morning commute

for a lot of americans, the morning commute to work can be a dreaded monster. living in a big city like tampa, i could very easily fall into this category. but, i'm incredibly blessed to only be 8 minutes from my office. 8 minutes. it's unbelievable.

i love my morning commute not only because it's so short, but also because it's the perfect amount of time to get my heart ready for the day and belt my favorite song at the top of my lungs. after attending Passion 2011 in atlanta last January, the song "waiting here for you" by christy nockels has become my anthem. it's about 6 minutes and i get chills whenever i hear it. (sometimes i feel sorry for the people next to me at the stoplights on my commute because they must think i'm nuts. if they're lucky, they have their windows down and get to listen and sing along.)

below is the live video of christy leading "waiting here for you" in worship at Passion 2011. it takes 6 minutes to watch. and it's powerful.

may we truly be a generation, a nation, that is waiting for you Lord.

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

fountains

"i will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. i will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs."

-isaiah 41:18  

the Lord restores my soul. His love and mercy are new every morning. my life is in Him. without Him, i am dry and weary. in Him, i am full and alive.

below is a video slideshow of chris tomlin's "all my fountains" from the newest Passion album (Here For You). i'm reminded of the four days i spent in atlanta being filled by Him. wish i could go back right now...

"open the heavens, come Living Water. all my fountains are in You!!"





live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

what you carry

Louie Giglio gave the "send 'em out with their hair on fire" locker room talk as Joe refers to it in our Men at the Cross conferences. Louie challenged us big time on our last morning together. three hours until we would be headed in numerous directions. back to hundreds of campuses. to our jobs in various workplaces. to friends and family and strangers who don't know Christ. our focus?

what do we carry with us as we go forth?

the world is waiting to have their breath taken away. not by me. not by you. by Jesus. but how will they know unless you and i go?

but where?

go wherever your passions lead you, wherever your giftings lead you. it doesn't matter where. it only matters what you take with you. what do you carry to the world?

nike. kanakuk. big star. starbucks. apple. hallmark. tervis. gap. hp. kashi. carolina.

all of those are names. names that i display on a regular basis. all it took was a cursory glance around my room to see evidence of them. i carry the names of those companies and organizations to the world each day. and they're banking on me doing that. it's their livelihood. but none of them are the most important name i can carry forth.

Jesus.

in Acts 9:15, we see that Paul was God's chosen instrument to carry forth the name of Jesus. sadly, the word "Christian" doesn't mean "Jesus" to the world. we've stained it with our selfish desires. more often, it means "you don't like me and you disagree with me". the world needs the name of Jesus. not Christianity. carry forth the name that is above every name. Jesus. be a champion for His name. the world is literally dying to hear His name. they don't need the name of our culture. they need the name of Christ.

"and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (col 3:17)

go.

in the name of Jesus.

to the world.

wherever your passions and giftings lead you.

for His glory.

go.

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

the bottom

as Beth said in her first talk, "God will blow your mind". God used John Piper to do just that. He opened with this question...

Do you feel more loved by God because He makes much of you or because He enables you, through Christ, to make much of Him?

at the base of what makes me happy is who i am. feeling loved and being happy becuase God makes much of me is idolatry. i have to remove myself and place Christ at the base of what makes me happy. God is the source by which all other desires and delight come. new birth is having Christ at the bottom. i am a new creation (2 cor 5:17), so can i truly say that Christ is my base? is the deepest joy in my life making much of Him?

He loves me with the specific design that He be made much of. Piper highlighted six ways that God makes much of me...

1: by being pleased with me through Jesus
2: by making me a fellow heir with Jesus who inherits everything (rom 4:13, matt 5, 1 cor 3:21)
3: by having us sit at the table when Christ returns as if we are the master and He is the servant--He serves us!! (luke 12:37ff)
4: by appointing us to carry out the judgment of angels
5: by ascribing value to us and rejoicing over us as His treasured possession (matt 10:31, zeph 3:17)
6: by granting me to sit with Christ on His throne (rev 3:21)

to be frank, if you're in the "love to be made much of" camp, you're not born again. God loves me in such a way that makes Him my supreme treasure and it is a greater love than if He made me my own supreme treasure. or think of it this way. if i'm on the bottom as the base for what makes me happy, i bear all the weight. only God can bear the weight of all the joy i want to have. to see, enjoy, know, & show  Him is my life. endless Jesus.

"God loves you so much and you're so precious to Him that He will not let your preciousness become your god." -John Piper

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

Jesus is worthy

the second "breakout session" i chose to attend was David Platt. having recently read his book Radical, i was interested to hear him unpack it a little more. he brought the Word. passionately. the Spirit is in him. He is living for Jesus. for the Kingdom. advancing the Gospel.

David took us to Luke 9:57-62 and unpacked more of what it costs to follow Christ. what that looks like. why He's worth forsaking all others. he made three points...

1: Jesus is worthy of all my trust
Jesus isn't just the means to an end. He is the end. I come to Jesus to get Jesus. nothing else. i don't come to Him wanting peace, affirmation, health, security, answers, or anything else. i come to Jesus for Jesus. all the rest will come when i have Him. question: is Jesus enough for me or will i continue to come to Him seeking "stuff"?

2: Jesus is worthy of all my plans & dreams
God wants the gospel and His glory proclaimed to all people groups around the world. that's His will. i have to stop making it something else. make my life count for His glory instead of the things this world views as successful. my one purpose: advance the Kingdom of God.

3: Jesus is worthy of all my affections
following Him involves total and undivided affection.

"teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your Truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (psalm 86:11)

when you know God deeply, you love God truly and passionately. you find something (Someone) worth losing everything for! you forsake all others, in joy, to pursue Him.

"the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. when a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (matthew 13:44)

every day is a new opportunity to declare that Jesus is worth of my trust, plans, dreams, and affections. every decision i make reflects the condition of my heart and whether i truly believe He is worth it. whether i come to Jesus for Jesus or i come to Him for something else. if He is my supreme desire, i'll be satisfied with Him. i won't come asking for anything else. i won't come seeking peace, security, fame, stability, success, or anything else. i will come seeking Him. my appetite will be Him. Jesus.


live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

appetite

it's no secret that i love food. sometimes i joke that the only reason i work is so i can afford to eat. seriously, i love food. i mean, i'm sitting here typing while munching on Maui Onion chips. but that's not the appetite i'm referring to.

progress - responsibility - respect - win - love - acceptance - fame - recognition - things - to be envied - success - stability

all of those are appetites. appetites are what we desire. and our desires drive our decisions. our direction. our destination.

in his book, the principle of the path, Andy Stanley upacks this idea a little more. everyone is headed somewhere. we're all on a path. we're all headed somewhere. the question is whether you're headed there on purpose.

my desires feed my decisions, which in turn dictate my direction that land me in my destination. (feel free to re-read that).

going back to what Beth said in her "desires" talk, what am i fixated on? what's driving my desires? is it really the Lord? or is that cheap lip-service.

Andy made three points during his talk...

1: God created appetities and sin distorted them

2: appetities are never fully and finally satisfied

3: your appetites always whisper now and never later (we trade the ultimate for the immediate)

he highlighted the passage in genesis 25:30-34 where esau traded the ultimate for the immediate. he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. i hope it was good soup. tomato bisque, perhaps? he allowed his appetite to dictate his decision. and that decision determined his destination.

my desire is to live for the eternal. for the ultimate, not the immediate. for His glory. for His renown. for Him. Jesus. no one else. nothing else.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

live in a worthy manner

Francis Chan was next on the lineup. His words brought conviction. The Spirit spoke through him as he went straight to philippians 1.

"whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." (phil. 1:27a)

so, question: am i really living my life in light of the Gospel? in a manner worth of the God contained therein? if i am, then i should constantly be humbling myself by serving those around me. that's how Christ lived. but i don't. i selfishly focus on my needs. wondering what my next step will be. what tomorrow holds. how to get where i want to be.

next question: can people look at my life and tell that i believe in a literal Hell? do my actions fail to match my beliefs?

how much would i really have to hate someone to not share the Gospel with them?

think about it.

B

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

heart of my desire

part of the Passion conferences setup is the opportunity to choose from a number of "breakout sessions." for my first breakout, I chose to hear Beth Moore unpack more Scriptural Truth. she added to her comments on the mind by unpacking Psalm 37.  Beth is captivating and entertaining with her honesty and Texan sass, but what draws me to her is the way she radiates passion for the Word of God and the way His Truth is ingrained in her lifestyle. God uses her to step on my toes.

as she unpacked Psalm 37 and discussed the desires of our heart, the Lord was speaking loud and clear. each of the six points highlighted was one more swing of the hammer.

1: nothing dictates our lives like our desires
2: beneath the desire of our heart is the heart of our desire
3: delighting in God makes our truest desires inevitable
4: nothing external can steal our right to delight
5: to make room for delight, we've got to commit
6: patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight is not passive

desire: sustained longing unaffected by mood or circumstances

i walked away with a fresh perspective and a resolve to make pursuing Him my number one priority. i want Him to be the heart of my desire moreso than i want Him to give me the desires of my heart. ultimately, when He is the heart of my desire, i'll have the desires of my heart.

this takes root by me inviting and allowing the Holy Spirit to flood over me and bind my fears. God will never lead me into defeat, so as i look ahead at where i want to be in life and plan how to get there, i can take comfort. His Spirit will bind my fears and i will pursue Him above all else. He is the heart of my desires.

Bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

power of your mind

Beth Moore kicked off our first morning session and brought the Word. as i wrestle with what i want to do with my life and how i want to make it count, i fight the urge to pull the card that "i'm waiting for God to reveal His plan to me." there's an element of truth to that statement, but it also sounds like a lame and very passive excuse for fearful inactivity disguised as a hyper-spiritualized statement.

Beth took us to Romans 12 and highlighted the fact that it takes the renewing of the mind to know God's will.

"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." romans 12:2

whatever God has called me to do is more than i can do. i need Him. and i need a mind that is not fixated on what the world defines or values as successful. i must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 cor 10:5) and let no sin rule over me (psalm 119:133). to do what God has called me to do will take immense focus on Him. and Him alone.

"one thing i ask from the Lord, this only do i seek: that i may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."  psalm 27:4

seeking the Lord like this will require me to be still. to shut off all distractions and ponder Him. i have to think past the obvious amazement and treasure these things in my heart (luke 2:18-19). it's entirely possible for me to multi-task my way past what the Lord wants to say to me. and unfortunately, i'm a pro at this. multi-tasking. i even pride myself in it. it's healthy to some degree, but not when it prevents me from encountering my Savior. when my busyness hinders me from creating time to fill my mind with the Truth of Scripture and remember the Lord's faithfulness in my life, i'm wrong and i need to re-evaluate.

i've hit that point. and i'm determined to make changes in 2011. i'm setting boundaries and prioritizing time to fill my mind with His Truth. i want God to blow my mind.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

free and fully alive

that's how Louie Giglio greeted the 22,000+ of us in attendance on Saturday night January 1st. i listened to a podcast with this same title a month or so ago and was disturbed. the second time was no exception.

in this phase of life for me, i fall under the "fully alive" camp. i don't feel that i'm in bondage to anything. in Christ, i am more than a conqueror and have found freedom from the chains of habitual sin. i still sin, but i am not in bondage. i am free. just as the song says, "i am free to run, i am free to dance, i am free to live for [Him]." but i feel like every day i wake up and battle to be fully alive. i battle to eliminate desires for things that don't matter eternally. to make sure that what i do here on earth counts for what matters most...His glory.

Paul's very name is a testimony to the power of God and the process of becoming fully alive. it takes an encounter with the glory of God. without that encounter, i will never see the depth of my depravity in light of His holiness. and i will never be moved to pursue Him. Paul had this encounter, which is why he changed his driver's license from "Saul" to "Paul". He saw the glory of God.  He grew to embody the truth that circumstances have no power over the ability to be free and fully alive. circumstances do not limit God. man had no chains on Paul (philippians 1:21).

but it's a choice. and i make it every morning when i wake up. i must choose to live each day for His glory. and that means saying "no" to everything else. i choose to be His bondservant. to pursue Him above all else. that being said, i'm setting out to answer the following questions:

what do i want to go for? what do i want to be known for?

and, whatever that is, it must ultimately result in His glory....

Bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

isaiah 26:8

"yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."  -isaiah 26:8

that verse not only maintains a permanent residence on my windshield as a daily reminder, but it is also the vision for the Passion movement. i love having those words before me as i drive to work every morning, as i run my errands around town, and as i return home each night. it's a constant reminder to make sure my actions are always centered on echoing the name of Jesus to the world.

my four days in Atlanta for the Passion conference were a time for me to step back and evaulate the priorities in my life. to check my motives. to set goals and create a plan to get me where i want to be. your 20s are a very decisive time of life. for starters, you graduate from college, get your first job, and start thinking about things like budgeting, investing, marriage, building a career, and making the most of your time before "settling down". lots of maturing happens in your 20s. at least it has for me. and i'm only 4 years in. who knows what the next 5 or 6 hold?

over the next few posts, i'll share with you what impacted me the most as each speaker humbly brought the Truth of Scripture to our attention. i'm still processing through all the Lord is teaching me because a lot was unpacked in a short time. this makes me especially grateful for the Holy Spirit's work of guiding me into all Truth (john 16:13; 1 cor 12:9).

Bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

Passion prayers

Just checking in briefly from Atlanta. I'm blogging from my phone for the first time ever, so I hope it works and doesn't format weird or anything!!

I'm in Atlanta for the Passion 2011 conference as previously mentioned on here, and I want to use this time to reflect, absorb, and grow. So, with that being said, I'm off for the night but ask that you join me in prayer for the following:

1: humble hearts as we behold His glory & our filthiness in need of His grace
2: distractions to be eliminated
3: welcome the Spirit in our midst and ask God to show His glory in big ways
4: ask that we (all 22,000+ of us) may be a blessing to the city of Atlanta

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.