Stories May 21, 2009

Presently, in the wake of crazy, and unexpected redirections, I have been tempted to panic. Tempted to think, and believe that I was the only one dealing with such utter chaos. Tempted to think that no one else could possibly understand what I was dealing with, no one could understand my frustrations, my fears, my anger, or my confusion and sense of plain foolishness. 

These temptations knock on a familiar door in a familiar tune. For much of my life, I have related to the circumstances of life in a way that blocked other people out. I have been convinced that no one would ever understand my story and that I was the only one with such an experience. It wasn’t until this last year that I learned the power of community, testimony, and sharing one another’s burdens. 

Something happens when we keep our stories inside. It is as though a part of our freedom or healing and ability to move on is hindered when we do not make a habit of sharing our testimony. Perhaps so few of us share our testimonies because we don’t really see the point? Yep. That was my problem. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me, I didn’t want to lose friends, and I didn’t think my problems were that big of a deal anyway. But the reality is that no matter how small the problem, a testimony is an opportunity for us to talk about and celebrate the goodness and faithfulness of God and how He has brought you so far. It is an opportunity for others to see the radiance of God’s presence in the darkness of life’s events. 

In revelations, John wrote about the power of the martyrs, and how they overcame the devil by the word of their testimony. This is huge. This means that by our silence, we do not give God glory and any time we fail to give God glory, we give the enemy victory. The vulnerability and stutters, the tears, the doubts, the worry that comes along with sharing our stories are a small price for stripping this victory from the enemy and giving glory to God. 

Not only do testimonies and our stories glorify God, but they liberate us from having to share these life experiences and burdens alone. God has given us Christian community as a place to find love, encouragement, grace, and holy challenge to growth. Do not rob yourself from the balms of community by closing yourself in and shutting others out. 

I have had many life changes. My story is a little crazy. And it’s not getting less crazy. But this time around, I am not panicked by the reality that there is no one to talk to, no one to help me through this struggle. I have community a phone call away, a coffee date away, an email away. And in those conversations and phone calls, I find the radiance and love of Christ. His strength, His Grace, my victory.

“They overcame him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Rev. 12:11

Vision of the Unseen March 23, 2009

How can you recognize something you’ve never seen before? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Not really.
Many times we base our knowledge or our ability to know based only on the empirical. Meaning that we believe we know something when it makes sense to our immediate senses.

But perhaps there is more to knowing than touch, taste, smell, or even feeling?

Perhaps we know something also in our spirit. What I mean is that there is an element to knowledge that happens on the inside. Call it instinct, call it your guts, or call it God’s leading.

I worry that I might miss him. I worry that I may have already missed him. I worry that I won’t know how not to miss him. I worry that I won’t know it is him. But worrying is a terrible idea. Especially in regards to him who the Lord will bring us. I am confident that we will know, not only in the sense of the physical, but also deep inside, beyond the heart, beyond the feelings, beyond the raging, fretting voices in our minds.

Will this happen instantly? Who knows? I think it might take a while for some of us, others have known the minute they saw the person. But don’t worry about it.

The more important thing to worry about is your ability to discern the Lord’s voice. Have you sensed Him leading you in other areas, and have you listened? Have you become familiar with His call, with His guidance in regards to a friendship, a character trait you might need to change, or even college decisions?

It is easy to let God’s voice become drowned out by everything other voice around us. But we want God to send us an email when the right guy walks into our lives. This is not the case. You must develop the skill of listening and recognizing God’s voice in all areas of your life.

Ask God to open the eyes of your heart so that you can see Him. Ask Him to open the ears of your heart so you can hear Him. Ask Him to give you understanding, ask Him to speak over you. And learn to recognize His voice.

Learn to listen.

The Art of Nothing December 10, 2008

There are a million words at the tip of my tongue waiting just to spill over and flood the room.

Blink.

Now there are none.

Sigh. This will be painfully honest. I have rare moments in life where I catch myself wanting to make something happen. I would like to think that I absolutely never think about what if or could it be? But I would just be fooling myself.

Once in a while a Mr. Could Be swings around and there are moments where I just want to start a conversation, go for a walk, tell funny stories. But I realize it’s all futile. Because it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what I can try to start up for myself. Sometimes, the greatest thing I can do is absolutely nothing. I can stop trying to set up my own life, my own romance.

In a society where romance and relationships are nothing short of desperate survival, it is a crazy thought that we should relax and enjoy life, taking no thought for all of the romantic details. I admit, it is not easy for me. I deal with anxiety in many areas of life, and this is definetly one of those areas. But each time I’m tempted to start a conversation for the sake of orchestrating my own story, I realize the heaviness, the worry, and the anxiety that burdens me down within moments.

Christ called us to be free, and this means free to take no thought. This means He called us to be free to trust Him, trust that He’ll take care of the details. Does this mean we never start a conversation? No, it means, we speak, but we are no longer are driven by the need to write our own story. We speak freely, live freely, laugh freely. Because we recognize that ultimately, God truly is in control, and when that’s the case, nothing is the best thing we could ever do.

Worth it All November 22, 2008

There are a few people in my life that have touched me very deeply, forever changing the way I view life and the path God is leading me on. These people are few and far between, and those that are brought into my life I know are done so by divine appointment. I call them my heroes. One such person is my dear friend Cambie. I have only known her a few years, but in that time she has come to be like an older sister to me, and the dearest, sweetest friend. I turn to her for encouragement and advice, and the Lord always speaks through her exactly what I need to hear. She is a Godsend.

Cambie now serves with her husband Greg in Kenya, Africa as a missionary working primarily with youth. Below is her story. It is one of pain, learning from experience, and overcoming obstacles—but ultimately one of victory. She waited, she hoped, and she was rewarded. It goes like this:

It’s Worth it

There I stood in my wedding dress, looking out the window at the man I would soon be united with for life. This was a man I had waited a very, very long time for. WAIT, a four letter word no one really likes to hear, and is even harder to obey. Yet when we don’t wait, we just end up worse off then we started. I am telling part of my story today as a testimony that it is worth the wait. It is possible, but it is not easy. It is actually easier to quit and give up but it is never worth it. I have had my share of relationships, most of which I could have done without. Though they were not God’s desire for me, He was able to use them as tools in my life to help mold me in who I am today.

My Own Idea of Perfect

My first real relationship was when I was 22 years old. We started off as friends and grew to care for each other from there. We were both active in our church. As our relationship progressed so did our passions and desires for each other. This is all a natural process built by God, but in the wrong setting can be very dangerous. Instead of surrounding ourselves with people who would keep us accountable we put ourselves in dangerous situations; yet with each situation God always provided a way of escape and I was quick to take it. I learned that when you truly love someone with your emotions it is hard to wait, yet when you truly love someone with your heart and the love of God, you want to wait. I found that my emotions wanted to control me, and if I was not careful they would win. As God seemed to fade from our relationship so did our morals. Yet in my heart I was convinced that I had to be strong and because of that our relationship ended. I found I was not willing to give up myself and he wasn’t willing to commit to a marriage. It ended in severe heartache and extreme weight loss for me. Wonderings of why I was holding on to my virginity so tight and doubts of if it was really worth it clouded my mind. I began to believe the lies that my standards were too high. I began to allow myself to date those who were not God quality men. And without fail God allowed me to be harassed by my conscience until I ended the relationships. I found myself alone, without friends, yet I was right where God wanted me.

Trading True Love for Something Less

God and I began to meet regularly again and I was reminded of who the number one man should be in my life. I enjoyed several years of just me and God and my life as a single woman. My walk with God was great, I was in love with HIM and nothing could shake me. And that is when the tests began again. God allowed different relationships to come into my life to see if I truly believed and lived as though God was the love of my life. Some tests I passed but when the thought of feeling special to someone and finding that someone found me attractive, I began to follow old patterns. Once again I found more turns that involved heartache. I remember pounding my head and crying; why couldn’t I just learn?

Letting Go of My Way

In November of 2004 I began a new job. I was through with guys, the heartache and the lies. I was tired of finding myself in relationships that I shouldn’t be. I sat down and made a list of what I wanted in a husband. It was a small list I had always carried in my head but finally put it down on paper. I went over the list and asked God if I had missed my chance. He had spoken to me when I was 25 years old and let me know that I would meet my husband soon and it would be at my job. At that time I was working with youth and was excited that I would have the same ministry as my husband, but I also questioned God’s timing. Did He mean my “soon” or his “soon”; because my soon was the next day and his would be five years from then. Here I was now 29 and still single. But as I was beginning a new job I was also feeling like I was beginning a new life. I felt alive and I knew that I would be ok. I was still carrying the rare beautiful gift of virginity I had fought hard keep. One day I would be able to give to my husband. I remember talking to God all during my new job. I had finally given him the single part of my life. I had come to believe and not just know that I could survive without a husband but without God I would be lost. I had accepted that it would be just God and me for the rest of my life, and I was completely satisfied with that. I told God that if he had a husband for me I wanted Him to make it happen. I was done putting my hands in it and messing it up.

The Reward

So there I was at my job and that is where I met my husband. Greg and I didn’t start out as friends and God had more lessons for me to learn. But it was only a matter of time that God revealed his will for us. Greg and I were married in March of 2007. As I was packing up getting ready to come to Africa as a missionary I found my list and goose bumps rose and I found that everything I had written down was fulfilled by God in Greg; down to the beautiful eyes my husband has. God gave me the desires of my heart, plus a whole lot more. God made me complete when I accepted Him but He also gave me a great bonus and blessing by giving me my husband. I can tell you that marriage and sex are both worth waiting for. I can’t imagine sharing the bond I have with my husband with other men. Marriage isn’t easy or a fix it all, or even a happily ever after story. It is hard work but worth it all, and is much better than a fantasy. God has blessed me and I have no regrets that I waited.

The Olympic Games August 8, 2008

Tonight will be one of the most treasured nights in the entire world. It is one of the most celebrated moments, when everyone comes together from all around the world and competes with each other with respect, honesty and a game plan. This is the Olympic Games.

To be honest I have a hard time wanting to watch the Olympics tonight and looking at all the wonderful lights and thrilling games because of what china had to go through, just for this to get ready. I’m not all saying that the Olympic Games is a bad thing, but why take away so many homes? and change a country just to look nice? I mean really what is the honesty in that?

I love the Olympics, really i do! but it’s nerving to see all these people out on the streets, but then again watching someone win the gold medal that they’ve been wanting from a little child. Where is the character in all of this? True that people come together and treat each other with respect, war isn’t on anyone’s mind, just playing good, fair and your best. But think that all you hold dear to you, your whole family, your belongings and memories are snatched away from you for such a bittersweet time.

I challenge you to press into things with more character and respect for other people. Think of other people other than yourself. Think about what it would cost someone else and not always worrying about you. Think of how you would feel if you got snatched out your home. We have the freedom to live in peace in America, they don’t. Think with compassion and don’t just watch the games just to watch it, remember the lives of all those people in China that have to suffer and let us remember them in our prayers.

Esperamos!

Bethany

Book Review: Searching for God Knows What July 31, 2008

Searching for God Knows What

By: Donald Miller

This is a really fun read! Donald Miller is one of my favorite writers, and in this book he talks about things like God, fitting in, why there is suffering in the world, and Jesus. But he makes all of these “deep” things really easy to understand and not churchy or complicated. I’d recommend reading it for those of you who want to see Jesus in a simple, pleasant, and touchable way, if you’ve never seen Him before, like in a book. For those of us who have seen Him, read this to get a fresh perspective and to learn how to talk about Jesus in context of our everyday world. 

 

Movie Review: Pride and Prejudice July 31, 2008

Movie: Pride and Prejudice

Rated: PG

Starring: Keira Knightley 

Pride and Prejudice is a movie that portrays the love of family, friendships and finding true love. Although they lived in England in a time when the only way to contact was to write and when transportation was only of two choices; walking or riding a horse, the Bennet Family believed in true values that we could all learn from and apply to our own lives today.

They held to honesty and truth. Being cordial and kind. Having manners and treating each other with respect we all should today. Despite the trials they had together as a family they pushed through and over came personal and relationship obstacles.

 

True love was all about waiting and hoping for the right one to come in their lives. After all, marriage was a main duty in the Bennet family. But they didn’t get carried away with wealth and fame, they fell in love with a purpose; true love.

 

Pride and Prejudice is filled with joyous dancing, all the twists you could imagine, and all the emotion and fun drama you could ask for. It has every detail of a love story you could ever wish for with a clean perspective. It is truly the ultimate love story movie!

Esperamos!

Beth

Just Like Us July 31, 2008

By Tiffany Owens

The sweet face of Jamie Lynn Spears became a part of our small world a few months ago in light of her teen pregnancy. The media ate it up like a starved dog, their glee at another celebrity victim was just exploding all over the place. The magazines practically radiated a glow from their perch on the store racks as her story rolled off the press. Tragically, they cared more for how they could use her as fuel for ratings and were completely insensitive to the emotional tension that often surrounds these types of stories. She was just another “hot story” and fodder for mainstream gossip.

So much for compassion. 

Jamie Lynn reappeared just a few weeks ago, cradling a small baby in her arms. The media pounced on the delivery, desperate to beat their competitors for exclusive photos of the new mom and her baby. It was saddening, but their heartless economical approach did little to stop Jamie from being hopeful.

She wants to be a soccer mom.

I read the article and even though I don’t agree with the situation of Jamie being an unwed teen mom, I felt hope for her. Maybe the better way to say it was that where I should’ve found judgment and criticism, instead I found the ability to extend grace to Jamie. Not like I’m better than her or anything, but because she’s bursting with hope and she just wants to be a southern soccer mom. Maybe it’s because at the end of the day, Jamie Lynn is just like us, created in God’s image and totally loved by Him.

Celebrities are people, and Jesus said that none of us have the right to judge each other, because God doesn’t judge us. They aren’t perfect, so we need to stop pretending they’re supposed to be. But we also should not idolize any mortal human above the rank of human. Take some time to reexamine the people you look up to in the world. Ask yourself if you have anyone on an ungodly pedestal? And also ask yourself if you’re being judgmental?

Many people criticized Jamie for getting pregnant as a teenager and outside of wedlock. This is a real tragedy that many people face everyday, but there’s something different about it when it happens to a rich, popular girl. She either becomes the target for our judgment or exclusive from our sense of right and wrong. Both are wrong.

If she becomes the target for judgment, that means you’re pretending to be better than her.

If she becomes exclusive from your sense of right and wrong, that means that you’re not applying God’s rules to her situation and treating her like a “special case.” In other words, you pretend what Jamie did isn’t really wrong, but you tell the everyday people around you that it is. This shouldn’t be the case. Stand up for right, but do it without judgment and in grace.

Jesus came so we could really love people enough to extend grace when they slip up, but also enough to stand up for what’s right. Most people just want someone to love them, and this includes celebrities.

After all, these people are in  need of love.

Just like us. 

All Fired Up! July 13, 2008

I can’t put how excited I am about this project in words. I haven’t stopped working on this for the past few days, just hammering out pages and working out all the kinks. We are so excited about Espero, and about the potential. I know this is a small beginning, but those are never to be despised. Please visit the links to the left to read more about what we do, more content will be up soon. Enjoy the first version of Seven Days Grace while you’re hear, and leave a comment for Bethany! We’d love to get some feedback about what you’d like to see on the site, what topics would be good? Ladies, what do you need us to talk about in our first Fashion Video? Tell your friends about us, come back July 31st with a brain ready to read and a heart ready to wait and hope. It all begins July 31, 2008.

Esperamos!

Tiff