Embracing 2012

2011 was okay. It certainly had its ups and downs. Nothing catastrophic, but it definitely had its disappointments and hard parts. For various reasons, we both really felt like we’ve been in a season of winter, for a while now. Winter being defined as a time to be still, quiet, a time to focus on being nourished and preparing for whatever lies ahead. We’ve been restless.

I actually started off 2011 with some thoughts that now seem so relevant. In my post Jan 3rd, 2011 post, “Thoughts for the New Year“, I wrote:

…Before God reveals to us our grand life purpose, he has some testing and refining to do in us. I feel like I am in a season of testing and refining, and this is definitely part of that. I want to be ready when called upon… to be trusted with my grand life purpose. Much of that means that I need to be a better disciple.

You could say that in many ways, 2011 was a year for preparation, even though we didn’t know what exactly we were preparing for. Well, we have a little better idea now, but there are still so many unanswered, big questions.

So in the spirit of picking one word to focus on for the new year, I’m claiming the word Embrace for 2012.

Embrace:
1) to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly: to embrace an idea or challenge.
2) to avail oneself of: to embrace an opportunity.

In 2012 we will move cross country, I will start an amazing new job, Cason will find/start a new job where hopefully he can thrive in his area of passion, we’ll make some drastic lifestyle changes, I’ll finish my MBA that I’ve been working on for almost 4 years, we’ll find our new place of ministry/service… and that’s all mainly now through May. I have no idea what May through December will hold.

I want to focus on embracing this new season of life, with all of the challenges, obstacles, and opportunities that come with it.

I want to:

• Embrace the obstacles we’re experiencing right now as a way to grow in our faith and put our full trust in God’s plan for us.
• Embrace the opportunity to live a new adventure, to meet new people, experience new places.
• Embrace the challenge of a new job (in a new industry) with an organization that does amazing, life-altering work.
• Embrace the difficult times ahead that will inevitably come with all of these new challenges, again, as a means to grow us personally, professionally, emotionally, & spiritually.
• Embrace a new season of life and see how God will use us in it.

I am full of emotions about everything that lies before us. Emotions that can generally shift from one day to the next. But overall, I’m excited to see what 2012 has in store.

So here’s to embracing all that is to come!

What’s your One Word for 2012?

Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

Hope of all hopes, dream of our dreams,
a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us: a living gift.
And even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great.
The power of leadership, and the
weight of authority, will rest on His shoulders.
His name? His name we’ll know in many ways—
He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Dear Father everlasting, ever-present neverfailing,
Master of Wholeness, Prince of Peace.
His leadership will bring such prosperity as you’ve never seen before—
sustainable peace for all time.
This child: God’s promise to David—
a throne forever, among us,
to restore sound leadership that cannot be perverted or shaken.
He will ensure justice without fail and absolute equity. Always.
The intense passion of the Eternal,
Commander of heavenly armies,
will carry this to completion.

~Isaiah 9:6-7 (From The Voice Bible)

The Voice is our newest Bible translation from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Admittedly, I’ve been working on the marketing for this campaign for a while now, so I am a little biased, but I personally love it. It reads so beautifully. You can download the book of John on the website here, if you’d like to check it out.

Let us celebrate this day the Anointed One, Our Liberating King! Merry Christmas everyone!

A Not So Silent Night (These Days)

It’s no secret that our lives are in a current state of upheaval. It’s been a crazy month & it’s not slowing down for a while as we prepare to take this leap. On my afternoon off from work last Friday I met with 2 moving companies, a property management company, & had a termite inspection at our house. We’ve been constantly clearing out clutter from our house, sanding, painting, & doing whatever else needs done to get it ready to rent.

Next week our house will officially be listed for rent, Cason will meet with a couple people about a potential job, and we will attempt to find a place to live, all in the span of 3 days. (Please be in prayer about those things for us.)

We haven’t gotten caught up so much in the busyness of the commercial Christmas season, but in all of the logistics and busyness of what uprooting ourselves & moving requires. We definitely haven’t had much time to stop, be still, and wait in anticipation of the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the midst of this, my favorite new rendition of a favorite Christmas hymn is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” by David Crowder & I wanted to share it with you. It really does capture the essence of waiting in anticipation. For a King who will liberate us… from all oppression, war, sadness, petty divisions, and death. I’ve never really looked at the lyrics as closely as I have here recently. They’re beautiful. And as David Crowder’s rendition ends it, this Liberating King is not just for the past. He’s coming toward us now. He always will. Amen.

Take a listen (& check out the lyrics below):

O come, O come, Emmanuel
and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear

Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel

O come Thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight

O come Desire of nations bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of Peace

Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
He has come
He has come

He’s coming toward us now
He’s coming toward us
He’s coming toward us now
He always will

The Road to Now

If you missed my last post, “Taking the Leap”, please read it by clicking here & then continuing on. The rest of this will make more sense if you know what I’m talking about.

It’s been a long road to get to here. To now. To this point where I feel like we’re about to jump off of a cliff. To say goodbye to everything that has kept us comfortable – probably too comfortable – for the last couple of years.

You might say that God has been leading us down this road our entire lives. He always knew where we’d end up at this exact moment. There’s something quite encouraging in that. He is the one who has led us down this path. All of our past experiences, melding with our God-given passions, are colliding together in this next big adventure.

He put me together with an amazing man who shared the same vision and passions. He planted us in Nashville for a wonderful 5 years. But somewhere along the way, we started to feel like something wasn’t right. We were content, but deep down we were restless. We were in a season of winter. We were here for now, but knew that God was somehow preparing us for something else. We just didn’t know what… or where… or when…

To share one fun piece of the puzzle… About three years ago I saw a job opening at IJM that caught my eye. It was for a Director of Marketing position. It was a complete long shot for that period in my life, but I printed it off to save as inspiration. I called it my dream job. Life went on, but I always kept my eye on IJM. I have always been a big fan of their work and have wondered that whenever it was my time to leave Thomas Nelson, it could potentially be for either IJM or World Vision. That’s just how God wired me.

A couple of weeks ago I found that folded up piece of paper while cleaning out our study. It has the date I printed it at the bottom… 1/08/2009. Now, three years later, almost exactly to the day, I will start my training at IJM.  January 9th, 2012.

And God knew it all along.

There have been many interesting pieces of the puzzle that have come together along the way. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to share more of them with you. But that is one that just makes me smile.

How have you seen evidence of God’s hand moving in your life lately? Please leave a comment below and tell us about it. We’d love to hear.

Taking the Leap

(Photo by Savit Keawtavee)

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

It is time to for us to leap. To give up everything we have known and grown comfortable with over the past five & a half years. God is calling us to our next big adventure.

I have resigned from Thomas Nelson and have accepted a job as Marketing Manager with International Justice Mission. (IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression.)

We will soon be packing up our lives and moving to Northern Virginia.

There is no doubt that God has been preparing us for this next adventure for a long time. We have both been feeling a little restless, knowing that God was up to something. We just didn’t know when, where, or what.

I believe, wholeheartedly, that this is a position that God has created me for and has been preparing me for. He knew this was coming, long before I did. I can already see His hand at work through every bit of the process thus far.

“For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (The Voice)

I am excited. I am nervous. And I am just a little bit terrified.

I ask for your prayers as we take this leap of faith. We have a lot of logistics to work out in the next month. I also invite you to stay tuned to our adventure. I’ll be posting a lot more frequently here with thoughts along the way. At the upper left of the page, you can either choose to subscribe via email or subscribe to the feed via RSS (if you use Google Reader or something similar).

Here’s to the journey ahead…

Gifts That Give Back

Here’s a post I wrote for the website that I manage at work, God’s Word in Action…

Are you still looking for the perfect gift for someone on your list this Christmas?

Do you always get Dad a tie & want to do something a little different this year?

How about getting a gift that gives back?

That’s where this handy list comes in. Ties get stuck in a closet, fruitcakes sit uneaten, and the latest gadget will soon be replaced with something newer. This year, consider purchasing items that will really make a difference in someone’s life. Many organizations will let you donate to fulfill a specific need (buy a goat, provide job training for women, etc) and provide you with a lovely card to present to your recipient letting them know that you’ve done this in their honor. There are also items like jewelry and coffee that you can purchase to give to your loved one knowing that the proceeds go to a wonderful cause as well.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the list of great ideas below & get shopping!

World Vision

What do you buy for the person who already has everything? World Vision’s Christmas gift catalog offers many ways to give a gift in honor of a loved one while helping someone around the world.

Here are some needs that you can help fill:

• A backpack & school supplies for a child ($22)
• 2 chickens for a family in need ($25)
• Seeds, tools, & training in Africa ($30)
• Feed a family in the US for 3 days ($48)
• A small business loan for a woman ($100)

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Click HERE to flip through their gift catalog.

International Justice Mission

IJM seeks to make public justice systems work for victims of abuse and oppression who urgently need the protection of the law. IJM fights injustice around the world, focusing efforts on rescuing slaves, victims of sex trafficking, and more. In all of its casework, IJM has a four-fold purpose: victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation.

Their “Gifts of Freedom” catalog allows you to join them in helping secure justice for victims around the world.

Some donations options include providing a bicycle for a former slave, aftercare help for a trafficking survivor, desperately needed medical care, funding to equip investigators, etc. Click HERE to explore the options.

Blood:Water Mission

Blood:Water Mission is a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crisis.

For their current Christmas campaign, you can buy a bag of cement in someone’s name. It’s usually not at the top of a Christmas list, but in sub-Saharan Africa, it’s a generous gift. Cement is the main component of most water and sanitation projects. In many of communities, it’s also one of the most expensive pieces of these projects. Although not glamorous, this gift will help transform lives for our neighbors in Africa. Each bag is $25 & for a limited time when you buy 2 bags, a 3rd bag will be donated free. Click HERE for more info.

31 Bits

What female on your list doesn’t love jewelry? Now you can buy some beautiful jewelry to give as a gift and know that it is helping women in Uganda too. 31 Bits is a socially minded business designed to give internally displaced women in Northern Uganda an opportunity to counter poverty. By giving women access to the international market, they are able to earn an instant income, providing homes, food, and education for their families. Their program equips women by providing literacy education, financial and vocational training, holistic care, and strong support systems, empowering individuals to further their careers and attain social equity.

And their jewelry is rather fabulous! Check out the collection HERE.

Project 7

Project 7 is a cause-related company that makes every day consumer goods, like bio-bottled water, gum, mints and coffee. They aren’t asking you to buy more stuff, just change the products that you already buy. For every purchase of a Project 7 product, some good is done in seven areas of need – Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, Quench the Thirsty, Teach them Well and Save the Earth.

Their items make excellent stocking stuffers. Check out their online store for coffee, gum, mints, and more HERE.

Are you giving any gifts that give back this year? Have any other great organizations or websites to share?

More on Being Restless

One of my recent favorite songs is Switchfoot’s “Restless”. It hits something in my core that I can find hard to define some days. I wrote about this feeling before in a post I called “Feeling Restless“. Click on the title to open that post in a new window to skim for some background on what I’m talking about here.

“[Sheila Walsh] describes this restlessness as ‘a sacred ache, an ancient longing’ that points us continually to Christ, and that it won’t go away ‘until we make it all the way home’. It tells us ‘that home is what we’re made for’. Like a constant reminder.”

Anyway, this song totally struck a similar chord with me & I wanted to share it with you. I recommend hitting play on the video at the bottom & then reading through the lyrics.

What do you think? Does this song or the idea of restlessness strike a similar chord in you?

“Restless”

I am the sea on a moonless night
Calling falling, slipping tides
I am the leaky, dripping pipes
The endless, aching drops of light

I am the raindrop falling down
Always longing for the deeper ground
I am the broken, breaking seas
Even my blood finds ways to bleed

Even the rivers ways to run
Even the rain to reach the sun
Even my thirsty streams
Even in my dreams

I am restless, restless, restless
Looking for you
I am restless
I run like the ocean to find your shore
Looking for you

I am the thorn stuck in your side
I am the one that you left behind
I am the dried-up doubting eyes
Looking for the well that won’t run dry

Running hard for the other side
The world that I’ve always been denied
Running hard for the infinite
With the tears of saints and hypocrites

Oh, blood of black and white and grey
Oh, death in life and night in day
One by one by one
We let our rivers run

I can hear you breathing
I can feel you leading
More than just a feeling
More than just a feeling

I can feel you you reaching
Pushing through the ceiling
Til the final healing
I’m looking for you

Until the sea of glass we meet
At last completed and complete
Where tide and tear and pain subside
And laughter drinks them dry

I’ll be waiting
Anticipating
All that I aim for
What I was made for

With every heartbeat
All of my blood bleeds
Running inside me
Looking for you

Waiting on the Lord

Some quick thoughts to begin this week…

It seems like so many people in my life are waiting on the Lord for something – for a job, for health for a family member, for something financial to come through, for Mr. or Mrs. Right, to find our true calling, for hope in a desperate situation, for a straight up miracle, for peace that surpasses all understanding…

And let’s just say it. Waiting stinks. We want answers now. And in our idea of what perfect timing should look like. We are an instant gratification culture. We live in a land of instant conversation (texts & twitter), fast food, and on-demand TV. If we have to wait in a line at Starbucks for more than 5 minutes we grow impatient and irritated.

God doesn’t work like that, at least not 99% of the time. But His timing truly is best, even when we can’t see it.

I was reminded recently of the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness (I’ve been reading through the Bible and am in Deuteronomy right now). Time and time again God would work amazing miracles in their lives. If the miraculous delivery from the Egyptians wasn’t enough, there was the pillar of fire to guide them, manna from heaven to feed them, water from a rock to quench their thirst, etc. They had these incredible signs from God of His amazing provision. But before long, they’d grow impatient and make their demands of Moses and of God, not believing God would deliver on everything He had continuously promised them.

I don’t want to be like the Israelites. Even after God clearly shows up and does something amazing in life, it’s like we forget about it just two weeks later. We start to doubt again and go back asking for answers or a sign.

As I’ve said before, I love it when God works in themes. One of them right now is waiting and trusting. And in the midst of the waiting & trusting, all we can do is focus on the present, on the things that we know we need to do today…

The below verse and quote both popped up on the same day. I’m trying to take notice. I hope these may encourage you also.

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” Psalm 27:13-14

“When you don’t know what to do, wait while I open the way before you. Trust that I know what I’m doing, and be ready to follow My lead,” -Jesus Calling, (November 4th)

Are you waiting on something? What is your favorite verse/passage or quote about waiting on the Lord? Please share it in the comments below.

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Relationships Take Work

We were meant to live life in community. It’s hard to deny that. It’s repeatedly talked about in the Bible and it is woven into the very fabric of our beings.

“Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love & to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches.” Hebrews 10:24-45 (The Voice)

Unfortunately, fellowship and time spent investing in the lives of others is one of the first things that gets sacrificed when our lives get as busy as they generally do. In my last blog post, I talked about the need to Get Less Busy. We cram everything in so that there’s no space left for anything else – for the spontaneous opportunities that arrive and especially for quality time with loved ones.

Relationships take work. Dating relationships, relationships with spouses, with family, friends, co-workers. They all take effort & intentionality. If you don’t make the necessary time for them, they will suffer.

And it is a tragedy.

To be honest & transparent, I go through periods of wondering who my real friends are. Who are the ones who really care. I often feel like if I don’t initiate something then no one else will, because maybe they don’t really care in the first place. So I’ll withdraw & wait. (I’ll generally work through it, get over it, and try again… until the funk comes back again.) Just being honest here…

But recently I’ve come to decide that the biggest problem is that everyone is so daggum busy. (Is that how you spell that?) It’s not necessarily that they don’t care (though maybe some really don’t), it’s just that they aren’t making the time needed to keep a relationship going…

Here’s a great thought on the value of living in community:

“The word translated ‘church’ in English Bibles means literally ‘assembly of the called’; it implies that members have said ‘yes’ to God’s call in their lives. We assemble because we are called into being by God himself. Some people, for reasons only they know, choose to live their Christian faiths in isolation. When they do, they cut themselves off from the gifts, encouragement, & vitality of others. And perhaps, just as tragically, they deprive the church of the grace & life God has invested in them.” Note from The Voice New Testament, p. 343

So I’m on my own personal crusade right now to Get Less Busy, and to invest more in relationships. I’m trying at least. Will you join me?

Take time this week/month to clear your schedule. Invite someone to lunch, dinner, coffee. Pick up the phone. Send an email (or even better, a card).

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below.

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Get Less Busy

My most recent revelation is an obvious one, but it needs said.

We, as a culture, are far too busy.

We hurry from one thing to the next, constantly filling our schedules to the brim until there is no time left. It’s like an addiction. Why do we do this to ourselves?

I can be as guilty as anyone else, and I surely do have my seasons. Especially as I’ve been pursuing my MBA these last couple of years. (And I can’t even imagine what it’s like once you have kids.) But right now, I’m trying to soak up the opportunities that present themselves, while I have a little break.

In general we leave ourselves with no margin. We have little to no room for anything “extra”. The things that suffer: real quality time with our spouse/family, with friends, time to serve, time to be able to stop & help someone else with a need, time spent sitting still in God’s presence. What about time to actually relax for a few minutes and feel refreshed. There is no margin to be able to seize opportunities like this one, when we’re going 70 mph.

So what do we need to do?

• Quit something. Create some space.
  This is most often easier said than done. There are definitely seasons of life that might dictate this. But it’s a good idea to take a good, hard look at our weekly schedules and see what we can eliminate in order to save space for other important things that might come up spontaneously. We are a culture of doers. It might be time to quit something.
• Learn to live more intentionally.
  Don’t go through life filling up time with just anything. Figure out what the things are that you really want to be spending your time on. Prioritize. Figure out what is best (not just what is good).
• Spend more time reaching out to others.
  Call that friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Send an email or a card. Ask someone to go grab coffee or a meal. Invite some neighbors over for dinner. Relationships are often one of the things that suffer most from our activity-packed lives. And it’s a tragedy. Life is meant to be lived in community.
• Carve out times to be still (Psalm 46:10).
  I’ve had a really hard time with this one lately and I’m seeking to improve. I’m finding it really difficult to quiet my mind and to be still with the Lord. But it’s so important.

What other tips do you have for shaking off our addiction to busyness?

Get less busy. Start now. Go.