My Anything (2016)

Three Summers ago I participated in an online study called "Anything"...here's what's happened since, here is my Anything...

Following that Summer of surrender, longing for more, obedience, risk, and boldness for Jesus I began a journey, a journey full of joy, tears, humility, peace, mourning, and contentment...yes, all those things and more.

My Anything began with God calling me to step out with the gifts He has given me, to make music for Him, for His Glory.  It started with a simple call to fill in as the interim worship leader at my church (which I always say I was not very good at) but God used it to reveal more gifts, more things He wanted me to do.  A few short months following, our small 4 person Celebrate Recovery band led praise and worship in a prison gymnasium.  Our now 5 person band travels to various prisons a few times each year.  During the last two years my aunt and my mom have been diagnosed with breast cancer, I haven't always had a close relationship with my mom but it has been during this time God led me to really be there for my mom.  Dr appointments, hospital runs and stays, and loving her more have been God's task for me during this time of her life.  Along with that God has strengthened my music abilities, He showed me in late 2013 that I could play for myself and has grown and is still growing that gift exponentially.  He has called me to be a worship leader, I enrolled in a certificate program in Worship Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary last fall (2015) and should finish in Spring 2017.  In November 2015, a dear friend and former inmate asked us to join him in a Friday night prison service. I led a worship service in a chapel of 100 incarcerated men and knew this was where I was supposed to lead worship.  Unbeknownst to my husband upon going in this first time, it was at this service in November that God called him to prison ministry.  He has struggled over the last few years wondering if God would ever call him to be a pastor at a church, he has had a couple opportunities to take churches and lead them but didn't do it and wondered if he had blown it.  And now we know why...he was called to preach in prisons.  I had believed I would be called to a church somewhere and maybe someday I will be but here, now...this is where I am supposed to lead people in the worship and praise of our Savior.  In December my husband and I filled out our applications to become Volunteers in Corrections (VICs), the process was a little grueling with recommendation letters, interviews, training...etc but in early February we were official and since then we have been in prison practically every Friday night leading people in praise and worship and my husband preaching the Word, and our friend testifying of Jesus' life-giving and life-changing gift of salvation.  We go into prison every Friday and other prisons throughout the month and have seen hundreds of broken men give their lives to Christ...what a privilege.  In March 2016, I wrote down a few song lyrics, not many but it was a start of something I could only imagine.  In April, James and I went on a little vacation and I had the intention of trying to write one song, I wrote three and led them in prison for worship the following Friday and several times since.  I met a new friend that is a song writer, I met missionaries from Alaska, and made another new friend while on vacation and she has become a great source of encouragement and promotion for a new ministry that was born through all of this.  We (my husband, our friend, Johnny, and myself) have seen miraculous and powerful things through this team of three and have started a ministry doing "prison services" everywhere.  It was named after the second song I wrote called "Sing for the King", whatever you do, do all for the Glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31...I sing for my King, He gave me this gift and I am going to use it to Glorify and Honor Him and Him alone.  So, Sing for the King Ministries was born, there have been difficulties but more so amazing blessings and incredible connections.  Inmates that we have ministered to have begun telling people they know about this ministry, I have received two calls from sisters of inmates that would like us to come to their church or event, one in Seattle, Washington and one in North Carolina.  The sweet sister in North Carolina is working on flights and hotel reservations right now to bring us there in October.  Maybe we will book a service in Seattle on our way to Alaska.  Who knows where God is going to take us but it is a pretty incredible journey to be on.  We have also had some battles which is to be expected, the enemy is going to attack us.  One of the more difficult things for me was giving up my job, I was trying to work full time, schedule events, go to multiple prisons each month along with our Friday nights, but I wasn't writing songs, I hadn't since our vacation and I knew this was the next step, saying goodbye to a job I loved, goodbye to the people closest to me, I am thankful I go to church with them but it has still been hard and I did a lot of selfish crying over it and I'm sure a lot of people think I am crazy for giving up half my family's income by quitting but I know God will provide.  Since then, which was just last month, God has flung open so many doors, I have been in several churches telling them about prison ministry, about my story, about surrendering everything they are to do what God has called them to do.  I wrote a song last week called "Anything" and have led it in worship several times already.  I have been given the opportunity to go to a recording studio and record my songs, hopefully that will be by the end of this year or beginning of next.  We did a service at a rescue mission last week, I led worship at a men's conference on Saturday, I am singing for Relay for Life next month and more...how marvelous is our God?  I just want to be obedient...yet sometimes my flesh doesn't...and I try to stay eternal minded and not focus too much on my comfort, my loneliness (because sometimes I am lonely) and remember this is what God has called me to, what God has called us to do so I will not be afraid, I will carry on because I was bought with a price and I want to continue to live anything every day.  Anything You call me to, Lord...Anything.

Here's a partial video of "Anything" https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6_j0SZAFyWpV2hTMndLV0F3ZXc

Anything Study ~ Week Eight Wrap Up

This is it...the end of this study but hopefully for all of us the start of something more, something beyond ourselves.  I hope you have completed and at least pondered Project One.  I have written my anything story before but I plan to bring it up-to-date in my next blog post.  I have to confess, this IS harder than I thought it would be, even the littlest acts of obedience I sometimes question or balk at, boy am I human.

Anything has made me look at the world, at this life, at MY life...differently.  I am living more eternal minded than I ever have, longing to do what God has called me to do more than ever, and seeking Him for brave moments, asking Him for divine appointments, trusting Him for things beyond my control.  Sweet friends, I pray that God has done a work in your heart these last few weeks, He sure has mine.  I hope this study has blessed you, I hope you are being called to brave and wild things for the Glory of God!  If you have prayed anything and know what your anything is, big or small (in our eyes, God has a plan for all of these things) then do Project Two...and answer the conversation card questions, maybe answer those first.  Blessings to you and yours, now go live your anythings!

Conversation Cards:

Who might not support the decision to pray this prayer in your life?

What are you letting go of?

What is God calling you toward?

Can you pray this prayer? When did you or when will you?

How do you imagine this will work itself out in your everyday and ordinary moments?

What is your big takeaway from this experience?

This week's recipe:

Strawberry Coffee Cake

~ Ingredients ~
3 Large egg whites
1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or low-fat milk)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup vanilla or plain protein powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetener that measures like sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups diced strawberries, divided

~ Directions ~
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg whites, yogurt, almond milk, oats, protein powder, baking powder, vanilla, sweetener, and salt until everything is well combined. Fold in one cup of strawberries. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the strawberries over the top. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into 8 portions and serve warm or chilled.

What is Too Much?

Are we afraid God is going to ask for something that will cost us too much? At least in our own eyes? Are we afraid we won't let go of our easy, comfortable lives and we will actually tell God no? If we choose nothing then that's what we are saying...no, to our invisible, almighty, incredible God. Is the cost too great? What if we lose our health, spouse, children, homes...what if in our obedience souls are won to Christ and the kingdom of God is built on our sacrifice to obey His calling?

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8

This all seems so big, so overwhelmingly difficult but yet we know that this is what we are called to as children of God...obedience, a willingness to follow Christ regardless of where it takes us - not out of duty but out of love for our Savior.  I want to love Him like that, with everything that I am, willing to do and go wherever He wants to lead me.  I must admit, I have moments of shrinking back in fear instead of boldness and faithfulness.  Lord, let my faith overcome my fear.  I wrote a song last week called "Anything", and that line is included "let my faith overcome my fear".  Here's the last part of this song recorded by my friend as I led it at a worship service at the Henry County Rescue Mission.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6_j0SZAFyWpV2hTMndLV0F3ZXc

There's more than this. "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world" John 17:24  The next day after those words, Jesus would go die the most brutal death possible. But that paled in light of the glimmer he held in his eye that night he talked to his father.  A day is coming when our eyes will close and there will be no more chaos.  No one will be preaching or writing books about God to help us remember, because we will be alive in that world with him forever.  Anything is nothing in light of that. In light of forever. In light of him. - Jennie A.

Anything Study ~ Week Eight

Week Eight! Wow! God is really something, He keeps me in awe all the time.  Things that may seem small to someone else make me marvel...like doing this study, at precisely this time...it's been pretty amazing to me, that I've been living out my anything prayer before you, before me!  At the end of this week I want to talk about our anythings...or at least my anything, I want to bring you up-to-date with what God is doing and has been doing in my life.  He is so faithful and I have some fun stories to share.  But let's get started with week eight.  Don't we long for more?  Don't we have better dreams than what the world has to offer?

We itch inside until we live for more than the gathering. I don't want to get to heaven and see what I could have been a part of but missed because I was numb or selfish or scared. - Jennie A.  

You see, God will get His will accomplished, He doesn't need lil ol you or lil ol me...He's God! But He desires to use us for His purposes and His plan, I so want to be used by Him, to give away what I've been given, to see people come to faith in Him, and grow closer to Him in the process.

There are a million ways to give our lives away, God is just waiting. Where does God want to take your plenty and pour it out? - Jennie A.

This week:
Read chapters 19-20
Study 1 Peter 1:2-9
Do Project One

https://youtu.be/iEhpr7j5Gl8

Anything Study ~ Week Seven Wrap Up

I used to try to live a medium life and if I'm honest I'm still trying to find my way out of that medium life mindset.  If I really want to live a sold out life for Christ then I have to surrender those medium/mediocre dreams to Jesus (the comfortable lifestyle).  Even today as I was on the road headed to lead worship at a Men's Conference, of all places, a thought crept in..."is this really what you want to do Christy?...get up at 4:30am, be on the road, live an exhausted life?"  Sometimes...I don't, but I want to serve Jesus more, I want to live for Him and that means I can deal with these small sacrifices to serve Him.

Do Project Two and answer the conversation card questions.

Describe a time you have felt all hell was coming against you. What perspective do you have today about that time?

Do you talk about God more than you obey Him? How could that change?

Who is someone you need to forgive to move forward?

What would be the most effective way for the devil to shut you down?

Read Matthew 16:25, what does it look like for you to "lose your life"?

What does your "medium" look like? How does that idea shape the decisions you make?

This week's recipe:

Curried Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches

~ Ingredients ~
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons of mango chutney
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
24 thin slices whole-wheat baguette
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1/4 cup green onions, diced

~ Directions ~
Mix together cream cheese, mango chutney, curry powder, salt and pepper until well combined.  Fold in chicken.  Spread a heaping tablespoon or so of chicken salad on each baguette slice and top with a sprinkle of almonds, coconut, and green onion.