“We must reflect that, when we reach the end of “We must reflect that, when we reach the end of our days, our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default. We are at risk, without quite fully realizing it, of living lives that are less our own than we imagine.” William James

With the help of God, may we strive to become abiding and attentive people instead of distracted and defeated people.
The entire thing is He loved me first. And even wh The entire thing is He loved me first. And even when our surroundings are burning or when all we see is rubble, there is an unseen Kingdom to serve, a Family to be part of, and a powerful Love to give and receive. 

Every week it seems I’m inspired by a comment a friend and pastor made years ago — “Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about the truth of Jesus. Think of it as joining a conversation God might already be having with that person.” 

May we be conduits of that strong, courageous, welcoming, comforting, healing, transforming, sustaining, peacemaking, eternal Love. Or as Bernice King said, “Love puts in work.”
Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’ Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’
“God is always coming to you in the sacrament of “God is always coming to you in the sacrament of the Present Moment. Meet and receive Him there with gratitude.” Evelyn Underhill 

Such brokenness we see, such pain, such fear. Attend to Jesus — Lord, Savior, King — with all your honest thoughts and feelings, and let His power and love change you. Let Him form and re-form you into a help for the hurting, a bright spot for those in the dark, a presence for others to rest in. A ‘little Christ’ on the earth.

 ^ what I’m rehearsing to myself
Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfil Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfill the will of God through the inner influence of His Spirit instead of the outer influence of the law of God” (David Guzik).

This took me probably 15 years of following Jesus to grasp. It felt too easy, my willpower was my measuring stick, and the freedom was terrifying. 

But alas, God’s way is the best way, and there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. I can’t muster spiritual fruit, but His goal, thankfully and marvelously, is vineyards and vineyards.

May we surrender this work to Him.
“The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must en “The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love.” Parker J. Palmer
I pose to you what the Holy Spirit posed to me rec I pose to you what the Holy Spirit posed to me recently: What if you made choices out of fear of missing out on God instead of fear of missing out on what others deem significant?

In all honesty, FOMO sneaks up on me not along paths of a friend’s travel adventures or home decor or even if friends hang out without me. My FOMO animal comes in the form of popular and effective Christian voices. Because of technology and social media, I have access, though not complete (because we’re not actual friends), to their lives and ministry, their work and the personality they choose to share online. While a good thing in many ways, it stops being good when it becomes an avalanche I can’t keep up with but am afraid to stop.

// new blog post: FOMO on God //
zoom zoom zoom zoom
Like Anna plays in my presence, like she comes to Like Anna plays in my presence, 
like she comes to me when she gets hurt,
like she wants to be held when she’s sick,
like she unashamedly + honestly feels any and every range of emotion with me, 
like she never corrects or censors or judges herself before coming to me, 
like she trusts me to love and care and accept her always... 
so it can be and is for me with God my Father. 

What a delightful way to be with Him! Don’t hold back — disappointment, confusion, happiness, sadness, longings. Give Him access to you, as you are right now, and find rest and love for your soul.
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faith · 10/26/2015

“Be kind. Be you. Love Jesus.”

“One of the best parts of being human is other humans. It’s true, because life is hard; but people get to show up for one another, as God told us to, and we remember we are loved and seen and God is here and we are not alone. We can’t deliver folks from their pits, but we can sure get in there with them until God does.” Jen Hatmaker

BEWARE: HEART SPILL AHEAD. PREPARE FOR VULNERABILITY.

As I grow up, I’m continually reminded and learning what matters most (I say continually, because I am an Israelite, and I forgot God all too quickly): Jesus and people. Loving and knowing Jesus, and relationships. Being my best self, confident in how God created me (as in trusting + believing that my gifts are useful and important, and that the quirky parts of my being aren’t wrong or need to be changed and scrutinized 24/7 — can anyone else relate?), to be poured out like a full bucket of water, for people. Heaven (I think) will be a place for God glory and people, not met or unmet expectations or earthly achievement, not worldly acquisition or the acceptance by culture.

I believe that on this earth there are right and wrong pressures, (maybe ‘okay’ pressures and ‘good’ pressures is another way to say it) for a Christ follower. A God-pressure? Noticing someone who needs some love, grace, wisdom, kindness, or Jesus. The tug on your heart, the conviction in your spirit, that kind of pressure. Loving those that are unlovable, cheering on other members of the family in their endeavors, sticking with them in the trenches when life is tough. Like the above quote, “We can’t deliver folks from their pits, but we sure get in there with them until God does.”

A earthly pressure? Being perfect at my job, setting unrealistic standards for myself, prioritizing self-image over soul transformation, pride when I’ve made a mistake or been wronged, having everything together, never being vulnerable; the list could go on. There is so much grabbing for our attention these days. So many pressures that, I’m afraid, I don’t think are from God. But they are pressures that I tend to live from, to make choices in responses to.

My God, Savior, and best companion, and relationships. These are lasting priorities, these are worthwhile, eternal pursuits. These are what will shape, mold, change, complete, and grow my heart (and the hearts of others) for eternity.

Isn’t that the greatest point? That this is not our home, that this place is temporary, that we’re basically aliens here? (1 Peter 2:11)

What I will take to my true home is my love for Jesus and my relationships. Maybe I’ll meet Jesus with a group of people all praising His name, maybe I’ll meet him standing beside my husband, I have no idea. But that’s the beautiful thing. People are what will come with me when I do — not a list of achievements, or a trailer full of my cool stuff, or a highlight reel of how many people thought I was great, or even a book full of my mistakes. And in me, what I hope and pray is a soul that is overflowing with love for my Lord, joy of being in his presence, a trusting smile on my face, and a new song in my heart.

How quickly I forget. Now, hear me please, earthly pursuits are not wrong. Doing well at my job is glorifying to the Lord, staying healthy is being a good steward of my body and helps me do other cool things in life, enjoying possessions and pleasures is okay. It’s when they become ultimate things, to the point where I am numb to Jesus and the people around me, when they get buried underneath these other things, that’s where I miss out. In my heart’s opinion. I’m missing the greatest joys, the fullest life, the grace-giving moments, the beauty of simplicity, the intimacy of relationship.

I wrote about my running mantra last week, but maybe there’s room for a life mantra also: Be kind. Be you. Love Jesus. (Thanks, Jen Hatmaker.) I feel extremely passionate about this; my heart longs for this to be who I am. I’m sure I’ll forget again, get swept up in this temporary place, but praise the Lord for also beckoning me back home.

— For those of you who took the time to read this even after the warning (bless you), do you relate to this at all?

In: faith · Tagged: faith, grace, relationships

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Comments

  1. Neely says

    10/27/2015 at 12:49 pm

    What a beautiful message :)

  2. Allie says

    01/10/2016 at 10:18 am

    This is such a beautiful, heartfelt post, Chels. Thank you so much for opening your heart to us.

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    12/30/2015 at 3:01 pm

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“We must reflect that, when we reach the end of “We must reflect that, when we reach the end of our days, our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default. We are at risk, without quite fully realizing it, of living lives that are less our own than we imagine.” William James

With the help of God, may we strive to become abiding and attentive people instead of distracted and defeated people.
The entire thing is He loved me first. And even wh The entire thing is He loved me first. And even when our surroundings are burning or when all we see is rubble, there is an unseen Kingdom to serve, a Family to be part of, and a powerful Love to give and receive. 

Every week it seems I’m inspired by a comment a friend and pastor made years ago — “Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about the truth of Jesus. Think of it as joining a conversation God might already be having with that person.” 

May we be conduits of that strong, courageous, welcoming, comforting, healing, transforming, sustaining, peacemaking, eternal Love. Or as Bernice King said, “Love puts in work.”
Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’ Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’
“God is always coming to you in the sacrament of “God is always coming to you in the sacrament of the Present Moment. Meet and receive Him there with gratitude.” Evelyn Underhill 

Such brokenness we see, such pain, such fear. Attend to Jesus — Lord, Savior, King — with all your honest thoughts and feelings, and let His power and love change you. Let Him form and re-form you into a help for the hurting, a bright spot for those in the dark, a presence for others to rest in. A ‘little Christ’ on the earth.

 ^ what I’m rehearsing to myself
Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfil Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfill the will of God through the inner influence of His Spirit instead of the outer influence of the law of God” (David Guzik).

This took me probably 15 years of following Jesus to grasp. It felt too easy, my willpower was my measuring stick, and the freedom was terrifying. 

But alas, God’s way is the best way, and there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. I can’t muster spiritual fruit, but His goal, thankfully and marvelously, is vineyards and vineyards.

May we surrender this work to Him.
“The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must en “The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love.” Parker J. Palmer
I pose to you what the Holy Spirit posed to me rec I pose to you what the Holy Spirit posed to me recently: What if you made choices out of fear of missing out on God instead of fear of missing out on what others deem significant?

In all honesty, FOMO sneaks up on me not along paths of a friend’s travel adventures or home decor or even if friends hang out without me. My FOMO animal comes in the form of popular and effective Christian voices. Because of technology and social media, I have access, though not complete (because we’re not actual friends), to their lives and ministry, their work and the personality they choose to share online. While a good thing in many ways, it stops being good when it becomes an avalanche I can’t keep up with but am afraid to stop.

// new blog post: FOMO on God //
zoom zoom zoom zoom
Like Anna plays in my presence, like she comes to Like Anna plays in my presence, 
like she comes to me when she gets hurt,
like she wants to be held when she’s sick,
like she unashamedly + honestly feels any and every range of emotion with me, 
like she never corrects or censors or judges herself before coming to me, 
like she trusts me to love and care and accept her always... 
so it can be and is for me with God my Father. 

What a delightful way to be with Him! Don’t hold back — disappointment, confusion, happiness, sadness, longings. Give Him access to you, as you are right now, and find rest and love for your soul.
Just a girl bumping her New Years’ goal of wakin Just a girl bumping her New Years’ goal of waking up early to February as she reaches her 10th day of coronavirus quarantine.

I’ll keep the details to myself, but I do have to acknowledge the generosity and availability and kindness of our family and friends. They’ve brought us meals, groceries, medicine, and @maghjohnson, IN MICHIGAN, sent us a Door Dash gift card for a pizza. I could cry over the love. @audreyhealy5 @kgmartin521 @ansley.c.evans @nm_wilson @klb418

Also, even though today was the first day I had the energy to walk it, I’ve never been more thankful for our long driveway. Sunshine is the JAM. 

To everyone who has had COVID or will get it, our experience will of course be different, but— solitary, friends, solidarity. And grace upon grace.

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