Who are you fighting?

Let's be honest: fighting with your parents and siblings probably isn't a foreign affair. In fact, if you're anything like me, sometimes the battles (no matter how small) tend to occur on a regular basis. And try as you might, you just don't hold your tongue like you know you should. Nor do you practice patience, extend grace, or forgive freely. In reality, even the most insignificant little tiff can create a real bump in the road, that turns into a thorn in your side, and a grudge against the other person.

All too often I find myself brewing for hours after even a minor clash. I dread the next interaction and hope that things will just naturally resolve so that I don't have to humble myself and admit my wrongs. However, as I've been processing some personal disagreements in my own recent history, God has brought to mind a couple of key truths. So, I thought I'd share them with you.

First, it's my responsibility to show kindness, mercy, and-yes, even this-forgiveness to those that I perceive as being wrong.

Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Secondly, I need to remember who I'm fighting. My dad, mom, sister, best friend, co-worker, teacher, etc, is NOT the enemy. Satan is the enemy. And he wants to use those closest to us in even the smallest way to get a foot-hold in our lives.

Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

I've got to remember these truths as I seek to follow Christ and be a better me. Forgiveness has got to be a priority, even in my deepest hurts and most intense irritations. And I've got to remember that my loved ones are NOT the enemy. Remembering that truth and letting it saturate in my heart helps me extend grace and offer forgiveness.

How about you? Who are you fighting? Are you making forgiveness an active part of your life and relationships?

"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:10-11

Strap on your armor, sister, and fight hard--but don't knock-out your teammates in the process.

some thoughts on rest

...And now, please welcome to the stage, our first ever guest-blogger,

Miss Emilee Garrison...

[...and the crowd goes wild]

Rest.

“Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

–Matthew 11:28

Busy, busy, busy.

Those are the words that describe my life right now. There is constantly somewhere I need to be, or someone I’m supposed to be talking to. So many times I find myself caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that I forget about God. Not forget like, “God? Oh yeah…I remember Him,” but more in a way where He isn’t always my top priority.

DNOW speaker Sam Bhatt talked about being a half-hearted Christian and the effect that has on the Christian community. If you were at DNOW, you got a book with thirty-four devotions included in it. These devotions are intense. Not just because of the content, but because of the challenge to pick up that book every day. There have been days where I’ve thought “Oh…I need to do my devotion today. I’ll do it later.” Guess what? It didn’t get done. There were also days when it was easier to remember.

Sometimes it’s hard to make God your top priority. But He is always there. He never leaves. And when we are stressed out about school or boys or that pimple that popped up right before prom, He is always willing to listen. More than that, He is willing to give you relief.

“Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

Read that again. He says come ALL who are weary and burdened. That includes you.

He will give you rest.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Do you ever feel like your life is limited to these infamous shampoo bottle instructions?

See if you can identify with this:

It's Monday morning. The dreaded alarm. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. A quick shower, maybe a few wisps of mascara, breakfast on the go, and you're out the door

for school. Somehow you feel behind even before your day has fully started. It's a typical Monday; boring classes, dramatic friends, too much homework, and a coach/boss that apparently feels the need to release his weekend stress on you at practice/work. Then it's home for a less than ideal family dinner before you plop on the floor, TV in full view, to start your homework. Maybe there's time for a quick fb chat, phone convo, a brief catch-up on the favorite shows and celebs, but then it's homework til bedtime. And before you know it, you find yourself waking up to that same dreaded alarm, only to smack the snooze another couple of times. It's time to do it all over again.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

The temptation to get caught up in the monotony of the same cycle seduces us almost bewitchingly. Usually it takes some time before the boredom of my routine smacks me in the face. The challenge, though, is to not neglect the beauty, the adventure in the every day.

Our Creator knows every day forward and backward; every opportunity, every temptation, every success, every failure. And He longs for us to pursue Him throughout the course of each. He delights in you.

Zephaniah 3:17 says, "For the Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight over you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

Stop, breathe, and listen. Soak in His love for you. . . just for a minute. Everything can wait.

Are you pursuing Him, even in the midst of your schedule? If not, what are some ways that you can pursue Him and delight in Him throughout your lather, rinse, and repeat? How about adding a fourth step into that process, a "soak" that allows you to basque in the fullness of your God? Mmmm.

Delight in Him today, lovelies, and be blessed by His love for you.

Love you!

Jessie

New Beginnings

So I realize that we are over a month into this new year already, so I'm a little tardy in posting about new beginnings...but better late than never, right? :o)

The truth is I've been wrestling a lot lately with what the Lord has for me this year. I've desperately wanted to set some goals and dreams for this year, but every time I go to write them out, I find myself at a loss. The truth is, I don't know what God wants to do in me this year!

Can you relate at all?

Usually I'm really diligent and articulate in laying out my plans for the new year, and I usually do that in the first week or so of January. (So cliche, I know, but isn't that the norm?) So far this year I've fought the battle of guilt and pressure for not having my aspirations for the next 12 (11 now) months clearly defined. It finally hit me though: maybe that's what God's up to right now--releasing me from the need to plan and execute my own plans for this year. Maybe, just maybe He's working on that little trust factor within me. Maybe He's saying, "Jess, you don't have to know what this year looks like. Let me lead you. Let me set your path. Trust ME."

And suddenly the pressure is off.... What a great relief!

So, let it be known that this year, I'm not setting any New Year's resolutions. I am, however, participating in a new beginning: a beginning of trusting and waiting upon the Lord.

Do you need a new beginning too? Will you join me?

Let these words encourage you:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Be blessed and be free of the pressure of planning out your year!

Love,

Jessie

GNO|GlowBowl Recap

rbcgirls rocked and glowed Friday night at GNO!

We had a ball! Here's a glimpse of our time together.

Make a scrapbook

I'm already excited for our next GNO time together!

Stay tuned for details! :)

Love,

Jessie

GNO Update!

I'm so excited that Girls' Night Out is this week and I've got an ever exciting update for you...

GNO| GlowBowl will be complete with BUMPERS for those who need 'em.

Let's face it: some of us just need a little more help with getting that ball down the lane (myself included)! There's no shame in that!

This will SO be me. :o)

Photo taken from: http://bowlcedarlanes.com/images/elements/KidBumperBowl-Photo.jpg

See you Friday at 6:30 at Lighthouse Lanes!

Don't forget your glow-in-the-dark gear!

If you have any questions or need more info, call/email me:

885.5275 or jstone@ridgecrestbaptist.org.

wait.

Monday mornings always begin with a staff-wide prayer gathering. I simultaneously love and not-so-love this.

Here's why I don't love it:

1. There's no wiggle room for tardiness. This is actually a good thing, I know. With my tendency to run ever so slightly behind the rest of the world combined with the lethargy that accompanies a Monday morning, chances are I would arrive late every Monday, were it not for the prayer gathering.

That said, the reasons I love the gathering vastly outnumber and outweigh the reasons I don't.

Here's why I LOVE it:

1. I get to join with the brothers and sisters with whom I serve as we bow before our Creator.

2. Connecting with the Lord and other believers is so energizing.

3. It starts my week off the right way.

4. I get to hear the burdens of other brothers and sisters and find out exactly how I can support them.

5. Inevitably, I walk away with some sort of insight that wasn't on my radar prior to gathering together.

6. I'm sure there are other reasons too, but that list will suffice for now.

Since today's a Monday, we gathered promptly at 9am in the Chapel for a few minutes together. Nate prayed today, and as he prayed, he quoted from Isaiah.

"...but they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

As many times as I've heard and read this verse, it struck me in a new way today, and it's haunted me ever since. It makes more sense to me than it ever has. Waiting on the Lord renews our strength because it frees us from having to plan, worry, and scheme. So often I find myself in the midst of trying to orchestrate things MY way. Inevitably, my plan fails every time. (And I'm thankful it does, by the way.) Then I'm left to deal with the broken pieces and the heartache and disappointment that accompanies them.

While waiting may seem like a passive move, it's really an active step of trust. Waiting, being still, hoping in Him, mandates the physical and tangible release of MY plans. As I let go and wait on His timing, His plan, His will, I am free to be and go as He sees fit. I'm free to be me the way the Lord intended me to be. And I'm relieved of the burden of trying to organize and orchestrate on my own.

Today I'm choosing to let go. I'm choosing to trust. I'm choosing to WAIT on the Lord.

What about you?