Be A Doer.

Well, it's been a while. I have no excuse for being gone for so long, but today I felt inspired to write. So here goes it...This semester I've forged a friendship with someone who has inspired me to be spontaneous and adventuresome. What a blessing this youthful and bright spirit has been in my life. Over the past five months I've trespassed too many times to count just to get the perfect photograph, driven three hours to see a mediocre waterfall, splashed paint on too many peoples faces, wandered to the walls of peace, broke in my chacos, found a library on a school bus, drove two hours to see a rock quarry in McKinney, adventured to an abandoned incinerator (twice), spontaneously drove to Austin, showed my GoPro some much needed love...there are too many adventures to name. But most of all, they taught me how to say "yes" and how to go. Just go.

James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the world, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Now I'm sure a lot of us have heard this verse before, but after letting it marinate over the last few months I have found a deeper meaning and appreciation for this one sentence. Being a Christian should lead us to action. Do the commandments of the word of God. Don't just listen to the word, actually do.

In my opinion, this really applies to my generation. We have such easy opportunities to hear about God at Church, Ignite, YoungLife, etc. The Truth is at our fingertips, something that I have grown increasingly thankful for. This is an incomplete thing, however. These resources that are available to us are awesome, but they are incomplete and can be very deceiving. Have you ever felt distant in your relationship with God? Well this happens to me all the time. We feel distant and then we go back for a spiritual high, and then it dies down again. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me during my walk with the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is bigger than an awesome build up in a worship song, or that high that you feel when you've been searching to feel something and you finally feel it. We need to give power to the Holy Spirit. His power and presence isn't about how loud or passionate your worship experience is. We are commanded to gather together in community, but God also wants us to be well rounded followers of Him. We should find a committed place that we stick to, even when the music isn't the best, or there aren't enough chairs.

Then we should then go out, and be doers. Walk the talk. You hear the word, so walk that out in your daily life. Be doers of the world. James 1:22 is a call to action: go and do. Sometimes we loose God's presence in our lives and we forget who we are. We get off the path, we are prone to wander, we forget our face in the mirror. But there are boundaries that steer us towards abounding life. We need to put into practice what we hear. The problem with that, it that we forget who we are, but we must remember to walk out our radical faith.

When you're feeling that distant feeling, call on Him. We can't do this life alone. Live out your faith, because you are His. Grow to not forget who we are and who we are called to be. Our lives should look radical. Confidence should lead us to be doers of the world. If your life looks like the people around you that aren't Believers, then you probably aren't a doer. We are called to do. Spend time intensely in His word, meditate on the truth that He says about who we are. We are called to be co-heirs. We are beautiful sons and daughters of the King, a royal priesthood. Learn who you are through listening to what He says you are.

Check out my friend Emily's new adventure blog here: http://50shadesofusatoday.wordpress.com

Radical action comes from a certain level of confidence. Remember who you are,
Courtney

Defined by Sin.

Ben Fuqua gave an awesome message at the Aardvark service yesterday morning talking about sin, and then Kyler Right talked about sin tonight at Ignite so I thought it was a perfect topic to discuss. Ben focused on Exodus 34, so that's where we'll start. In this chapter Moses is asking God to show Himself and reveal Himself to him. Who does God say He is? He is a God that is merciful and gracious. Mercy is not getting something that you do deserve, and Grace is getting something you don't deserve. We are shown kindness when we shouldn't be shown it.

He is slow to anger, keeping steadfast love for the billions, forgiving inequity, transgressions, and sin. Inequity is that thing in your life that you find yourself wandering towards. Transgressions are our willful sin. God lays down boundaries and we press forward anyways. Sin is us missing the mark and coming up short. He forgives all three. He is forgiving, but doesn't take it lightly. We like to minimize our sin, but that's an insult to God's Grace. It's minimizing the Cross.

Your sin affects those close to you. There is spiritual weight to keeping sin present and to yourself. We are products of sinful people. Our God is in the business of redeeming people. Moses responds to God, bowing before Him…"take us for Your inheritance." Moses humbles himself. When we encounter God, does it bring humility to us? Humility is what an encounter with Him should bring. We are called to be a constant worshiper, a living sacrifice. Die to yourself, constantly worshiping. What makes us distinct is the presence of God in our lives. Give Him everything so we can operate and live life to the fullest. The things we are drawn to, sin, are present so that we may give everything over to Him.

How often do we fixate on something that we want God to be? Maybe you think Jesus is for your happiness, not holiness. We misconceive who Jesus is. What does having a clear conception of who He is have to do with why He gave Himself at the Cross? Everything. We might be following the wrong Jesus if we don't understand that He went to the Cross for us. The sin that defined your life is no longer who you are. The weight of our sin, who we once were is no more. There is no such thing as casual sin. Do we judge others, compare ourselves to them, covet what they have? How casual is lust a part of your life? What are you chasing, what are your ambitions? Maybe it's fearing man and not God. Caring what others think about you is a way of thinking you are higher than God. There is great weight in our sin. If we don't recognize our sin, we don't understand why He had to die on the cross. He didn't have to do this for us. His love won't stop, no matter what.

While we were still in the midst of our filth, Jesus died for us so that we may enter into a relationship with Him. This is the plan of God, for you, since the beginning of time. Exchanging your filth for cleanliness in Christ. The joy that was set before Jesus was you and me, that's why He went to the Cross. Chasing us down, despite our sin because He wants us.

Good Friday is coming up this week, celebrate that our weight dies at the Cross,
Courtney

Speak Life.

Christ is a free gift. But following Him will cost you everything. Cost and obedience go hand in hand. Jesus cares for us so much and lets face it, everyone wants to be cared for. The object of your faith doesn't fail you. Jesus is what we have been waiting for. He is the caring that we desire to have in our lives. An objective truth is a truth that happens every time. Every single time. Base your faith on objective truths.

We must be persistent in following Him. "Muscle faith," much like muscle memory, will kick in when we need it. When we are faced with something challenging we'll be like "oh yeah! I know what to do. Put my faith in the Lord…" Being persistent will help us remember how awesome He is. He will give us more than we can handle because that will only make us need Him more.

He wants you. And He will wreck your life (in the most amazing way possible). TCU YoungLife leader Jace Thompson said, "authentic Christian community should be so attractive." This rings so true to me. I long to be in community with other Believers and strive to put myself in situations where that is possible. But when we aren't surrounded by people like this or even when we are, how do we reach people? We are called to be radically concerned about the needs of others and we should look to the church for a picture of Jesus and His followers. Josh Worthington spoke at Ignite's 100th service a couple weeks ago and said, "those who are most effective in reaching the many are passionate about reaching the one."

His name has incredible power. The name of Jesus Christ was powerful two thousand years ago and still has power today. How amazing is that?!  Jesus has so much power, enough power to beat death. I don't know about you but I can hardly imagine that kind of power. Believe in this power. Do you have the confidence that when you speak truth into someone, they can be saved? Do you have faith that God will give you the power to do this? Having seen Christ's grace and goodness, how do you not share His name with the people who surround you? Believe that the Gospel will work in people through you sharing it with them.

Faith calls for us to be courageous, because it requires a lot from us. Our hearts are broken and we need Him. We need a heart transplant. Tell Him this and watch what He will do in your life. He took that whip for you. You are the apple of His eye. He only can do us good and take us to places where we can know Him better. We need healing, we need to ask for forgiveness, and we need to forgive others.

There are things holding us back that we need to let go of. Do something big, take a step of faith,
Courtney

Satisfaction+Glorifying.

What is it that you're not letting go of? The things that you're holding on to are causing you to give up an opportunity. We are called to stop holding on to them. How much of your life will you waste falling for those temptations? Turn from those things and throw yourself at the feet of Jesus. There is a great cost but there is also a great reward and it's worth it.

The unwasted life of pursuing Christ comes with a global mission. We are sent to be His ambassadors. John 20:21 says, "Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Whatever you do is a reflection of Him. No matter where we go or what we do, we are missionaries. But we are so busy that we are missing the now. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? We aren't called to do this alone. He prompts and empowers our ministry. He is calling us to bear witness.

Ignoring the call will lead you to a wasted life. We have a grounded hope. Our suffering for Christ will be worth it. Embrace Him and engage. Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will."

We are a thirsty people. Thirsty for the things that are familiar to us. We say, "there's no place like home" or "grandmas cooking is the best" because we know it. Let's ask ourselves this question: does anyone ever get full by going to bars? Sin patterns in our lives don't stop because we never get full, they stop because we walk away and realize they won't fulfill us. With Jesus we won't be left wanting. He Himself is satisfaction. If we knew that gift, what would happen? It would fill us up. It's not Jesus or satisfaction. Too many people think it's an either or situation, or that it's a choice you have to make. But it's not. Satisfaction and glorifying God mix one hundred percent. If you want to show God's worth, drink deeply in the water He gives us. The only thing that will stop us is our own searching for satisfaction elsewhere. The duty is the delight. Real satisfaction overflows every single time. Fleeting pleasure is drowning and leaves us wanting. If you go to Him for satisfaction, it will well up and overflow.

John Bloom once said, "Increase our love for You as the greatest treasure of our hearts and decrease any idolatrous love of lesser things."
Courtney

Heart For The Lost.

Read Mark 2:13-17...
"Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

One thing we can take away from this passage is that Jesus had an unbelievable heart for the lost, which compelled Him to engage with them. We so desperately need to develop a heart for the lost. In the words of Josh Storie at Ignite last night, the Pharisees were "studs" or what we would call "solid." But despite their judgment and questioning, Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors, which dumbfounded the Pharisees. 

Jesus came for the sick and broken. If we want to be people whose lives look like Jesus, we must develop a heart for the lost. There is a need for balance in our Christian bubble. I have been searching for the right way to go about this balance ever since I can remember. Now, this doesn't mean completely neglecting our Christian communities and never talking to our friends again, but rather to step outside and to engage with lost people. This can be hard. It's hard for a lot of people. It can be scary. Maybe it's not your thing, maybe you won't know what to say. We know that at some point we are going to have to talk about our faith if we sit down with lost people, and that may intimidate us. We don't want to be forceful. 

The most important thing to remember is that we should have a heart for the lost, because we were lost. I know this is another long chunk of Scripture but definitely worth the read. Ephesians 2:4-10 says, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Paul is telling us that that used to be you, but something happened. By Grace we have been saved. God opened our eyes to our need for Him and our sin. We can connect with the lost because we have been there and we know what they're missing out on. Shouldn't we long for others to experience Him and the joy He brings? Don't not have a conversation with someone about the Gospel because you don't want to be pushy, it's one of the most unloving things you can do. Don't watch someone walk down a road that you know leads to death. Step outside your circle and talk to the lost. We let people blinded by their sin go down the wrong road all the time. We may not do it intentionally, but we still do it. Let your heart compel you to move and to get to know the lost. Do something. 

After worship last night my eyes were really opened to this concept. A concept that I've heard hundreds of times. While I sat in the Rec gym at school I realized what an awesome community of Believers I am able to be a part of and in fellowship with every week. Along with that I was able to see the many opportunities I have to go out and love the lost and share God's Grace with them, both amongst this community of Believers in my Christian bubble, and outside the confines of TCU. Gods joy reaches far beyond whatever bubble you may be in, and it is our job to share that with as many people as we can. 

Our experience with Christ should push us forward and propel us to look less like Christians and more like Jesus, 

Courtney

See God for Who He Is.

Jesus asks His Disciples: Who do you say that I am? (Who am I to you?) Through Scripture we can see that Christ has revealed Himself as the Messiah through His works. This Messiah engages us right we we are: broken and in need. God approaches broken people, not people who have it all together (if such person even exists). He finds us with enough faith to know that we don't know what we have fully, and that we recognize what we need. Our God works for people who wait for Him.

When He calls us, He calls on us personally. The work He begins, He finishes. There is nothing else like our God, who is more amazing that we could ever imagine and who displays His glory not by our working for Him, but His working for us. Jesus approaches us in a personal way. He will give us understanding and work in us until we see Him clearly. If God is pursuing someones life, He is not going to leave them hanging. Something that I have realized lately is that I can't make my friends walk with me, God is the only one who can do that. Christs works lead us to a question of who He is, and then confession that will lead to the removal of our spiritual blindness.

Gods method is His people. He puts Christians next to people who need Him. I am a firm believer in this. Christ knows where His followers need to be and He calls us to be in community with all people. You never know who you'll meet and have an impact on.“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).We should seek to speak the truth of Christ in love to one another. Such work requires nothing less than the power and wisdom of Christ Himself. The words in the Gospel point us to spread love to all who will listen, because it magnifies the greatness of God. We love God because He first loved us, therefore we must show off our love for Him by radically loving others. Our love for Him should show our deep commitment and our longing for community among others. This love will seep into all areas of our lives, and by living in this joy-filled love we will emit radicalness.

Christ has gone into the dark to bring about the light. He is the Savior of the world. God, what are you calling us to do, what are you calling me to be about? These are questions we must ask. Is He a part of your life or is He your life? This is what we were meant for. He is a divine King, He is the song of the living God, He has come to redeem mankind. See God for Who He is. As I said above, He will give us understanding. Understanding is a process. Be patient. Trust the Lord. Pray. Spiritual growth is a process. He will call you to do things that seem impossible, and that is when we lean on Him.

God we need You to move, to be our lives,
Courtney

Die To Yourself.

What do you think of when you think of a typical Christian? I'll give you a little list that we came up with during Ignite last night. Christians normally rock the Chacos (it doesn't matter the time of year), their jeans are a little tighter, maybe they're into flannel and rock cool glasses. They typically hang out at coffee shops and abbreviate cuss words (son of a B/what the F)…This is all well and good, but do we look like Christians or do we look like Jesus? This is the question we need to ask ourselves. Once we know how to look like Him, we can take an inventory of our lives. You can make someone look like a Christian, but you can't make them look like a Disciple. A Disciple is someone who imitates and obeys their creator. 

John 13:34-35 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

If we are called to love others like Christ loves us, we need to know what that looks like. It is selfless. Jesus is supreme. Instead of allowing us to die the death we deserve, He allowed his own creation to kill Him. I don't know about you but that is crazy to me. Can you imagine creating something and then allowing it to torture and humiliate you? I can only try to come close to understanding that kind of love. He loves us too much to let us perish. Here's what makes this love more mind boggling: He didn't have to do this for us. We must give up the things we are entitled to. We must die to our pride and our wants and lust in order to love people. We must live life as a sacrifice to Him.

But are we dying to ourselves? Are we taking the time to sit down and engage with people? How aware are we of the people that we cross paths with on our way to do something? People are not an interruption to your day, they are your day. Don't get caught up in "me" and miss the boat. Are we willing to stop and love them or do we see them as interruptions or burdens? Are we willing to discern what is important and what is not? When we see people who are hurt and broken, what do we do? We need to engage. Look for places where God puts opportunities in your life. He is up to things that He wants us to be involved in. If we want to be a people who look like Jesus, we need to die to ourselves. That is the way Christ has loved us, selflessly and sacrificially. 

Ezekiel 36:26 says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." A new heart makes all the difference, 

Courtney

No Matter What.

Anyone without Christ is said to be a prisoner of sin. All people apart from Christ experience bondage. I don't know about you but that is scary to me. How do we live in a way that communicates God? To bring people to Christ is to rescue them from this bondage, from captivity. It is to give them the freedom that their hearts long for. Those who are demon possessed live a life of isolation and danger. When we talk about being saved, we should point to Christ. People must hear the truth. Focus on the spiritual side of things because they will effect your physical. Don't lose sight of spiritual needs. People need those needs addressed. Seek to befriend and provide good relations with people and point them back to the Cross.

At a time of great need and loss, focus on the Lord. This is declaring the righteous character of God. Trust in His plan no matter your circumstances. When experience physical pain, how do we do that well? Well, by showing that we trust in God's plan. Our attention is on His plan. Think about the one who is greater. Listen and think. I encourage quiet time with God. I know a lot of people want to do it and think or talk about doing it, but actually go and do it. You'll be amazed what He reveals to you. When we're looking and seeking for answers, talk to God. The pastor at McKinney said this prayer: "God, will you work through my suffering to show off your greatness?" We should also use this outlook in our daily mundane lives. Do not forfeit the opportunity to trust in God, once again, no matter  the circumstances. Declare your trust in Him. There are spiritual chains that bind us. What is it that God would want from me? How do I live life to get there, where He wants me to be? You may have chains that bind you but you can be free in the Lord.

The Spirit will clean up the excess in our lives. We must be people who recognize God has a plan for us no matter what. People who have experienced freedom from captivity can never get over it. Without Christ we are not alive. Trust is putting our whole being, all of us, resting on Him. God longs for us to hear and respond.

Our chains are gone as we follow Christ,
Courtney

Drifting.

We are prone to be distracted by things that aren't important. Let's face it, we are constantly distracted. But we need to realize what our priority is. Because of Jesus's authority, we must make His Gospel our great priority. Jesus is greater than everything that there is and He has brought us a message. He is the upholder of the universe. We are so small and tiny like pen dots, yet He sees us so clearly. He calls us to pay closer attention to what we have heard, because there is a chance that we will drift away from what God is telling us. 

It's not obvious for us humans. We risk our lives for stupid things (opening Snapchats while driving)…It's so invaluable. We make this trade all the time, something irrelevant for something special. Will Bostain spoke at Ignite on Monday and gave a perfect example of this from his wedding day. As his bride was walking down the isle to Phil Wickhams "You're Beautiful" and he was crying and completely overwhelmed in the moment, his phone vibrated in his back pocket. He remembered a big game was on so he pulled it out really fast to glance at the score and put it back into his pocket. Although hard to believe, we are similarly distracted from what is important in our day to day lives. 

Drifting is the immeasurable shift from Christ to something or someone else. Jesus has ultimate authority. We know His message is true but if we drift, there will be a negative outcome in our lives. How will we escape this negative outcome if we neglect the message of Salvation? Apart from Christ, we already stand condemned. It is a matter of our hearts. In Christ, you have received a great Salvation. He put Himself where you deserve to be. You can, for free, have what Christ has earned on your behalf. Now I don't know about you, but that blows my mind. The only hope we will ever have is in Him. God wants more for you than you can ever want for yourself. He wants our joy in the fullest. Someone or something will never be able to deliver this, it will never satisfy us. We give our lives away because He has already given us everything. 

But we are so distracted. Pay closer attention, surrender more of your life to God. He wants us to fight for intimacy with Him. He tells us to stay close to Him. Jesus is playing a song that is greater than our desires. We must let go of distractions and practice spiritual disciplines. Fight with your community of Believers. He adopted us into a new family who is our community. If you don't connect now, you won't. We are taught to encourage one another. One of my favorite questions I ask my friends about their acquaintances is "are you building each other up?" By ourselves we would be a wreck. We need this community to build us up. Community tells us when we are drifting. We can fight together with an eye on eternity. 

There's a reward for those who endure in the end, for pursuing the thing that is most worthy of His praise. It's just not here. No desires of this world could ever compare to the Kingdom of God. Keep your eye on eternity so that you are reminded of what you are fighting for. If not, you will be easily distracted and drift. God's fear is that we are going to miss out on His great love. And it is such a great love. Don't neglect your great Salvation. If you feel like you are drifting, you are never out of the fight. Remember that we are the bride of Christ and He is the groom. Fix your eyes on Him. Fight and run to Him. 

He loves us not because what we have done but because of what He has done,

Courtney

Encounter.

Jesus seeks imperfect people. He pursues us. We are distant from God and have our own way of doing things and He shows up with a path for us. It's so easy to ignore Him. Most Christians act like they have everything figured out, but I have almost nothing figured out. This "encounter" with God is not one to treat lightly. 

God meets us where we are broken and in rebellion and He is not okay with it. When we encounter Christ we are completely overwhelmed. We realize how big He is and how small we are. When God encounters us we are exposed. The church clothes come off and we no longer have a game face. There is no hiding from Him. We are chosen. When we encounter Christ, He uses others in our transformation and restoration. It is necessary to have impactful friends and people who surround you. A saying that I've always tried to live my life by is "surround yourself with people who you want to be like." Now, I am not always successful at this but it's a good thing to keep at the forefront of your mind when forging relationships. God has such patience for enemies, to transform them into instruments. God uses man as His method to spread the Word and we are called to do the same. 

There are people around you and me waiting for an ambassador of Christ. We are meant to be here for a distinct purpose. It is to know Him and make Him known. God seeks man to spread His Word. Sharing your faith is a process that leads to a point. He wants us to play a part, to be a part of His work. We need to engage and look for places where God could put opportunities in our lives that could lead others on the path to knowing Him. It will further our joy and help us to be more appreciative for His work in our lives. When we encounter Christ we enter a new identity and a new community. We are an adopted child of His. We are His sons and daughters. Christ came to the world to save sinners, of which I am the foremost. As Believers, we are radically transformed so that we can make Him known to people so that they are changed forever. We are overcome by Gods love. His patience is perfect. 

 I was going through my Bible and found a verse that I wrote on a scrap sheet of paper a while ago, it was 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, which I thought related well to this topic. It says "Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Put yourself on display to show God off,
Courtney