The Atmosphere is Changing

I sat in amazement.
One person among close to 20,000 people.

Worship leaders and worship teams.  
North Carolina to Australia.
Texas to California.
All coming together in Virginia Beach, VA.

The OutCry Tour

Two things were reiterated throughout the night...
We Are Louder When We Are Together AND Share Your Love!

One of the first songs started out with these words:
The atmosphere is changing now...for the Spirit of the Lord is here.
And you could feel it.  
I am telling you - there is something truly special about people coming together and worshiping as one.  
To me, it was like a glimpse of what Heaven will be.  

I think as a nation we have lost sight of this.
We have pushed others aside and the focus has become "me" instead of "we."  
Everyone is all about their own agenda. 
Or so it seems, anyways.
It's all about being first and doing more.
Meanwhile, the people right beside us are falling to piece, one by one.  

But The OutCry Tour served as a gentle reminder that "WE" is GREATER THAN "me."

As we entered the venue, each of us was gifted with a book from Pastor Brian Houston.  The first sentence of chapter 1 in Live. Love. Lead. - Your Best Is Yet To Come, says this:
When following Jesus, be careful what you dream.  Because you can rest assured that God will exceed the limits of your imagination if you're committed to advancing his kingdom.

And THAT got me excited!
Some people may think I'm crazy when I say that I hear God speaking to me.  And that's ok...I can't think of anything else I'd rather be made fun of than for serving God and wanting others to know that's what keeps me going every day.
And I do...I feel God speaking to me.
He has put much on my heart and I am determined to see it through.
To be a voice in our city.
To stand in the gap and pray.
Encouraging others that WE can start the change to making things better.
That the church can step up and help be a part of this change.
That instead of turning our back to the problems we are facing, we unite together and face them head on.
That we join together...regardless of age, color, and "religion." 
To stop dividing and start multiplying!
To keep sharing that We ARE Better Together!!!

The atmosphere is changing!!!
I want people to sense it like I do!

I want God to show up in our city.
I am expecting greater things!
Miracles CAN happen!!

Do you ever stop to just dream?
And let God fill you with a purpose and passion for something?
If not, I encourage you to do so...and then start praying about it!

Herds of Elephants

I was in a coworkers office this week when someone mentioned how they liked the elephants on her desk.  My coworker went on to tell us this: 

"Elephants travel in packs (groups) for protection from predators so when one of the elephants get tired, sick, or ill, they cannot lay down. Once they lay down when they are ill they cannot get up on their own quickly or the fellow elephants cannot just pick them up. Predators will sense one is down and will easily attack and kill them. Since the elephants have to keep moving then two elephants instinctively will take a place on each side and push against them to keep the sick tired elephant steady and moving. They walk together. The ill elephant has to keep moving and is able to with the help of his elephants. They do it together. And the ill elephant cannot give up and they have to keep walking."

It was a reminder that, like elephants, we are better together!
Life will throw all kinds of "stuff" at us.  We need people in our life who will keep us moving; people who will come in on both sides to keep us standing.

Sometimes, I think we will be on the outside, keeping others standing up.
But I can guarantee there will come a time when we will be the one needing the "herd" to keep us standing. 

And because once I started reading about elephants, I wanted to share some facts with you, taken from this site: 

• Like humans, elephants are capable of forming very special bonds with their friends and family members. These relationships start at the core of the herd, i.e. mother and calf. But, they radiate out, and there have been astounding reports of lifelong bonds between elephants that have transcended time and even distance apart.

• Elephants value their family structure, perhaps more so than many other animals. They are naturally outgoing, sociable animals and, as such, enjoy the interaction with fellow family- and herd members. Although structured, the herd is fluid enough to compensate for unforeseen circumstances.

• As social creatures, elephants will frequently touch one another in affectionate, loving ways. Joy is most often displayed when they greet close friends or family members. Herds sometimes split and larger families are separated, depending on the matriarch’s decision. This can be due to excessive numbers or shortages of food or water.

• When these herds meet at watering holes or breeding spots, they joyfully greet one another. This welcoming reception includes turning around in circles, holding their heads up, flapping their ears, trumpeting, screaming and even urinating and defecating. Elephants who have formed very close bonds with people are also likely to react in this way on seeing their companion after a separation.
• The herd of females, although maintaining close bonds among themselves, also interacts well with other herds, families, and clans. An average herd of immediate family will comprise of 5 to 15 adult elephants as well as immature males and females. As the herd grows, some members split to form new herds. In this way, families are divided and allowed to expand outwards. However, these members never forget their family roots and commit much time and effort to keeping track of their relatives through vocal and non-vocal communication.

• The elephant herd is led by the oldest and largest female cow known as the matriarch. She is usually the one who was the most closely related to the previous matriarch. The rest of the herd is made up of the matriarch's other daughters and their calves.  These ones gravitate naturally around the matriarch, making her quite simple to identify. She influences the herd more than any other group or individual.
• In a crisis, the herd will rely on her to make the major decisions as to their course of action. If this is not the case in a particular herd, it is likely that the personality of the matriarch or the genetic make-up of that herd plays a major part. Like humans, some elephants are born to be leaders. These are not always the matriarchs and the matriarch will need to establish her dominance with such ones. Successful leaders earn respect through their wisdom, confidence and connections with other elephants.

May we be reminded that we are better together...and to be thankful for our "herd."

Little Mama on a BIG mission

Sticky notes.
Or cardstock taped on my bathroom mirror.
This is my prayer system.

If there are certain things, specific people and situations that I want to make sure I am constantly praying for, it goes on my bathroom mirror.
I know, to some, that's strange, but it's just what I do!
I spend about 25 minutes in the morning drying/straightening my hair.
That's 25 minutes every morning I spend specifically praying for what's on those notes.

Most recently I have added our city to this list.  
Over 30,000 people live in Salisbury.
30.7% are living in poverty.
I read an article recently that stated Salisbury has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to communities of all sizes.  The crime rate is 71 per one thousand residents.  
A local news station posted a few weeks ago that in the year 2015, there were 100 overdoses reported at PRMC according to the Wicomico County Health Department.  And as alarming as that is, what's even more so is that just in the first three months of this year, 2016, there have already been 103 overdoses. 

We are better than this!!!

I know I'm not the only one who wants to see a change.  
I think it is more of people not knowing "where" to start - where to help.
Or maybe there are people helping but just in ways that aren't able to make a noticeable impact just yet.

This is where my heart is - I am believing for greater things for our city!
I am a little Mama on a BIG mission!
I believe there is power in community!
I believe there is power in prayer!
I believe our churches need to step up and be a united front for our communities!
There is a song we sing a lot at church and part of the chorus is:

Build Your Kingdom here

Let the darkness fear

Show Your Mighty hand

Heal our streets and land

Set Your church on fire

Win this nation back

Change the atmosphere

Build Your kingdom here

We pray

I believe that when we start to come together as one, and pray like this song says, we CAN change our city.  And I know, I know.  I am just one small voice.  But one small voice, joined with over 30,000 people CAN make a difference.  

If you aren't already, I encourage you to start praying for your city.
Pray that God will use YOU to be a part of the change that is needed in so many areas!
Let's do our little bit of good right where we are.  
Little bits of good put together can overwhelm the world!!!
We ARE Better Together!

Soul Sisters

This will probably always be one of my most favorite pictures.  It's of our youngest daughter, Tatum, and her BEST friend, Avery.  This post is dedicated to them - the soul sisters who continue to remind me that we CAN all get along...that we are better together!

These girls have the luxury of living in the same development.
I often think they spend more time together than apart...and when they have to part, it's an emotional process.  (Just keeping it real!)

I love how they love each other.
Now, don't get me wrong, like any 2nd graders, they don't always get along, but give them 5 minutes and they're best friends again!
They have each others back...and don't mind telling you.

Bike rides to Barbies.
Playing "school," fashion shows, rocking it out on the karaoke machine (not to forget the dance moves).
Arts and crafts, baking.
Trips to the bookstore, Dunkin Donuts, or even Poppa and Nana's.
Sleepovers.
It really doesn't matter what these girls are doing, they just enjoy being together.

Many times, I just plan on Avery being here or going with us wherever we're going - she really is a part of our family...and I know her mom feels the same about Tatum.
Do you know how good that feels as a mom?  

I remember the first time Tatum actually noticed that their skin color really wasn't the same.  She said, "You know, Mom...hers is just a little more brown than mine."  And I remember one time washing Tatum's hair and Avery was so into the process and said, "Tatum, I like your hair - it's different than mine, you do different things with it, but I like your hair."  I remember when they were first learning about Martin Luther King, Jr and his dream for everyone to get along and they would tell me, "You know, like how we are best friends and we're not the same color!"

You know there's a bible verse about that, 1 Samuel 16:7 ... "man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." 

Kids get it!!!  
It's natural for them to love another simply because.
I love that!
My prayer for them is that they always see each other's heart.
I pray they remain friends forever.

I tell Tatum all the time that they are going to be world changers!  That she and Avery are going to prove that "white girls" and "brown girls" being friends is the norm...that skin color isn't what defines them.  That Jesus has made them both the same on the inside and that we are ALL capable of LOVE! That we are better together!

It's time we start having the mindset of children and loving others simply because.

Now, I'm not so naive that I think this will be easy.  Loving people who aren't like us doesn't always come so natural like it does to children.  I watched an amazing movie this weekend, Woodlawn.  (If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it!)  I really liked this quote it shared - "If you only love people who love you back...what kind of love is that?" Jesus didn't call us to judge, He simply called us to love. He asks us to look at people and see them as He sees them - a child of His.  
White.
Black.
Asian.
Hispanic.
Handicapped.
Short.
Tall.
Fat. 
Thin.
Rich.
Poor.
Addict.
Gang member.
Doctor.
Lawyer.
Trashman.
Single parent.

Take a lesson from the soul sisters!
Take time today and really look at people.
Look past the outward appearance and look at their heart!
That's what Tatum and Avery do...and that's what Jesus wants us to do!

If you play only the white notes on a piano you get only sharps; if only the black keys you get flats; but if you play the two together you get harmony and beautiful music.  

- James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey

And because they are just too cute not to share...just "some" of the photos I have of these girls from the past few years:

It's All Good

You know there's things we say all the time that we don't realize we say all the time until someone points it out?!?

"It's All Good!" is for sure one of mine.  

And, now taking time to think about it, I say it even when I probably don't always mean it. You know what I'm talking about?  Those times when you're having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and someone comes along and asks "How's it going?" ... and you're probably very near a mental breakdown, but you force a smile and respond, "It's All Good."

Why do we do this?
Why do we have such a hard time being honest with others?
Or more so, letting others know we simply don't have it all together and tired of pretending we do.

Let me just put it out there - I am a wife, mother of 12 and 7 year old girls, full time IT Analyst AND my husband is a pastor.  I DO NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER!  More often than not, I'm asking God if He really thinks I'm even equipped for this journey!

But what I've also come to realize is that even though there are times I say "It's All Good" and forcing it, there's more times than not that I know I have my "people" I can turn to and say, "It's NOT All Good...can you pray for me?"

A reminder that We are Better Together!!!

Everyone needs people you can be real with.
We all need someone we can turn to and say, "You know what...it's not all good.  I'm struggling. I don't know what to do or where to begin..."

And here's the thing...these people you let in your "inner circle," they will love you regardless.  When you have exciting news and can't wait to share - they'll be there cheering you on!  When you come to them with the ugly Oprah cry and just don't know how you'll get thru your situation, they will open their arms and cry with you.

We need others in our life.  We ARE better together!
I don't think we're intended to go at life alone.
And I'm constantly being reminded that God puts people in our life when we need them the most.

We've recently started a small group...and these people, they have become our family.  The only real similarities we all share is that we attend the same church and we love Jesus. Other than that - we've all got different things going on in our lives.  But the beautiful thing about meeting together every week is that we're keeping each other accountable (or at least trying to).  We are there for each other...the good, the bad, the ugly.  The good times are always a blessing when you can share as a group...the bad, well, that's when we come together and simply stand in the gap and pray...And, the ugly, well, sometimes that's hard. Sometimes that means sharing things we don't want to. Sometimes that means being vulnerable and saying, "I need help."

But like the verse above says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  I like the Message version even better:

By yourself you’re unprotected.

With a friend you can face the worst.

Can you round up a third?

A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

Find people you can be real with.  
You don't need many; sometimes less is more.
Start with trying to find just two other people you can connect with.  
People you can be open and honest with.  
People who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but tell you what you need to hear. People who will encourage you when you need it.  
People who will pray for you!
People who will simply do life with you! 

And thank God for those people in your life.  And tell them you are thankful for them!  
I know, for me, it's because of them, more often that not, I CAN say, "It's ALL Good!"

Bringing them to Jesus

"We're really good at bringing people to church.  We need to be better at bringing them to Jesus."

My friend, B. Haley, shared this with us this past fall and those few words have fixed themselves on my heart.  And I think about it.  A lot.

And the more I get thinking about it, the more true it becomes to me.
We ARE really good at bringing people to church.  
And social media has made that even easier.
A quick text.  FB Message.  You don't even truly have to have a real face to face conversation with anyone to invite them to church.

I'm guilty of this myself.  Maybe you are, too.
And maybe it's working!  
Maybe people are showing up on Sunday morning because, whatever form of communication, you simply asked them to come!
And if so, that's fabulous!
We WANT people to come to church!!!

But what happens next?
Are we really bringing them to Jesus?
Are we following through?
Or, once we get them to church, we think "Well, now it's up to the Pastor to do his thing...and, I sure hope they sing some good songs today!"

What are we doing to bring people to Jesus?
How are we reaching out?
What next steps are we taking to make sure people who have never been to church before leave knowing it's more than just a Sunday morning thing.  
Or better yet - what if someone doesn't want to come to church?
Does that mean they will never come to Jesus?

Ummm...let me just go ahead and answer that.  
The answer is NO!!!

People don't have to be brought to church to be brought to Jesus!!!
I'll say it again, People don't have to be brought to church to be brought to Jesus!
Sometimes, and I think more often than not, we need to meet people right where they are.
And sometimes, that isn't very pretty.

We were at a meeting a few weeks ago when our pastor said something like, "If we're not being asked every once in a while why we're hanging out with " .....fill in the blank....." we need to check ourselves.  Because Jesus didn't come for the healthy, he came for the sick."  And He is so right.  Mark 2:17 reminds us, 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.”

How are we bringing people to Jesus?
Because I guarantee, once people come to Jesus, they will come to church.  
I don't think, and this is coming from a Pastor's wife, so I'm treading delicately here I know...that we need to be so concerned with getting people to church.  Because I truly believe, and I'm just being real here, that if we are truly reaching out to people who have no clue who Jesus is, get to know them and share our story with them...it won't be long before they come to Jesus.  And when people come to Jesus...they will most likely come and be involved in a church.

And maybe not "your" church.  
Your church may not be the best fit and that is ok!  
Just help them find one where they can get plugged in.

Maybe you're thinking it's just so much easier to invite someone to church.
Well, you are absolutely right.  I won't argue with you there.
Reaching out to people and sharing your story, which ultimately points to His story, isn't always a quick process.  It takes time.  It takes commitment.  Trust often needs to be built. Walls need to come down.  People need to see how much you love Jesus, or even better yet, how you show love to someone who is far from Jesus.

How are you living your life so that people see Jesus in you?

Think about that!

Do people see Jesus in you?
And if not, what can you do to change that?!?

Let's stop just bringing people to church and start bringing them to Jesus!

But I'm His Favorite...

My husband loves to wear this shirt...it says, JESUS LOVES YOU BUT I'M HIS FAVORITE!

When he chose to wear it to an outreach event for church, I inwardly groaned, "You have got to be kidding me!"

This man of mine!

But you know, the more I get thinking about it, I think we all wish we had a shirt like this to wear.

Because here's the deal - many us of aren't someone's favorite.
Many of us don't even know what it means to feel loved, much less, loved by Jesus.
Many of us want, desperately, to be someone's favorite.
And to be Jesus' favorite - well, it doesn't get any better than that!

Colossians 3:14 tells us - And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

[The definition of unity - the state of being united or joined as a whole, the number one]

LOVE binds us ALL together in perfect UNITY!!!

I think before some people are able to accept and understand that Jesus loves them, they need to see us showing love.  Mark 12:30-31 reminds us, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 

Loving your neighbor as yourself SHOULD be easy, right?  Because, for the majority of us, loving ourselves, taking care of ourselves, comes easy.

So where to start?  It's simple:

A smile.
Eye contact.
A hug.
Holding a door open.
Simply starting a conversation.
Making dinner for a friends family.
Paying it forward in a drive thru.
A note of encouragement.
A phone call.
Praying.
The list continues...

When people start seeing us love like Jesus does...and this is a quick reminder that Jesus loves ALL people...I think they will start to understand just how much Jesus loves them.  It will start to unite us, bring us together as ONE!

And when you feel loved by Jesus, you're going to feel like you're his favorite!

To Speak? Or Not To Speak? That Is ALWAYS The Question

You get out what you put in.

Don't you think?!?

Luke 6:45 reminds us,  "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

I have always liked writing more than I have speaking.  

I'll never forget having to present my first speech in Speech Class and just wishing I was my sister, Amy, who has never had a problem with talking...to anyone!

I'm just going to keep it real.

I have a small voice.

A very small voice.

And there have been times that my "voice" has caused me to be the center of attention, something I do not strive for.  [I'll save stories about this for another post]  But here's the deal...I can have everything lined up pretty in my head and "want" to say it - it just never comes out like I plan.

But I have this overwhelming part of me that loves to encourage others...so the battle wages within me at all times.

To Speak?  Or Not To Speak?  That Is ALWAYS The Question!!!

I have this magnetic wall of encouragement I started at work, shown below (please excuse the photo quality)...

I began a brand new position at PRMC, an EMR Application Analyst, in August of 2015...so the Wisconsin magnet serves as a reminder of ALL the traveling, training, AND certifications since that time.  The Maryland one, well, because that's where I'm from.  The rest serve as a reminder to show LOVE, to build others up, to make a difference, that we are ONE!

Because I'm confident that you get out what you put in!

Fill your heart and your head with GOOD things!

Instead of talking down and being negative about every.little.thing, SPEAK LIFE!

I'm not saying that every day life is going to be perfect.  I think there are times when many of us just wonder how we're going to make it through the day.  

But what does it look like when 1) we choose to speak life anyways or 2) better yet - have someone come along and speak life into our situations for us?  Someone who asks God to use them today and maybe we end up being the recipient...

What would it look like instead of giving someone a piece of your mind, you stopped long enough to take a breath, evaluate the situation, and can actually speak life into them?

Words!

Oh goodness, they can build us up or tear us down.  Kinda like Jenga blocks, right?!?  Block by block (word by word) we can build people up, BUT we have to remember that it only takes one wrong move (word) to bring the whole tower (person) down.  And let me just say, building people back up is no where near as easy as putting the Jenga tower back together again!

Fill your heart and your mind with GOOD things!

Read your Bible!  It's a really good book!

Pray!

Listen to Christian music!

Take a look at your friend circle - do you need to re-evaluate the people you hang out with?

Watch what you're watching!  You know...

I'm going to challenge you - find a way to speak life today...tomorrow...this coming week!

I love me some TobyMac and love the song, Speak Life...so much so that when someone starts talking down, I'll just burst out singing, "Speak Life, Speak Li-ife..."  Let these words soak in:

SPEAK LIFE

Some days, life feels perfect.
Other days it just ain't workin.
The good, the bad, the right, the wrong
And everything in between.

Though it's crazy, amazing
We can turn a heart with the words we say.
Mountains crumble with every syllable.
Hope can live or die

So speak Life, speak Life.
To the deadest darkest night.
Speak life, speak Life.
When the sun won't shine and you don't know why.
Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted;
Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope,
You speak love, you speak...
You speak Life, (oh oh oh oh oh oh) You speak Life. (oh oh oh oh oh oh)

Some days the tongue gets twisted;
Other days my thoughts just fall apart.
I do, I don't, I will, I won't,
It's like I'm drowning in the deep.

Well it's crazy to imagine,
Words from our lips as the arms of compassion,
Mountains crumble with every syllable.
Hope can live or die.

So speak Life, speak Life.
To the deadest darkest night.
Speak life, speak Life.
When the sun won't shine and you don't know why.
Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted;
Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope,
You speak love, you speak...
You speak Life, (oh oh oh oh oh oh) You speak Life. (oh oh oh oh oh oh)

Lift your head a little higher,
Spread the love like fire,
Hope will fall like rain,
When you speak life with the words you say.

Raise your thoughts a little higher,
Use your words to inspire,
Joy will fall like rain,
When you speak life with the things you say.

Lift your head a little higher,
Spread the love like fire,
Hope will fall like rain,
When you speak life with the words you say.

So speak Life, speak Life.
To the deadest darkest night.
Speak life, speak Life.
When the sun won't shine and you don't know why.
Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted;
Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope,
You speak love, you speak...
You speak Life, (oh oh oh oh oh oh) You speak Life. (oh oh oh oh oh oh)

You speak Life, (oh oh oh oh oh oh) You speak Life. (oh oh oh oh oh oh)

Some days life feels perfect