on repentance and COVID-19...

Every Spring, I study through Exodus. It's a rhythm that the Lord and I have found, and it proves to be so good every year. This year, with Easter, Passover, and COVID-19 all coinciding, it seemed especially timely. 

"Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ” 

- Exodus 6: 6 - 8 

The LORD will. There are seven "I will" statements in these three verses. He is declaring who He is and what He will do, despite the circumstances and doubt of His people. 

A few chapters before, He declares that He is the "I AM"; some scholars believe that this translates to "I will be to you all that I AM". And He proclaims that to the Israelites in this portion of Scripture. Right after this, in verse 9, the text tells us that the Israelite could not see past their "anguish of spirit and cruel bondage". And maybe that's where some of us are in this pandemic; we can't see God past the fear, the sickness, the pain, the bondage of being isolated. And I think that we need to repent. 

We must repent of our feelings of torture as idols and comforts are taken away from us. We must repent of the idle, unused time. We must repent of the shallow expectations that we have for the Almighty Jesus Christ in this season. We must repent of our displaced longings and desires. 

Many of us are asking, "How long, Oh LORD?" when instead maybe we should be asking "What do you require of us, Oh LORD?"

If a pandemic doesn't change our heart postures to repentance, shifting our focus, creating a desperation within us to seek Him above all things, then what will?

May we learn to not just seek Him, but be desperate for Him on behalf of ourselves and others during this time. He will be to us all that He says He will be; we can trust the Great I AM. 

a coffee date...

If we were on a coffee date, I would be drinking iced coffee with coconut milk and agave. We would sit at a hole in the wall coffee shop around the corner from my apartment that has string lights and chalkboard signs and the cutest everything.

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you about my car accident.

If we were on a coffee date, maybe we would talk about my Whole 25 (not 30, oops) journey and how I am actually teaching my body to love running. This is weird, like, I actually look forward to putting on my workout things, heading to the orange groves, and pushing myself to run. My body is starting to crave this and it is kind of awesome.

If we were on a coffee date, you would tell me about your marriage, your children, your plans for the summer, your heart and where it's at with the Lord right now.

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you about how God is faithful to keep cultivating things in my life. My personal theme this year has turned into a sort of "fruit of the Spirit" tilling, and I really like being aware of that work. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about writing and influence and about your voice, my voice. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about the safety and protection of others. We would talk about how we need to love our people, protect our people, and never apologize for it.

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I knocked a few books off of my reading list, but have so many more to go! I also keep adding to the list, so, cheers to that. (Currently, Wild and Free is in my purse!)

If we were on a coffee date, we would talk about the women in your life. The young ones, older ones, married ones, single ones, hard-to-love ones, generous ones, life-giving ones. 

If we were on a coffee date, I might introduce you to The Southern Shirt Company. 

If we were on a coffee date, we would walk away feeling refreshed, thankful for each other and for a good, good Father.

If we were on a coffee date, what would you need to talk about today?

on impatience and perseverance...

One thing that I have learned to be true about Jesus? He is not subtle. When Jesus wants you to do something or learn something, you know. And lately, I know.

At the beginning of this month, I read Annie Downs new book, "Looking for Lovely". I may or may not have finished it in two days and everyone needs it in their personal library. Please go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy right now. She speaks A LOT into the idea of what perseverance looks like in her life, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. She even got a tattoo (which is not happening for me because I am indecisive and hate all kinds of pain). 

This year, I studied through Acts with a group of women at my church. Paul and the early church knew what it meant to persevere in every sense of the word. 

Twenty one days ago, I started Whole 30 and running (again), which, enough said.

For the next few months, my church is making our way through 1 & 2 Thessalonians. This past Sunday, we were encouraged in the way of perseverance. 

Are all these things a coincidence? Absolutely not. Jesus is purposeful and intentional and answering big heart prayers. My theme this year is cultivate, and He is doing just that, building parts of my faith that I didn't really know existed, strengthening parts of it that already do. Perseverance seems grueling and exhausting; the connotation seems negative. We tell people to persevere when they are weak and hurt and amidst a trial, but what about persevering through normal things? Like maybe young motherhood, singleness, a mediocre job, financial problems, the last semester of high school, a transition in ministry, or cleaning your house after a long day of work? Is perseverance only reserved for the hard seasons in life? 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

...underneath the normal is the hum of God doing the unseen, 
and to see that, we must keep going.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Right now, my life is not hard. My money is spent on normal adult things, morning coffee, and the occasional adventure or new dress. My time is spent with people I love and who make me laugh and remind me of truth. My relationship with God is good and abundant. And still, there is this quiet whisper underneath all of these studies and sermons and seasons... "Keep going." Sometimes we need that for our everyday, run-of-the-mill lives because underneath the normal is the hum of God doing the unseen, and to see that, we must keep going (because I don't know about you, but I want to see that stuff, the stuff that Jesus is working on underneath it all).

Perseverance is good and necessary regardless of your season or status because it's a means of sanctification. He uses it to make us more like Him, to mold us into strong, loving, gracious, truthful people. Because we don't know what the middle of the story holds and we don't know how the story finishes, but we do know the God who does. We persevere because we know Him. 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The opposite of impatience is not patience, it is perseverance...

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And recently, my heart has been so impatient and full of questions and wonder. I sat in my chair a few weeks ago, letting the truth of Scripture wash over me, contemplating the lives of the early church, and it struck me... The opposite of patience is not impatience, it is perseverance. When I focus on being patient, I feel stuck and trapped, but when I focus on perseverance, I feel hopeful and aware of what God is teaching me. Patience is birthed out of places of frustration, perseverance is birthed out of places of focus. For me, patience is seen as the last straw, almost like a coping mechanism for when my personal desires are not met. Maybe the goal isn't to become patient, but to build up endurance, to persevere. 

God never calls us to begin, He calls us to finish and to finish well, and by His grace that is actually possible. Perseverance is good. For the student turning in their last assignment of the semester, perseverance is good. For the man who is waiting until marriage and fighting the temptation of pornography, perseverance is good. For the woman wanting a husband or babies or grand babies, perseverance is good. For the new mom who is washing milky bottles instead of washing her hair, perseverance is good. For the person who is interviewing for job after job and facing rejection, perseverance is good.

And so, we persevere, I persevere, because He who calls us is faithful and will give us the grace to endure and to finish. 

all the things: september...

September is the swan song of the Summer. It was a good month, but I am so ready to be in Fall (even though us Southern Californians only get about ten days of Fall per year). I will choose to wear my scarves because it is now October, don’t tell me how to live my life!

Here are all the things of September:

Fancy Fall Cups: I am in LOVE with these new cups at Starbucks. Forget the red cups, these are shiny and new and I really hope they keep them for the coming years! (Sidenote: I have yet to actually drink a beverage from one; every Starbucks I go to is OUT of the cups. No, I don’t know how that happens.)

Incourage: You guys, I posted on my social medias that this past month I submitted a piece to Incourage and I received an email that I have been chosen to be featured! Cue the screaming and happy dancing! God is so good, and I am thrilled and honored to be featured along with women like Annie Downs, Jen Hatmaker, Shauna Niequist, and Anne Voskamp. It’s super humbling and exciting! My post will be live on November 23, and trust me, it will be linked here and in all my social medias! Eeeek!

Friday Night Lights: Now that my girls are in high school, I am able to basically relive those four years with them. I have made a point to go to football games on Fridays with them, and let me tell you, it is so fun. I miss football, I miss cheering on the boys of Fall, I miss the colder weather and being wrapped up in jackets and blankets and team paraphernalia. Gosh, it’s just so fun. I love being able to share this season with my girls and relive high school a little bit.

Simply Tuesday: This book by Emily Freeman, you need it. Loving it, loving the idea of embracing the smallness!

Take Yourself Out of The Running: This post by Jessa Connolly completely wrecked me this month. Please go read this. It will do wonders for your soul.

Women’s Bible Study: This month we started Women’s Bible Study (WBS) and I am LOVING it. We worship, we study, we discuss. We are going through Acts this year and it is so needed. This past Wednesday especially; we talked about the crippled beggar outside the temple in chapter three, and my heart just about burst from truth and encouragement. I am already so thankful for these women and for the past month of Bible study with them.

                                                 How was your September?