dreams

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Who you’re not

Do you know who you’re not? 

I realize this is a weird question. Experts and amateurs alike focus more on discussions around discovering who you are than discovering who you are not.

However, it’s vital to know both. 

You’re more likely to be counterproductive, pursuing things that are not related to your purpose, if you never discover who you’re not. For those who are Christians, you’ll also see more results in your spiritual life by knowing who you are and who you are not.

The topic of identity gets a lot of attention in our culture because our fast paced culture doesn’t allow much time for introspection and reflection. If you’re not moving at full speed, someone else might get ahead of you! 

Never mind the fact that life is more a marathon than a sprint….

By learning who I am not, I am freeing myself up to be who I am.

My focus is getting sharper.

My purpose is becoming clearer.

I compare myself to others less and less.

I don’t have to be you and you don’t have to be me. Isn’t that awesome?

Take my advice. Spend some time getting to know yourself. Then get busy chasing your dreams and helping others.

Know who you are, know who you are not. 

 

 

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Gospel Centered Living

I enjoy a lot of things:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Comedy
  • Music
  • Movies
  • Bacon
  • Coffee

I could keep going…

But nothing has my heart like Jesus has my heart. 

He is my Rock, my stability, my joy, and my greatest love. 

Knowing Jesus doesn’t require you to be stripped of your personality, either. Jesus is not the ultimate stick in the mud like many preach about. 

In fact, it’s the exact opposite. When I came to know Jesus everything about me just made sense. 

The things that I’m most passionate about took shape in ways that at one time eluded me. 

And that’s because Jesus became the center of it all. 

His statement to us is simple:  

Can I come along with you? Let’s go on adventures together. 

Gospel centered living isn’t hard when you realize that Jesus, the perfect embodiment of the gospel, lives and breathes within His children. 

He’s with us as we live our everyday lives. 

It’s Jesus’ desire for us to use every means available–our time, resources, and talents–to share the gospel. 

Good thing there’s different personalities in the Church, right? All of us have different interests for a bigger purpose.

Take Jesus with you as you’re pursuing every dream and desire He’s planted in your heart. 

I encourage you to let words of redemption and hope, the same words that changed your life, be prominent in your speech and lifestyle. 

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Closer to the Light

How many times have we talked about how Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted? 

Probably enough times that you’re sick of hearing about it….

But it’s true. One of Jesus’ primary purposes in coming to earth was to mend broken hearts. 

I bet you and I could each fill a notebook with the names of friends and families who fall into the brokenhearted category.

In my dream the other night a young homeless girl just needed to be comforted. The weight of the world was crushing her and she found herself all alone. 

Do you know where she was?

At the school library! (See, libraries and librarians are awesome!) 

The librarian knew something was off with the girl and reached out to her. When she did, the girl started to sob. The messy, uncontrollable kind of sobbing that comes from knowing you’re finally safe, someone will help you.

And that’s all the librarian said as she wiped away the girl’s tears: “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.”

How many times a day do I pass up an opportunity to comfort someone?

If Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, that means it’s my job to help the brokenhearted. 

This is where following Jesus gets real…

It’s also why the Lord gave me this dream. He only shows me stuff that paints a clear picture of where I’m headed in life. 

Friend, my heart is changing.

I think I finally understand why Jesus said lights aren’t meant to be hidden. 

Following Jesus will always take you straight into the darkest places, places where most people are afraid to go.

You will find the brokenhearted, the poor, the sick, and the oppressed in these dark places. 

Picture a light in the distance getting closer and closer to where you are. Bringing hope and light to the darkness is why Jesus came in the first place.

 

 

 

 

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The Power of a Dream

There was a time I really wanted to play in the WNBA.

Can you imagine that?

I can’t anymore because let’s face it: my athletic abilities are not that great. Playing intramural sports is fun, but I’m by no means a MVP. 

But when I was 10, I saw myself playing ball with the big shots. I saw myself on the court, dominating the competition! 

Tonight at a Bible study, the pastor said something that caught my attention:

The imagination is our spiritual womb; it’s out of our imagination that dreams and desires are birthed. 

The pastor’s statement gripped me because my personal belief is that Christians should be the most creative people on this planet. 

The Creator of the Universe lives inside of us! 

Jesus doesn’t require you to cash in your personality in order to follow Him. I’m not quite sure when being a Christian became synonymous with being boring and unoriginal.

It’s simply not true! 

Let me be clear: I am not advocating becoming an all-about-me Christian. This should be a given anyway since Jesus Himself taught us to live selflessly instead of selfishly. 

The fact remains, though, that when you accept Jesus, you are more alive than you ever were before! 

Who you are–personality and all–explodes to life when God moves into your heart. 

Deity lives inside you! You are one with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

The more I understand this truth, the more excited I am to dream big with God. 

And your dreams and my dreams are not selfish in their motives when the purpose is to see God become real to others. 

It’s time to dream big again…

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Living by Faith

Pushing through when you’re tired is hard. 

This was my first real day of having to keep moving forward when what I wanted to do was take a nap. 

Everything is going well, but some days take more out of you than others. 

It’s always weird, though, when you experience your first long day in a new place. 

And that’s where being focused helps you out. 

The whys keep you motivated because not every day will be a picnic. 

This is the reason Christians must learn to live by faith and not feelings. 

My feelings are all over the place; my faith has not moved. 

Because here’s what keeps me excited: 

I’m learning so much and it’s barely been 2 weeks! Every day I wake up so thankful to be walking the halls at Rhema. 

Living by faith and not feelings means seeing through a tough situation–in my case it was a long day–to the plan of God unfolding around me. 

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Be a thought catcher

I surround myself with paper:

  • I carry a planner because using my phone’s calendar has never stuck with me.
  • My desk is covered in sticky notes and scrap pages and memo pads with scribbled out notes to myself.
  • I even use Evernote, which is a digital notebook.

If I don’t grab catch a thought immediately, it’s a goner.

Do you know how many times I’ve written a great blog post in my head and planned on writing it down once I got home?

Whether you’re the most organized thought catcher that ever lived or you have 10 notebooks and scrap paper falls around your feet when you walk, just write things down!

Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets…”

The Lord was giving instructions and the first words out of his mouth were, “Write this down!”

The point of writing things down is to use that information to teach and encourage others.

None of us lack ideas.

If you’ve ever sat in a meeting, you know that everyone has great ideas–and they normally all come about the time the meeting is supposed to be over.

We just don’t catch the inspiration when the Holy Spirit gives it to us.

Grab your thoughts!

Write them down!

And then go do something with them.

 

 

 

 

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Future Rockstar?

I spent the afternoon wandering around the mall with my friend Nichole. 

There were a TON of people at Woodland Hills Mall! I even got stuck in some traffic. This is the first time I’ve sat in traffic since moving. 

It was fun to window shop, though, and I even rode a hover board.

Not sure I’m ready for a future of hover boarding…it’s just better for me to stay on the ground. 

Nichole and I then drove over to Mardel, a Christian bookstore. Our friend Andrew lives close to there, so he joined us. 

The three of us talked  about books and had a great time getting to know each other more. 

Andrew wanted to go into The Guitar Store. He showed us around and played a Fender Strat. 

I’ve always wanted to play the guitar, but today Andrew encouraged me to play  a bass guitar. 

I tried one out and it really fits me much better than a regular guitar!

I almost bought one, too! (It was only $16o.)

Don’t worry. I fought the impulse. 

This is not a decision to make on a whim, but it got me excited about learning how to play again. 

Who knows? Maybe you’re following the blog of a future rockstar? 

Not!

Future rockstar or not, my Saturday was awesome. It was fun to hang out with friends. 

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Training for a dream

I received my class schedule and ID badge. Classes start on Monday!

Pastor Hagin spoke to us via video on passing the baton. He encouraged us to dream big and really use our time at Rhema to prepare for that dream. 

The excitement has been building all week, so now I just can’t wait to get into my classes. 

I walked away from orientation more determined than ever to spend time dreaming and writing out goals. 

I also walked away with a strong desire to be an encouragement to my fellow classmates by offering my prayers and my support concerning their dreams. 

We’re all in the same family, right? 

It’s important to encourage each other in our dreams because those dreams spread the gospel and advance the Kingdom of God. 

Let the training begin!

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The trouble with being famous

I watched American Idol tonight for the first time in about 5-6 years. 

Most of the people auditioning were teenagers around 15-18.

They were good, though, I am shocked that their parents are allowing them to be thrust into the public eye at such an early age. 

No pile of money is retribution enough for the microscope of celebrity status. 

Of course, American Idol is a wonderful way to get discovered as well.

Maybe I should call this post “The Pros and Cons of American Idol”….

Let me ask some questions that I hope do a better job at explaining why I’m not sure how I feel about the whole thing:

  • What motivates someone to seek out the spotlight?
  • Can nationwide approval truly offer validation?
  • Is he or she prepared to pay the high cost of fame?

There’s a possibility that I am overthinking, but these are the questions that came to my mind as I watched the show. 

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3 days and counting 

My posts will probably be short this week. 

I spent today packing for my move and visiting with friends. 

My car is ready for pick up in the morning, so I’m all set for my Friday morning departure date. 

Things are falling into place…

I still need to find a bank and a car insurance company, but those things won’t be hard to do once I arrive in Tulsa. 

It’s hard to believe that I’m leaving Alabama for a second time….

The adventure of following God will take you places that are beyond your wildest dreams. 

I’m entering 2016 by accomplishing something that’s been on my heart for about 5 years: going to Rhema!

Never underestimate what you can do with help from the Lord. He will order your steps.