Live the Life You Were Called to Live

Soul weary...that's what this is about.  Rest for your soul.  I spent years with a burden on my heart to live the life God called me to, a crazy, wild, obedient life.  A life that loves much, sees people...past their sins, past their circumstances, recognizes their need and loves them.  A life burdened for the lost and the courage to share the Gospel with them with words and actions.  And now that I'm living that life (but believe me, God's still working on me), now that I'm living out my calling to risk and to love and to replace the idols of this world with Him and His mission...I'm living a fulfilled life.

Now don't get me wrong, I've had a beautiful and wonderful life raising my boys and serving alongside my husband in various roles in our church, etc.  But this is different, I wish I was living this free when my kids were younger... they even see it now, they recognize the changes God is making in my life to be bold and wild for Him.  God granted me a glimpse of this recently, on my birthday actually.  My youngest son prayed over our lunch and this sweet phrase settled into my heart, he said "God, thank You for my mom and the amazing life she lives serving You"...what a gift...I think as mothers and wives that we think we really can't live out our calling because we will sacrifice our families.  The best thing we can do for our families is to live surrendered, sold out lives for Jesus.  It is contagious, people!  And if we would just let God have control, risk our comfort zones or looking like a fool, step out in faith then God will show who He is.  Because...this life isn't about us.  Oh how we try and make it be but no matter how hard we try, it just isn't and it never will be.

Jennie states in "Nothing to Prove" - Last night I sat with a friend who is wrestling through the tension of the call on her life and what people will think if she risks it and obeys.  And her fear is that she would appear self-promoting. Oh, I get that! That was mine too. So I did nothing. As if what God was calling us to had anything to do with us. As if our reputation mattered enough to sit on our gifts, training, and dreams that could actually help people and make God known to this world.  Like Moses, we begin to believe that since we are not adequate, then we shouldn't do what God has called us to. And we limit the work of God through us because we think it is all about us, our abilities, our resources. But it is never about us. It is always about hungry people in bondage whom God wants to set free.

And He wants to use us to do it! He wants to use us in His great story! Let me tell you a story...when I finally caved and said "Yes, God, anything You want me to do"...and meant it...things started to happen.  He began developing the gifts He had given me, He equipped me with more gifts to accomplish what He wanted to do with me, and most importantly changed my heart to use these gifts where He wanted to use them...for His Glory, for His renown!  This isn't about me, remember?  I tried to shy away from any recognition and put things off because I really did not want any of it to be about me.  Translation here...I did not care about this whole recording a CD business, I was content leading worship in prisons and at my church.  And God had to remind me...this is part of your anything, Christy.  So I said, ok...but I need original songs (still making excuses, trying to make it about me).  So, He made me a songwriter...He pulled things out of me I never knew were there and even sometimes when I hear my song lyrics, written from His Word, I am overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed with who He is and that He would allow lil ol me to be part of His great story in such a remarkable way.  And He put an urgency in my heart to keep going, to finish...I would see men in prison come to the altar during my songs, others would ask me if I had a CD they could listen to or about a song speaking to their heart and lives.  Or a young woman at a service somewhere weeping over "Anything" or "Be Still".  So here I am...waiting for His timing on all of it (it's perfect ya know) and anxiously await the next opportunity to show Jesus to those around me or to those I come in contact with.  I don't want to waste one more minute of my life wondering "what if"...  And in the waiting I will try and not get soul weary trying to do things in my own strength, on my own terms but trust this miraculous God that wants to use me.

We get to trade striving for rest.  We get to trade striving for confidence - not confidence in ourselves but in the power of a sturdy, heroic God, eager to rescue. - JA (Nothing to Prove)

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him." 1 Corinthians 7:17

Proven: Week 4 ~ Rest: The End of Striving

Why are you tired?  Why do you want to make an impact? Why do you want to serve? Why do you want to lead?  If the answer is anything about you then it means nothing.  Why do we try so hard doing anything at all in our own power?  We serve the God of the universe and yet we fool ourselves into thinking we can have control of something, even the tiniest thing.  And what's crazier is we work so hard at it!  I know I have!  It's where my song "Be Still" came from...a place where busyness was keeping me distracted and not resting in Him and His power.

Rest is relying on Jesus' power to accomplish the impossible.  Thank God for what's He's going to do and watch Him do it!  Jesus let's us be a part of His great story!

It brings me great comfort in knowing that if anything I'm doing is really about Him and His plan, then nothing can keep it from working, from accomplishing what it's supposed to for His Kingdom, for His Glory!  I can't do anything to mess it up!  I can have rest in my calling!

This week:
Watch the Lesson 4 video ~ Click Here ~
Read NTP (if you have it): Chapter 7 "No Longer Tired"
Proven Study Guide: Lesson 4 (Read/Study John 6)
Answer Questions from the study guide (pages 70-73)
(John 6:1-15) Describe the problem.

Compare and contrast Philip's and Andrew's responses to the problem.

Describe Jesus' posture and actions in this passage.

What were the results of the miracle?

(John 6:16-21) Describe the setting.

Describe the disciples.

Describe Jesus.

In these two miracles what do you think Jesus was communicating to His disciples?

(John 6:22-71)
What were the crowds wanting from Jesus?

Describe the "work" that God wants from men (vv. 27-28).

Write down all that Jesus offered them. (vv. 35-70).

Did the masses want what Jesus was offering?  Why not?

Who did want what He was offering?  Why?

*Jennie Allen

I'm attaching my "Be Still" song this week, I had no idea Jennie was going to talk about Psalm 46:10 (maybe I should've had a clue since this week is about rest but sometimes I can be dense) but regardless of my ignorance I love how God weaves things together.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

https://youtu.be/dONmetketak

Proven: Week 3 ~ Wrap Up

Jesus is trying to call us out of hiding.  He wants us to be free!

Recently a friend of mine eloquently pointed out in a blog post of her own that I am a stuffer...I stuff things, I keep it all bottled up because admitting I need help or am struggling is very difficult for me.  So she has to pull things out of me, my fears, my doubts, my "issues" and I need this from her and love that she does it...it is so freeing. I always say I am not good with relationships...probably because I'm not.  My husband is so good at connecting with people and staying connected with them (students from our Youth Group leading days, that are now grown, still communicate with him, ask his advice, check in, etc...from 7 years ago!)  Really, I'm trying, I reached out to casual friend to interview for a class a couple months ago, there were tears shed and hearts shared, we were vulnerable and I see Jesus connecting us in deeper and more personal ways and I am excited about it. It is hard to admit our sin, it is difficult to admit it to ourselves let alone someone else but it is necessary to risk and lay down our pride to truly be free.

Let me be the first to admit that I am a loner, I don't even need to hear the sound of my own voice and often can go an entire day all alone without saying a word...if I have occasion to have an entire day alone. But I do get lonely, I long for people, good company and good conversation.  I find this most in my cousin and her husband, when we are able to get together we really enjoy each other, all four of us.  My BFF and her hubby are becoming these "good company" people too only we haven't given enough effort on making time to be together...it might be the fact that they have 5 kids, ha!  It is important for us to be connected with each other, with those who will point us to Jesus.  Friends that we can be honest with, some vulnerable and a few that we can be transparent with.

Transparency is necessary with our closet people and especially with God.  It's the only way we can truly be known.  But it's a scary thought that sends us into hiding.

We are thirsty!  Thirsty for more of Jesus even if we don't realize that's what we are thirsty for!  Thirsty for freedom from loneliness, from striving, from trying to be enough.

Jesus says, Let Me be your enough.  You will be filled and you will be known and you will be free.

Like the woman at the well, we need to risk being exposed.

When we hide, we diminish ourselves, we diminish our worth, we diminish our belief in God.  The reason we hide is because we don't know what it feels like to live wholly forgiven.  We've never known what it means to truly enjoy our lives, to run into a crowd with no shame, no fear, no guilt, no proving ourselves, no performance.  Just us.  With the amazing news of a Savior who happens to change lives.

Jennie's words here remind me of my friend, Johnny.  He lives free.  He runs into crowds proclaiming Jesus' life changing Gospel.  He turns a coffee stop at Casey's into a 20 minute prayer time with a customer or the cashier.  He turns a short stay at McDonald's into a weekly ministry of community with a group that is no longer strangers to us.  He lives wholly forgiven.

Living like this begins with us laying down our pride and risking exposure...it's time to get caught and connect with God and with each other.

Connect
...with God  (Read Hebrews 13:5; Romans 12:2)
What distracts me from my time with God?

How can I practically remove these distractions based on the Scriptures?

...with People (Read Ecclesiastes 5:18-20; Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:3-6)
What keeps me from being present in my relationships?

How can I be more present in my relationships based on the Scriptures?

Gather
Get together with friends and ask these questions:
What are you struggling with right now?  How can we help?

What do we need to know about you to really know you?

What things are you tempted to hold back from the people closest to you?

Why do you hold back?

Along with or instead of...confess what you're hiding with someone else, someone gracious, trustworthy, and safe.

Be
Spend time with Jesus regularly if you are not doing so already.

• Identify a place in your home to be your quiet place
• Put a basket in your quiet place that contains your Bible, a few books, a candle, journal, and pen

This week, set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than normal.  And at least five times this week, spend your extra 30 minutes praying, journaling, and reading your Bible.  Meet with Jesus.  As you get to the end of the five days, write about the experience.

What did this time mean to you?

How did this time affect your day?

What barriers are keeping you from making this part of your routine every week?

Meditate

Psalm 84 (underline the words Psalm 84 uses to describe the person who is in the presence of God).

*from Nothing to Prove

Vulnerable and Transparent

Vulnerability and Transparency - both are scary.  What is the difference?  Putting yourself out there...that's vulnerability, an attempt at letting people in or being truthful about ourselves.  Vulnerability doesn't mean we tell all... that's transparency.  And we need both.  This entire blog is me being vulnerable, I share stories about my life, how I feel about things, struggles, sorrows, and more.  And maybe I am slightly transparent at times (some of you might agree) but deep down we don't want people to know the truth about us, how we need help at times, how we fail at times, how we aren't who we portray ourselves to be... and then whoever I'm transparent with will know the real me... yikes!  We all need a transparency friend, I have one...she's my BFF, it's a beautiful relationship filled with honesty, accountability, encouragement, and no condemnation.  We are real with each other even when it makes us sound like a loser (to our own ears anyway).

Vulnerability is the edited disclosure of feelings or parts of your life.

Transparency is exposing the unedited, unfiltered, unflattering parts of your soul.  I think it is very difficult to even want to be fully connected when we are fighting subtle shame or disappointment.  But something about encountering Jesus was enough to change all of that for the woman at the well.  The foundation of her identity shifted.

 This has been a process for my friend and I, we have waded through our insecurities and have come out on the other side accepted and connected to each other.  This all begins with our relationship with Jesus, He's the only one that can make us really secure.  And when our identity is wrapped up in Him and who we are in Him we will feel secure.  The more I learn this truth and live in this truth, the more I risk for Him and for His Kingdom; the more I will try to engage strangers in conversation in hopes that it leads to the Gospel, the more I will walk out my calling and seek His plan for me, and I will no longer let life pass by and wonder why I didn't step out in faith, why I didn't risk being vulnerable and transparent to live the life He has for me.  I don't want to settle for a wasted life, I want to live fully for Jesus and it begins with being honest...with Him and with ourselves and then with others.

Read James 5:13-16, 19-20.  In light of what you read, answer these two questions.

Who are You, Lord? & What do You want for me?

Proven: Week 3 ~ Connected: The End of Loneliness

Connectivity, how do we become really connected?  Through transparency, through being exposed, being completely known.  Sound scary?  Maybe...but what's scarier, being caught or being isolated and appropriate?  Let's be honest, we don't want people to know the truth about us, our sins, our doubts, our fears, our shame and this keeps us stuck, alone...  Do you want to be FREE?  Then be transparent, get honest, lay it out there.  I will probably do a lot of bawling this week, I cried watching this week's video...I love a good gut punch from God, the Holy Spirit's conviction is what changes me and the more I grow in my relationship with Christ, the more I welcome it.

We are going to study John 4 and the woman at the well and we are going to see how she was completely known and exposed and then completely free and how through her transparency she gained connectivity.

This week:
Watch the Lesson 3 video ~ Click Here ~
Read NTP (if you have it): Chapter 6 "No Longer Lonely"
Proven Study Guide: Lesson 3 (Read/Study John 4:1-43)
Answer Questions from the study guide (pages 51-53)
Describe the woman at the well.

Most women in those days got water in the cool of the morning or evening. Why was this woman there during the heat of the day?

Describe Jesus' interaction with her.

How did Jesus begin the conversation? Why is this important?

What barriers did they press through to carry on this conversation?

What were some of the results of this intentional conversation?

Describe the water Jesus was offering.

Describe the food Jesus chose to feast on.

What convicts you most from this passage?

Jennie talks about identity again in this week's lesson, when our identity is secure, we can live free!! While watching her video I thought of the Christy Nockels song "Everything is Mine in You", it is so appropriate for this lesson, take a listen.

https://youtu.be/zokDEfvD5gY