You never asked me

Asking questions is the greatest way I get permission to step into the life of someone else. 

I am fascinated by real life stories and chats about books, movies, music, etc. 

Other people have shared stories with me that their own families have never heard before. 

“You never told me that!” is their first response, which is quickly answered with, “Well, you never asked me.”

I think “You never asked me” is one of the saddest things anyone can say. 

What it says to me is that a man or woman is willing to share their stories or experiences, but no one’s taken an interest in his or her life. 

How many times in our day do you and I pass up opportunities to connect with others?

As a Christian, here’s an even scarier question that I’m asking myself daily:

How many times, whether through busyness or unwillingness, have I passed up an opportunity to share the gospel?

This is really gnawing at me…

One thing I am asking for is a daily opportunity to: share the gospel, pray for someone, encourage someone, or help someone. 

I want my daily life to be about other people. 

We read about the unity of the early church, how miracles, signs, and wonders followed the preaching of the gospel and say, “That’s what we want!”

It starts by saying hello or asking question. 

It starts by asking for permission to step into someone’s life. 

Change of Address

Letting other people make their own choices is tough. 

Are you sure that’s what you want to do?

I have some great ideas for you! My plan is much more solid than yours.

It’s hard for me to sit back and watch someone self-destruct, especially when I know they could do better. 

They know the truth, but are unwilling to endure the pain of change.  

There have been plenty of times that I knew what I was doing was not the best plan. Thankfully, my friends and family didn’t walk away and throw up their hands saying, “I told you this was a bad idea!”

That came later. 

At first, they helped me up and dusted me off. 

The sting of the consequences wasn’t gone, yet I knew that I would be okay. 

Obviously not everyone gets that kind of support. They fall hard and no one is there. 

No matter the support level, no one is meant to change their address to 1234 Rock Bottom Street. 

I am a firm believer in hope. 

If you are still breathing, there is hope for you because Jesus loves you so much that He will help you move out of Rock Bottom. 

The hope of a change of address is available to us all. 

Jesus wants us to move into His house because His Dad is the best and there’s always room. 

What if we walk with our friends and family–all the way to Rock Bottom if necessary–and tell them about a better future, a better direction to head in?

A course change midway is easier than an upward climb. 

But remember that the choice is not up to you, so wear comfortable shoes just in case (you’ll want to be prepared no matter how short or long the walk).

Speak up!

In 7th grade, I struck up a conversation with a friend of mine in math class. She wanted to talk about faith and the differences between my faith and her faith. 

She was not Protestant or even Catholic–I’m not going to say what group she’s in because that’s not what’s important to this story.

“Tell me what you believe, Audra.”

So I gave her the gospel in a nutshell: 

Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfectly righteous life that fulfilled every requirement of the Old Testament law, was crucified by the Romans because of the Jewish leaders lies, died, and rose 3 days later. Accepting His free gift of salvation takes away our sins and credits us with His righteousness. There’s nothing at all we can do to earn this gift.

It was the simplest way I knew of to tell her about Jesus. (This summation is much, much better than the bumbling version I presented back then.)

Now it was her turn…

I said, “Okay, friend, tell me what you believe.” 

“Well,” she said, “I can’t tell you.”

By this point, I was confused. 

“You can’t tell me because you don’t know?” I asked.

“No, I can’t tell you because it’s hard to explain, but if you call so-and-so he can explain it to you” she handed me a piece of paper with the name and number of a church leader.

I’m pretty sure my response could’ve been better, but I simply told her the truth.

“I don’t want to call him. I want you tell me. I’m friends with you and not him. Besides, how can you believe in something that’s so complicated you can’t explain it to others?”

Every Christian must be able to share the gospel. 

It’s not enough to bring people to church.

It’s not enough to give people a book.

It’s not enough to show people a video.

YOU must be able to share with your friends and family the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Is there anything wrong with church or books or videos?

Absolutely not! 

But evangelistic tools can never replace our Christ given mandate to OPEN OUR MOUTHS and share the gospel. 

 

 

 

Hello, my name is…

I’m sorry…what’s your name again?

We’ve all forgotten someone’s name before and it happens. 

Do you feel bad when you do?

I want to remember someone’s name because names are important. 

And knowing someone’s name is not about kissing up to men and women “more important” than you. 

We need to know names, to call people by their name, because it’s key to their identity. 

Christine Caine is a teacher and founder of A21, an anti-human trafficking organization. She was abandoned in a hospital, unnamed and unwanted. 

She was assigned a number instead.

This is hard to imagine…

 The first thing the angel told Mary–after “By the way, you’re to be the mother of the Son of God”–was what to name the baby. (We obviously know it’s Jesus, right? Good. I was getting concerned.)


Jesus was and is always available to those who call on His name.

His name…

Above every name,

Powerful over all sickness and disease,

And every scheme of the devil. 

Did I mention that He knows your name, too?

He calls you by name and knows everything about you. 

In an age where you can “know” someone without having to take the time to get to know them, intentionality in our relationships is important. 

What if Jesus only knew us from Facebook or Twitter? 

Oh yeah…I read your posts all the time. Looks like you had a great time at such and such with so and so. 

Thankfully, Jesus knows us and made a way for us to know Him and Father God. 

Loving and knowing others like Jesus loves and knows us requires more depth, more intentionality on our part. 

Laundry Mat Fun

Hanging out at the laundry mat with my friend Brittany. 

So cool to be able to talk with the customers and get to know them. 

Working for a ministry is a great, but I miss being with the general public. There’s less chance of a facade in conversation. 

Oh! I’m doing great! Praise the Lord!

If this is really the case, that’s awesome.

Most Christians, though, are less likely to be real because looking spiritual is highly praised. 

For me, I don’t care about much about keeping up appearances. No one buys that balogna anyway. 

Back to the laundry mat…

It’s cool to see where Brittany works. She’s good at her job and the customers talk with her a lot. 

Plus, this is the nicest laundry mat I’ve ever seen! 

Anyway, it’s time for me to sign off and get back to hanging out!

Seeing the Truth

Do you know what I love about God?

His ability to see past our current state in order to focus on who we are, who we can be, in Him. 

Jesus, God’s son and the perfect picture of His dad, was really great at seeing the best in others. 

  • I think about 12 unlikely guys trained to be ministers. 
  • I think about the Samarian woman with her long list of broken marital relationships given a fresh start. 
  • I think about the demon possessed man who was set free and then led the whole town to Jesus by sharing his testimony. 

2 Corinthians 5:15-16 says:

And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer

As Christians, we are to look past what our eyeballs see. 

Homeless?

Atheist?

Druggie?

Prostitute?

Gay?

Alcoholic?

Prisoner?

I hope we see past these labels because that’s not what God sees when He thinks of these men and women. 

All He sees is potential because Jesus came to give us life. 

Yesterday we talked about life unlimited. 

Guess where that life comes from?

A relationship with Jesus Christ where all who accept by faith the gift of salvation are given a new life.  

I am convicted of my own lack of vision. There are times all I see is the label, which is the lie that keeps men and women bound. 

I am praying for my spiritual eyes to be opened everyday to share Jesus and see Him do great works in the lives of the once hopeless. 

I encourage you to do the same. 

Life Unlimited

Coming home to my apartment is still a bit surreal. 

I live here…Cool!

This weekend I hope to have some friends over because hospitality is a big deal to me. 

I look around and can already tell this is a place where truth and grace and peace and fun (can’t forget the fun!) will be in abundance. 

Do you know that you already have enough? 

There’s nothing stopping you from being hospitable and friendly. 

There’s nothing stopping you from sharing the gospel and befriending in your neighbors. 

Nothing except you

The list of supposed limitations we place on ourselves doesn’t match up with what the Bible says. 

Christians are a people blessed with all spiritual blessings. God’s given us access to the best of everything!

Rhema Bible Church’s motto is “Living Life Unlimited.” 

Do you know of a better way to live? 

Unlimited

Free

Called. 

Equipped

Don’t just talk about the good life–live it!

Another successful move

I am now settled in at my new place! It’s a one room apartment about 5 miles east of Rhema. 

All of the details of this move–much like my original move out to Tulsa–have been taken care of by God. 

God’s faithfulness to provide is yet another clue to how much He loves me and wants me to trust Him. 

We all know this verse:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added unto you. 

When you determine in your heart to follow God no matter what, He will take care of your every need. 

God’s provision is promised to us because He doesn’t want anything to distract us from our purpose:

Loving God and loving people. 

I look forward to opening up my home to others. God has blessed me so much and I want my home to be a safe, peaceful place full of God’s love. 

Overflowing Love

When Jesus sent out the 70 disciples, He told them not to take anything–not even an extra change of clothes!

The early church sold all of their extra stuff (they shared everything else) and dumped the money at the apostles’ feet. 

The widow in the temple gave everything she had. 

Paul teaches us the secret of contentment: Do all things through Christ who strengthens you whether you’re broke or rich. 

We’re told to not covet in The 10 Commandments and by Jesus Himself. 

We’re told to seek The Kingdom first because God is the supplier of our every need. 

And I could keep going with examples!

I’m packing up to move and I wonder if I’m too greedy…

Am I willing to give everything away?

To share everything?

To see my life–time, giftings, possessions, and money–as simply a means to help others?

I want to say yes. I want it to be an all-the-time truth, but I struggle…

Can’t something be mine?

Here was God’s answer:

Yes, the one thing no one can take away is your relationship with Me. What else do you want?

Ouch!

God is an all-in kind of Father. He gave us everything He had. Nothing was held back from us. 

I want to be that kind of person. 

I want to be all-in. 

My life was so empty before my relationship with God. No amount of success or approval or stuff could fill the void. 

My response to His great grace is that I want to live a life stripped bare of anything that keeps me from being full of Him, of His overflowing love. 

Angels and Demons

 

I’ve never dabbled in witchcraft or anything involving the occult. 

However, the things I’ve read and watched, the testimonies I’ve heard from men and women who have escaped that lifestyle, are enough for me to know that it’s not good.

This term I am taking Angels and Demons. In the class we will be learning about the spiritual realm. Mr. Kirk Dubois is my teacher and I am excited to dive into the topic. 

Here are some basic truths to consider:

  1. If there is good, there must be evil
  2. If there is right, there must be wrong
  3. If there is light, there must be darkness

Skeptics embrace these facts when it comes to other religions, but not when it comes to Christianity (even though the Bible clearly addresses every one of these areas).

 

Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism–and every other religion in between–have an after life, good and evil, as part of their beliefs.

Whenever someone is ignorant about the spiritual realm, Satan has a  field day because that means there’s lots of room for him to deceive. 

Every person I’ve ever heard speak about escaping the occult or coming out of witchcraft starts off their story the same way:

I didn’t know what I was getting in to.

Normally, all he or she wanted was something to connect with, something to give their lives meaning and purpose. What they found was darkness beyond compare.

Guess what?

As Christians we can share with those individuals–and those who are stuck in dead religions–the source of all strength and power:

Jesus Christ! 

In Him is the hope of a bright future!

In Him is power over all darkness!