In It to END IT

Today, February 27, is END IT day. There are estimate of 27 million slaves in the world today, if not more.

And we won't stand for it any longer. 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 (ESV)

My dear, sweet friend, Angie, wrote more about today because she can explain it much better than I can:

"Did you know that there are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today? That is more than any other time in history combined. On February 27th, 2014 it is Shine a Light on Slavery Day. Join us and other freedom fighters from around the world as we shine a light on slavery- draw a red X on your hand to raise awareness, and tell the world that you are in it to END IT.

My name is Angie Lewis, and I am publicity coordinator for Troy International Justice Mission. I am a freshman at Troy University social work major with a minor in criminal justice. I am from Troy, Alabama originally.

The International Justice Mission is one of 10 coalition partners of END IT. All 10 nonprofit organizations are working towards the same cause- to end modern day slavery

"IJM is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators, and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that the public justice systems- police, courts, and laws- effectively protect the poor" (IJM.org).

I wanted to get involved with Troy IJM because so many people go every day of their lives without a voice. They never find justice. IJM gives a voice to those who don't have one. IJM fights for the right every human being has- to be free. I have learned that to see any change in the world, you have to be the one to campaign for it. So stand with me on February 27th to shine a light on slavery. Give the voiceless a voice and join the fight for freedom. Draw a red X on your hand and show the world you will not stand for slavery.

For more information on end it visit enditmovement.com. For more information on the International Justice Mission visit ijm.org."

A Godly Kind of LOVE

Happy Valentine's Day!

I want to share some thoughts about a common verse that just happens to relate to the topic of the day- LOVE!

Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

Taken by itself, it seems to mean that you are supposed to keep everything from hurting your heart and never experience pain. It seems to be a key to living a life without heartbreak- never let anything in, never be vulnerable and you will be able to keep your heart intact. But what happens when you are so consumed with "guarding you heart" in this way? Something that I would argue is contrary to God's nature- a lack of love.

But taken with the verses around it, it looks a little different:

Proverbs 4:20-27

20 My son, be attentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Let them not escape from your sight;

keep them within your heart.

22For they are life to those who find them,

and healing to all their flesh.

23Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

24Put away from you crooked speech,

and put devious talk far from you.

25 Let your eyes look directly forward,

and your gaze be straight before you.

26 Ponder the path of your feet;

then all your ways will be sure.

27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil.

Now, it looks more like a prescription for wise behavior. The surrounding verses make this popular verse less into a safeguard. All through the Bible, love is a central theme. I have heard people refer to the Bible as God's love letter to us. So why do we avoid loving people like we should? We are to love with the love of God!!!

1 John 4:7-12

7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Ephesians 5:1-2

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

This love is not safe! Loving people can and will break your heart! You will hurt when they hurt, you will ache when you are not able to help them. You will miss them when you're apart. This is the love that sent Jesus to the cross! I have watched two special friends love and hurt through their adoption journey. They love their son more than they can explain. And they hurt when they can't hold him; they hurt when he hurts. But I know that if you ask either of them, they will tell you that they would prefer to sometimes hurt because they love their son so much over not letting him into their lives, their hearts.

So, if this verse isn't a warning against Godly, crazy, out-of-this-world, sacrificial LOVE, then what is it? The heart, on its own, is evil. It isn't inclined toward God in the slightest. It will fail you again and again. Our hearts must be taught to follow Christ, to seek God's face! If we do not protect our hearts against ungodly things, then they will lead us to sin, they will lead us away from God. 

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

2 Chronicles 12:14 (referring to an Egyptian king)

And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

This Valentine's Day, set out to love. Love lavishly, love with abandon. Do not "guard your heart" in the way of this world. Love with an extravagant, Godly LOVE! And train your heart to seek after God so that it will not lead you astray. 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Freedom- Part 2

This is Part 2 to my story. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.

As freshman year went on, I knew that God was wanting more from me than my legalistic mentality. But I was having no part of that. I didn’t even listen to what God had to say for me. I told God no. I told Him that I was done with more. I was done with actually living it because that hadn’t worked so well for me in high school. I was where I wanted to be and I wasn’t screwing that up. I refused. I was quite content with my life the way it was. I had no desire for “more” from God or to do “more” for God. I told God that no one here knew me- I could be shy. That was my plan. I was going to act shy and therefore not have to live out my faith. I was planning to "rewrite" my personality. But that is directly opposite from what the life of a Christian is supposed to look like:

Ephesians 3:11-13

11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

And that’s when my life changed drastically. That’s when I got sick. Was God getting back at me? Of course not! Is God disciplining me? Quite possibly.

Proverbs 3:11-12

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s disciple or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Is God breaking down every wall I built in high school and making me look more like Him? You better believe it. God decided that contrary to what I thought- I wasn’t going to be shy. I was going to be quite the opposite. Passing out is very public. Having absolutely no inhibitions when you wake up is even more public! Thankfully, He loves me enough to save me from myself.

Romans 5:1-4

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

At first I was so upset. After all- I had just finished telling God that I was finally where I wanted to be and I wasn’t messing that up! I was confused; I was scared. And slowly I became less upset and more resentful. I never lost faith in God. I would pray my little heart out for my friends and family- and I believed it. But I never thought for a minute that God would help me out- He could; He just wouldn't. I told Him no, for crying in a bucket! There was no reason for Him to help me. I no longer qualified to have my prayers answered, I believed:

Proverbs 15:29

29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

But my family prayed for me. My friends prayed for me. My church families prayed for me. And God began to change my heart. He began to soften my heart. I began to realize that this illness is doing my heart more good than anything else. It still hurts. Sometimes more than others. But God IS using this. And then He told me again that He wanted more from me. And instead of pretending to be shy, I wised up and listened. That’s when I started my blog. The way God has used it has overwhelmed me on more than one occasion. It’s been read in thirteen different countries and it blows my mind. It has helped others who are sick not stay in all the depressing stages that I stayed in for a long time.

And recently God told me again that He wanted more. I knew there was a lot of my story left untold. And that’s just silly. I knew He wanted me to share my Point-A to Point-Wherever I am now, but I had no clue about the who, where, when, and how. And I only told one person about it. And she prayed about it. And I prayed about it. And then the opportunity to share came right up and smacked me in the face. And the freedom has been unbelievable. And I don’t know what’s next, but it’s going to be good. Instead of being ashamed by my story like before, I now love to share it, to talk about it.

One of my favorite verses now is Hebrews 11:6.

Hebrews 11:6

6 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.

It’s been quite the journey to learn to seek, but it’s been so worth it. I can happily say that I don't regret my past. I made mistakes- yes. But for a long time, I regretted doing good, not bad. I regretted not transferring schools when I had the chance. I regretted pursuing more from God in high school. I don't regret those things anymore. Yes, what I went through sucked! And you could not pay me enough to go back to high school. But it happened; God's grace is enough to heal my scars. I promise you this- seeking His face makes life better, not worse.

Freedom- Part 1

True FREEDOM comes when you stop being ashamed of the past that God has forgiven, and use your story for good! I have never experienced more freedom than I have in the last few days. Most people know that I am sick; most people know I hated high school. Most people have no clue how those two things relate, but they do. This past Wednesday, for the first time EVER, I shared my story- the good, the bad, the ugly, and all the connections in between. And it's freedom!

That being said, here's the first part of my story:

     I was in a private Christian school from my first day of kindergarten until the day I graduated. I’m not sure if you have had any experience with Christian schools or what your experience was like, but mine was not good. My school was hardly Christian. They convinced us that all public school children were horrible little heathens. And we- we were so much better! We were simply hypocritical heathens. We did everything any public school child did, but as long as we showed up to chapel, went to our Bible classes, didn’t get any tattoos and had our shirts tucked in- we were golden. I lived in the definition of the white-washed tomb.

Matthew 23:25-28

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

And that was what I grew up in. I went to Christian school, I went to church, I knew all the answers. But nothing ever meant anything to me. It was just a routine. Until I was 14. When I was 14 I saw Jesus for who he truly was for the first time. It was at some youth event one weekend and Jesus showed up. I saw Christ on the cross; I got it. Any encounter with God changes you in some way, it simply has to. But I’m ashamed to say that it didn’t change me like it should have. Life was a little different for me, but it was still mostly routine- go to Christian school, go to church with my deacon dad and children’s minister mom. One of my friends had been with me at that youth event and knew that I had seen Jesus. And she was pumped! She was more pumped than I was, honestly. And the next week at school she told EVERYBODY! And I was embarrassed. I was like “What are you doing??? Shut up!” The last thing I wanted was a big deal made.

So needless to say- life was still life. I was still living in my comfortable little white washed tomb. And that went on for a couple more years. And then when I was 16 I did something that I had never done before. The fact that I did it even shocked me. And I know that to some people this seems like no big deal and certainly not enough to bring someone’s world come crashing down around them. But that’s exactly what it did to my life. One day little miss straight A’s over here didn’t study for my test. So I cheated on it. Did I mention this was for my Bible class? I got away with it; no one knew. But it wrecked my world. I couldn’t believe that I had done that. The fact that I had gotten away with it for months- and had been okay with it for just as long- eventually crushed me.

So I actually confessed. It took everything I had and I cried like a baby the entire time. But I did it. And that’s when my life started truly changing. That’s when my heart started truly changing. I was no longer satisfied with turning a blind eye to the hypocrisy of my life, my friends, my school. That’s when I started speaking up. And I paid for it dearly. I was as persecuted as a privileged American teenager with a supportive family can be. I’m always hesitant to use the term “bullied” because no one took my lunch money or beat me up on the playground, and that’s what people typically think of. But it was real. Please understand that this was coming from those that I had counted as my closest friends for several years. Emotional and psychological abuse are still abuse. My senior year I was in counseling multiple times a week and on anti-depressants for a brief time. I’ve never really talked about it before; no one does. And for a long time I was ashamed of the fact that I needed those things.

     By the time graduation rolled around, I was beyond ready to be out of there. I was tired of my school, I was tired of that town. So I graduated and my family whisked me off the next week for a vacation- it was finally over! I got back and spent the whole summer preparing for Troy. I was leaving Anniston and never looking back. I got to Troy and didn’t know a soul. I really wouldn’t have had it any other way. I wanted to “recreate” myself, I guess. I didn't really care about what God had to say about that plan, or about how he had created me. In my skewed mind, God had abandoned me during high school, so I was taking over. I paid no heed to what the Bible said directly about a situation like mine:

1 Peter 3:13-17

13Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

     But fortunately I didn’t know how to be anything other than a goody-two-shoes church girl. So I found a church, got involved with the BCM, found sweet Christian friends. Life was good. I was where I wanted to be. But I was reverting back into my mentality of just outwardly following a bunch of rules. I was done with anything more. Wearing a mask was becoming everyday life for me again.

Part 2 can be found here.

Making Disciples

This weekend was MERGE weekend (aka- a huge D-Now with bunches of churches). I was blessed to be a small group leader with 3 other ladies for 9 of the most energetic, beautiful, hilarious middle school girls ever. This was my first year to actually be in a host home, to spend the entire weekend with a group of girls, to get to know the girls, to pray with/over/for the girls. And I loved it!

Here is my lovely group of young ladies

Facing my fear of bridges for my girls. They're worth it.

Don't get me wrong- I am exhausted (and still recuperating from the bridge pictures!!!)! But I wouldn't trade a minute of this weekend. It was home. It was beautiful. It is my purpose in this life, (it's yours too). People spend their entire lives searching for purpose and worrying about whether they are fulfilling their purpose or not.

Allow me to simplify it for you- live to glorify God and make Him known. That is your purpose- Romans 15:5-7 and Matthew 27:16-20.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you,  for the glory of God.

Romans 15:5-7 (ESV)

Remember The Great Commission? That is not solely about going somewhere. There are lost people everywhere, there are young Christians everywhere. All nations includes the one you are currently in! Don't neglect the people around you and look to serve only in other places!

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew 27:16-20 (ESV)

Getting to pour into these girls, to share life with them this weekend was incredible. It was what I was created for! But this weekend was doubly special for me because of who I got to share this time with. I have had many wonderful ladies pour into me and share life with me. Three of those wonderful ladies were there this weekend as I shared life with a group of girls. It was so humbling because I will always remember the things they do to encourage and disciple me. One lady, Lindsay, was a small group leader for me when I was in high school. Anna has been a great encouragement to me since I first moved to Troy. Kaitlin was a constant encouragement to my freshman heart when I got to Troy.

Someone once told me that you know you truly have made disciples when your disciples start making disciples. That was in my mind all weekend as I thanked God continuously for those who selflessly spent time, energy, love, life, and prayers on me. I have been blessed to have many wonderful mentors- my mom, my sisters, Amy, Lindsay, Anna, Justine, Lori, Kaitlin and I'm sure there are more. Thank you for constantly carrying me to the feet of Jesus and encouraging me as I try to do the same for others. 

I love you and I am thankful for you!