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Have you ever thought about how willing Mary must have been? She was willing to risk everything, her reputation, her engagement, her family, her name…simply because an angel told her she would give birth. The entire city would look down on her; also, the threat of being stoned for not staying faithful to Joseph was a possibility too.

I wonder what would happen if we were that willing. Would you be willing to risk everything you had to do something you knew God had planned for you, knowing it might cost you everything? I’m not sure I would have been willing.

“Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed.” Luke 1:48

And I’m pretty confident that this would not have been my immediate praise to God after he told me I was going to bring His Son into this world, knowing everything I had planned and built for my life could disappear with this news.
She had some faith.

By My Good friend Mandy McKeown

She lives on my shelf, in a sheltered glass ball.

Her balance is perfect – she will never fall.

Her arms are extended, yet gracefully curved.

Her footing is sure, she can’t be unnerved.

Her posture is perfect and sings out with grace.

Her dress is not rumpled, her hair is in place.

In unending circles she dances around.

She never gets weary, although she runs down.

There’s beauty expressed on her elegant face.

But her features are frozen and hardened in place.

Her eyes are expressive and yet she can’t feel.

She’s perfect, oh yes, but – she isn’t real.

Yes, sometimes I stumble, sometimes I fall.

But I am not trapped in a watery ball.

Perhaps my hair never stays in a bun,

But I am free to sing and I am free to run.

I don’t possess that smooth, ivory skin,

that willowy figure or uplifted chin.

Perhaps I don’t carry her charm or her class,

But my life is more than just water or glass.

For I have emotions and talents to give,

a reason to dance and a reason to live.

I may not be as graceful or as pretty as she,

But I have a Savior who is caring for me.

I could try to be perfect, but I’d rather be real.

By Brittany Nichols age 12

]]> http://vinceparker.com/water-globe-dancer/feed/ 1 http://vinceparker.com/back-to-work/ http://vinceparker.com/back-to-work/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:01:42 +0000 Guest http://vinceparker.com/?p=843 Work – it piles up. It takes time. It sucks! I hate it…all phrases we have heard before. Work is a four-letter word to some and yet for most it’s a huge part of life. Work to pay bills. Work to stay busy. Work to keep from having to do more work. Life is full of work.

I wonder what are we working  towards? What are we striving so hard for? In 1 Corinthians 9:25 Paul explains what we should be working towards “Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever” There are all kinds things to work for. Let us be reminded to put our effort in working towards those things that last.

Thanks to Paul Ellis for this great post.

The great thing about faith like that is it’s contagious; the bad thing is it rarely transfers to our faith in God. I honestly believe if we cared for our lives like we do our “boys” or our “team” winning another game; we would have faith that is unshakable. God would honor our faithfulness, just like wearing that old jersey makes your team win and the other one lose (don’t wash it that thing till we do lose either). I am praying that my Friday night faith carries over week in and week out. Will you join me??

Thanks to Paul Ellis for the post!

Recently, I read Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love, we talked about living each day as it was your last, a hard concept for most people, especially people as young as me. I don’t really want to think about today being my last day here on earth. There are so many things I can’t wait to do! Slowly our conversation turned to “What would you like to be remembered by?”

“His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:13-15

I certainly don’t want all the things I focused my time on to be burnt by the fire. I want to focus my time on things that will matter in eternity. At the age of 19, I have a decision to make. Do I want to be known for the things I have achieved in my life (which is what I’m known for now) or do I want to be known for how I loved others? Or served? Or lived sacrificially? After much thought (believe it or not, it was a hard decision) I’ve decided I’d like to be known for loving Jesus with everything in me. My greatest dream is for me to radiate Christ so much that without speaking a word, people identify that I had “been with Jesus”. Now this will take a lot of work. It’s a different way of thinking. I’m driven by my achievements. But Christ has called me to love him and seek after His ways.

By the time I go to meet Jesus and worship at his feet, I want people to say…

“Mandy, that girl who loved Jesus with all she had.”

“Mandy, that one girl who always had time to sit and listen.”

“Mandy? Is that the girl who gave all she was?”

I want people to know I love Jesus by my actions, not by what I speak.

What about you? What do you want to be known for?

By Mandy McKeown

Judgment destroys love. How do I know? When I was 15 yrs. old, I had a family member tell me and my brother that we were going to hell because of the music we listened to. At the time, I listened to rock music and some hard rock. We argued back and said that it wasn’t about the music we listened to but about what was in our hearts, but still the judgment stood. We were going to hell if we didn’t turn from our devil music. As a troubled 15 yr. old, I equated this judgment with God’s love and if one of his people could honestly say that I was going to hell then I didn’t want any part of God or his son Jesus. For about 16 yrs anytime someone mentioned the name Jesus around me it was like acid in my stomach. You see, for 16 years, I couldn’t cuss him or praise him. I couldn’t say his name at all. Anytime one of my family members would tell me I NEEDED to be in church, I got physically ill and my stomach would tie up in knots and I would honestly feel like I was going to throw up.

When we judge one another, we destroy everything that God is trying to do in someone’s life. When you look at a kid and judge them based on how they look or what they listen to, you could be destroying them. We need to remember that we don’t know what is going on inside someone. We don’t know what they are going through privately. They could be dealing with a violent, alcoholic parent. They could be dealing with poverty and judgments from kids at school because they don’t have the right clothes. Maybe they are suicidal and the only thing that they are holding onto is the hope that someone will see past the way they look or what they are listening to and simply love them.  You see, it is speaks volumes look past the exterior and you reach out to them and accept them for who they are (good or bad) – just as God reached out and accepted you. We are called to build up and edify each other, not to judge one another.  We have to allow God’s voice of love and acceptance to be louder than the hurt, pain, rejection, and abandonment many feel. Satan is telling our kids and the hurting adults in this world that they don’t deserve love, that they aren’t good enough for love, that they will never be accepted by God because they have done too many things wrong – judgment and criticism are the tools that satan uses to continue to tear them down and drive them further and further from the God that loves them. Our judgment only reinforces the lies that satan is yelling in their ears.  Love conquers shame. Love conquers rejection. LOVE CONQUERS ALL. It’s not just any love, but the unconditional love of our heavenly Father that conquers fear, rejection, and solitude, and brings victory. We must allow ourselves to be the bearers of God’s love!

Jesus didn’t die on the cross for the ones who “have it all together”, but for the lost and hurting.  So don’t judge just love – because unconditional love saves lives!

Thank you Rebecca for sharing.

I spoke with a friend on a subject that I feel best summarized what the trek is truly all about. My friend’s name is Stephen Mclean and he was telling me about an upcoming appointment. He was going to meet with a gent who’s purpose and passion is to see companies and individuals go from “good” to “great”. I immediately wanted to desperately sit in on this meeting. I imagined most of us would!

I found myself thinking about greatness and the equivalents thereof. I imagined figures and their “great” contributions to the record and history books! People such as Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Babe Ruth, Leonardo Da Vinci, Serena Williams, Paul Rodriguez just to name a few. All these people found out what they were great at! This is the “marvel”. I know that to be true because that’s what we do with great people or great accomplishments we marvel at them. We sit and wonder and we hope and pray that we, too, will hit our stride on the trek and move into greatness as well.

We should all be seeking to be great. God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 12:2 and says to him how he will take an ordinary man, and change him into an extraordinary man…(I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.)

See, even God desires to see that you become a man or woman who will be great. He wants to move you into a place of great influence. Just like the great men and women of the past that we marvel at…. we, too, should spark a little marvel and effectively embrace the greatness we are called to.

Be blessed and know God wants you to be GREAT at your passion. He designed you to fulfill your dreams !!!

By Paul Ellis

Have you ever thought about what the branches of a tree look like and how different each tree is underneath all those leaves? Each tree, just like you and me, are very different. With all their leaves they kinda look the same, but when you strip them down to the core, it is very apparent that no two trees are exactly the same…. Just like us. Like us, what they have gone through while growing helps to shape the branches underneath. Each person is shaped differently because of their life events. Two people can be raised in the exact same environment, but come out of it very different.  Just as two trees can grow in the same orchard but look very different underneath.  Just because they are different underneath, does not mean that they cannot bear the same fruit.  If they are both apple trees then they will both bear apples, no matter what their branches look like. Our underneath (our lives, our pasts, our environments, & our experiences – good or bad), all look different, but when we grow in Christ, we should all be bearing the same fruit…. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control. (Gal. 5:22)

What we face in life shapes us from the inside out.  Circumstances mold us, events shape us, tragedies come and go, and yet, God asks us to all bear the same fruit -the fruit of the spirit. When we give ourselves to the Lord we are asked to start bearing these fruits. So many times, as Christians, we use the circumstances of our past as an excuse to keep us from bearing the proper fruit. Instead we allow ourselves to bear the wrong fruit (sexual immorality, impurity & debauchery, idolatry & witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like – Gal 5:19). We allow ourselves to still be chained to the past then we don’t start producing the fruit that comes with allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. The events of our lives have shaped us into who we were before Christ, but the Holy Spirit wants to shape us into the new creatures we are in Christ.

I can no longer allow my past to dictate who I am in Christ. I must allow the Holy Spirit to guide me and help me to bear the fruit that comes from renewing my mind & following Christ.  Only then will my apple tree look like an apple to tree to those who can’t see my branches underneath. I want the light of the Lord to shine through me, just as the sunset shines through the branches of the trees in winter. When you strip off all the layers and see all my branches, I want you to see one thing…. Jesus.

How about you? Are you allowing your past to dictate the fruit on your tree?

Thank you to Rebecca Good for sharing!

I have always heard the message of Christ and yet hearing is seeing, and seeing isn’t living.  Let’s face it I didn’t care at the time! I was wild and promiscuous at a young age. I slept with girls, drank beer, and did drugs from the time I was 14 till I was 22 or so. I still went to church but only to see what girl would be there and to size them up! I didn’t care about God. I cared about sex… I cared about being in control of my life, not surrendering my life to a savior. I was like the church. Or was I like the world? I don’t know but I thought I was happy.

You see, we have this misconception and think people in the church can’t get real. Well I will get real. I liked to drink. I liked girls and they liked me. I liked drugs. Weed, cocaine, pills…whatever felt good I wanted to do it. I needed something hardcore because I dealt with unfulfillment. I dealt with pressure, with parents separating, fake friends, and people who turned their back when I failed! I dealt with it all!!!

I had to take the focus off of being the person who dealt with it. I needed to break myself of being alone. I didn’t know how till God gripped my heart. He made me be alone with Him in a hot dry place (aka a desert). I had a desert in my life. I wondered it for years like the Israelites leaving Cairo. God had me though. I didn’t do a lot in that desert except cry out where the #@?! are you!?!?  Why won’t you let me go to sleep and not wake up?? I stopped crying one day and I started searching. I felt like I wanted to rise above where I was, but how? I did not know nor did I make any real attempts. I knew my hurt was real and I began to see self-inflicted pain. Oh, how I wished I could go back and undo the hurt.  I knew as much hurt as I felt, I probably caused fifty times that hurt. I wanted to die and cursed the fact that I ever woke up on those days! But I was drawn to the Bible and a specific passage. It was Luke 22:31-32.

Luke 22: 31-3 says “31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

It called out to me! I began to wonder could I lay myself aside and really pursue Christ? I decided to do something. It initially came in small doses. Little by little, I would pray sometimes and then still go out right afterwards! I was still in the world and the world was still world in me. But now, at least, I was talking to God on a regular basis. Christ was gently remodeling the house. The outside was still the same but He was making it His house again after I ransacked it! Christ started to build the interior from scratch – scrapping the infected materials that I left to fester. God made a new place in me then told me to take that same exterior and parade it around and let the light on the inside out! Hahaha I thought! Yeah right! People will laugh at me! They will say you’re full of sugar honey iced tea. God didn’t care what they thought and he wanted me to not care either! I wanted to stop caring about the world…but Christ said to me plainly…I died for that world!! Then in that moment I realized unless I take that message and live it…truly live it, I would never be satisfied with my life and the mission that Christ called me to!

I am not perfect! I only live to die more every day so others may see the living Christ. That’s what I wanted to say this whole time and I had to get messy and real and let the doors be open. Know that Christians aren’t perfect yet we are human! I won’t speak for others. I will however invite you to connect with me. I’m on twitter @thepaulellis. Send me a DM and I will connect with you personally to let you know that real people are Christians…and real Christians are people!