Strength

I've been thinking a lot lately about strength. There are a lot of people around us who need strength. I need strength. I have a few friends going through really tough stuff. One is dealing with cancer, one is dealing with a nasty divorce, one is dealing with parental issues, and many more have things in front of them that are just plain tough.

So I pray for them to have strength. I pray for me to have strength to help them carry their burdens. And then I pray for strength again.

I was driving the other day (shocker). When I turned the steering wheel, I remembered that I had worked out the previous morning. I was so sore. My rotator cuffs hurt, my triceps hurt, my biceps hurt and my shoulders hurt. Tuesday is arm day. Thursday is leg day. I can barely walk after leg day. Pitiful. But at this particular moment, while I was thinking praying for strength for my friends, I felt the twinge of sore muscles.

Then I thought: shouldn't we have to put forth some effort to get strength? Don't hear me say that the things people go through are from God, because I don't believe God does anything bad. I believe He is all good. Hear me say, that, just like in the natural, in the spiritual, we have to build our way up to new strengths.

I would be a fool to think I could go into the gym, lift 100 lbs and walk away. I'd probably drop it, and trip and fall, or something equally as embarrassing.

We have to build our ways up to more weight. We have to work at it. We have to toil. We have to sweat. We have to give up good sleep to get up early and work out. We have to put forth effort. Did you know that your muscles actually get small tears in them when you work out? Yeah, they do. And then from there, they grow from flab to muscle.

It's like praying for patience. I don't do it because when I do, inevitably, I will get stuck in traffic.

We should pray for strength when we need it, and even when we don't need it. It is a good thing to do, yet we need to remember that God won't just give us large muscles we didn't work for. Sometimes we have situations in front of us that require immeasurable strength. We should pray for strength, but we should also expect to have to put in a little effort to get the strength we want.

It's a two way street. If I want strength, I have to pick up some weights.

Devil, you lose.

Here's how I saw God today: the lady I prayed with last Friday HAS NO MORE CANCER.

Take that, devil. You lose.

At Every Turn

I saw God all day long today. From Elementary Ministries to the 156 people at the Ascent to worship at MorningStar to Small Groups to praying with a girl in my small group to hanging with people to watch the Super Bowl.

There's nothing better than seeing God at every turn.

Community

Saturday, I helped Gene and Abby move to their new house! It was a lot of fun. We had 2 trucks, 4 SUVs and 2 trailers to move their stuff. There were about 15 of us throughout the day. It was a great time, and we got a lot accomplished.

Then I got to thinking: This is what community is. People come together for a cause to make a difference. Gene and Abby needed help moving. And people came. I would do it again. Why? Because I know they would do the same thing for me. I know they would come running if I called.

That is what the Body of Christ is. It is people who are willing to put down what they are doing for the good of other people. It's hauling boxes of stuff from a house to a home. It's putting down differences for a common goal.

I realized how badly we all need community - and how glad I am for the one I have.

Trisha

On Friday, I had the privilege of having a date with Trisha Taussig. I love the relationships where you can just hang out and be yourself. There was no pressure to perform.

Reasons why I love Trisha:
1. She would throw punches for me.
2. She is one of the most real people I've ever met.
3. She is salt. She makes me thirsty for more Jesus.
4. She is raising 4 men.
5. She has a real concept of what it is like to live for Jesus. She does it well.
6. She loves better than most people.
7. When I'm with her I feel pursued.
8. She embraces her flaws and wants to use them to propel her to be different.
9. She believes in me.
10. She will see blind eyes opened and people raised from the dead.

She is Jesus with skin on.

Advice for a Friend

I just spent 30 minutes counseling a friend of mine who is hurting. Again. What is with all this hurting? Why, God, why? I know You're big and You have it all figured out, but I sure don't. So, once again, I will seek Your face and believe You know more than I do. I will submit myself to Your will.

I didn't have answers for this friend. She is in a sticky situation. My opinions on some subjects are strong and unwavering and on some subjects I ride the fence. I made strong statements followed by, "but I will support any decision you make". Why am I trying to fix her? I surely can't fix anyone.

I walked away, more saddened than when we began and all I could think was: I do her a disservice if I don't point her to Jesus. Bottom line. End all, be all. Any other advice she is getting, from anyone else, if it's not pointing her to Jesus is hurting, not helping. And oh, how that is not popular. Being Biblical, and countercultural is not popular.

I may sound like a broken record, but all I could say was: seek Godly council, get back in your Bible, get prayer, ask God... because that's all I know how to do.

If I don't point you to Jesus, I do you a disservice.

It Can Be That Easy!

Feb 3:

I bought a new car yesterday. Actually it's an SUV. And it rocks. It's the car I've always wanted. It's blue, has 4 doors (well 5 if you include the trunk) and has 7 seats. It gets terrible gas mileage, but has a smooth ride and good speakers.

And it was so easy to buy. I found it, Allegacy negotiated the price (and got us a good one), gave us a lower percentage rate because they negotiated the price, I test drove it, liked it, they delivered it and I signed on the dotted line.

There is something so faulty in my thinking when I think: things can't be that easy. We think that when things are that easy something is wrong or some scam is being played. I think it's a disconnect between an earthly mind and a heavenly mind.

I'm not talking "ease" like life is easy, and nothing goes wrong. I'm talking favor. We walk around every day with a chip on our shoulders thinking, "no one can help me, because they might screw me." We trust no one. We take control ourselves. We hold the rose too tightly and get scarred by its thorns.

That's not Biblical... God wants us releasing control. He wants us to trust, even when we have no idea what's going on. He wants us to believe that He loves us so much that he would bestow massive amounts of favor upon us.

Do I believe that? I do now.

Running

For Feb. 2:

It rained all day today. It snowed all weekend. And it rained all day today. Lame. We've missed 2 days of school (thankfully we don't make them up), but this is just disgusting. The worst part is, that every rain drop that fell will be frozen in the morning. However, it is supposed to be sunny and 50 degrees (heat wave) tomorrow!

I like school. I hope we go back soon.

I did a flurry of things yesterday. One of them was go to the Y. Well, I forgot my tennis shoes, so I had to go back home, then I eventually made it to the Y. Anyways, I got to the Y. I figured I would do my usual... walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes alternating (you see, I haven't run since Thanksgiving and I'm not trying to kill myself...).

So I got on the treadmill, jamming to my iPod, and went to running. I have this internal competition thing where if the girl next to me was still running, I could still run, too, so since she did, I did. I was really amazed that my body was able to sustain the 2 miles I ran (without stopping!).

Then I got to thinking (what else is there to do when you're running?). I'm in such a better place this year, 2010, then I was this time last year... I just remember last year being so bogged down, almost in depression, fighting spiritual, natural and emotional battles. It was tough. And running is such a mind game. I had to teach myself last year to "meditate on Your wonderful works" - Psalm 145:5, to keep myself from going off the deep end into "what ifs, if onlys, etc".

I'm convinced anyone can be a runner, they just have to get past the mind battle. So, I ran, and prayed, and sort of sang quietly, and watched the tv in front of me, and tried to keep running since the girl next to me was running, and people watched.

It ended up being a really nice run. It felt great. And by just doing it, I overcame emotional battle, spiritual battles and physical battles.

I can finally say that I am glad for seasons :)

the powerful sun

I'm amazed at how powerful the sun is. It snowed 8 inches and everything was gloomy. But then the sun burst forth and it made a lot of the snow slush. The sun has the power to make things light, make things grow and keep things warm. God did that. And that's cool.

"Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!"