Archive for October, 2010

The Truth about Obedience

Author: Nikol

Oct 30

If you know me, you know that I love dogs. When I see one – no matter where I am – I have to stop & say, “Hi.” I get excited just thinking about dogs. I want to love on them and talk to them and squeeze them until their little eyeballs pop out of their heads (okay, well maybe not until their eyeballs pop out because that’s just gross – and mean).

I previously owned two adorable beagles to which I was very attached. I’m single and so my dogs – though I hate this analogy – were like my kids.

My brother gave Ben to me as a Christmas present right after my Dad died. Thinking back to when he was a pup just makes me smile. What character! What personality! And what a mess! My favorite memory of Ben was dragging him around when he was a puppy as he tugged at my robe in the morning. Even with all of the messes He made, I loved him. He was with me through some seriously dark times.

About 10 years later, along came Daisi. I know you aren’t supposed to say this, but Daisi was my favorite. I got her on a whim from a co-worker’s dad, and she was awesome! She was everything Ben was not. She was easily house-trained, obeyed (for the most part), came when I called her, would cuddle on the couch with me (as Ben looked on from “his chair”), and she loved to run trails with me. Watching her run trails is hands down my favorite memory of her. It was like poetry. It was what she was made to do.

So imagine my dismay when several months ago, God asked me to give Daisi away. I felt God tell me, “Nikol, I’m getting ready to bless you beyond your wildest dreams, but I have to rearrange some things first.” I asked Him to put it in writing, and in the meantime, I cried everyday and hoped I had misheard His direction.

About a week later, I was having coffee with Christ when I read in Beth Moore’s book, “Jesus, 90 Days with the One and Only” these words: “Sometimes when Jesus is about to do something really special in our lives, He will rearrange our surroundings” (p. 225). I couldn’t believe what I had just read! It was almost word for word what I had heard the week before!

I gave Daisi away 2 days later. When I handed her to her new Mom, I was inconsolable. I went home and proceeded to bawl myself to sleep. But then something amazing happened. The next day, I woke up and had the greatest peace. A peace that “transcends all understanding,” I guess you could say (Philippians 4:7). Sure, I miss her every now and then, but there is no doubt in my mind that I did the right thing. At the time, it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.

Sadly, Ben became sick a month or so later. As I was driving home from the vet’s office after he passed out one day, I vividly remember God gently reminding me that He was rearranging some things in my life to prepare me for a blessing. Though I knew that I could probably have kept Ben comfortable for another couple of years with daily medication, I knew it was time to let him go. He had been a good dog to me and had lived a full 13 years. I put him to sleep a week later after much prayer and heartache. That, my friends, WAS the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do!

You might be wondering what my reward was for my obedience? What was this blessing that the Lord had in store for me? I used to think that I was still waiting for it. However, I’ve come to realize that part of the promised blessing, if not all of it, is undeniably this: fellowship with God.

Without dogs vying for my attention, I get to spend time in His presence undistracted and completely His. I get to hear His voice. I catch glimpses of His glory daily. And after all, shouldn’t that be the best part of obedience? Wasn’t that the very essence of what He promised Abram in Genesis 15 while he was waiting for God’s specific promise to be fulfilled? In God’s very own words, He reveals: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (v. 1).

So, let me ask some questions. What promise are you waiting for God to fulfill? Are there any distractions in your life that might be keeping you from your blessing? Have you had a similar experience? Share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail. Let’s get to know each other.

Hope to hear from you soon!
-N

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Lessons in Navigation

Author: Nikol

Oct 25

Let me begin by saying that I’m not big on road trips. Four hours is typically my limit. Anything over that and I get antsy and irritable. Last week, I had the somber task of attending a memorial service for a friend’s husband at Dudley Park in Athens, GA. I’ve been to Athens once before but I rode with someone very acquainted with the way.

As I was preparing for the trip, I didn’t ask anyone for directions. I trusted my navigation system (aka Prissy) to get me where I needed to go. Now, you should know that Prissy and I don’t get along much. She’s quite the task master. I want to throw her through the windshield when she repeats “calculating route” at the slightest deviation from her planned course. Let’s just say she has a hard time adapting to any inconvenience, such as when you need to go to the restroom or grab some sustenance while en route! Not only is Prissy a task master, but apparently her definition of “fastest route” is different than mine (and the rest of the world’s, for that matter). Despite her failings, she’s always gotten me where I needed to go, even if she takes me around the world to get there. Considering the route she led me on to Athens that would be an understatement.

Trusting that Prissy would get me to Athens, I confidently typed “Dudley Park” as my destination and embarked on the most frustrating journey that I can remember.

Things went well until I hit Atlanta. Of course, doesn’t everything go well until you are in Atlanta? Ah, Atlanta, you challenge me, but I will have to write about you another day.

I was rocking along singing with the music on my iPhone when I hit a dead stop at the I75/I85 junction. “So much for fastest route,” I said to myself (okay, maybe I said it aloud). Sitting at a standstill, I glanced impatiently at Prissy’s projected arrival time. Realizing at this point that I might not make it in time for the service, I internally started to panic. My mind began to debate whether Prissy did, in fact, know what she was doing.

In my panic, I phoned my friend who grew up in Athens. My trusted pal handed me the bad news: I wasn’t going to make it in time, and I wasn’t going in the right direction! My heart sank. Stupid, Prissy! I decided she was going to be sold at auction immediately upon my return.

Thankfully, my friend and I sorted out where I needed to go. She e-mailed me directions (praise God for the iPhone) and traffic started to move along. I was back in business. Relieved that I had solid directions and my car was actually moving in a forward direction, my heart began to lighten a bit. I started singing again even though I was going to be late for the service.

I’d love to tell you that it was smooth sailing from that point forward, but alas, that wasn’t what God had in mind.

The directions instructed me to take a road and follow signs to the University of Georgia. Along the road I was on, there were no signs for the University of Georgia or Athens. However, I was in a hurry (though I’m not sure why at this point, since I was already going to be at the very least 20 minutes late for the service), so I didn’t notice. It wasn’t until I began to pass landfills that I realized I probably needed to touch base with my friend once again to make sure I wasn’t lost. Guess what?! I was.

As I was talking to my guide, we began to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. But deep down inside, I wanted to cry. I became overwhelmed because I wasn’t going to be there for my friend who had been there for me when my daddy died and that I had shared every major life moment with for the last twenty-something years. I felt stupid for not asking for directions before I left. I felt like an idiot for not being able to follow the ones that I did have. I was afraid that when I did finally get to the service, my friend would be gone, thinking that I hadn’t been there for her. I was afraid if they were still there, they would look at me like I was crazy for being so late. I was overcome with the desire to go directly to where I was spending the night, hide there, lick my wounds and regroup. Not knowing if I should laugh or cry, I opted for the former since the latter would mess up my makeup and I had resolved to go, even if no one was there.

I am happy to say that I did finally make it to the park – an hour late! But I did do what I set out to do, which was to see my friend, hug her tight, tell her I love her, and cry with her. That was my mission, and praise God, it is what I accomplished.

So what are the lessons God taught me on this journey?

Lesson 1: God sends us out on missions. Sometimes they are exciting and fun, and other times they are somber tasks. When God gives you a mission, you have to resolve to see it through regardless of your feelings, set-backs, or mistakes along the way.

Lesson 2: Be careful who you trust when you need to get to where God is leading you. Friends, family and trusted advisors may be well-intentioned, but only God knows the way.

Lesson 3: At the very beginning of the journey always ask directions from someone who knows the way. God knows the right path to take – every time. He sees the big picture and can help us avoid things that will slow us down and frustrate us.

Lesson 4: Pay attention. Check in with God before you take a road that looks like it’s the right one. So many times, we think that because something looks good that it’s the road God wants us to go down. We get in a hurry and go too far down a road that God never intended us to be on.

Lesson 5: If you make a choice and something doesn’t seem quite right, before you take another step, check in with the Almighty. God’s shown me this year that He throws me breadcrumbs to let me know that He and I are on the same page. If I begin to notice He hasn’t given me a breadcrumb in a while, I stop and regroup. Just like I phoned a friend, we have the ability to phone a Friend who knows exactly how to get us back on course, no matter how many mistakes we’ve made.

Lesson 6: Enjoy the ride. Sing not only when things are going well, but sing when they aren’t.

Lesson 7: God’s timing to get us where we are going isn’t always what we think it should be. He teaches us through each mistake, and He tests our resolve through frustrations and delays.

Lesson 8: Don’t panic. God knows what He’s doing, even if your navigation system does not.

Lesson 9: Don’t give up until you get there!

Grateful for His leading,
-N

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Divine Connections

Author: robyn

Oct 25

Today, two of my very closest girlfriends met each other for the first time at a little coffee shop in my hometown. They sipped hot chocolate and hot green tea with mint, and across the table and through the steam rising out of those mugs, shared a little about themselves, a little about the paths they’ve traveled over the years, and a little about new lessons pressing on their hearts.



And I wasn’t there. (In the spirit of full disclosure, the hot chocolate and hot green tea with mint are technically educated guesses.)



When my alarm sounded this morning, I checked the clock and sighed, wishing I was there to facilitate their introduction. They didn’t know each other, but I have spoken of each friend to the other, as people do about the folks who are important to them, whom they love. Although it was crazy, knowing that two of my favorite people in the world were hanging out together without me, I knew they’d connect. At the very least, they have one mutual friend.



And, as I’d imagined, they had a delightful time, chatting, sharing, and connecting.



I’d like to think they connected because they both know me, but the reality is, they connected because they both know Christ. There’s something about that divine mutual Friend that trumps our earthly connections, hands down.



In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Paul is very clear that when we as believers accepted Christ – in his words, “were baptized by one Spirit” – we were placed into one body, and we all share the same Spirit. That means that we have the same heavenly Father. As siblings in His adopted family, we share a divine connection to Christ Jesus. That fact alone has some serious ramifications, and that’s another blog post for another day. But people, let that soak in! We are divinely connected – we are heirs – to Jesus Christ!



Later on in the New Testament, Paul’s letter to the Galatians takes this connection one step further. He writes, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave for free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:27-28). Regardless of our family backgrounds, our salaries, our education levels, or our races, not only are we joined to Christ, but we’re joined to each other.



Having lived in four states over the last fifteen years or so, I’ve often wondered what the day would be like, and when the opportunity would come, where all of my pockets of friends would meet, and mix and mingle. (They’ll all get along, too, because I’m only friends with cool people.)



I think God looks forward to that day too, when all of His children will finally meet Him face to face, and will meet each other, too. Just think of all of us, from all across the world, spanning past, present, and future, meeting together at long last.



That’ll be a glorious day, won’t it? I can’t wait.

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Confession

Author: robyn

Oct 25

Confession: I don’t drink coffee. Although there are other reasons, the bitter aftertaste and the possibility of slowly staining my teeth sealed the deal for me. (Call me a snob, but I’m pretty protective about my teeth and general oral hygiene.) I made a decision when I was about 13 that I didn’t have an interest in coffee, and I was going to be okay with that.

Here’s the rub: Coffeehouses are where it’s at! A childhood friend and I have a standing tradition to meet at a coffee shop every Christmas Eve and catch up. Tough conversations happen in cafes, and awkward first dates happen there. Good grief, I know of someone who slipped her phone number to a barista at a local shop, and today they’re married! What is it with the coffeehouse phenomenon?

I’ve read that coffeehouses go all the way back to the early 1500s, serving as the center of social gatherings where the public could read the paper, organizations conducted business, and people exchanged ideas. By the 17th century in England, they were a “social leveler” of sorts, inviting all people into a common place, regardless of social or economic status.

Based on that concept, I imagine that if Jesus were walking around London back then, he might very much like to duck into a place like that, where folks were learning, connecting, sharing about anything and everything, no matter where they’d been, or where they were going. I think he’d order the house roast, black, and pull up a chair. He loves to relate. He loves to visit and catch up. He loves to share, and to listen.

That’s what happens at coffeehouses, and that’s what we hope to do here. Grab a hot beverage, pull up a chair, get real, and visit our coffeehouse. Even though I have no idea what an “Iced Single Venti Mocha, No Whip” is, praise be to God, I’ve discovered steamers, ciders, and hot chocolates that give me something safe to cradle in my hands and sip on, while I connect with people. So, let’s hear it!

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