I Quit

Author and all around good guy Bob Goff says in his book Love Does that Thursdays are days to quit things. And he'll regularly post on his Instagram and Twitter accounts things like this...

To me this is a pretty freeing concept. He's saying, "Say 'No' to something to be able to say 'Yes' to something else." So, today I'm taking a page out of Bob Goff's book (almost literally) and quitting.

Today I quit 2 things...

1. I quit procrastinating. In Luke 9:59-62 Jesus is calling disciples and one wants to bury his father and another say goodbye to their family. Jesus tells him, "No, pursue the Kingdom of God, NOW!" It can't wait, friends.

2. I quit making excuses for my actions. This is something that I've been feeling convicted on lately. Mostly for me it's saying I'll do something then lacking follow through. I quit doing this today. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, "Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." In other words, finish what you start.

If I don't quit these things I know that my relationship with Jesus will suffer. They are preventing me from being fully present with Him and that has got to stop. 

Also, another word about quitting... Yesterday I read an awesome blog about the joy and freedom of an "unrushed yes" (Here's the blog). This usually means saying 'no' to a lot of things. To have the freedom to say 'yes' to the things that matter. To have the freedom to say 'yes' to the things that matter. I also read an article about a Dad who quit his job as the head of a trillion dollar company because his 10 year old daughter wrote down all the things he had missed just that school year because of work. He says it was a "wake-up call." Now, not all of us have the means to quit our job to spend time with our family, but the concept is the same. Say 'yes' to the things that matter. The things with eternal significance. And if you must, quit. So that you can do the things God has called you to do and be the person He has called you to be. 

Written on Your Face

This past summer I undertook a healthy eating challenge called the Whole30. Basically it is eating nothing but whole, nutrient dense, good-for-you, real food for 30 days. The restrictions seem daunting, but truly, once you start, the life-changing goodness of the beautiful food that God has given us to eat seems obvious. Without processed foods I lost my constant exhaustion, pain, and weight. For the first time in a long time I felt energized and focused. After those 30 days I truly believed that my life was going to be different from that point forward. And it is. I discovered the source of my fibromyalgia symptoms (gluten, it's an evil thing), found that dairy doesn't sit well in my tummy, and too much sugar at once makes me feel ill. I found how much what I choose to put in my body effects my health. And, honestly, it is difficult to eat something that makes you feel crappy.

Or is it?

I've found myself, in the few months since my first Whole30, eating a lot like I was before.

Wait, what? I thought "my life changed". It did. Sort of.

Now, a few months later, I've had quite a few people commenting on my weight loss, even though I have eaten "off plan" a lot since June ended. While it is flattering, and nice for people to notice, I can't help but wonder, is my faith in Jesus just as obvious? Does a life altering spiritual experience leave such residual and obvious effects.

Just like the Whole30 many of us go through a "spiritual cleanse" where we do a Bible studies, read a book, or any other "spiritual" thing and we feel convicted and motivated to change our life. Sometimes we have an encounter with God. He speaks to our hearts in a powerful way, and as a result we change our routine. We are more diligent and intentional. We pursue our relationship with Him, because we see how much it matters to our overall health. 

We think that these new habits will stick. We think that we will be bold about our faith. 

But life sets in. Then we find reasons not to read the Bible. We find excuses to eliminate our daily prayer time. We get busy. We get lazy. And those "life changes" are suddenly a distant memory. But what remains? We didn't lose weight, there was no physical change.

You life changing experience is not written on your face. It is no longer obvious to anyone on the outside, and maybe not to you either.

Yesterday I listened to the testimony of a young woman (you can too here) and at the end of the recording she says something along the lines of "I went to work and a co-worker said, "You're glowing!" and I said, "It's Jesus!"" I can't shake that image. Glowing from the love of Jesus. How incredibly powerful would that be if we all glowed from His love for us.

In Exodus 34:29-35 Moses went to speak with God and returned with his face radiant from the encounter. He was reflecting God's glory to the Israelites. They couldn't handle it, and he veiled his face. I like to think that Moses veiled his face to help the Israelites, but I truly don't think that's the case at all. I think he veiled his face because the Israelites saw their sin reflected back at them.

I don't know about you, but I feel like in both of these scenarios the reflection of God in the faces of His children show something to the observer. Sometimes it's love. Sometimes it's sin. I think for each of us it could be different because what is reflected there is what God wants to reveal in you that is keeping you from your relationship with Him.

This is the kind of testimony I want to be to God's children. I want my face to glow from being in His presence. I want to be the kind of leader that is constantly overflowing with the goodness and love of Jesus. This, though, takes desire. It takes effort. It takes work. I must, just like Moses, make time for Jesus. I must pursue Him and my relationship with Him.

I must be in His presence to reflect it. Just like I must actually eat the good food to get the benefits of it.

As Christ Followers we have a treasure available to us at every moment. We have the Savior of the universe begging us to seek Him, talk to Him, and love Him. May we all pursue His presence so that we might reflect His glory to the lost. So that we might point to Him. 

What holds your attention?

Note: The following is an article I wrote for my church's monthly newsletter, but I think it applies to all of us, worship leader and congregation member alike. It is my prayer that we will commit ourselves fully to worshipping our God, the creator and savior of us all. 


What holds your attention?

What keeps your focus?

What prevents you from fully engaging?

For some of us it’s our health or the health of a family member. For others of us it’s our children or the crazy schedule we have to keep. Some of us are distracted by what we wish church was like, instead of what it is.

No matter what it is that keeps you distracted and steals your focus, we are all guilty.

When we come into worship on Sunday morning or sit down with our Bible each day we are purposely spending time with our savior, and when we are just going through the motions it can feel like a chore. Sometimes getting up early for church can feel like more of a hassle than a blessing. Carving out those 15 minutes each day can feel like an irritation and snag in our schedule. It is so important that we know that God craves that time with each of us! Our relationship with Him is not one sided, as it can sometimes feel. As you begin to think about what distractions are keeping you from fully engaging with God I want to encourage you with a few psalms that have helped me to fully engage with Him through worship.

God delights in you. Psalm 18:19 says, “He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (emphasis mine). How wonderful is that? Our God delights in us! That time that we spend with Him nurtures our relationship with Him. He desires that time with His children!

God is big enough to cover all of those things that are distracting you. Psalm 46:1-3 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” How wonderful to take comfort and refuge in the God that not only created the earth, the universe, and you, but will also see it through it’s many changes and upheavals. Including all those distractions. I promise, those things will be there in an hour.

We need to only be still.  Psalm 46:10a, “Be still, and know that I am God!” It doesn’t say, “Think about all the stuff you have to do today, and know that I am God!”
It says “Be still.”
Quiet your mind of all those distractions and rest in the knowledge that He is God and you are not.

We are here, in His sanctuary, to worship our God and Savior. Psalm 84 reminds us that it is not just our lips that that sing His praises, but our hearts and whole selves. Psalm 84:1-2, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God” (emphasis mine). Take that hour on Sunday or those 15 minutes each morning and let your heart and flesh sing for joy to Him!

The time that we spend with our savior is precious! Be present! Be engaged! Let those distractions go and truly worship.

A New Venture

Good Afternoon! Welcome to my new blog! This something that I've tried before, but never actually got good at, so now that I'm a little older and (hopefully) wiser, I shall try again.

This blog's purpose is to explore worship as a lifestyle and what Jesus meant when he said, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." I know that this has been explored so many times in the worship-world, but I think there are many aspects we neglect. 

A couple posts I have in the hopper are "How Can Healthy Eating be More Contagious than the Gospel?" and "Shepherding Stubborn Sheep". I am looking forward to sharing these thoughts with you each week, and I hope you'll join me on this journey! 

Happy Reading,

Karen