Laser Focused

As I prepare my heart this morning for the exciting weekend ahead (the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference), I am reminded of the importance of never forgetting what this life is all about...

Jesus Christ, and His amazing love story.

I know full well how easy it is to get caught up in life drama, fleshly desires and selfish ambitions. I know how hard it is to balance the gifts God has given us to use for Him with our drive and motivation to have personal success.

But let us never forget that Jesus always stands as the most important. The reason. The purpose. The goal. The One.

If He uses us, it's only because He's got enough grace to see past our flaws to our potential.

If He loves us, it's only because He's got an amazing capacity to be unconditional.

If He stays with us, it's only because it is in His character to be forever faithful.

As a young woman starting out in ministry, my friend, Lysa TerKeurst once said something very wise to me. "Don't let the compliments go to your head, and don't let the critiques go to your heart." It's one of the only quotes I've ever remembered that has had the same impact the second, third, fourth, tenth and 100th time I've recalled it. I admit, often those compliments and critiques can ring loudly in the ears and threaten one's focus -- in life, and especially, in ministry.

I share this quote with you today, fully convinced it is the only way to do life and ministry and not get distracted by both the hype that comes with it and the often bumpy road of becoming unpopular for it. The truth is, if we are not laser focused on the person of Jesus Christ, one of those two will, in the end, eat our emotional lunch.

The cause is way too important to lose any potential influencers over either one, either way.

So will you join with me in thinking only about Jesus today? In the midst of your striving...worrying...controlling... and managing...will you remember that He will work out your life much better than you could ever, in your wildest dreams, imagine?

There will be compliments and critiques along the way, my friends. But when we are laser focused on Jesus, our ears are way too deaf to hear them.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Col. 3:17)

What's Ruining His Appetite

THRiVE Church Charlotte is officially 16 weeks old.

In those 16 weeks, we have held a worship service with 250 homeless friends…watched 20 of them come to Christ…moved from a very temporary location in a hotel to our current location at the UNCC campus…developed our very own THRiVE band with an amazing worship leader…seen our children lead out in a mission project to their city…learned what to do with the gifts God has given us…and given the very shoes off our feet to someone who doesn’t have any. And yes, some of us walked out of church barefooted because of it.

We’ve worshipped God at a local park (twice) with creatures great and small, from mosquitos and flies to one very friendly cat. ☺ And we’ve seen what God can do when people decide to come together rather than serve apart.

But this post really isn’t about THRiVE, although there is much in my heart to share about this amazing new work of God. The truth is, there are other amazing works of God all over this city, and we are blessed to serve among them. Many of them have reached out to us to offer encouragement, support, and love since our birth. In that way, it has been both refreshing and igniting to watch this kind of Kingdom mentality at work in a city we all know and love. It gives us great hope for what can be accomplished together.

But my heart is full this morning, and my desire is to offer an exhortation to all of us, as I, myself, have been exhorted by Scripture this morning. This post is meant to encourage you, me, and all other believers in Jesus Christ who will read it, to stop behaving as if God is exclusive to our life, our work, or our ministry.

Ya’ll, let’s just be real honest. It’s a problem for us.

I love the work of God enough to say this as strongly as I can: I am tired of churches and believers getting their feelings hurt and reacting as if someone doing God’s work in another part of the city, they are “competing” against them. I am tired of ministries looking at other ministries as competitors, rather than allies. I am tired of believers feeling like their ministry or church is the elite ministry or church and all the others are doing sub-par work for God. I am tired of people who God chooses to deliver His message being racked by their own set of fears and insecurities stifling the work of God in their own life because they can’t get past themselves to remember the purpose for which they were called in the first place. I am tired of leadership not taking a firm stand of loving each other rather than promoting an attitude of division and resentment for other ministries, ministers, and fellow believers.

With whatever circle of influence I have, I am encouraging this type of negativism to stop.

Paul saw it as harmful, petty, and downright wrong, as he wrote the book of Romans to the Christians in Rome and believers, everywhere. As I was reading this morning in chapter 14, I was reminded of this and encouraged to continue on with the passion to “do something together” both at THRiVE and in my individual journey as a follower of Jesus Christ. I am motivated by its Truth, and I pray it will motivate you, as you read it.

May all of us remember to love those He brings to His table, whether they hurt our feelings, get more recognition, or just flat out do something we don’t like. May we remember not to let our own insecurities and fears hinder the work of God that so desperately needs to get done. May we be convinced that joining hands to do His work will accomplish much more than exclusion ever will. May we put our agendas aside and live only for His. It is my prayer for all of us, believing friends. We can’t start a moment too soon.

{By the way, this passage is long. But it is worth every minute of its reading. I’ve chosen to quote the Message translation because it breaks it down in the simplest of terms and puts thing in such a way even a simple mind like mine can fully understand. ☺}

“Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with – even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. For instance, a person who has been around for awhile might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help…

It’s God we are answerable to – all the way from life to death and everything in between – not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again; so that He could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly – or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit.

So, tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is...

So, let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words: don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you?”

Enough said.

See you at the dinner table! For His sake (and ours), let's get along.

Laundry, Ringtones, and other spiritually significant things

First, I need to brag.

My little Shae did this. By herself. With no help at all. My little 6-year old Shae. The same little 6-year old Shae who goes into absolute hysterics when her brothers don’t acknowledge her new dress looks pretty. (Which, basically, NEVER happens.) She may well have the highest pitched whiny voice ever to be heard, but boy, can she fold some clothes like a pro. 1st grade boys, take note. She likes to cook, too. ☺

But now onto the subject of this post. Which still happens to be about little miss Shae.

Oh, and my Blackberry.

Ever since my free month of “Don’t Stop Believing” ringtone expired on my phone, I haven’t gotten another one. Honestly, my phone rings a lot, and usually during times I don’t want it to. So I have been keeping it on vibrate 24-7, as not to disturb the peace in various places in and around Charlotte. But the downside to that is that I miss a lot of phone calls in the process.

So after retrieving my 27 voice mail messages the other day, I decided it was time for a new ringtone.

The dilemma ensued.

What song should I get? Another awesome 80’s tune? A top 20 hit I secretly like dancing to but have lyrics that aren’t suitable for…basically anyone?

And then it hit me.

I could hear Shae from the other room, reciting what has become somewhat of an anthem in my house as of late, it’s been said so many times. The Hannah Montana “Hoe Down-Throw-Down,” to be more specific. Those of you who know it, know what I’m talking about. It’s rather…(and strangely)…addictive. It involves words said with a southern drawl…specific motions to the words…and a whole lot of sass. Shae qualifies to say it on all counts.

And so she was, “hoe-downing, throw-downing” once, again. I smiled when I heard her, the sound was so familiar and so sweet.

And that’s when I decided to make it my ringtone.

So now, when you call my cell, I hear the sweet sound of my high-pitched 6-year-old saying, “Pop it. Lock it. Polka dot it. Country fry it. Hip-hop…cross the floor…” I’m not sure the general public will appreciate hearing it like I do, but I don’t care. I love to hear the sound of my sweetheart’s voice, regardless of the particular content.

It made me think about how much God loves to hear the voice of His kids…how when He hears our particular and specific “ringtone,” He delights in the prospect of the one He loves being on the other end. I thought about how I smile when I hear that sweet voice of the one I love…and how He must smile when He hears his child’s voice when we place the call to have a conversation with Him.

It is the simple aspects of God’s character that I often lay down and saturate myself in. His pure and undying love. His joy in His children. His devotion and care.

These are things I relate to.

And now, as if it didn’t before, this pitchy ringtone from my sweet little 6-year old, Shae, has even more significance.

Oh, and did I mention she can fold a mean load of laundry?

Settling for Less

Given the fact that I never thought I’d ever own a pet in the first place, I certainly never thought I’d see the day where I gained any type of spiritual inspiration from an animal. But friends, the day has arrived.

It happened this morning as I was chastising our family dog, Maggie.

With much work needing to be done, I sat down to focus at my desk. Typing away, I felt the familiar feel of fur on my legs and feet, a sure sign that my little 7 pound papoo was around. Since bringing her into our family at Christmas, I’ve come to appreciate the feeling, if not take comfort in its familiarity. But on this day the deed was done with a completely different motive than to show owner love. It wasn’t because she wanted to be near me. It wasn’t even because she likes being confined to small places or that she wanted to curl up in a ball at my feet and nap.

Instead she was lurking. Looking for something.

Sitting under my desk is a decorative trashcan, typically way too full of shredded paper, opened envelopes, and various other junk I don’t want. To Maggie’s delight, my trash happens to be her treasure. She loves to stick her nose in the trash, pulling out whatever is on the top and can be easily clinched in her teeth and brought out.

Usually, it’s paper.

But it doesn’t stop there. Because when she grasps the paper with her teeth, she runs away quickly, knowing that if I catch her, the paper will be retrieved and put back in it’s place, and the game will be over. In which case, she (sadly) won’t get to delight in the delicacy of a former tree. Sigh.

This morning, as she dipped her nose into the trashcan, clinched a discarded and torn Target receipt in her teeth (like a toy from one of those money-wasting arcade games with the pinchers that never grab anything), and ran with her treasure and for her life, I finally had enough and told her so.

“Maggie! You frustrate me! Why in the world would you want to eat paper from the trashcan when you have a full bowl of good food in your dish, just waiting for you to eat it?!”

I don’t know why I chose today to exhort her. It’s not like I think she understands me any better than any other day or that I think she will actually stop doing it. (Short of taking her to doggie behavior school, which I have no plans to do. ) But everyday I watch her grab the trash from my trashcan and eat it. And every day it frustrates, confuses, and bothers me.

Today was no different. Except for when I heard myself say out loud what I had been thinking for months, I saw its irony.

And how much it reminds me of what we, as believers, do.

How we grab at the less flavored…the less healthy…the least choice options this world has to offer instead of choosing the staple…specifically chosen…nourishing things God has waiting on us.

We sink our teeth into the familiar – those things we are used to having – doing the things we are used to doing. They are ultimately unfulfilling. But still, we choose them.

And we run.

We run with them, knowing somewhere inside that they don’t work for us. We run with them, knowing that if and when we have to give them up, at least two of us won't feel very good about it in the end.

It’s a silly illustration with a very real spiritual application.

It’s the issue of I want what I want when I want it. I will do what I’ve always done because it is familiar, not because it works for me. I settle for something because I am unwilling to wait for better.

Friends, let’s remember that while the things offered by God may not be as familiar, convenient or easy for us, they are by far the best option with the most lasting results. How much it must pain Him to watch us go after such bland delicacies of the world when His selections are so far superior.

Now if I could only get Maggie to appreciate the difference. ☺