perfectly happy being a waitress and working minimum wage jobs.

The thought of a real job disgusts me. I don’t want to be professional. I don’t want to live in the city.

I want to be married and start a family. I want to experience love and community like never before. I know who he is and I want to be held and cared for. I want my best friend to travel the world with me and experience things with me. I want to live in my hometown and be surrounded by family.

But I know I’m not ready. They say I’m not old enough for all that. You aren’t supposed to move back yet, you’re supposed to live somewhere else first, away from family and friends…without a husband. Alone. At the same time, don’t give yourself away to another man. Don’t sleep around, sleep alone. Sure, you can date. But is that really worth the pain and heartache of a temporary fix? You have about 10 years to kill, do whatever you want, just don’t move home yet and don’t disappoint us. Remember you have a husband and a future. As for now, you build.

As a twenty-something you need to save and invest for your future. Save and invest money. That means work, work, work. Focus on a career. Not a job, a career. Oh wait, the thought of a career makes you miserable. So do what you love to do. ..no, waitressing upsets people. You want to run the company back home? That’s awesome! But if you move back now we will consider you a “failure to launch.”

Save and invest. Save and invest your time. Save your time for those who matter, your family and friends. At the same time they all have jobs of their own and won’t be around, and your family wants to see you succeed. Invest your life. Invest your time in something worthwhile now, because later you’ll have a family and won’t have time for it. So go help someone do something.

Save and invest your heart. Save your heart for the one you love, but invest your heart in the temporary situations. A job, a hobby, a charity. Invest.

I think I want to finish up. Finish up my college days. Take some fun classes and relax. Work a few hours a week, but take time to watch TV and go out with friends. Paint, golf, and run.

After I finish I’ll move somewhere neat. A neat little town with culture and excitement. A tourist hot-spot with waitressing jobs and fun after-hours. I will remain pure to my Lord, myself and my family, but I will meet people and make friends with everyone. Latch on to a female of integrity and valor, someone who can show you the paradise of life. Live with your heart on God and your eyes on love. It’s ten years of purity, patience, saving, investing and growing. This isn’t a horrible experience.

It’s a beautiful opportunity.

You’re twenty-two, young and beautiful. Don’t waste it on boys, sex and booze. Invest it in love, purity and making a difference in the world around you. Be goofy and immature, because you can. Be full of energy, life and ideas for your investment, because you are. Twenty somethin'....

The power is yours. Will you seize it?

Passion.

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:55:00 +0000

For much of my life I have had a countless number of people confirm my dream of being an artist to be a "financially insecure" one. "Yes..you can do it, but you need another job on the side because you won't make any money."

Cool. So I need to do something I hate to pay the bills and do something I love on the side. That is, hate your life 60% of the time and love your life 40% of the time, at best. I wrote a blog about this in December and referenced Alan Watts, a British philosopher. I just agree with him so much. Why not do what you love now, and trust that the money will follow out of your passionate drive.

For me, it's painting. When I paint, I feel alive. I feel peaceful, exciting, zoned-in, focused, artistic, creative, masterful, amazed! It's what I live for in my free time. I've always done it off and on since I was little.

I get a little encouragement here and there, but mostly people brush off my passion as a hobby, a silly waste of time and money that has no future. Although it is important to me, most people don't see it.

I took a couple painting classes at my community college a few years ago and at the University I would schedule one day a month where all I did was paint.

Now that I am on my own and working and living through my heartbeat, I paint quite often and the more I paint the more I want to paint. In fact, as of January I designated an entire room of my apartment into "Arts and Crafts City."

Over the last month or so I have slowly had more and more people offer to pay me for my paintings. According to a 5th grade teacher I once had, that means you are a professional. Family, friends and customers at my first job are coming out of the woodworks to compliment me on my artistic abilities and ask me to custom make a design for them!

One guy in particular blesses me more than he knows. Every time he walks in my bar he brings up my artwork and how amazed he is. He has ordered one painting for me and is ready to hit me with another challenge as soon as I get the time. I know he doesn't realize he's doing it, but every praise and compliment he directs towards my art is like a boost to my soul. Why? Because art is something rooted deep in my bones. It's something I have always wanted to do and have always seen myself doing, but never pictured it being serious. His encouragement to my artwork is like a cool ocean mist, refreshing my spirit. I need this.

I want you to read this because I want you to think about what makes you feel that way. What's your passion?

One of my best friends rides motorcycles with her husband every Sunday. I've only been on a motorcycle once so I really don't know what it's all about, but this amazing woman sure does. She absolutely refuses to work on Sundays because those motorcycle rides are her way of church. It's how she feel close to God. I asked her to explain further and she said she can't. "It's the warmth of the sun shining on your back, the presence of the Holy Spirit riding with you, and the clarity of being outside. I don't find that kind of worship inside a church building or at a department store. It's on the back of that bike where I feel my soul come alive."

Another dear friend of my is extremely gifted in "framing." What started as a small interest in her retirement years has turned into a full-blown business in her backyard. Her husband at first was reluctant, but eventually gave in and bought her a warehouse full of framing supplies, which then lead to him building her an entire play-space of framing, cutting, matting, and whatever else she finds to do! You know it's her passion when she can make it fun.

I went to go see her about framing a picture of mine. It was a 12x12 print I had been given for Christmas. I loved the print but I couldn't find a frame to fit it anywhere. Knowing nothing and caring less about framing, i assumed I would pick between black, brown, and beige wood and she would frame it and I would give her $60.

How wrong I was. I walked in and she was more alive than I had EVER seen her. I show her my print and she immediately pulls cyan blue, velvet fuschia, and royal blue from her storage cabinets. "Wow, I love the fuschia but I think it could be better! What if we added an orange and burgundy backdrop with a gold inlet frame and crown molding on the edges? Perhaps a violet or lavender would soften the print, or maybe..." Wow, I was sucked in. It was so much fun! She taught me all about the framing lingo and initially refused my financial offering. THAT is how I knew she was in it for the fun, not as much for the slavery of it. She made my print twice as beautiful as I thought it already was originally and I go back to visit her every week with new paintings and prints to frame. She makes me want to be more passionate about my own thing!

What an inspiring and creative way to worship! Motorcycles may not be for me and painting may not be for you, but what is your thing? Whatever it is, do it.

Live.

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:29:00 +0000

As I write to you today I am sitting in a condo staring at the humongous waves wash up on a Florida beach. My mother is passionately snapping pictures while my brother and his friend run, jump and smash their bellies against the bellowing waves. I sit here and I think. I think a lot about life and how mine has changed over the past year. I think of how people's perspectives of you change when your life changes. How can that be? If the person doesn't change then how can your perspective of them change? I guess that is just one of our plentiful falls as worldly beings. We all judge and fall short.

I feel that it is very important for me to say this as a leader:

Never do something because I do it. Never do something because your sister, your mother, your brother, your friends, or your family did it.

But ALWAYS find out for yourself what your opinion is. Seek God's opinion for this action on your life and then and only then do you do it.

Do something because you, personally, feel that it is the right choice for you.

What is it that gives you breath? What makes your heartbeat quicken. Where do you want to be? What do you want to be doing?

I'm not asking you to give the "Sunday school answer", nor the "parental" or friend-amental" answer. I'm asking YOU. From the depths of your heart, deep, deep down in your God-made soul. What is that desire that he planted in you to increase his holiness and your well-being as a full creature?

You know, the Lord wants us to live an abundant and full life. (John 10:10) If we are living for other people, we are not letting him fulfill his promise for us. If we are living too safely, constantly clenching to our security blankets instead of taking the risks set in our hearts, then again, we are not letting God fulfill his purpose for our lives. Ephesians 2:10 explains that the Lord has big, bold and beautiful plans for us. Plans of us soaring across the sky and sailing into an ocean of unknown wonderland. How will we reach our destiny if we never give ourselves a chance too?

Believing in God and believing in ourselves go hand in hand. If God believed in you enough to make the plans, then you owe it to him to believe in yourself enough to jump into those plans.

We all have passions, desires, heart-yearnings. Mine is painting, speaking, and writing. (mostly...I tend to have more than most people.) But whatever your SOMETHING is...DO IT!!

Chances are, if you're passionate about it, you were born to do it.

Stop thinking about what the world wants, what your parents want, and what your friends are doing. Then breathe, pray and find God's design.

I have faith in you. Go after your dreams. :)

Do what you would do if no one was watching.

Inspiration from "The Hobbit"

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:30:00 +0000

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all."
~Helen Keller

I watched "The Hobbit" last night with two of my good friends. While the film was amazing, especially in 3D, I left with much more than a smile. I found myself to be inspired.

The movie begins with a view of the everyday life of "Mr. Baggins," a hobbit. Right off the bat he has an unexpected visitor come an offer him the adventure of a lifetime. Scared and confused, Mr. Baggins immediately declines the offer and runs inside his house to where he thought he would be safe. However, later that night he finds the foreshadow of an adventure on his doorstep and inside his house before he can say no.

Thirteen (maybe twelve, I don't remember exactly) dwarves rummage through Baggin's pantry, dishes and cabinets while tracking mud on the floor and having burping contests. Baggins naturally freaks out because he is not in control and feels threatened by this unexpected company. Next Gandoff (the leader of the pack) offers Baggins a great adventure and a seemingly unbelievable role to play in the journey. Baggins refuses, thinks about it, and refuses again. He says he does not want to leave "home", the comfort of his books, his maps, and his fireplace is where he belongs, and he would rather play it safe than go on an adventure that does not even promise him a safe return, much less his life.

Fortunately, the next scene shows Baggins changing his mind, grabbing his bags and running full throttle into a life-changing adventure.

I found this first part of the movie to be the most inspiring and relatable. You see, there comes a time in each of our lives when God, much like Gandoff, offers us the adventure of a lifetime; one that will change our lives forever. He never forces us, but gently explains the offer (leaving out all the details of course,) then leaves the decision up to us. Although He has hand picked us for the journey and prepared us beyond our knowledge to thrive through it, we as humans doubt and fear the unknown, thus making for a terribly hard decision.

The safe, logical choice is to stay where you are comfortable. Stick with what you know, safe and secure. Yet the downfall to this is that you never grow, never change, never see the next level of the glory of God. The fact is, we're being selfish. We are choosing our preferred lifestyle over God's. Who knows what kind of people you could help through your adventure if you open up to the uncertain. (Check out Dorothy.) The second choice however, gives us a big huge box wrapped tightly with a bow. We know it's huge and we know it's exciting, but we have no idea what to expect. All we have is hope and faith that God will carry us through the journey and teach us to be stronger men, wiser women, and more gentle people of love.

I've seen one friend after another come to this point. I wrote a short book on my journey through this decision process. But my question is--have you came to this point? What did you do?

Perhaps God is tugging on your heart right now, asking you to leave the familiar and jump into his arms for a journey you'll never forget. Will you trust him?

We were all designed for a specific role to play in a huge adventure, but if we doubt ourselves we are doubting the God that created us. Listen to your Lord and jump into the unknown with him. He wants to give you that exciting life if you'll let him.

P.S. For more inspiration and to find out how Mr. Baggins held up, watch the rest of the movie--in theatres now.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

"The wicked man flees though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;
be courageous; be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13

What is God gently tugging you to do??

Semester Reflections: Dorothy

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:09:00 +0000

At the end of every semester I like to reflect and pick at least three big themes God has helped me mature in during the previous season. Many times this takes the form of an essay, journal entry, or blog post. Today I journaled and now I am blog posting, hopefully you can relate and respond to my lessons as well.

Without going into much detail, the three big themes I picked out for Fall 2012 are Dorothy, Grace, and Money. I plan to go into more detail on each theme in separate posts. First, I shall conquer Dorothy.

Hopefully you all know the lovable character Dorothy from the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Dorothy is a young girl searching for who knows what when she finds herself in the middle of a tornado that whisks her away to a magical city of munchkins, witches and a large yellow brick road. After landing in this city, Dorothy's mission is finding her way back home. Along her journey to find the Wizard of Oz, whom has all the answers, she picks up three friends who are also in search of something. Throughout their journey together they encourage each other, laugh together and cry together. The group of four find themselves fighting evil monkeys, begging gatekeepers to let them pass, and all sorts of other exciting things.

The reason I have titled this post "Dorothy" is because I heard a sermon once about doing discipleship "Dorothy style." It really helped put discipleship in perspective for me, and when my roommates and I watched "The Wizard of Oz" about a month ago, it hit home to me what Dorthy-style discipleship was all about. In fact, I realized that had been a huge theme of my semester here.

Dorothy did two things that capture the essence of discipleship. First she entered in. Dorothy was on a journey when she met Scarecrow. She had one task to fulfill and she knew how to get there. Very easily could she have dismissed Scarecrow and went on minding her own business, making the journey alone and deceivingly much faster. I see most of us today doing just that. We are very task-oriented individuals, and we are also very aware of the ever ticking time-bomb. Therefore our society tends to think the "me first and me only" mentality is the fastest and easiest way to go about a job. When in fact, this is a lie from Satan. "Me first and me only" leaves you lonely, confused, and destroyed by Satan. Dorothy understood this, and so she chose to enter in.

Follow this link to see a clip from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yejtZgzB5Ik
(I apologize there was no embedded option on this video.)

Dorothy could have easily kept going, ignored the scarecrow, and focused on her desires, but instead she chose to enter in to a relationship with Scarecrow. As you saw in the video, first she asked him a few questions about himself, then she introduced herself, and soon she was helping him down off of the pole and inviting him to journey with her to the Emerald City. THAT is what discipleship is about. Entering in.

The same process is repeated when she meets Lion and The Tinman. Dorothy is quick to invite others along for the journey, despite the fact that she herself has not much clue of what to expect or what to do. That's where her second inspiring action takes place, she journeys with. Discipleship isn't about knowing everything then pouring out to others when you think you know enough, it's more about journeying with others and finding out TOGETHER what it takes to achieve the dreams and goals God has put before each of you. You don't have to know everything and you definitely don't have to lead...you need only to lay everything before God and take each day one step at a time--you and your teammates.

The biggest blessing of this fall has been living with two of my sheep. I've seen and lived discipleship on a deeper level than I've ever seen. It's been extremely hard, it's been very humbling. and its been very encouraging. The growth and beauty I've seen come from these two girls has been more of a lesson for me than anything else I've experienced. I've seen first hand how one person can't go in the journey alone, and the value that close Christian community brings to a family. This was how the church was designed to live. This is how the Acts Christians did life. Discipleship was life. Life was discipleship. Today we separate the two, when in fact it was meant to be one sanctity.

At times during the semester I tried to hard to focus on my outward ministry, and it was during those times that our household was rocky and tense. It took a great roommate and friend talking frankly with me to pull me back in. The truth is, God blessed us all with the community of each other, and first and foremost that is our focus..."to build one another up in love." It may have took several months for me to understand the opportunity at hand, but living and breathing discipleship daily gives believers the perfect opportunity to serve God by "not giving up meeting together...encouraging one another daily..etc." (Hebrews 10:23-25)

What a huge blessing this Dorothy Discipleship semester has been. God has really humbled me and taught me throughout it all, but I am forever grateful for the opportunity and praise my God for his goodness.

If you have a chance over this break, I'd like to encourage you to watch "The Wizard of Oz." Study Dorothy and how kind and gentle she is while she invites others to join her on her journey. However, she realizes the journey isn't about her at all. It's about helping others find what they are looking for too.

Discipleship.

It's Not Just a Game-pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:18:00 +0000

(...Continuing from Part 1)

GUYS: 1. You are equally as stupid, 2. It's not your fault you're stupid, 3. you're worth more.
Point one: You are equally as stupid in the fact that I can tell any girl three simple rules to follow in the right setting and in a matter of minutes you two would be eating out of her hand. How do I know this stupid stuff? Because it's all a silly stupid game. Flirting and dating is all meaningless. How wildly easy it is to catch a target of the opposite sex. I have had numerous conversations with guys who are well known with the ladies, and they all seem so surprised that I know the tricks to their trade. What is more, they are appalled that I can name the tricks that women play so easily on them! The heart of a man needs to know that he has what it takes, that he is the stronger sex (in many different aspects), and that he will not be rejected by the woman he wants. Therefore, a woman needs only to touch on these three things and you melt to pieces. Understand your heart by reading these past posts: A One Woman Man, Making the Stand, and Rise Up Warrior!
Point two and three: It's not your fault for a few reasons. First I will throw your default card that we all know very well (at least we should all know this), you are wired differently. Men were created very visual, very sexual, and very physical...ladies, not as much. Second, there is something wrong deep down in your heart that God needs to affirm. The three things in your heart I mentioned earlier need God's affirmation or you will seek answers from any woman who pays attention to you. Like the girls, you too need to take a journey into your masculinity with the Lord and seek out his perspective on things. I suggest reading Wild at Heart, by John Elderedge.

TO ALL: If you are on the player side of the dating game, stop and ask yourself if you are treating your brothers and sisters in a Christ-like manner. Are you pointing them to the gospel? Is God's grace and forgiveness a theme in your life? Can they quickly see the light of the Holy Spirit in your actions and words? Or are you fending for Satan by helping others fall into lies about their identity, their heart, and their eternity?

The victim side needs to ask, am I trusting God to lead my dating life or am I falling for anything? Am I prayerfully seeking God's will or am I shallowly jumping into the hands of strangers? Would God be pleased with how you've handled his most precious gift... your heart? Does the way you handle your heart honor the Lord and point others to do the same, or is it causing everyone more pain and destruction than necessary?

I love you all dearly and pray that the Lord uses this to open your eyes. YOU are worth more. I see it. God has a plan for you and he sees your value. Pray that he would open your eyes to see your own value and to cherish it the way he wants you to cherish it. You must love yourself fully in order to love others at all.

It's Not Just a Game

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:58:00 +0000

One of my brother's teenage friends just came in my room and asked me if a specific pick up line would work on a girl.

"A specific girl, or just any girl," I asked.

"Oh, any girl..." he said with a determination in his voice.

Nice. I thought to myself.

First I told him the pick up line was completely cheesy and it would never work on me. Then I thought about it and spoke the truth.

"But...girls are stupid and any girl you send that to will be eating out of your hand in less than 2 seconds."

He grinned and said he knew that would happen and that was the object of his plan anyways.

If you know me, you've heard this rant before. Regardless, I feel like this is something everyone needs to hear, (mostly because I am an egocentric person probably, but oh well.)

GIRLS: First of all you are stupid. Second, it's not your fault you're stupid. Third, you are worth more. Allow me to explain:
Point one: I say you are stupid for very true reasons. I've seen this happen in high school to beautiful popular girls, also in college from the sorority girls right down to the computer nerds, and now I've seen it happen to women in their 40's at night clubs. The truth is your easy. You are way way way to easy. I'm not asking you to put on a front and "play hard to get," because that would still be "playing." I want you to actually be hard to get because you deserve more, and better. The lower we set the standards for men, the lower the effort they exert. Example: All a man has to do to win your affection is show you attention, tell you that you are pretty and ask for your number. I know you are tempted to argue, but watch your heart, emotions, and actions the next time a guy walks up to you and 1. shows you attention, 2. pays you a compliment, and 3. makes a move forward. Guarantee you the emotions will fly. Why? Because that's the heart of a woman and men (who aren't as stupid as you think) have figured that out and now use that to their advantage. (See A Woman's Heart.) This makes you "stupid" to put it bluntly, because you ask for a man to pursue you forever, you ask for a lifelong romance, a real strong man to lead you, a smart man, a steady man, etc. Yet you fall for the player of players who knows the three tricks that disguise him as something he's not, yet still make your heart fall for him falsely. (Study Proverbs 4:23.)

Points two and three: Why is it not your fault that you are stupid? Because somewhere down the line, you never had it engraved in your head that you are valuable and worth fighting for. Does your heart know that? Yes. Which is why you fall for the compliment, the attention, and the pursuit (value.) On the other hand, does your brain understand your value? No. Or else you would see right through this player player and understand that you deserve a lot more than a compliment and an introduction to lure you into a man's presence. Its up to you to take the journey of figuring out where you first heard this lie, (See What is Identity, and read: Lies Young Women Believe, Captivating, and Strong Women Soft Hearts.) After you locate the lie, extinguish it with the Word of God. When you study the Word and God's character, you understand how he designed you and what worth you have to him. Daily entering into his presence and reminding yourself that can help you overcome the trap Satan throws at you through men. God and only God can affirm your value. I have linked a few blog posts to help you get started, but this is really a commitment you must make for yourself personally with the Lord. (Read: Made in His Image, You're Beautiful, and God's Love For You.)

I close my lecture to the girls by saying this: Don't give a guy your heart because he took three seconds out of his day to look at you. The fact is, you aren't the first girl he's laid eyes on, and you won't be the last. I care about your heart and God does far more than we can even imagine. It's the most intimate part of you, and it doesn't deserve to be spread around like an epidemic to little boys who don't know the care and love it truly deserves. "Above all else, guard your heart...for from it everything flows." That's a pretty big command, but I see it as the most essential in preserving your womanhood.

(To be continued..)

Transform Your Mind, Christian

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:23:00 +0000

Romans 12:2

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

One of my friends posted this as her status a few days ago:

"My identity is inescapable. My destiny is an enormous desire of my heart. I long for what God has for me. I'll long for it more and more, as the time approaches. At just the right time, God will have all the pieces in place. He will send my leader to walk me into what He has called me to."

CHRISTIANS:

We have got to stop living like the world!

I'm not talking about drinking, cussing, sex, smoking or drugs. Yes, those are bad and yes we are told not to do them. But quit judging people for these things and look at your heart compared to God's!

For one big huge thing: STOP WORSHIPING MONEY!!

You do not have to base your life around the comfort of a fat income. The Bible teaches all over to trust God FIRST, then he will provide absolutely everything you need..and THEN some! Don't you know those O.T. stories by heart yet? How many times did people get called into crazy scary things? How many times did God come through for them?

God never changes...so that means that stuff still applies to us and still happens today!

Also, STOP DATING!
That's not loving your neighbor, that's not thinking of other people's feelings. That's not trusting God. It's not being patient. It's not focusing on the Lord, his will, or his Word.

You agree, yet how many of you can raise your hand and say you are in college right now to get a fancy job and find a mate?

How many of you can raise your hand and say you already did that?

Where was God let in on any of these plans?

Oh good, you prayed at the ceremony. That's all the power he probably wants anyways...much less deserves. -_-

I only rant because I too have been guilty of these things. The truth is, God has called us to a much higher standard, and if we want His best for our life, we've got to let go and start trusting him.

Now.

You will never reach your destiny if you keep it in your hands.

Check out these lyrics from Kasey Musgrave's song, Merry Go Round:

Tiny little boxes in a row,
Ain't want you want it's what you know,
Just happy in the shoes you're wearin'.

Same checks we're always cashin',
To buy a little more distraction.

We often get so sucked into tradition and culture and everything else that we forget to ask God what he really wants for us. We assume, thus missing out on some of life's greatest blessings.

Lessons from Alan Watts

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:15:00 +0000

God puts passions into our hearts for a reason.

Satan has used the "love of money" to distract us from these passions, thus leading us into a life of slavery. Slavery to money, slavery to our jobs, slavery to sin.

By doing this he wins.

He keeps us away from our families, away from our hearts, away from God's original design.

He distracts us from our purpose by danging security and money in front of our face [despite the fact that both are false and fleeting.]

But what matters in eternity.

God, God's men and the God's word last forever.

Nothing else.

How are you spending your life?

Are you satisfied?

Do you worship God through your occupation...

or do you worship money through it?

Perhaps God is calling your heart to do something else.

Something scary.

Something that doesn't promise money.

Yet..it's what you're passionate about.

It's what you were born to do.

It's your destiny.

Will you do it?

Will you trust him?

Or are you too scared?

Would you rather just sit back and take the "safe" road.

...take life into your own hands.

Never mind his plans...yours are better.

More convenient.

Less humiliating.

More....normal.

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight."

I'm not challenging you to be stupid. I'm not challenging you to worship Satan. I'm challenging to really, really look deep inside your soul and ask God what he created you to do. Once you figure that out, ask yourself if you're doing it, and if not, why?
Perhaps you too have become a slave to society.

What would you do if no one was looking?

What would you do if your full trust was in God instead of money?

Paint, read, write, parent, dance, farm...?

Born To Fly

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:53:00 +0000

"But how do you wait for heaven,
and who has that much time?

And how do you keep your feet on the ground
when you know, you were born to fly."

I'm so excited and proud right now. One of my sheep has found her heart story. Her God song. Her calling. Her place. Her American Honey.

A few months back I had lots of posts about my heart, God, and jumping where he wanted me. Certain close friends also got a 78 page book about this. My point in all these ramblings was that God showed me what it's all about. It's not about the money, society's view, or the popular choice. It's not even about the easy choice. It's about finding your God given desires and destiny and living straight from your heart by doing those things...no matter what other people think or say!

Gosh this has been such a big thing this year. I have relocated and changed my whole outlook on life because this Spring I learned what faith was. I learned how amazing of an adventure God has planned for each and every one of our lives.

We all have an adventurous story and a boring story. Every one of us stand before a road of two paths...especially people my age--college and life decision making time! We stand at the break in the woods. We can turn one direction and dive head first into the dark and mysterious unknown, letting nothing but our faith in God lead us. Every minute of every day is a surprise and there are absolutely no plans and no promises. Trust in God with everything and he will provide above and beyond for you, leaving you breathless and excited.

BUT, we also have the choice to turn in the opposite direction. This is the common, easy, simple direction. Most people have labeled it the "Duh" choice. Why? Because everyone else does it. Our parents did it, and so did their parents, and so did their parents. This choice leads us into a safe, convenient, comfortable life. The biggest risk you'll ever take on this path is deciding to wear plaid underpants to bed instead of white ones. You'll have all your appointments, housing preferences, finances, etc planned out for the next 1-5 years easily. The big surprise will be a medical bill from a small accident that involved hanging pictures around the house. Yes this choice is safe and easy, but deep down you'll always be miserable, hoping for something more.

Of course, I guess this is in essence, the Christian life. Trust God and let go, or hang on for dear life and keep everything in your "control."

I posted "Born to Fly" because it is my friend's heart song. Tonight she kept saying this phrase, "I just don't know what it is about this song...or what it's supposed to mean..."

Sister, I'll tell ya exactly what it means. It means God has put you at the end of a ledge and is giving you a great big option of choosing his way or their way. This song pulls on the strings of your heart because it says just that. How do you keep your feet on the ground when you know you were born to fly?

How do you choose the everyday mundane lifestyle when you know God has something way better out there for you?

You don't.

You follow your heart and enter the promised land. If God tells you to go, you go. If he tells you to stay you stay.

When the Lord speaks to you, you'll know it. His voice is unmistakable. At the same time, right after you hear his voice you should beware of your stupid thinking. Over analyzing and thinking through God's command will leave you doubting, worried, and troubled over making this huge leap of faith.

Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Matthew 6:33

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all this will be added to you as well."

Matthew 22:37
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment..."

A Woman's Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:16:00 +0000

"...at the heart of every woman you will find that she wants three things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty...most of our addictions as women flare up when we feel that we are not loved or sought after."
--from the book Captivating

Psalm 45:11 "The King is enthralled by your beauty."

How many of you have ever felt unloved? Are there any women in your life whom you look at instantly sense their dire need of attention? Are they..or you..addicted to a secret sin? Perhaps it's not because they are crazy. Not because they want to be annoying, clingy, witchy, etc. Perhaps it is because they have not once in their life felt loved and wanted.

Often times we are all too quick to judge the quirkiness of others. At the same time, we are much to slow to diagnose the problems of our own addictions.

I've read Captivating, by John and Staci Elderedge five times in my life. I am now starting and round six. I love it. It is and forever will be, my most favorite book. It has changed and shaped my life over and over again. Each time I read it I learn something new about women, myself, and God. Did I mention I never reread books?

As I am reading it tonight...I can't help but stop and think of all the women in the world who feel unloved. I think the truth is that most of these women are loved, but do they feel it?...no. That sounds like something very small and trivial, and of course it is something we (women) all downplay to excessive degrees. In fact, if you were to ask most women if they felt unloved, I bet the majority wouldn't even admit it. Why? Because we are STRONG, INDEPENDENT, Rosie the Rivoter type of women who wouldn't dare confess a need or a want, much less one that depends on a man.

I've asked a few married women in my life if they felt like their husband was leading them spiritually. In both cases the women teared up and shook their head no, admitting to a lifetime of pain. Now I sit and think of how many women--young, old, married, widowed, single--who walk around this life feeling unloved. There must be millions! What do they do? How do they cope? Superficial relationships with men? Do some cover up the pain with cosmetics? Others might fill the void with food, alcohol or illegal substances even. Then there are the select few that turn to the Lord and lean on him for their strength and fulfillment. That of course works, but I know there still must be painful nights when those women need a strong pair of shoulders to lean upon and call "daddy" or "husband."

Please don't take this post as a bashing on the men in our lives. There are many things women fail at too, and I would never put down men just to be mean. I know 90% of the men I've met try very hard to be who they need to be for their women...I think they just don't know exactly what they need to do. Anyhow, the point of my post is to point out the issue so that women and maybe even a few men, can understand more about the heart of a woman. Once we understand a woman's heart, then we understand her hurts, and when we understand someone's hurts we understand their annoying habits. Put all this together and you have a recipe that can only add up to help, healing, and freedom.

Think about it. Every woman wants to be pursued by a man. When we are little it's daddy, and when we grow older it's a man...but not just any man. It's the man we can call husband. I think many young women would argue that it doesn't have to be a husband that pursues them, but when you break it all down, it truly is. Think of Jennifer Aniston's role in "He's Just Not That Into You." She lives with a man she has dated for 7 years. They love each other and are very faithful to one another, yet her heart aches and aches because he refused to marry her. Why? Because we are women and we were designed to be married, to be someone's helper, and to be the wife of a specific man God picked out for us. Don't buy what I'm sellin'? Read Genesis 2-4.

The heart of a woman screams commitment by a steady, faithful, forever man. Daddy to husband, nothing in between or temporary. Yet when we live too long without being pursued by one or the other we tend to get lost in the temporary pain-numbers many call "losers", or "bozos." Ahh...this must be why we date.

Woa. Did I just say that? Can't wait to hear the controversial comments on that line. :)

Anyhow, I have a friend who loves his kids a whole lot. He always says he's "taking them on an adventure." What adventure are ya'll going on today? I'll ask him when I know he has a day off. Oh, the zoo...a museum...mountain climbing...a strange restaurant. He always replies with some fascinating answer and a jam-packed agenda for the day.

I love, love, love this action-packed form of fathering he has goin' for him. I told him the other day something he never even realized. By keeping those kids in the middle of an adventure, you are doing them a huge favor. When they grow up and become teenagers they won't have to rebel and look for adrenaline and excitement, because they will know in their hearts that their whole life has been an exciting adventure. Why? Because Daddy showed them so. He taught them how to live life to the fullest without sneaking out, experimenting with drugs, or doing harmful things to their body.

A woman wants to be a part of an adventure...with a forever man.

Life--with all it's surprises, demands and gifts--is definitely an adventure. Facing the hard stuff head on is always a well-worth it challenge that definitely counts as adventure. So men, lead us through it instead of running. Women, trust that he will get you to the other side, hang on, and love every minute of the adrenaline-packed adventure. I promise you, you won't be bored.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..."

Jeremiah 29:11

Unity starts with "U"

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 17:24:00 +0000

“I plead with Eudia and I plead with Syntche to agree with each other in the Lord.”

Philippians 1:2

In the Bible, Paul reminds us over and over again to have unity in the body of Christ. This verse is one example of his heart on the issue. He pleads with two women who are arguing. He begs them to stop so that peace may fill the body again.

This is just one tiny little fight, yet Paul (and GOD) made it a point to include it in the Holy Word of God for our instruction. If this small issue was such a concern to the Lord, then what must he think of the fighting in the body that goes on now? Church of Christ and Baptists can’t worship together. Catholics and Pentecostals refuse to break bread together. Everyone stick with your denomination and don’t wonder into anything else or you will be shunned.

Hmm…this doesn’t seem right to me. Aren’t we supposed to all be in search of TRUTH that comes from the Word of God? Ephesians 4:4-6 says, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

ONE.

Not several, not two, not hundreds.

We are to be all one body of believers who function, act, and worship together in oneness. Unity.

So you probably agree with me up to this point, right? Well, what are you going to do about it? How does this concern you personally?

“If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Romans 12:18

As far as it concerns YOU. Be at peace with all men.

Who do you judge for going to a different church?

Why is it a competition to see how many people we can fit in our pews versus how many are in the pews across the street??

That’s not love. That’s not unity. That’s business and numbers, jealousy and dissention. Satan wins when we fight over numbers and people rather than fighting for each other and working toward the common goal of complete fellowship with God and ALL his people.

You have been brainwashed by society, and now you need to let the Word of God wash over your mind and cleanse it (Romans 12:2.)

Perhaps you don’t go to church because you are fed up with the fighting, the hypocrisy, and the judgment (much like my last few posts.) Well in that case you need to know something very important.

There is no perfect church.

There are no perfect people. No perfect worship service, nor pastor, nor doctrine.

We’re all broken and we’re all doing our best, yet we fall desperately short, including me. Hebrews 10:25 tells us to not give up meeting together with other believers. The book of Acts displays what the church should look like, and that is a body of people meeting together regularly to lift each other up closer to the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to encourage one another daily. That means we all need a TIGHT group of close Christians to lift up and to lift us up. Note: the verse says “daily.”

Yes, that means it is a lifestyle. Not a once a week social event. Do you realize how much happens in a week? What if Sunday you see Sally and she’s on top of the world in love with Jesus, but Wednesday she finds out her husband is having an affair and her kids are failing classes in school.

Is she supposed to wait until Sunday to ask for prayer and encouragement? Are you supposed to wait until the Sunday meeting to hold her hand as she cries and walk her through the situation at hand?

NO. O course not, because by the next Sunday she will have done what we all seem to do oh so terribly well: stuff in down deep, smile, and keep going. By doing that she gets no healing, no encouragement, and no help. Satan wins again and the church keeps a squeaky clean image. Everything’s fine.

Yet on the inside our hearts are breaking and our pews are slowly murdering us.

We weren’t meant to live this way. We were meant to live in community with other believers…despite the well known fact that THEY TO ARE HUMAN, and they too will hurt us and disappoint us, leaving us bruised and broken at times. But they will also pick us up when we need it too.

How do we start this revolution?

One person at a time. Be the Christian you want others to be.

Help people the way you want to be helped.

FORGIVE EACH OTHER!!

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32

Do not hold others to impossibly high standards and you won’t be held to the same judgment. (Matthew 7:2.)

Love in spite of everything. Love cancels out fears. (1 John 4:18.) Love never fails. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13)

Have you been loving your neighbor lately?

Functioning as a Body

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:15:00 +0000

Christians don't know how to help Christians.

This is my new soap box topic. I have talked to a few different friends about this lately. They all agree. These are strong, solid, God-seeking Christians I'm talking about. They admit that they don't feel comfortable opening up at their churches and asking for support or forgiveness for sins...yet this is what the Bible asks of us.

Why do they feel this way?

Because an open moment with church family often turns into a gossip scandal or a hateful glare down the end of someone else's nose.

Then there are those who think they are helping when they offer advice from their own pocket book. "It's a shame you got caught up in that mess. You know what the Bible teaches about those kinds of sins..I'll pray for God to help you."

But that isn't really helpful at all. It's actually a nice way of judging and throwing the person off as someone else's problem, namely, God's. However, the Bible teaches over and over again that we are to be the BODY of Christ. His hands, his feet, his love. The power to heal, raise up, forgive and anoint lies within us. Jesus gave us that power when he sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact, he said it is BETTER that we have the Holy Spirit because of all the power it bestows upon us.

So when people come in a vulnerable moment asking for prayer and help...there is a whole heck of a lot more we can and should be doing besides just throwing a verse at 'em and saying "I'll pray for you."

No, we are called to walk them through the healing process. Connect on their level. Get to the root of the problem. Why do you act this way? What led you into that sin? Where did the pain start? What do you need to heal from? How can I walk with you towards the comforting arms of Christ?

The book Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands really takes this idea and breaks it down into detailed steps. I recommend reading it if you want to be a Christian that truly helps others.

It's more than just listening. It's understanding.

It's moving closer to that person not only in spite of their sin, but in order to help walk them through it. Ephesians 4:16, Romans 12:4, and Colossians 2:19 all speak of the role of the BODY. We go through stuff together..not as individuals.

Ephesians 4:16

"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

"Builds itself up in love." In love.

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love does not envy.

Love does not boast.

Love is not proud.

Love is not rude.

Love is not self-seeking.

Love is not easily angered.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil.

Love rejoices in truth.

Love ALWAYS PROTECTS.

LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS.

LOVE ALWAYS HOPES.

LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES.

Love never fails. Love never gives up.

Where would you be if God gave up on you? Where would you be if you were surrounded by a body of believers who walked with you through the sickness of your soul as well as the joy of your deliverance.

Forgive us world, for we aren't perfect, and we haven't done our job. Forgive us church, for we aren't moving and breathing as we ought. Lord, give us a second chance.

Psalm 34:18

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Another Beer and Jesus Post

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:53:00 +0000

So obviously my posts have been about the raw vulnerability of Jesus and how most of our churches miss that completely. I've shared my thoughts about comparing bars to churches, and yesterday I hopped in my truck to hear this song for the first time. It's called, "If I Could Have a Beer with Jesus." The thought of having a beer with Jesus brings tears to my eyes. I can't imagine the level of intimacy our talk would have. Yeah, I talk to him throughout each day, and every morning before I leave my room, but He also wants the most intimate places of our hearts, the most excellent part of our day. I don't drink every day, but like I said previously, sharing a beer with someone is a very special thing, and I think time with Jesus is about just that.

If I could have a beer with Jesus...I would tell him everything that was on my heart.

If I could have a beer with Jesus
Heaven knows I’d sip it nice and slow
I’d try to pick a place that ain’t too crowded
Or gladly go wherever he wants to go

You can bet I’d order up a couple tall ones
Tell the waitress put ‘em on my tab
I’d be sure to let him do the talkin’
Careful when I got the chance to ask

How’d you turn the other cheek
To save a sorry soul like me
Do you hear the prayers I send
What happens when life ends
And when you think you’re comin’ back again
I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus

If I could have a beer with Jesus
I’d put my whole paycheck in that jukebox
Fill it up with nothing but the good stuff
Sit somewhere we couldn’t see a clock

Ask him how’d you turn the other cheek
To save a sorry soul like me
Have you been there from the start
How’d you change a sinner’s heart
And is heaven really just beyond the stars
I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus

He can probably only stay, for just a couple rounds
But I hope and pray he’s stayin’ till we shut the whole place down

Ask him how’d you turn the other cheek
To save a sorry soul like me
What’s on the other side?
Is mom and daddy alright?
And if it ain’t no trouble tell them I said hi
I’d tell everyone but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus
I’d tell everyone but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart..."

Proverbs 3:5

Bars, Jesus and Beer 2

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 14:01:00 +0000

I turned 21 at the beginning of the summer, and I have learned a wealth of information from sitting and working in the bars. I’ve also learned the power of a beer. First, I shall speak of the almighty beer.

My first six-pack of age, I split with my older cousin. We had always been close, but never anything more than surface level for the most part.

As soon as we popped the first top, all vulnerability sprung loose and the tears began to flow. She spoke from her heart and for the first time in her life, she realized that I wasn’t just a Christian, I was a human, and I loved people and their problems. She realized that we were more alike than we thought, and that mistakes mean nothing in God’s eyes.

It doesn’t always work with liquor, but something about beer connects people. It says, “Hey, there is no judgment here. We’re just two people drinking beer. Everything we say is one hundred percent accepted and connected.”

That’s the power of beer.

It never fails. Every single time I have a beer with someone, I learn a little bit about their deepest fears and greatest hopes. Many times I don’t even have to mention Jesus before they start pouring out their beliefs and desires for the Lord. They tell me the gifts they have that they don’t know how to use, and how their mother cut them deep right after Sunday morning church.

I think there is something magical underneath that old metal top. It’s like the Holy Spirit fills the gap at the top of every bottle, just to ensure genuine honest conversation. Quite honestly, I think they should put a warning label on each bottle. Or maybe even use it as an advertising campaign.

Want to really get to know your friends, try a crisp, refreshing bottle of Bud Light. Guaranteed to bring spiritual revelation and human connections every time!

Then try putting this powerful little Jesus Juice bottle in a BAR!

Bars are what churches are supposed to be. They are full of people who know they are broken. They are full of people who are searching and hungry, not perfect. Everyone is vulnerable and ready to be comforted.

When you walk into a bar, you feel safe...in a weird way. You feel loved by everyone inside. As you pass through the doorway, people everywhere turn to see who you are. They look at you, smile, nod their head in approval, and sometimes even holler out. Then you get to the back where your friends are…

“HEEEYYYY Buudddyyyyy!!! WHAT’S UPPPPP???” They yell out with big fat grins and huge plans for you. Then your best friend throws his arm around your neck and pulls you up a seat. He tells you to wait right there while he buys you a fresh beer (on his tab of course.)

While you are waiting for him, the other three guys at the table introduce themselves and instantly let you in on the running joke of the night. They tell you how to play along and assume you are going to be their best buddy for the whole night, if not longer.

No one ever feels judged in bars. No one ever feels judged with beer. Put the two and you have the most awesome, vulnerable mission field ever heard of!

Story after story after story people pour out when they don’t feel judged. I hear grown men say they wish they could be better fathers. I hear women say they wish their mother’s understood. Coworkers admit their deepest fears and everyone spills their opinion about the Jesus guy.

A lot of times when religion comes up, I hear hurt broken people. They aren’t even angry at the church because they at least know they are sinners. Yet the church people are angry because they don’t accept the fact that they too are sinners. The openness sinners display towards everything, leaves room for a casual heart-felt conversation in the Spirit.

The bar and beer take away the judgment and stress of these conversations, while an understanding companion brings healing and love. Tell me why this doesn’t happen more often in other places? ...especially church.

I always get the surprised face and excited comment, “You are so understanding for a Christian! You don’t argue or judge. That is so different.”

Tell me something people. What’s wrong with this picture?

Again, I think Jesus would have been in a bar.

"..I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners."

Mark 2:17

(Please note, I'm not justifying drunkedness because that is obviously against the Bible's teachings, and I do have my views on drinking responsibily and biblically..this is just a post to share with you my perspective on bars vs. churches, and how the atmospheres of both should be flip-flopped. Remember, this post is not labeled "to drink or not to drink." That is not the topic here.)

Bars, Jesus and Beer

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:03:00 +0000

I wrote this post about a week ago. I felt strongly when I wrote it, but then got scared as I thought about posting it. People will think I'm nuts. I will totally be judged for posting this. I can't let anyone see this God... Then two days later my friend messaged me this video. It was complete confirmation that I needed to share this on my blog. The next few posts will be the essay I wrote last week. Comments welcomed.

Us Christians have it all wrong, ya know?

I’ve spent my summer really listening to people. Teenagers, old folk, twenty-somethings. They all tell me the same thing. They are sick of religion and they have tattoos to prove it. At the same time, they crave the raw, real relationship their Father gives them. They want love. They want the Lord. They want renewed strength from Jesus. They long for a glimpse of his hair and a feel of his robe. They want all this with everything they have in them, but they have all come to the conclusion that church is not the way.

At all.

And I get it now, they’re right. Really, really, right.

At church people feel judged. They scrounge around for hours looking for some form of 90’s button up apparel that makes them look like their grandparents dressed them. They comb their hair over and straighten their back, closing their teeth and hiding their crap.

Then they panic, sweat, and breathe heavy as they try to walk through the front doors of the church, the holy dwelling place of God’s people.

What will they think of me? What will they say? Will they accept me? Am I dressed too formal? Crap. Why is he wearing jeans??!

Many of these people walk out in the middle of the sermon, never to return again. Others barely make it to the pew before some smart Christian slips a lip.

Others suck it up, die on the inside, and resolve to thinking that’s all there is. They hide their sin, week in and week out, and live sad lives wishing there was someone, anyone, who understood.

Funny. When I think about it, people reacted the opposite way to Jesus.

They fled to his garments. They wanted just a touch of his hand, a glimpse of his eyes, and a piece of his healing powers. They wanted to watch him cast out demons, raise the dead, and heal the blind. They clung to his love and powers like none other. They DESIRED him. They didn’t feel uncomfortable, judged, or stressed. In fact, they came just as they were…dirty, beaten, and bleeding. Addictions, imperfections, and shortcomings were widely welcomed. They knew he wouldn’t care. And you know what, he never turned a judgmental eye, never turned them away, never thought twice about their character or hair style.

"The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
but a man of understanding draws them out."

Proverbs 20:5

"While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the 'sinners' and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners'?"

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Mark 2:15-17

Something New.

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:38:00 +0000

Many of you have been asking why I haven't posted in a few months. My answer to that is: "The book will be published at a later date." God is doing great things in our nation right now, and I am amazed as I watch his hand at work. Welcome back bloggers. Here is my new post:

I’m living somewhere new now.

I’m living someone new now too.

It’s funny ya know, how you can be so sure of your life, when at that very second…God throws you into the curve ball of the abyss. THEN you fully understand, that you will never fully understand

anything.

The past few months have been the greatest and craziest adventure of my life. I’ve finally learned to trust God and dance like no one is watching.

I’ve lived my deepest dreams and faced some of my biggest fears.

I’ve laughed in the face of Satan and sat on the swing of an angel.

I’ve been held and rocked by God through it all, learning and laughing at his big jokes.

Hippies, hipsters, and nomads have kept my company and taught me many ways of the world. When I say ways of the world, I mean ways of Jesus that we call the world. Like the way your heart beats fast when you look at the mountains. The way your hair falls free when you dip into the unknown, and the way your life begins when you finally let go.

Life with Jesus is just so much more beautiful.

Life with the Holy Spirit, that much more.

God is my hero, my provider, my minister. He leads me through the green, the brown, and the blue.

Sometimes I stop and see who I have become. It makes me giggle with joy. Other times I shake my head in disbelief, asking God what the purpose is. Either way, I am constantly reminded of Romans 8:28 and that brings me comfort.

You can’t put him in a box!

You can’t predict anything!

You can never be sure of your plans!

He is king!

He is Jehovah! Now and forever! His plans are supreme! Bite into them!! J

"See, the former things have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce them to you."

Isaiah 42:9

Get ready..

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 23:18:00 +0000

Get ready...we're comin back in August. :) #Godishuge

Where is Your Faith?

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:08:00 +0000

2 Corinthians 5:7
"We live by faith, not by sight."

I think far too often we miss out on God's goodness and blessings simply because we don't believe he can. I myself have doubted some of the biggest movements of God in my life, and if I wouldn't have eventually taken the faith jump, I doubt I would be as close to God as I am.

People hate change, we hate our fears, and we hate stuff we can't understand.

Ironically, that is everything God is. He is constantly moving and active, ready to do the next big work in our lives (if we will let him.) His name cancels out fear and so he lovingly desires to walk us through our fears to bring us closer to him and help us overcome fear with love. And finally, his mysterious majesty is what makes him so beautiful, so powerful, and so wonderful to gaze upon. Deuteronomy 29:29 says there are some things about God that we simply will never understand, and I think that's beautiful! Wouldn't you be easily bored with a God you fully understand all the time?

The great thing about God is you will never figure him out, and you will eventually learn he has no set way of doing things. Fallen humans and society give us rules, guidelines, and orderly social structures, not God. God never said we have to do things exactly as our older siblings or best friends. He never said life was going to be easy and without challenge. Our God is not a boring God!

He begs us to close our eyes and blindly jump with him wherever he calls us. He desperately longs to take us on the adventure of a lifetime! In fact, that's what we agree to when we sign over our life to him through salvation. Sadly, most of us quickly die out on all that crazy adventure stuff and settle for the much easier, less-risky, day-to-day routine that society and Satan are promoting.

Safe and predictable is fine, but that requires no risk, no heart, no vulnerability...No Faith.

If you are a Christian this should make you sick to your stomach. Why? Because you are missing the entire point of your salvation. Salvation was never meant to be fire insurance. It was always meant to be a commitment of laying down "me" and picking up the unknown adventure of faith, hope and love.

In America I think we have mastered the art of half-doing all of those, and faking that effort itself.

"If the good Lord is willin' I'll get that new job I applied for!" These words are often spoken, but is there any real risk in applying for that job, or was it something that person did for his own desires? Did God boldly call this person to move from one job to the next, or are they tired of the people they are working with? Has this person stopped to fall on their knees and seek God's will for them in the work place? Or are they half-heartedly taking God into consideration. Perhaps we shouldn't claim such things if our heart isn't 100% behind the statement.

I'm with C.B. Matthews on this one, American Christians have mastered the art of being fake, and it makes me sick to my stomach. Not only am I sick for God, because he deserves much more than one tenth of our devotion, but I am sick for the fakers, because they think they are living a full life and they aren't. They're safe and happy attending church once or twice a week, smiling and shaking hands with their neighbors and fellow citizens, but where's the Faith??

They don't even realize what kind of adventures they are missing out on by clinging to the idol of comfort and security. God doesn't call us to that! He calls us to "GO" and "WALK" and "DO" and "TRUST." In fact, Bob Goff just wrote a book called "Love Does." I love his tweets because they cut right to the point. Faith without works is dead.

But wait, works without faith is dead too.

Fake Christianity: Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Haley) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:56:00 +0000

Do you ever look at the American churches and want to vomit? I do. I get sick of seeing people live, breathe and die in a church without ever really dancing with God. It hurts me to think that they are missing the entire point of our faith. They do all the rituals, but they have missed the life-changing passion of a relationship with Christ.

In the book "Fake Christianity" author C.B. Matthews discusses this very topic and gives practical advice on how each individual can make a difference. Matthews uses a direct, punch-ya-in-the-face approach which gives the book a raw passion that breaks through to reality. Although very convicting, this book is full of truth and spiritual correction.

I was given the book by a close friend who personally knows the author. The book was so enticing I finished it in one day and discussed the book with my friend shortly after.

Towards the beginning of the book he makes the point that most Christians care more about serving others than serving Christ. I love this quote from the book: "Are you more concerned with watching your nightly television shows instead of spending time with God or doing work for Him? Are you so wrapped up in life and everything that has to be done that you never have a family devotional with your family? Do you ever spend time in God's word or in prayer to Him for more than just superficial reasons?"

If you are looking for a pleasant read that will make you feel good about your walk with Christ, you need to look elsewhere. This book is challenging and perpetrating to the heart, however this is exactly what American Christians need. Matthews says nothing that is out of line with scripture, nor does he come across as judgmental or prideful. He is simply sharing the truth of the Bible with a generation of believers who have overlooked the tougher parts of the faith.

In seven chapters Matthews covers topics such as lies, emotions, actions, and spiritual warfare. He discusses the fundamentals of walking with Christ and challenges the reader to implement these practices in every day life. One of my favorite chapters included specific advice for youth, parents, and grandparents. I had never seen that done in a book before and I thought it was quite powerful, despite the fact that I fit none of these categories really.

C.B. Matthews is director of a small campus ministry in Colorado where he lives with his wife and three children. Matthews holds a Bachelor's in Psychology and a Master's in Family and Marriage Counseling. He also attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

For a convicting read that will sprout humility and growth, I recommend this book. I feel that it is appropriate for believers of all ages and I will say that it is a fairly quick read. You can order "Fake Christianity" online at WestBow Press or Amazon.com (links embedded.)

Article first published as Book Review: Fake Christianity C.B. Matthews on Blogcritics.