Remember

Remembering… lots of that this week, it’s been ten years since the Twin Towers fell, the Pentagon was attacked and a plane full of people lost their lives in Pennsylvania due to terrorism. The media is obsessed with covering every angle and facet of what happened, what changed, where you were when it happened and a hundred ways to analysis each one.

For me, ten years ago was a turning point in my life. I was at the proverbial fork in the road. Everything I knew to be safe, comfortable and normal was behind me, but God was calling me forward. Trouble was there was a drop off in front of me, from where I stood anyway. I knew I couldn’t “walk on air”, but I also knew that’s precisely where God was sending me. The only thing that seemed important in that moment was my answer to Him. It was “yes” or “no”, no qualifiers, no provisions, no explanations just raw obedience. No props to me for answering “yes”, I was too scared to say “no”. That was the only thing I was sure of… saying No to God is not wise, I had tried that a couple of times previously—the results were never good.

So I stepped off the cliff and you guessed it, God was there and He literally carried me through things that stretched every single part of me, cut some things off that I once thought were rather good and grafted other things in that I had no idea I’d need later. In His sweet Fatherness He gave me far more than I ever expected so far beyond my wildest dreams!

So now, ten years later looking back… I’m a different person, not because of 9-11 even though the time frame was the same, but because I said yes to God and went where He called me. I have thanked God a million times for calling me out of comfortable, for carrying me even for the cutting and grafting processes. There may be rewards in heaven in all of this, but I can’t even imagine them better than the ones I’ve received here. Most of my friends, peers in ministry, effects on my family even my overall relationship with Jesus is so much more meaningful. I would have never thought any of these things would have been altered by saying “yes” to God, but they all were. This one decision impacted my life in a huge way. I am forever changed and eternally grateful.

If you find yourself at that point of decision and God is telling you to jump. (You won’t wonder if He is, He’s pretty clear in those moments.) I eagerly encourage to follow Him. Turn off your reason and logic just long enough to say yes to Him. Then get ready for the ride of your life! Anyone who says Christianity is boring has never lived in radical obedience. In ten years maybe we’ll get to read your story…

Beautiful disarray...

We are a complex mix of order and chaos; a unique and beautiful combination of simplicity and mystery. Try as hard as we do to fit in we were made to stand out; to play a specific part. Sometimes, it's hard to find the path from mess to beauty.

I'm a design consultant. I love to mix colors; bringing in texture and patterns adds interest and depth. I believe (and give glory to the Creator) to do this artistically is a gift. Sometimes when I'm just getting started with a client there are so many options it can seem an overwhelming mess. Still, there's beauty in the disarray that's just not apparent yet... Options are good as long as you have a goal in mind; a point of reference. In decorating we look for an inspiration piece. Something you absolutely love! It can be anything; piece of furniture, a picture or a random item something that guides you to a particular style and color pallet.

Understanding where you are in life is like finding your inspiration piece your point of reference that gives you direction, but in order to move forward from there a good grasp of what you have to work with is important. Like looking at all the options, assessment tools created by social scientists can prove very helpful to identify what our tendencies are, how our temperaments come into play and when to let our preferences lead or re-direct them with self-discipline. Without that sense of guidance we wander aimlessly wasting time and energy. It is in our best interest to discover the gifts, talents and abilities God has invested into us. It will give us insight into both what we are good at and how to use those things to benefit others.

The first time you look at the pile of "options" it can look like a mess! Each individual piece may not look like it works, but when everything is sorted and set in place the finished project is harmonious and unique.