Post Ten: "Is it Worth it?"

Today's post is about fighting for the people in our lives who are worth it.

But let's just be honest here, everyone is worth fighting for.

Sometimes the actions of people dictate what we think is their worth, but in God's eyes, everyone is worth it. Worthy of love. Worthy of a listening ear, worthy of grace.

I follow "To Write Love on Her Arms" on twitter. Today they posted a link to the video below. It's from Heart Support, an organization just like TWLOHA that focuses on helping others in addiction and pain. It's an interview with Rob Bell. I watched. And realized that perhaps I should use this for my post today.

Who in your life needs to be carried by grace? Who could use some honest words, not harmful and hurtful words? How can you fight for those who need to hear that they are loved by a God who is full of grace...and hope?

I'm sure we can all think of at least one person who needs to know they are loved...and that they are worth it... to you.. to God.

Post Nine: "Is it Worth it?"

Do you ever play the game "I was here a year ago today?"

Well... I was here a year ago today..

Hawaii... with Rachel and Phil. Good times.

Is it worth it to take a week off? YES.

Post Eight-- "Is it Worth it?"

Today has been a great day. I’ve spent much of my day reading, reflecting, and writing.

One question has been on my mind today. “How do we finish well?”

School year.

Soccer games.

A work week.

A relationship.

Chores.

I think our true character is revealed in how we choose to finish. It reveals what we care about or who we care about. Sometimes we get cut off from finishing well and those things are beyond our control... but for the most part, how we finish things matters.

It can be all the difference.

I think back to doing chores growing up. My brother would be in charge of doing dishes. He would just throw them away instead of washing them... so that he could be done quickly. It was obvious that finishing well just meant finishing fast. He didn’t care about the cost of the utensils he was throwing away, or about how my mom would feel when she found out.

I think of this past year and the three races I completed. Each one I tried to finish well. My friend Heather and I ran a half marathon in Nashville. We both had had our moments of pain and mental blocks where we begged the other person to let us stop. But we managed to get to mile 12 of the 13.1 and said to one another “let’s turn on the burners and finish this thing well.” We turned on the burners and passed up tons of people left and right.

And then my burner went out.

Almost completely.

We had to slow down. It seemed like I inched my way through the last mile. As we took the turn for the last .1 mile, I saw people on the side of the road. Passed out with medics by their side. I kept thinking...dude, you have .1 mile to go!! Get up and do it. I couldn’t imagine getting that far and dropping. Now, obviously it was a physical ailment that cut short their race, but I couldn’t help but thinking about that last tenth of a mile to go.

That is where it counts.

The end.

The finish.

No one asked me about mile 1 or 2 or 3. It was “Did you finish?” or “What was your time?” While I know life is more about the process than the product, the question still remains... “How do we finish well?”

It’s how we finish that matters. It’s what we will be remembered for. We won’t be remembered for how we started if our finish is anything but triumphant.

So how will you finish well? And I’m not just talking the easy stuff. The hard stuff of life. Relationships. Life. Do we bury our fears and anger in a pit that takes our soul with it or do we walk through the fire, coming out the other side a bit burned but able to breathe again? Finishing well requires us to go through the tough stuff, to be honest, to lay down our fears, to say we’re sorry, to seek grace, to give grace.

Most people aren’t remembered for who they were years ago, they are remembered for who they are...now. For how they finish.

How will you finish well today? Is there something that needs to be said, a project that needs to be completed? A letter of forgiveness that needs to be written? A phone call to a loved one? A relationship that needs to be mended?

Are you seeking flight rather than fight...ask yourself, “How do I finish well?”

Is it worth it to finish well?

I've been listening to the new Revive album. Here's another song that caught my attention. "My Hope."

Post Seven: "Is it Worth It?"

My friend Ondra told me about a guy named Matt who is currently in jail. He was driving drunk and killed a man. He was sentenced to 5.5 years in jail just this past January. His story is nothing short of inspiring. In the midst of this horrible situation, he has found a way to God, hope, and purpose.

He wants nothing more than to serve God and learn as much as he can about how to be His servant in and outside of jail. He is “that guy” who had a perfect life. He was a professional soccer player who had a bright future in front of him. In one night of making bad choices not only did he change his life forever, but the lives of his family and the victims family and friends too.

Matt blogs everyday from jail. I’m still reading his story, starting with his very first blog. He writes about jail mates who are wasting away their days watching the clock. Matt writes that he wants his time to be filled with devotions, reading about how to be a better Christian, praying, attending the jail church, and witnessing to inmates.

Please take a moment to watch the video and read a few of his blogs. It reminds me of God’s redemption. It reminds me that our lives are short. It reminds me that all we have is time. And time should be spent getting to know God and serving others.

Here’s Matt’s story: http://www.themattmaherstory.com/

Here’s his daily blog from jail. It’s helpful to start on day one at the bottom, click last page and work your way back. I’m sure there is more to unpack, I’m still trying to read all of his blogs! http://www.themattmaherstory.com/archives.php

Does it have to take a tragedy for us to open our eyes to God’s love and redemption?

How do we make life worth it?

Matt’s story makes it worth it.

Here’s a song by Revive. “Blink”

Post Six: "Is it Worth it?"

This summer I haven’t really been able to get past a few verses in scripture. I’ve tried to read other chapters, different verses, but I always seem to come back to these few. There is nothing wrong with meditating on pieces of scripture for several days... or in my case, an entire summer. So, here are a few of those verses mostly from Proverbs 1-4.

We find worth when we read the Bible and open our heart.

From The Message Version:

“When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are.” Proverbs 1:19

“First pay attention to Me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy-you’re in good hands.” Proverbs 1:33

“It’s the men who walk straight who will settle this land, the women with integrity who will last there.” Proverbs 2:21

“Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.” Proverbs 3:4

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health. Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.” Proverbs 4:22-23

Post Five: "Is it Worth it?'

Today’s post comes near the end of the day. I’m sorry for making you wait. I hope it is worth it. Today doesn’t tie into a nice little bow. I’m still processing a lot of life and I seek to be transparent tonight.

The last few days like clockwork I’ve gotten a headache around 5:30pm. Tonight it held off until now...8:32pm. It’s been creeping up for the last hour, but now it’s here full force. I can’t pinpoint the reason. I won’t blame it on Diet Coke and it’s not as if there is added stress in my life this week or anything. I promise. It’s been stressful and out of whack for about a year.

It took me until May to start unpacking the reasons of my unsettled heart and the sense that I’ve lost control. It’s an odd place to be at, to feel, to experience. I know I’m not really making any sense, and let’s just blame it on the headache for now.

I think I’m going through a 1/3 life crisis. Not a mid-life crisis (because 30 isn’t midlife) but I think there is some unsettledness as I look at my life plan and realize that while the ministry goals are right in line my personal life isn’t where I wanted it to be at this point.

I’ve mentioned this episode before from my favorite show “Friends.”

It’s the one where Rachel turns 30 and in order for her life plan to be perfect it required her to have found a boyfriend...yesterday. In order for all her plans to work out, for her life to be on her track, she realized she might have missed a few things and now her timing is out of whack.

Over the last few months I’ve been working on my “control issues” when it comes to my expectations for excellence in my job but haven’t really worked on this area in my personal life. It’s difficult to separate ministry from life, because I’ve learned that ministry flows from who we are and what we do everyday. But-- I’ve given most of my energy to the ministry at Alleluia, that I nearly have had nothing left for things outside of my job. That has slowly shifted this summer...taking my work email off of my phone, only texting back students if it deems super important, being sure to work on life outside of work...finding some hobbies like running, helping out with a band. I’ve also tried to honor God with my Fridays and make it a full sabbath.

I don’t have it all together in this area and I’m seeking to find balance... I’m also finding ways to give God control. Prayer. Reading scripture. Reading books that matter. Reading books that don’t really matter. Building friendships and hanging out with people and NOT talking about work. etc.

It’s all a process.

Is it worth it to give control to God?

Post Four--"Is it Worth It?"

The Church: Creating Unity

When I was in Colorado in May we went to a small mountain church with a female pastor who reminded me of a yoga-granola-mountain-chick. And then I remembered I was in the mountains and it makes sense for her to be a yoga-granola-mountain-chick. It was simple, the church small but mighty.

It was very laid back. Announcement time came and people were allowed to stand up and say anything from the church potluck to a senior’s graduation party that afternoon. We found ourselves standing up and sitting down quite often. There were a total of nine songs throughout the service. The children’s chat had a handful of kids and was simple yet meaningful.

The most awkward, but coolest thing happened at the end. As they sang song #9, the mountain pastor chick called us to hold hands together.

As a church.

As one.

In unity.

As a reminder of what we are called to be to each other and to the world.

Her benediction called us to “be one in the Spirit.” We sang this song about unity and ended in praise to the Creator. It was totally cool.

Is unity worth it? Is the church, in all of it’s imperfect mess, able to accept grace and create peace in unity as one? In order to serve the greater picture...to reach others for Christ, we must seek unity among followers.

Many say they don’t need the church to be a Christian. They don’t need to be in community to worship God. The church is messy and they just want to stay out.

It’s in community that we are able to grow, able to exercise things like compassion, patience, grace, love, and...unity.

It’s in a community of believers that we strengthen our faith, seek answers to our questions, and be able to encourage others to grow in Him.

It’s in a community...a church...where so many wounded people can feel the healing grace of God.

It's together, in a community that allows us to reach out and share hope with the hopeless.

How will you embrace the church today?

How can you be a conduit through which unity can be created?

Is it worth it to you?

Can we get "outside our own little world" and do life together so we can build His Kingdom?

Here's a new song from Matthew West. Click on it and it will take you to the YouTube site to see it. It's worth it to take a few minutes to listen.

Post Three- "Is it Worth it?"

I cannot get away from the song “How He Loves.”

It’s been everywhere in my world lately. It’s been directly connected to my word “worth” too. This is a song of reminder. A plea almost...one that begs us to remember that we are loved by God.

To live as a Christian, to follow God, really means we understand at some level that we are loved by God. But I often wonder, what would my life be like if I REALLY knew that God loved me. That His grace is abundant, that He’s jealous for me....what would my life be like if I remembered that my sins are forgiven, that there is no time for regrets.

How would life be different for you if you really knew you were loved by God?

How would we treat others if we knew that God loved them with a jealous love too?

What sense of entitlement, frustration, bitterness, anger, and fear would disappear if we knew the extent of His love for us?

Just a few weeks ago I experienced this song in a new way. We were at junior high girls camp and I had finished a message to our 130 girls. At the end I talked about really knowing God and allowing this song to speak to their hearts.

I had Kat, one of my students, play “How He Loves.”

As I was listening to the girls sing, I could sense how they were understanding and singing these lyrics...

First as a plea... God, DO you love us?

Second as an acknowledgment... God, you DO love us!

Third as reminder....God, OH, HOW you love us!

Lastly, as a praise....God, Wow... how I long to live in your love!

So, is it worth it to know God’s love? Absolutely.

Do you know that God loves you?

How will you be different because you know you are loved?

"How He Loves" has been covered by The David Crowder Band and become very popular in the past year. I read about the story behind this song which is absolutely incredible. Here’s a portion that David Crowder says about the story behind the song.

“John Mark’s story is much more elegant than my discovery of it. He had a youth minister he was close to and he’d been praying and praying for there to be a movement among the youth that he was leading. One morning, when they were meeting to pray he said, “I’d give my life for this if that’s what it takes to see a movement among these youth. Do whatever you need to do God.” That evening John Mark’s friend, Steven the youth pastor, died in a car wreck, and John Mark wrote the song in memory of his friend.”

Here’s John Mark McMillan’s song “How He Loves.”

I hope it’s a reminder to you today that God’s love is worth it.

Post Two: "Is it Worth it?"

I love this picture of my nephew Kevin. It was taken on the 4th of July in Ohio. I told Kevin that his uncle Aaron was on his way to come and visit. Kevin lives in Maine and comes to Ohio for a few weeks every summer. He hadn’t seen Aaron on this trip and when I told him his uncle is coming this is what he did...

He yelled for excitement, found the drink cooler near the fence, stood on it and waited... and waited...looking over that fence watching every car pass by.

His excitement grew with every passing minute. When Aaron pulled up, I told Kevin to go and hide in the garage. So off Kevin ran. Aaron came through the back door and looked around for him. After a few minutes Kevin came running out of the garage with a giant smile giving Aaron the biggest hug ever.

See Kevin is the kind of kid that everyone loves because of his compassion and excitement for life. I love Kevin because he teaches me to care for others with great passion. He always gives the best hugs (squeezing to near death), is genuinely concerned for those around him, and desires deeply to know you and remind you that he cares for you.

I love this picture so much because it reminds me of Jesus. It reminds me of the prodigal father who waits for his son to return. It reminds me that if we look for God, we’ll find Him, that’s He’s simply peeking over the fence desperately waiting on us.

Sometimes we walk through the door and cannot find God. While God doesn’t hide from us, He does require us to notice him, to allow Him to hold us tight and remind us that we are loved.

I use this picture as my background on my iPhone so that each time I look at it I’m reminded of Kevin and reminded that God is waiting on me to notice Him.

For many people, and sometimes even for myself, I wonder... Is it worth it to run to Him? To find Him? To allow Him to embrace me when I find Him.

I’ve encountered many people who have lost hope in the worth of a relationship with God. I’ve seen how people have given up on Him and never choose to run and see Him behind the fence. So many don’t find the worth in a relationship because they have everything they need, or God seems too distant, or perhaps that God isn’t relational and loving.

But it’s worth it.

Every summer when I come home to visit I am reminded that it’s worth it when the life is squeezed out of me by a loving hug from Kevin. There’s never resentment, anger, or frustration in his hugs. It’s never a cordial side hug that lasts a second. It’s a full, rib squeezing hug that reminds me that I am missed, loved, and desperately wanted.

“But if you seek the Lord you will find Him if you look for HIm with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

Is it Worth It?--new blog series: Post One

The word “worth” has been quite the buzz word for me recently. I typically go through each season with a different word, something that God puts on my heart to focus on. Sometimes the word is just for they day, or week, and sometimes for an entire season.

“Worth” has come up in the most recent weeks. The word can be in relationship to me or to others. This time it’s for both. And so I thought it would be good to do a blog series on this word from my own perspective...through scripture, song, through experience and questioning.

This series will lead up to the start of the Experiential Service on Sunday, September 12th. Why this length? Why up ‘til then? It seems like September 12th finalizes the end of summer and the start of something fresh and new.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling the slump of the end of summer. Usually at this point I’m mourning the beginning of school for the students yet filled with excitement for getting back to our regular programing at church.

This blog series is a way of moving past the mourning and getting on to the excitement of a new school year.

Maybe this is the same for you, but I need for the next few weeks to be filled with some sort of purpose, a leading up to something great, a refresh and renewal of sorts.

For the last year and a half I’ve kept my blog on the “down-low”...sharing my writing with family and close friends. But this series feels like it needs to be broader and include student, Facebook friends, the general public... basically for anyone who is seeking the same sort of “restart” through hearing my rants on the word “worth.”

So, there you have it. Each day I’ll post a new blog on worth through the question “Is it Worth it?” I’ll post it to my Facebook page each day. Please leave your comments, questions, frustrations, and any prayer requests in the comments. Feel free to name yourself or be anonymous.

A Good Leader and other things.

What is better than scripture to tell us about God's plans, good leaders, and how to keep the main thing the main thing....

Proverbs 16:1-20

Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.
Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
God probes for what is good.
Put God in charge of your work,
then what you've planned will take place.
God made everything with a place and purpose;
even the wicked are included—but for judgment.
God can't stomach arrogance or pretense;
believe me, he'll put those upstarts in their place.
Guilt is banished through love and truth;
Fear-of-God deflects evil.
When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.
Far better to be right and poor
than to be wrong and rich.
We plan the way we want to live,
but only God makes us able to live it.

A good leader motivates,
doesn't mislead, doesn't exploit.
God cares about honesty in the workplace;
your business is his business.
Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds;
sound leadership has a moral foundation.
Good leaders cultivate honest speech;
they love advisors who tell them the truth.
An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives;
you're smart to stay clear of someone like that.
Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;
they're like spring rain and sunshine.
Get wisdom—it's worth more than money;
choose insight over income every time.
The road of right living bypasses evil;
watch your step and save your life.
First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
It's better to live humbly among the poor
than to live it up among the rich and famous.
It pays to take life seriously;
things work out when you trust in God.