Oprah's interviews of famous people always captivate me..I dvr all of them and watch them in some of my quick moments i have for myself.

just finished watching Oprah's interview of Lady Gaga...after watching such a beautiful, creative, dynamic, and thinking woman...I had a thought..well, i had lots of thoughts..but I will save one for this post.

Lady Gaga is talking about writing a song..each song/performance/idea is a 'journey' she has been through that she is trying to convey to the audience/the world..she is trying to get the world to believe the message..in this case, the message being we were each born the way we are for a purpose..we are each special, unique, lovely..hiding self is hiding purpose.  as Lady Gaga is talking about the song/idea "Born this Way", The Lord reached through the tv screen and applied something to my heart.  Gaga said, "I hit a nerve...you have to hit a nerve...if you don't hit a nerve, it won't erupt.  I am not interested in lukewarm.  I want to get you to be a part of this message that will change everything."

in some ways i am so harnessed (i say in some ways because i know lots of you know me and know lots of ways that i am not harnessed..)..example: my ear is listening as a dear friend is sharing treasures of her life..snapshots of what her life entails behind closed doors... snippets of lies she told, things she loves, things she wants, hate she harbors..i see quick glimpses of what is real in her world. in every instance where what is real plays peak-a-boo with what is presented, i quickly have a choice...address what is real or believe what is presented.  Gaga said, "I hit a nerve...you have to hit a nerve...if you don't hit a nerve, it won't erupt.  I am not interested in lukewarm.  I want to get you to be a part of this message that will change everything." eruption..that is what Christ desires.  as i choose not to believe only what is presented, and I talk about/address what is real...hitting a nerve will happen. hitting a nerve scares me. hitting a nerve is what keeps me from always going there. going to that real place..talking about the reality that my dear friend is facing..eternally my dear friend is wasting away..her only joys are the joys that she is experiencing right now..that were she to die right now, she would die. be completely separated from all joy, all peace, all love..a complete separation from her Father, her Creator...i am afraid..my sin makes my life about me..and i am fearful the alter of myself will be knocked down...but when Christ is my journey and not self..I am not afraid...i/He talks about what is real...i/He is not harnessed...i/He hits that nerve..He comes into me..and ultimately causes eruption. eruption within me..eruption within my friend. He is not interested in lukewarm..HE.WILL.CHANGE.EVERYTHING.

acts

question number 11 on our women's bible study sheet prompted this post.

it asks, "what are the most significant lessons you have learned from acts?"

like any lessons in life..you learn them over and over again until you get to heaven..so some of these lessons i am learning for the 5th or 50th time.

1-
life doesn't always go as planned and doesn't always feel good/right...but it always goes according to God's plan and always is perfect at bringing Glory to God and bringing His children to a saving knowledge of Him.
-i can't even count the number of times paul's is arrested, detoured, or goes the long way to a place..things that just didn't make sense..if his mission was to bring the Good news to as many as possible throughout the world..but the journey made perfect sense to God.

2-
living life has lots of perks..lots of friendships..lots of fun journeys..lots of heart aches..lots of emotional ups and downs..but the ONLY real purpose for being here is to bring God glory...spread the truths about Him to everyone who will hear us.
-paul was given his mission in acts 1..and he didn't get caught up in worshiping his circumstances, his gifts, his friends, or even harping on how hard things were..He.just.did.what.God.told.him.to.do.  In acts 28, he is still at it..telling all around him about Jesus.

3-
if you are losing sight of your mission, you are probably not staying connected to your Father...today I was thinking about a friend who i am having trouble reaching out to..and then it hit me..i am having trouble thinking of what to say because I am not in the word studying my Father's words..and I am not praying/talking to Him about her.
-paul had lots of struggles and hard times..and he never ceases turning to His Father for direction and support. signing hymns in prison, praying, talking to God, asking those in fellowship with Christ for direction...

Acts 1:8
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Look to Jesus, receive His power, receive His love and testify to what He is doing to those around through words and love.

real

i went on a women's retreat a few weeks ago..and one of the things that stalked me when i got home was a truth that I learned about keeping it real. i try to keep it real..tell the bad and the ugly stuff...but at this retreat, it occurred to me that, while keeping it real, i can tend to complain or grumble about the plate that the Lord has handed me...today i am just wanting to tell a goody...a gift the Lord gave me today through Jackson.

the past month or so jackson has really been struggling with perfectionism..and we have also been learning the letters of his name. How the perfectionism manifests itself in learning his letters is..let me give you an example: Last Friday we were doing chalk letters outside on the sidewalk...jackson would go FAR away from me and write his letters in secret.  He called me over to see his "J" after he finished many minutes of drawing letters. I came over and was so excited about all that he had done..he did an "A" and a "C" AND the "J" that he wanted to show me. I was so proud of him. But he started crying..saying that the "A" and the "C" were actually a ladder and a man consecutively...I knew that they were letters that he didn't like, so he was making them into something else.  The only thing I could do is pray for that little man's heart that he will Know the truth..that Jesus is the only perfect one and we can enjoy the freedom of relying on Him for His grace amidst our shortcomings.

so fast forward to today. today i sat with jackson at the writing table and we were working on writing his name again..he wrote the whole thing (i helped with the k and the s--and he let me!) and had a smile on his face the WHOLE TIME!  The name wasn't written perfectly..but He enjoyed writing it..and he completed it without making a letter into a ladder or a man!

as i was putting a load into the laundry, I remembered that smile that he had on his face...

the Lord used me to teach my son to write his name AND to teach my little man an important truth in His word...and I see growth!

i got goose bumps in that moment.

on children (in a post to a friend on facebook)

Having Jackson and Ryan Jefferson is the most rewarding job I have ever been given the privilege of doing. Children are a huge blessing from the Lord. Just like anything worthwhile, you have to sacrifice and work hard. Other things under the same category would be the christian walk, marriage, siblings, relationships of any kind..loving something more than yourself doesn't come naturally to sinful human beings but sacrificial love forces us to come face to face with Christ. Staring into Christ's eyes is the only way I ever want to live. Follow His calling and you will struggle but you will be fulfilled as you lead a life that glorifies Him. I know that was a little more than you asked for but I have been thinking on this a lot lately..how thankful I am for the way He is teaching me to love and teaching me about himself through my children.

on paul

have been studying the book of acts in women's bible study this season..the book of acts follows the spread of the gospel after Jesus is taken up to heaven. verse 7 gives a summary of the movement of the message.."you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

as readers, we have been following paul's journey as he shares the gospel with jews and gentiles, rich and poor, women and men, educated and uneducated...etc.

you know how things can kind of stalk you? ex. a song lyric you can't get out of your head, an idea that you MUST carry out in order to get it off of your mind, or maybe a truth from a sermon that just keeps rolling around in your head and heart...

the truth from Acts that is stalking me is this..
paul had many relationships and conversations on his journey. he comes into contact with believers and unbelievers. with his believing friends, he encourages them in their journey with Christ..encouraging movement toward knowing Christ and spreading His word to others.  with his unbelieving friends, he shares about the fulfillment of the law in the person of Jesus...He spreads the Gospel message to all who have ears.  His life is about that..his mission is about that...he loses friends, his plans get thrwarted, he is faced with people who don't like him because of what he professes, he is even flogged for things he didn't even do...but still...paul is about the business of Christ.

now I know the bible doesn't tell us everything that every disciple did or said, and I know that paul was not a perfect man..after all, he is the one that is famous for the "do, do" passage in scripture. (Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me)


but it is clear that there wasn't a lot of fluff in paul's life...wasn't a lot of coasting friendships in Jerusalem...wasn't a ton of complaining when things didn't turn out how he'd hoped...wasn't a ton of whining when he was flogged without reason...

Paul had a single purpose and he didn't seem to lose sight of his mission.  The Lord used him to bring Himself glory even to the ends of the earth.

Acts 28:30 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Lord, I confess to you that I care a ton about myself.  I want my friends to like me. With my believing friends, I often don't care enough to ask real questions and love them well. With my unbelieving friends, I tend to converse about the safe and steer away from the uncomfortable..I don't love them enough to share the hope that is within my soul.  I want my relationships to be easy. I spend more time talking about my fitness, my iphone, my facebook, my shows, the weather, my sons, etc. than I would like to admit.  Because of this, it feels weird to even utter your name, Jesus.  I immediately turn red when my friendly conversation shifts to testifying about what you are doing in my life.  Father, please forgive me for my dualism...show me how to love deeply, show me how to be about bringing you glory. Amen.

on schools in a note to a friend

schools are a reflection of our human condition.  they are a petri dish of our world. they are beautiful and they are ugly..beautiful because in public and in private there are teachers that love children and want to serve kids and one another..but ugly because both have their problems and issues..both have flaws too numerous..and we can not fix them on our own..and when you really get into them and get dirty in them...teaching or volunteering...you will see them as they really are and they will make you long for Jesus.

the school puzzle is an unsolvable puzzle on this side of heaven...made me want to despair as an educator. and probably feels similar as a parent trying to find a place to send your child.

focus on the truth..the simple. there is no despair in Christ. He can take any bleak situation and make light..He can work all things for His glory.

remember our soul/sole purpose on this earth is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Reed

Jesus was a "reed in non-essentials--an iron pillar of essentials".--John Newton

non-essentials would include but certainly not be limited to:

Whether you decide to home school your child, send your child to be educated at the local public school or pay for your child to be educated at a private or parochial school.

getting a shower daily

Choosing to send your toddler to preschool, or choosing to keep your toddler home for early learning.

Owning or not owning an iphone.

Having a house with a basement or opting out of one..

putting your baby in cloth diapers or making the decision just use disposables 

choosing to wear or not to wear underwear.

putting your children in sports/other extra activities or keeping them at home in the evenings

shaving your legs or not shaving your legs

owning a mini-van or owning a compact car with two kids

our family was just put here in this place to help you practice your best "reed"...