Tag: Anywhere Faith

Maybe We Need to Rethink “Calling” #AnywhereFaith

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As a teen, I attended some huge youth conferences with my church and they tended to have something in common:

There was always a tremendously dynamic speaker who had a jaw-dropping testimony of God’s grace: He did drugs.  He was in a gang.  His girlfriend got pregnant and he made her have an abortion.  He was an alcoholic, who was addicted to pornography, and homeless.

Then He met Jesus.

By the time the testimony was over, the altars were flooded with teens crying and praying for God to save them and use them.

But my story didn’t seem to fit in.  They’d ask if anyone felt “called to ministry” and I’d raise my hand and pray that God use me “anywhere” and send me “anywhere.”

Only, how could He use a girl like me?  I’m relatively boring and surely the world truly needed displays of God’s grace and mercy on a grand scale.

I prayed and searched for God’s will for my life, but I didn’t end up in foreign missions or traditional full-time ministry.  So, does that mean God didn’t call me after all?

Now, that’s my story.  How I struggled to truly let grace seep deep in my soul.

How I searched so hard for one “big calling,” that I overlooked the impact of daily obedience and the calling to follow Him right here, right now, serving Christ by serving others in small ways every single day.

Your story might be like mine.  Maybe you desperately want to follow Jesus “anywhere,” but you can’t see where He wants you to go.

Or perhaps your story is entirely different.  Maybe you have that testimony of radical transformation, but you feel like an unworthy vessel, unfit for His use.

“Calling” is a tricky subject for Christians.  It sometimes trips us up into a mess of confusion.

We talk about God “calling” me to do this or “calling” me to do that, but we don’t always know what that looks like day in and day out.

And sometimes we miss it entirely.

When I wrote in my book, Anywhere Faith, about following God anywhere He calls us to go, I shared some truths about “calling” because God wants all of us to follow Him, whether that’s around the world, across the street, or in our own homes.

God calls all of us

Your past, your present and your future don’t have to look like anyone else’s in order for God to use you.  anywhere-faith

Maybe He called you to foreign missions or full-time ministry.  Maybe He called you to pray for the teachers at your kids’ school or to help young moms who need encouragement.

If we obsess over what someone else’s calling looks like, we can sometimes miss what He has planned for us.

God uses the ordinary. He uses the everyday and the mundane. He uses the untrained. He uses the sinner who repents and the prodigal who returns. He uses us despite our past and even sometimes because of our past (Anywhere Faith).

Callings don’t have to be (And often aren’t) glamorous or grand.

I’m not a speaker at conferences talking about deliverance from addiction.  Today, I have played Play Doh with my son, scheduled doctor’s appointments for my kids, prayed for my family, written to you, washed dishes and laundry, and performed a million small and seemingly insignificant tasks that are actually ministry.

Sure, the disciples traveled with Jesus, witnessed miracles, and even healed and performed miracles themselves in Christ’s name.

But the calling wasn’t all glitz and glamor.  They packed light and traveled far. They left families and jobs behind to pursue Jesus.

Jesus told them to bend low, to do the dirty jobs, to wash feet, to love outcasts, to touch lepers.

He asks us to humbly serve others every day, too.

Your calling might not be to a stage or arena; it may be to faithfulness at work, witness in your community, and ministry to your family.  Every “calling’ is significant to Him.

God can use you right where you are

We can get so caught up looking for big visions for our future that we miss the ways He asks us to serve today.  I’ve done it myself, praying desperately for God to show me “His will for my life” instead of His will for this moment.

Let’s ask God to show us the next right step and walk that way.  We can trust Him with our future.

 When we talk about calling, let’s remember this:

God isn’t looking for the flashiest vessels; He’s looking for yielded vessels…
He uses the humble, the willing and the obedient (Anywhere Faith).

May we be yielded today, humble today, and obedient today as we follow Him “Anywhere.”

To read more about how to overcome our excuses and insecurities and follow God “Anywhere,” i hope you’ll read my new book Anywhere Faith, which releases on October 3, 2016.

Bible Verses about Faith

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  • Matthew 17:20 ESV
    He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
  • Mark 5:36 ESV
    But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
  • Luke 1:45 ESV
    And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
  • Romans 1:17 ESV
    For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
  • 2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV
    for we walk by faith, not by sight.
  • Ephesians 2:8 ESV
    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
  • Ephesians 3:16-17a ESV
     that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith
  • All of Hebrews 11, commonly known as “the Faith Chapter”
  • Hebrews 11:1 ESV
    Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
  • Hebrews 11:6 ESV
    And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
  • Hebrews 11:11 ESV
    By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
  • James 1:3 ESV
    for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
  • James 1:6 ESV
    But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
  • 1 Peter 1:8-9 ESV
    Though you have not seen him, you love him.Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
  • 1 John 5:4 ESV
    For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

 

I hope these verses encouraged you in your own faith-journey!
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Following God when the path is clear and you know the precise destination sounds comforting and painless, but it doesn’t really take faith.  Faith means taking those steps forward with God when you can’t see and don’t know, but you’re trusting that He does.

This is what we choose every day–in our homes, our jobs, our churches, our communities.  It doesn’t necessarily meaning heading across the world as a missionary; it may mean heading across the street as a neighbor or friend.

If you have a heart to follow God “anywhere” but don’t know how to overcome your insecurity, fears, and questions, please check out my soon-to-be-released book, Anywhere Faith (releasing October 3, 2016!).

The Picture of #AnywhereFaith

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A few weeks ago at the height of summer, I took my kids to a local water park for the day.

My older girls were slipping down water slides while my two-year-old son and I hung out in a splash area for little kids.

While we were there, I prayed for God’s help as I prepared for the October release of my new book,  Anywhere Faith: Overcome Fear, Insecurity, and Excuses and Say Yes to God. 

I asked God to give me a picture or story to share with others that described what it meant to have “Anywhere Faith.”

At the water park that day, my son, Andrew, found this one particular slide he just loved.  He would climb up the steps, wait in line, slide down, and then run around to get back in line and do it all over again.

But he wasn’t always waiting his turn.  If he thought one of the kids in front of him hesitated for even a split second, Andrew would nudge his way forward and slide right down.

His two-year-old brain was probably thinking: “if you’re not going to go down right now, I sure will!”

Since I want my son to learn about waiting, patience and taking turns, I stationed myself up on the slide platform to make sure he didn’t get in front of the other kids.

That’s when I saw the “Anywhere Faith picture” I’d been praying for.

A little girl, maybe two years old, had discovered the same slide as my son.  She was decked out in her little polka dot bathing suit with frills around her waist and her hair pulled into a tiny ponytail.

Her daddy walked with her up the steps and waited with her while the other kids slid down. Then, just as it was her turn to slide, he’d run back down the steps and around to the bottom so he could catch her.

In the meantime, she positioned herself on the slide, laying down on her belly, feet-first (so she couldn’t even see the bottom) and gripping the top of the water slide with all her might.

She hung there for a few seconds, waiting and waiting and waiting.  No way was she letting go before her daddy was at the bottom of the slide.

Then, she’d hear her daddy say, “Okay, Abby, come on down!”

That was her cue.  Immediately, she let go and splashed down to the bottom where he was waiting to catch her.

When I was a teenager, I discovered a poetic prayer written by the missionary, David Livingstone, that began like this:

Lord send me anywhere,
only go with me

I copied the prayer into the cover of my Bible and truly meant that with all my heart.  I’d go anywhere. anywhere-faith

Of course, God has certainly changed any plans I made as a 16-year-old girl.  He brought me to unexpected places of ministry and service for Him.

I definitely didn’t know as a teenager where my “Anywhere” was.

But I’m still just like the little girl who splashed down a water slide backwards because she knew her daddy called her to come and was there for her.

when God calls my name, I want to let go of anything holding me back and follow him anywhere he asks me to go.

David Livingstone knew He needed God’s presence in order to live in faith.  “Lord send me anywhere only go with me, ” he prayed

That little girl on a water slide knew she needed her dad’s presence so she could let go.

God’s presence is what we need, too, in order to have the faith to follow Him whether it’s around the world, across the street, or in our own homes.

When we remember that God never leaves us nor forsakes us, that He stays with us and walks us through the hardest seasons and the toughest days as well as the everyday and the mundane, we can have the faith to follow Him anywhere.

Sometimes there are things holding us back.

Maybe we’re not sure we heard His voice correctly.

Or we’re afraid of what others will think.

Or perhaps what God is asking us to do doesn’t fit in with our perfectly good 5-year-plan.

That’s okay.  Having Anywhere Faith means trusting God with the honest needs and struggles of our hearts.  We don’t have to pretend to have it all together.

Instead, we tell Him the truth:

“I’m scared.
I’m confused.
I’m worried.
I’m insecure.”

But we also tell Him this:

“I want to be where you are, God.  I’ll follow you anywhere because anywhere with you is better than any place I’d go on my own.”

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you (Psalm 56:3).

 

Anywhere Faith Book Launch Team Forming Now!

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Well, my friends, our family finished off a great summer and then jumped right into a new school year and all the activities that come along with the start of fall.

But here’s what else is happening right now other than school, ballet lessons, karate classes, play rehearsals, church activities…oh and me sipping my hot tea and nibbling on chocolate at the end of a busy day!

My new book, Anywhere Faith: Overcome Fear, Insecurity and Excuses and Say Yes to God, releases on October 3, 2016!!

That’s less than a month away.  I can’t believe it!!!

I am so excited about sharing the message of this book with others:  Sometimes faith is messy and hard. We aren’t always sure we’ve heard God’s voice correctly, or we feel overwhelmed by the task and underwhelmed by our own abilities, or maybe we’re deep down afraid to follow God anywhere He calls us to go.  But wherever He leads us, He goes with us–and that’s enough.

Anywhere Faith studies the callings of men and women throughout Scripture to see what they said to God in the moment He asked them to follow Him.  It turns out we’re not the only ones feeling a bit afraid or insecure or uncertain!

Would you like to be part of a launch team for Anywhere Faith?

Today, we’re opening up a special opportunity for those who would like to be part of the Book Launch Team for Anywhere Faith.  Maybe that’s you!

If you love talking about books and are active on social media, I’d be so honored if you’d come alongside me and be part of sharing this book with others.

You don’t have to be a social media expert or an author, pastor or ministry leader!

A book launch team shares images on social media (like Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter), writes reviews of the book for Amazon, and more importantly than any of that, joins together in prayer for the book’s release.

You’ll be invited to a private Facebook group that will create a sweet community of women reading and posting about the book together. I’ll be jumping into the group and chatting along with you about my heart and hopes for the book.  I can’t wait to join with you and get to know you better!

Where do I sign up?

If being on this book launch team sounds like it’s the perfect fit for you, then great!  Here’s what you need to do:

You can click here to fill out the short form and join the team or click the button below.

Please be sure to join us by September 12th!!  We’ll start sharing with the group on Monday and I don’t want you to miss out!

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What if that’s not me?

Book Launch Teams aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay.  Your presence here on the blog, your sweet encouragements, and your prayers mean so much to me.  Thank you so much!

Anywhere Faith releases October 3, 2016 and you’ll be able to find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, Christianbook.com, and more! I’ll be posting about other gifts, surprises, and thoughts from the book in the days ahead.

You’re also always welcome to join me on my Facebook author page so you don’t miss out on all the verses, devotionals, prayers and more that I share!

Thank you!

Many thanks to each of you who bless me everyday by visiting me here or sharing comments, or praying.  I’m truly grateful!

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It’s Time for Some News!

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We all know waiting is hard.

But it’s even harder when you don’t even know when you’re waiting for.

I can mark Christmas on my calendar and cross off all the days as a countdown until we arrive.  Bam.  December 25th.  It’s here!  The wait is over!

Knowing exactly how long you’ll need to wait makes the waiting easier.  Not easy.  But easier.

But when you’re waiting for news about your upcoming book after you’ve sent it to the publisher, and you don’t know exactly when that news might come, you might get a little nervous and maybe a little crazy.

Like waking in the night and wondering whether the publisher read your manuscript, hated it and decided maybe they didn’t want to publish your book after all.

Or maybe you didn’t get an email they sent and when they didn’t hear back from you, they just put your book to the side.

Or any number of wild imaginings.

Then there’s that day after you’ve been praying and not-so-patiently waiting when you see your book cover for the first time.  And you find your book listed on Amazon.

And you just pause to give thanks because God has been faithful all along.  He’s been at work even when you couldn’t see it!

Some of you follow my Author page on Facebook so you’ve already seen the preview of the book cover, but for the rest of you, I wanted to share the most recent tidbits of exciting book-news!!  (If you don’t already follow my Author Page, you can click here to visit, like it, and keep from missing out on future news bulletins.)

Anywhere Faith: Overcome Fear, Insecurity, and Excuses and Say Yes to God will release October 4, 2016.

You can already preorder the book (in paperback) on Amazon if you are so inclined!!  It will be made available for Kindle after the initial release.

This book isn’t so much about obedience as it is about a dialogue with God.  And it’s not about moving to Africa as a missionary or leaving your job to pursue full-time ministry.

It’s about what we say when God calls us every single day in our homes, in our relationships, in our workplace, in our community, and in our ministries.

Do we tell Him we’re not ready? We’re afraid?  We’re not good enough?  We’re too old or too young or too busy or too insufficient?

Or do we say, “Yes, Lord.  I’ll follow you anywhere….”?  Or, as Mary said:

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38 NIV).

We don’t have to pretend with God and we don’t have to be perfect before He can use us.  We can tell Him the deeply honest truth and bring Him our brokenness so He can make us whole and holy.

 

 

 

The Latest News Bulletin

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Ephesians 6

I had to put on white socks today in order to write.

I have these quirky ways about me, habits and routines I have to slip into in order for my writing brain to actually switch on and work.

A certain noise level I can handle.

A particular number of distractions I can tolerate.

Where I can sit in my house.

The tea that I drink.

Particular times of day.

The fact that the dishes are done and the laundry is washing.

And white socks help, too.  Normally, you won’t find me padding around the house in bare feet, but today I just jumped right into the morning routine and didn’t even pause for socks.

But then I sat down to write.  And I couldn’t.

Turns out something as simple as comfy feet can kick my brain into gear.

More important than all of that, of course, are your prayers.  Thank you so much, my friends, for praying for me.  I’ve received notes from you saying, “I’m praying!” on the most needed days and at just the right time.

Those prayers have had such power for me and I have felt them, giving me bursts of energy and inspiration during weeks when the schedule seemed crammed and writing seemed like the impossible dream.

 

I have become like Paul, recognizing the power of a prayer team when he asked the church in Ephesus to “pray for me, too.  Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan…” (Ephesians 6:19 NLT).

Thank you for lifting me up to Christ in prayer.   Thank you for being part of that prayer team for me.

I’m still writing away at the new book with about 2/3 done so far.  July, for me, is going to be one of the busiest months we’ve had all year, so your prayers during this month are so appreciated!

Here’s the Big News about the book:

The editorial team met in June and picked the title for the new book.  (Drumroll please!!!)

Anywhere Faith: Overcoming Our Fears, Insecurities, and Excuses and Saying Yes to God

So, I’m writing about having that faith to go Anywhere God chooses to send you….even when it’s scary, or doesn’t make sense, or seems impossible.

The book is scheduled for release in October 2016!!

In July, I’ll also be speaking for a women’s retreat with 5 sessions on hope based on Jesus’ conversations with women in the Gospels.  I’m so honored to share with these ladies and so excited to spend the time with them. Once again, I ask for your prayers, that God will direct my heart and guide me as I prepare and speak.  Pray for these women as they gather, that God will meet them in powerful ways and work to bring them healing, guidance, restoration, and strength.

Thank you again for your prayers.  God is able!

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