RIP Maya Angelou

(Photo credit)

What ASL Taught Me About The Gospel

There I was at the concert of one of my favorite bands, but my eyes were glued on her for a big chunk of the time.

She was dressed in all black and though standing on a platform she was still lower than the main stage.

The Roots played, sang, rapped, and simply did what what they do. (which is amazing. AH-MAZING!)

She bobbed her head and was so into the music, but to some she was the only music they would hear that night.

She was the ASL interpreter, and she didn't miss a beat.

I couldn't help but to think to myself, "Man, I want to be like her!!!!!"

I didn't even know that concerts had ASL interpreters. My mind was blown ya'll. That was two days ago, and I am just getting over it. (Don't judge me. lol!)

Yes, I convinced myself that I should learn sign language, but I still won't be like her. I just won't. She was not only having fun, but to me she was such an accurate portrayal of the artistry that she was interpreting. Music is more than words. A song is more than a beat.

That was the something about her that captivated even those of us who could hear with our ears.

The Gospel is more than a song.
It's the beat of our lives as Christians.
It's the rhythm of grace with lyrics of truth. And the world can not hear it.
Oh but it's good!!! It's so good! The Roots as brilliant as they are (and man, oh man, are they brilliant) pale in comparison to the goodness of the Gospel.

It's our job as interpreters to share the Gospel so others may have a chance to hear.

There were two ASL interpreters at the concert that night. Both did their job, but one was captivating to me. She appealed to me because of her passion, personality, and enthusiasm. Yet neither failed.

So the overall lesson here, in context with the Gospel, is however you do it, just do it. 

This Gospel is too good ya'll, for anyone to miss the opportunity to hear it. But do it justice, do it kindly, respectfully, and if ever rejected, shake the dust off your feet, and keep moving. Let's do our part, and allow God to do His.

The specific lesson to me was one of grace. I probably won't sound or look like you when I do it; and you probably won't look or sound like me when you do either. You might use scripts. That's cool for some, but to be honest, I have a hard time with those. I blog and post statuses. You might be one who doesn't enjoy utilizing social media. All of that is cool.

Either way, my prayer is that the Gospel would be so embedded in us and woven into the fabric of our lives, that regardless of whether in church, on the streets with evangelism props, or if you happen to be sitting at a bar sipping a drink (Yes, an alcoholic one.) Jesus would be glorified and The Gospel preached.

[Disclaimer: That's me though. It doesn't matter whether you take a sip or don't. If you don't, please don't take this as a suggestion to do so. And if you do, assuming you are over the age limit of 21, let's agree not to get drunk. You can't bear the fruit of self control while being drunk. And for God's sake (quite literally), stay away from the stuff if you can't quite figure out your limits.]

The fact of the matter is that you have to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The truth is that we have a job to do. Let's just do it. Let's not waste time judging one's life or glorifying our own. (aka ministry. We all have one.) Let's just keep encouraging one another to do this thing and to keep going strong. We are all one body. The people that God will have you to reach will be different from the ones that God will use me to reach. It's how this thing works, and it's awesome.

Both interpreters were useful that night.

You are important. I am important, but the show will go on without either of us.

Let's get to work.

"...Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! " Philippians 1:18

Lord, use us, but let our motives be true and our hearts right before you.

Not a Luxury.

Every once in a while, I see a post from the Jesus Calling devotional in my Facebook news feed. Usually when I do, it's a post that I really need at that time.

The post I saw yesterday was no exception. My main take away was that time alone with Jesus, in His Word, is not a luxury. 

God used this post to show me that I like to treat spending time with the Lord as a luxury. I love it when I wake up hours before my son and have that time to sit in a quiet house. I love to carefully clear my mind, disregard my schedule, and sit before the Lord for however long I can. I love to chew on scripture as I gently sip on my smoothie or protein shake. 

And that's cool. 

The problem is that sometimes, I am exhausted and I don't quite get up early enough. Sometimes I don't have quiet time alone, and sometimes I forfeit my smoothie to grab a handful of chips on my way off to an errand. This isn't to complain or to even say that any of this is wrong.

It's just that I tend to believe that if I don't have those luxurious moments alone, then I don't have time to spend with the Lord. I start seeking this elusive time alone in the house where everything is perfect that I forget to seek the Lord while in the thick of it. Ironically, that's usually when I need Him the most.

The enemy would have it no other way. The enemy wants me to get flustered and distracted; unplugged from my life source.

Time with the Lord is not a luxury, but it's a necessity.

He is my strength. 

He is my life. 

He is my direction. 

He is my salvation. 

So this morning, when I overslept again (this time because I failed to put on my alarm. lesson learned.)  I took a few moments while cuddling with my boy to pull out my devotional. As I served my son breakfast, I prayed. I didn't do it do get it done. I didn't do it to check off something on a spiritual checklist. I did it because I know I need the Lord. I did it to seek His face and set my eyes on Him. For everything else, I'll trust Him. 

Intimacy with our Lord and Savior is not a luxury friends, we need Him. 

 Psalm 91 

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High 
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
2 This I declare about the Lord: 
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; 
he is my God, and I trust him. 
3 For he will rescue you from every trap 
and protect you from deadly disease. 
4 He will cover you with his feathers. 
He will shelter you with his wings. 
His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, 
nor the arrow that flies in the day. 
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, 
nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 
7 Though a thousand fall at your side, 
though ten thousand are dying around you, 
these evils will not touch you. 

No Women ('s Conference). No cry.

About a week ago, I learned about an upcoming conference in Orlando that seems absolutely amazing to attend. I want (ed) to go. It's an expensive conference in relation to our income and expenses. If I had found out about it much sooner, I may have been able to find a way to save for it. 

Maybe. 

I wouldn't know for sure though because I didn't. 

Anyhow, 

I got all gung-ho about creating a last ditch effort. I'm a natural dreamer, and I put myself out there to see what would happen. 

So, I started a booster campaign. 

Let's rewind a bit, I stayed up very late one night when I was already quite sleep deprived to start a booster campaign. Then exhausted as I was, and though there were other things going on in my personal life, I proceeded to work my butt off while trying so hard to do this project "just in case it might work". 

That's when it dawned on me. 

I don't have enough space in my life right now to throw myself into projects that aren't designed for me. I just don't. Don't get me wrong. I can do more than my exhaustion often tells me to do, but I can do not one more thing than what God has given me the strength to do. I just can't. 

So, my booster campaign is going bye-bye along with my hopes to get to the conference this year. I'll research next year's conference, and try to attend that one if I can. For now, I have much to do and enjoy, to spin my wheels mercilessly on things that aren't for me. 

Time to focus my works on the things that God has predestined for me to do, through His sweet grace of course. He'll make a way for me there. 

He already has. 

In the words of the late Bob Marley,

"Everything's gonna be all right!

Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, yeah!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right-a!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, yeah!
Everything's gonna be all right!"

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

I likey.

There's something about being a (semi) new mom and thirty something years old that has sent this mama into a bit of an identity crisis.

I am a quirky chick, and I have always been despite my bestest efforts. Let me explain. I am a stay at home mom, so quickly I studied that role. What does a stay at home mom wear? do? How does she talk about motherhood? How does she deal with rainy days and cooking dinner? And then I set out to imitate it.

Don't get me wrong. It's always good to find tips that are relevant to something new, but I was searching for more than tips. I was searching for identity and a means to fit in.

Yup, at thirty-something.

Then about a week ago, I went to a Christian Spoken Word event, and I was all like, "Yeaaaaaaa, THIS is me." Because it was. I was the woman plotting and planning Christian Spoken Word and Hip Hop events, along with drama, missions, and other stuff. It's the stuff that kept me up all night long, but oh-so happy and satisfied. I don't know about ya'll, but there's this assurance and joy that I feel when I know that I am being used of God in carrying out a certain plan or project that just makes me feel so alive.

So, I came home invigorated and reminded of some of the passions and giftings that God has equipped me with that I have been ignoring for the sake of trying to fit into a mold that I was never meant to fit into.

Then I settled into bitterness and frustration. If THAT was me, then my life here certainly wasn't. Instead of staying up until 3am planning things and rehearsing lines, I have other God projects to do like taking care of my teething son (Molars. Need I say more?!)

Here's the thing.

There's still so much assurance and joy in being used of God, even if it is in a different way than before, because our God is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever. But the yuckyness and frustration comes when I start comparing God's plan for me to God's plan for someone else or even to my plan for myself. His way is higher. His plan IS better, but it's always going to demand patience and faith. Think about Abraham and Sarah in the Bible. He has also given us promises to assure our anxious hearts. The desires He has placed in us, He will fulfill.

He will. There's no doubt about it.

So, my job is to stay the course and be faithful in my relationship with Jesus Christ along with what He has called me to do, right now.

Have ya'll seen Runaway Bride?

Do you know that scene of the movie where Julia Roberts' character realizes that she doesn't even know what type of eggs she likes because it changes depending on what type of eggs her fiance at the time likes? When she finally decides to stay single for awhile, she invests time figuring out what type of eggs she likes. She starts reigning in her passion and honing her skills accordingly.

That's me.

That's the season where God has me.

Last weekend, I also did a little shopping. Needing some shoes I entered into the shoe store and tried on a whole bunch of shoes. Some I tried on because "I used to love to where those type of shoes" and some because "Those are great shoes for a stay at home mom". However, I left with nothing, and I am proud of that. There was not one pair of shoes that I could say that I actually liked. Then we went to another store, and a hot little number caught my eye. It wasn't really anything that I would have gravitated to in the past, and it was different from what I wear now. But I liked it.

I tried it on and the fit was fabulous. I know that it's not an outfit that makes me beautiful, but I felt beautiful in it. It accentuated all of my assets. It didn't cover my problem areas in shame, but somehow it flattered those areas too. And the color. The color was bright, but surprisingly spectacular. I definitely left the store with it. Yes, it was different, but that's not why I chose it.

It fit me in more ways than one.

"I likey," I thought to myself.

There's hope for me yet.

Thunder Struck. The Power Went Out.

Yesterday was one of those days that was just plain weird for me. The little one had chewed on my cell phone and in my husband's words, my phone was "spitting out z's" anytime I tried to type or dial anything. My wifi was acting spotty. And as if I wasn't already knee deep back in the technology of the 80's, the little one also got a hold of our remote, and therefore I couldn't effortlessly flip through the thousands of cable channels to find something to watch.  (Don't judge my parenting skills, okay? Those molars are coming in, and it's cuh-razy around these parts right now, but I digress.)

Deep down inside I knew. God was wanting some alone time with me, and I was running away from it. 

I proceeded through my day, and right as dinner had finished cooking; thunder struck. The power went out. 

The little one wasn't scared, but I began to bustle around. 

I needed to know if there were any severe weather alerts out, but my wonky cell phone now had a dead battery so there was nothing I could even attempt to do. 

We managed to get through it. I won't bother you with the play-by-play because it's irrelevant. 

This is what I really want you to know. As the little one was going off to sleep in daddy's arms; I did what I should have done hours before. 

I surrendered. 

I spent some time in prayer before the Lord. It wasn't a rushed and half-hearted prayer. It was a this-is-what-is-going-on-at-this-very-moment-and-I-am-not-doing-another-thing-before-I-submit-my-good-bad-and-ugly-before-you type of prayer. So, yeah, it wasn't very eloquent, but it was me; and therefore it was beautiful to my Father. I read and chewed on The Word of God, allowing it to challenge me and change me like it longs to do. 

I had been so worried with all that I needed to get done, wanted to do, and with bashing myself over things that I failed to get done that I forgot about staying plugged into my life source, Jesus Christ. He desires a relationship with us, and He is not intimidated by our messes. He loves us like no other, forgives us, and yes; He will even use thunder to get our attention. 

It's wooing at it's best.