Have you ever been to a broadway show or a football game or any sort of performance where the people you were watching seemed to be having so much fun that you couldn't help but want to get up and play or perform with them? Those are always the best kinds of shows - the players and dancers are shining with something contagious... makes me want to sing, or dance, or jump... stirs something in my heart - gets my adrenaline pumping.
For the past nine weeks i've been practicing with 49 other freshmen to perform an absolutely stellar show in front of hundreds of people. Nine weeks ago, the perfomance weekend seemed forever away - but now it's here and looking back, I can't believe it has already been that long! Everyday our directors tell us that our facials and our sharpness aren't in our muscle memory yet, so in order to do those things we have to think about them. With every practice our desire to win skyrockets... We want to be the best - we want to show everyone that we are the best; just as all the other teams want to.
Last night was our dress rehearsal in front of all the other teams. Before we took the stage my friend prayed over our performance - not asking for favor, but simply that we would have so much fun on that stage, that the crowd would be blown away by the light of Jesus shining through us. He prayed that we wouldn't be pretending with our giant smiles and big facials - but that through our performance the light of the Kingdom of God would be seen; it seems that would require great authenticity. It might require a change in heart for all of us.
don't get me wrong, our desire is still to win! But even more, we ask and we hope that through our ridiculous amount of energy, God will be glorified.
Think about if that was our souls desire, our hearts cry, in every single thing we did... What if in every day, in every office or classroom we step inside, in every phone call we answer, in every 5 o' clock traffick we get stuck in, every single person we come in contact with - what if our one desire was that the fire burning inside of us would be seen through our actions and our words - what if it became contagious... maybe the world would see us differently. Maybe they would catch the fire, and hearts would melt. Maybe bridges between people would be built in place of thick walls.
Isn't it interesting that the people who hated Jesus were the ones that were stuck on religion and rules and obsessed with the idea of catching Jesus doing something wrong? The tax collectors and the adulterers and the murderers and the prostitutes and the sick and the dying and the heart broken were all drawn to Jesus... They could tell there was something different about Him - they were attracted to the light that was inside of Him.
We were created in His image to do the things He did while He was here.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works that I have done, and even greater works..." John 14:12
It's absolutely crucial that we strip off the things that dim our lights - Light is the one thing that the darkness cannot overcome. The light transforms the darkness.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matt 5:14
Maybe letting our light shine in EVERY situation in every day isn't in our muscle memory yet - it requires us to think about the image that we are portraying to the world. We are representatives of the greatest phenomenon to ever walk the horizon of the earth... makes me step back, and think about what people see in me.
I pray that the people that I come in contact with will not see me, but Jesus inside of me. I pray that with every day, he is more and more visible inside me. I pray that the love of Jesus will overwhelm the hearts of the people I meet... I pray that His love inside me will surpass all the religious chaos out there - He is far greater. I pray all of these same things for you...
Let your light shine, He is so attractive inside of you!
10.28.2010
10.14.2010
Spare Change
What is it that you're asking God for today? What is it that you need?
As I live here in Norman, I find myself more and more blessed every single day. I stand in awe of the relationships that have already unfolded before me. Role models and mentors that I could have only dreamed of are now instantly standing beside me when I need any kind of support.
Growing up I learned the moto "It's not what you know, but who you know" real early. As I've gotten older, I've become a strong believer in the truth of that saying. If we set goals as high as the moon, but do not build relationships along the way, we will get no where. We were created for community, and we must stop and see the people that God has placed in our paths. Maybe that relationship doesnt have much of an effect on you... maybe you're being used to better someone else. Be aware of your surroundings, there is ALWAYS a new friend to meet, and it's only a matter of time.
Anyways, that was just a sidenote.
I've been talking to some of my girlfriends this week about what's going on in their school lives within the next few weeks... with midterms coming up, everyone is in a studying frenzy - always on their way to the Library. We've been talking about the worries that we each have when it comes to our grades - none of us being familiar with College yet, trying our hardest to get into the swing of things.
My mom would always tell me to "speak life" over things. Naturally, it's now the first thing that pops into my head.
God is so huge. I would hate to tell him that He's not smart enough for Zoology, or Chem, or Anthropology... I can only imagine what He would get on that test... :)
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish anything - or destroy it!" James 3:5
I have a friend that was taking Chem a couple years ago and He got a bad grade on one of his tests so he had been re-studying all of the material so he could retake the test that he failed... he forgot that he had a new test over the new material on the same day. As he ran out of his house his cousin yelled a quick prayer for him asking God to help him on the test, asking God for favor.
He got a 100% on the test that he had completely forgotten about.
Could you imagine what our world would look like if we asked God for whatever it was that we needed, and expected Him to move?
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?" - "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world."
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed and came back seeing! -John 9:1-7
Have you ever caught yourself asking God for spare change? - "Lord, please help me do okay on this test." "God, even just a little record deal will do." "Lord, help the doctors find a medicine that will heal me." Instead of "Lord, your word says that you came to give life and give it abundantly, I know that by your stripes I WAS healed. So I rebuke this sickness in the name of Jesus and send it straight to the pit of hell. I am Healed!"
What will it take for us to become a culture of need... When will we realize that we need a savior the same way the african people do, and the haitians? When will we stop believing God can do outrageous things, and start expecting Him to? Even satan believes, and shakes with fear. Our "faith" comes in when we expect God to heal us.
Too often we ask for spare change from God out of false humility. We miss opportunities when we ask for spare change. Don't you think God is waiting for a people who are waiting for Him to show off in and through them?
"I have appointed you for this very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth." Romans 9:17
I've heard it said before that "we want to see a miracle, but we don't want to be one" its time we let God use us how he wants to rock the face of North America. We are a continent that is desperate for something solid. Something that we can find Joy in...
Spare change will only get you so far. Start asking for what you need, expect God to take care of you, and watch Him at His finest.
We're waiting, God. Blow us away.
As I live here in Norman, I find myself more and more blessed every single day. I stand in awe of the relationships that have already unfolded before me. Role models and mentors that I could have only dreamed of are now instantly standing beside me when I need any kind of support.
Growing up I learned the moto "It's not what you know, but who you know" real early. As I've gotten older, I've become a strong believer in the truth of that saying. If we set goals as high as the moon, but do not build relationships along the way, we will get no where. We were created for community, and we must stop and see the people that God has placed in our paths. Maybe that relationship doesnt have much of an effect on you... maybe you're being used to better someone else. Be aware of your surroundings, there is ALWAYS a new friend to meet, and it's only a matter of time.
Anyways, that was just a sidenote.
I've been talking to some of my girlfriends this week about what's going on in their school lives within the next few weeks... with midterms coming up, everyone is in a studying frenzy - always on their way to the Library. We've been talking about the worries that we each have when it comes to our grades - none of us being familiar with College yet, trying our hardest to get into the swing of things.
My mom would always tell me to "speak life" over things. Naturally, it's now the first thing that pops into my head.
God is so huge. I would hate to tell him that He's not smart enough for Zoology, or Chem, or Anthropology... I can only imagine what He would get on that test... :)
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish anything - or destroy it!" James 3:5
I have a friend that was taking Chem a couple years ago and He got a bad grade on one of his tests so he had been re-studying all of the material so he could retake the test that he failed... he forgot that he had a new test over the new material on the same day. As he ran out of his house his cousin yelled a quick prayer for him asking God to help him on the test, asking God for favor.
He got a 100% on the test that he had completely forgotten about.
Could you imagine what our world would look like if we asked God for whatever it was that we needed, and expected Him to move?
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?" - "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world."
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed and came back seeing! -John 9:1-7
Have you ever caught yourself asking God for spare change? - "Lord, please help me do okay on this test." "God, even just a little record deal will do." "Lord, help the doctors find a medicine that will heal me." Instead of "Lord, your word says that you came to give life and give it abundantly, I know that by your stripes I WAS healed. So I rebuke this sickness in the name of Jesus and send it straight to the pit of hell. I am Healed!"
What will it take for us to become a culture of need... When will we realize that we need a savior the same way the african people do, and the haitians? When will we stop believing God can do outrageous things, and start expecting Him to? Even satan believes, and shakes with fear. Our "faith" comes in when we expect God to heal us.
Too often we ask for spare change from God out of false humility. We miss opportunities when we ask for spare change. Don't you think God is waiting for a people who are waiting for Him to show off in and through them?
"I have appointed you for this very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth." Romans 9:17
I've heard it said before that "we want to see a miracle, but we don't want to be one" its time we let God use us how he wants to rock the face of North America. We are a continent that is desperate for something solid. Something that we can find Joy in...
Spare change will only get you so far. Start asking for what you need, expect God to take care of you, and watch Him at His finest.
We're waiting, God. Blow us away.
10.11.2010
Sing!
Man, I've been sitting in my dorm watching this video over and over and over again, laughing hysterically to the point of tears. Her dad leaves a caption saying "What she lacks in tonal quality, she makes up in enthusiasm and volume".
I love the way her dad is so proud of her - when she gets a point in the song that she is so excited about she screams it with excitement and you can hear her dad laugh in the background.
He smiles and laughs with her. He marvels at how beautiful she is.
Watch it again. Notice the way her baby sister feeds off of her energy. Her joyful spirit is not only darling, but its now contagious.
It reminds me of the way my dad looks at me. He thinks i'm a goofball and a weirdo, but next to my mom he's my biggest fan. He laughs at the silly things i say and do... Reminding me that its okay to be a little different. He's proud to call me his, he claims me and protects me. He showers me with his love, reminding me that he isn't going anywhere. ever. Not even one day has come or gone where I have feared that my dad would leave me...
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
I can't even begin to imagine how much more Jesus looks at me and smiles... He radiates with joy.. over me! I bet when i sing for him, he laughs at my voice and obsesses over my enthusiasm...
If Jessica was singing without the volume or enthusiasm, she wouldn't be nearly as funny or as entertaining... but because she is so excited to sing for her dad, even when she messes up, she radiates joy. Her spirit is contagious.
Sing praises today. Be loud and excited and joyful! Jesus is so proud of you, He calls you His own... and He loves the way you sing.
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