Posts Tagged With: Jesus

Bubble Wrap Faith

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Sharita

Oh bubble wrap. The magical packing material that has been causing squabbles among siblings for decades.

Or was that just my sister and I who fought over who got to pop those addictingly-fun little bubbles? Either way, ya just gotta love the multi-purposeful qualities of bubble wrap.

bubble wrap

Via CMMahon @ Flickr

As I was pondering this idea (again, at 3am… sorry, apparently 3am is prime time for random thoughts to enter my mind– blame it on the new-mama sleep deprivation) I, as usual, started thinking about how bubble wrap can relate to our faith.

Random. I know. Sorry. It’s how I roll.

Anywho, I considered the topic at hand… when I was thinking about it, I was struck by the idea of motherhood and how the first few weeks of baby girl’s existence  I was (ok, still am) so twitchy and overprotective… And I really thought at one point the possibility of how to “bubble wrap” her from this world to keep her safe.

Then I heard God’s voice: “Beloved daughter… that’s not your job. You are called to love her and care for her– but in this world, you will all have trouble. I am her protector. Trust me.”

Gulp. Ok. Heard you, Father.

Then, my random thoughts took me to the scene from Finding Nemo where Marlin the clownfish (Nemo’s dad) and Dory are in the mouth of the whale. Marlin starts to yell at Dory and the following scene ensues:

Marlin: “I promised I’d never let anything happen to him!!”
Dory: “Hmm. That’s a funny thing to promise.”
Marlin: “What?”
Dory: “Well, you can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.”

Dory, although she can’t remember Nemo’s correct name to save her tail, makes a pretty good point. And it holds true not only to “real life” parenthood but also our walk of faith.

Sure, we all wish nothing <specifically: bad or challenging> would ever happen. But if that were true– where would we stand with God? I don’t know about you, but I am typically closest to God when things are the toughest.

Ultimately, Jesus is our bubble wrap. He protects us. He guards us. And He makes sure we get to our final destination (ahem, heaven) in one piece.

But in order to really live a bubble wrap faith life, we have to let go of our need to be the bubble wrap in both our lives and the lives of those around us. We can’t protect those around us from all harm. We can’t control others to make perfect decisions. (Heck, our decisions aren’t perfect either– even if we think we know best.)

We have to let go and let Jesus do the guarding and protecting. We have to trust Him that He knows what He is doing (He does) and loves us beyond all comprehension.

In what areas of your life do you try to be the bubble wrap? How would letting go of that desire to be the bubble wrap free our spirits?

Be encouraged, friends. Letting go and letting Jesus be our bubble wrap isn’t an overnight process. (Believe you me, I am still working on it!) When we transition from control to trust, we can rest assured that He will not only carry us to our final destination– but we will be more protected and secure than ever before.

That’s what I call a special delivery handled with care.

Wrapped up in Christ,
SGK

“He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.” ~Joshua 24:17

Categories: trust | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Embrace the Suck

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Sharita

Sometimes, life sucks.

Yeah, I said it. And yeah, I said it on a Jesus-loving Christian blog.

But its the truth. Sometimes life sucks.

We live in a world of pain. Of hurt. Of disease. Of evil. Of hard circumstances. Of moments where we wonder how the heck we are supposed to continue to function.

“Sucky” things in life range from the seemingly small and trivial (I lost my stupid wallet– again!) to the painfully large and unexplainable (Sandy Hook school shooting. Boston bombing. Explosion in Texas.)

So yeah, it’s the truth. Sometimes life really just kinda sucks.

Which might be why this world is not our home. (THANK YOU JESUS! Can I get an AMEN?!?!)

For those of you who have been around 7 Days Time for a hot minute, you know it’s my policy not to leave things on a negative note. So if life sucks… What are we supposed to do about it?

Embrace the suck.

image

Now, I don’t mean we have to welcome it. Or enjoy it. Or even ask for the hard times to come our way. But we all know that hard times, aka the sucky stuff, is inevitable in this life. We live in a fallen world and really there’s no getting around it.

But instead of wallowing in the suck and turning our eyes inward… We can embrace it knowing that we have a Lord and Savior that has been there, done that.

And no matter what suck you are going through right now, we can take solace in the fact that this world isn’t our home and we have the promise of heaven closer than we can imagine.

“Well, Sharita, this ‘embrace the suck’ idea is all fine and dandy… In theory. But seriously. What can we do about it?”

Great question. Glad you asked. :-)  Here’s a few tangible thoughts…

*Pray. A lot. God doesn’t care if it’s a huge suck like battling cancer or a seemingly minor suck like a newborn baby who has gotten her days and nights mixed up and refuses to sleep. (Not that I would know that one from experience or anything.) Remember, if it matters to you, it matters to God. He will hear your plea for help. He might not fix your suck, but I promise He WILL be with you through it!

*Rejoice. I know it’s hard in the moment… But 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to rejoice IN (not necessarily FOR) all circumstances. That’s where making a list of your blessings and small God gifts in life come into play.  Be thankful.

*Share. Find another Christian or person you trust and share the “suck” in your life.  God made us to live in community and bear one another’s burdens.

*Keep perspective. This one is also easier said than done, but sometimes taking a quick step back and trying to look at things from God’s perspective can be a huge help. It might require extra meditation, prayers, quiet time, a mini-sabbatical, rest or a variety of things. Ask yourself not WHY… But WHAT God is doing in your suck situation.

*Embrace Jesus. This is something we can (and should) do whether or not we find ourselves in a “suck” part of life or not. Again, he’s been there, done that– a thousand times worse than we could ever imagine. He understands. He is always with you. Yep, even in the midst of the suck of life.

Be encouraged today, sweet reader. If you are in a suck season and desire prayer, please feel free to contact me by leaving a comment below, sending me a message on Facebook or holler at me via email at sharita{dot}knobloch{at}gmail{dot}com.

Take heart, friends. Embrace the suck by embracing Jesus. He’s got your back– always.

Embracing Him Wholeheartedly,
SGK

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG

Categories: challenge, God | Tags: , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Jesus’ Funniest Videos

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Sharita

Let’s all be honest… Sometimes life is HILARIOUS.

I grew up watching America’s Funniest Home Videos (originally with Bob Saget.) While I never really understood why people thought that dudes getting hit in their uh, nether regions was so funny, I still enjoyed it. Plus it was relatively family friendly.

For me, most of the funniest things came from young kids.

Which brings me to share with you some of the hilarious things I did when I was younger. (Too bad we didn’t get them on tape. Maybe we would be a few thousand bucks richer?)

As a young un, I came up with the craziest ideas. And was kind of gullible. One of my uncles once told me that cockleburs were porcupine eggs… So I took a bucketful of them to school for show-and-tell. Teacher was amused… I was embarrassed. (And my mom still loves to tell that story.)

Or there was the occasion when I convinced my younger sister to stick her tongue to the iron wrought handrail on our front porch on a frosty morning… At the exact moment that she obliged my request, the school bus pulled into the drive. I left her stuck to the rail fending for herself. (She still made it on the bus that morning, thanks to my Mom’s quick thinking…) That was the first time I ever got grounded. Ahhh, memories.

Then there was the time I came to school really mad. My teacher asked me what was wrong. I told her that I couldn’t believe what my parents did after I went to bed at night!!! Her eyes got really huge… she shifted in her chair… I said “THEY EAT ICE CREAM WITHOUT ME!!!” (You thought I was going in a much different more awkward direction, huh?)

This would have SO been me... if my parents didn't eat the ice cream without me. (But it's fine. I'm not bitter.)

This would have SO been me… if my parents didn’t eat the ice cream without me. (But it’s fine. I’m not bitter.)

ANYWHO…

Life is way easier to deal with if we can laugh through the crazy moments. In fact, my friend Kayla and I were once having a discussion about this very topic– and we decided that there has got to be a series in heaven called “Jesus’ Funniest Videos.”  (JFV for short…)

Can’t you see it? Jesus and His disciples chillin’ out up there, watching the action on earth. Peter yells for them to push pause for a second because he’s waiting for the popcorn to get done… Jesus is giddy with excitement to watch the next ridiculous thing we do and the lesson we learn in the process.

Now don’t get me wrong– I know God (and company) sure doesn’t get pleasure from our pain and failure. But sometimes we really do ridiculous things that we know better and/or could have been prevented if we would have just listened/learned.  In the aftermath, it brings a chuckle to us all.

It’s in those moments of “Seriously– did I just do that– AGAIN?!” that we can laugh at ourselves. Just think of ourselves as being the star of the latest JFV episodes. Sometimes we just don’t get it. And when we screw up, there’s nothing else to do but laugh at ourselves and move on.

In what areas of your life do you feel like a main player in JFV? What’s been your latest hilarious slip up? Be bold and give us all a great laugh by commenting below.

We can’t take life too seriously… Because none of us get out of it alive. But when that day comes, we are no longer the main characters in JFV– but we get to be spectators in heaven, looking down and enjoying the hilarious adventures of being a Christian.

Living and laughing,
SGK

“On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.” ~Psalm 100:2 MSG

Categories: funny | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Jump to Jesus (Five Minute Friday)

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Sharita

Five Minute Friday
Hello friends! Five minute Friday is back here at 7 Days Time.

As a recap: Each Friday (or whatever Fridays that I briefly have a free hand from baby girl) I link up with Lisa-Jo Baker. She gives us a prompt. We write. No planning, no overthinking, no excessive editing. Then link-up and share our posts with the online community. Good times.

That’s all there is to it. Simple. Yet potentially profound and a great writing exercise.

So before little girl says TIME’S UP before my stopwatch does, let’s get this party started.

Today’s Prompt: JUMP

AND GO!

****

First thing to know, I don’t like heights. Never have, probably never will. Also, when I was younger, I wasn’t much of a risk taker. Play it safe was my theory. I didn’t want to be “that girl” to ever forget anything in class, I always wanted to do everything perfect.

Yeah. Bout that. You can about guess how well THAT went over. I mean, I survived and did well, but soon I found myself bored with playing it safe… I wanted more.

So I jumped into activities. I was from a tiny high school (um, 18 in my graduating class- I’m not kidding) so if you wanted to be involved in something, all you had to do was show up. I was super-NOT-athletic, but I did everything that didn’t involve a sports ball flying at my face. (Although my brief stint of cheerleading did land a few hits to the face.)

I jumped in… Over the next few years, it didn’t stop. I stayed involved. I found my worth in what I did.

And then… Something changed… Life fell apart… My activities no longer fulfilled me… And I was met with my biggest challenge ever… Faith.

Jesus got ahold of me around college graduation– and lemme tell you what, that was one jump I was terrified to make. It was worse than conquering any fear of heights or jumping off the trust fall in a leadership ropes course.

I didn’t want to fail. I had done everything “perfect” (ha!) up to that point. Faith was hard. It took work. I didn’t know what I was “supposed” to do to get it “right.”

Now, several years later, I know that He doesn’t care if we get it “right.” He just wants us to jump. Jump into faith. Jump into His arms knowing He will be there to catch us. Jump with joy for His salvation.

Yes. He wanted me to jump. So I did.  It changed my life. Yes, I jumped to Jesus– Have you?

STOP!

****

So what are your thoughts? Have you jumped to Jesus? When? How did it change your life? I would love to hear all about it– don’t be shy… Leave a comment below.

Well, readers, baby girl’s attention span is about to run out– so I must depart. Praying for your hearts this weekend– and I am so incredibly grateful that God continues to grow this ministry even with a new baby in tow. (He really CAN do all things!!)

Jumping for Joy,

SGK

“I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders. I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God.” ~Psalm 9:1-2 MSG

Categories: Five Minute Friday | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hardly Easy

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Sharita

There it sits. Staring you right in the face. Your heart starts to pound. Your mind begins to race.

Should you grab the donut or opt for a fruit cup? Would it be ok to sneak a peek at the answer key to an upcoming test or spend hours studying? Will you turn in the lost wallet with all the cash or take a “tip” for yourself beforehand? Shall you strap on your tennis shoes and head to the gym for a work out or stay planted on the couch? Are you going to stay snuggled under the covers for a few more minutes of snoozing or peel yourself out of bed for some quiet time with the Lord?

You must make a choice… but what will it be??

So... what's it gonna be?

So… what’s it gonna be?

It’s a constant battle of easy versus hard.

And the bottom line choice is hardly easy.

On the one hand, the at-the-tip-of-easy choice seems to be just that– easy. Right there. Quick fix. Enjoyable. Instant gratification.

But then your blessed conscience (or Jesus) enters stage left and complicates the whole situation.

We all know what we SHOULD do… but following through on it is a whole different ballgame.

Now, this post is not intended to be a guilt-inducing post. I mean, after all– we all need a donut and some snuggly couch time now and again. But the purpose of this post is to acknowledge that doing the right thing is hardly ever easy.

You’ve heard that saying “Anything worth doing doesn’t come easy.”

How true (and sometimes frustrating!) that is!

Making the “hard choice” is good for us in the long run– but sometimes it seems super lame in the moment.

Being a legit and genuine Christian is “hard-ly easy…” It requires dedication, sacrifice, grace (lots and lots of grace) and perseverance.

Heck, if it were easy, EVERYBODY would do it– and I wouldn’t need to be involved in ministry at all. But here’s the great news… Christ understands what it is like to make the tough choice.

Let’s look at the “hardly easy” choices that Christ made on our behalf. He chose to be obedient and leave His Father’s side to come to earth. He chose to go against the flow of the world, to stand up for what God instructed Him to do. He never wavered. Even in the garden, the night before He was captured to be crucified  (on our behalf) He made the most difficult, sacrificial, non-easy choice of His earthly life. He said “God, I would really appreciate it if I didn’t have to go through with this. I really don’t want to hang on the cross, be briefly separated from you and die– but if that’s the bottom line choice you want me to make, it’s hardly an easy one… but I will do it because I love you and I love ALL your children.” (That’s my very loose paraphrase… :-) )

So He did. Christ made His choice. He was obedient to the Father, even though it cost Him His life. And it sure wasn’t easy. But if you ask Him… I guarantee He will say it was worth it.

Because He loves you THAT much. Just that thought alone should be encouragement enough for us to not only talk the Christian talk– but walk the Christian walk.

What choices do you struggle with the most? What do you think the hardest thing about being a genuine Christian is? What is most rewarding?

Jesus fully understands our struggles and choices. The choice to follow Him is hard-ly easy– but as hard as it seems, it sure is worth it!

Making the choice today for Him,
SGK

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” ~Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

Categories: Christ | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Welcome Little Patriot: IT’S A GIRL!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Sharita

Ladies and Gentlemen… It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… (Well, at least a moment that my Beloved and I and our immediate friends/family have been waiting for…)

We are pleased to announce the birth of our first darling baby…

charis close

CHARIS BENNING KNOBLOCH

Our sweet Charis arrived on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 au natural (no pain meds) at 5:50pm. She weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long (pretty legit for being 8 days overdue!)

Her name, Charis (pronounced like “KARE-iss”~ Rhymes with “Paris” or “ferris”)  is ancient Greek for “grace.” (Think: EuCHARISteo or CHARISma) We spent lots of time praying over this baby before her arrival, and God gave us this verse for her.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” ~2 Peter 3:18 NIV

“Grow in grace and understand of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!” ~2 Peter 3:18 MSG

Honestly, it’s hard to put into words how we currently feel. (Well, other than tired… and elated!) HOLY LORD WE ARE PARENTS!! (Sorry for the random outburst. Blame it on the post-labor adrenaline.)

mama and baby

Can we keep her?!?! Oh wait… WE CAN!?! (Thank you Jesus, for this little miracle!)

We couldn’t be more thrilled with this little miracle blessing. It’s been a long journey, but man– what an incredible reward to be a part of the coolest Jesus arts and craft project EVER!!

Momma, Baby and Daddy are all doing well… We have appreciated your love and prayers that you have shown us the past several months throughout this journey– and we covet your continued prayers as we transition into parenthood… In REAL LIFE. (WOW. Apparently this is really happening?!?!)

We praise God for this new season of life– and this wonderful, cuddly, sweet, snuggly little gift from heaven. We couldn’t be happier or more excited. THANK YOU, JESUS!!

Praising to the Heavens,
Mama Sharita (And Daddy Brandon… And “Big Brother” Justus the Pup)

“Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you…”
~Jeremiah 1:5 MSG

Categories: Family | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 54 Comments

SURPRISE! Everyday Jesus Series Intro

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Sharita

Not gonna lie… I just love it when a profound and exciting Jesus idea pops into my head.

Seriously. There are few things more motivating.

As we approach the birth of our first child, a season/event which my husband and I fondly call BabyTime, I have spent significant time thinking/praying as to what ministry will look like when our “Little Patriot” makes his/her debut into our lives.

My answer: I have no idea. 

Don’t get me wrong… I’m sure there will be plenty of sleep-deprivation and poopy diapers. But as to what 7 Days Time and ministry looks like? Great question. I will get back to you when I have the answer myself.

One thing that was made pretty clear to me was not to quit completely. I know some folks cut all ministry/writing/bloggy ties when baby comes into the picture, if not forever, at least for an extended season… which is completely acceptable and understandable. Apparently being a Mama is a poop-ton of work (pun intended.)

But while we are excited about the arrival of our new little one, God hasn’t released me from this ministry (for which I am very thankful!) Also, He didn’t tell me to take a specific type of break. (Because really, it would be waaayyy harder to stop for a few weeks than legitimately pick it back up again instead of write it off forever. And honestly, Jesus and I have worked too hard and too long over the last year and a half just to be like, ok, DONE. Chapter closed. Moving on.)

Instead, He told me to ask for help.

So help I am getting.

Here’s the loose game plan… Next Monday will begin a new chapter at 7 Days Time– a guest blogging series from some of my greatest Jesus writer-y girlfriends (and guy friends, believe it or not!) The series will run til… well, until I run out of guest bloggers :-) The series is entitled “Everyday Jesus.”

The general premise is going to be about how my sweet guest bloggers have experienced a “Jesus sneak-attack” in the everyday moments of life… At the grocery store, doing the laundry, even on Facebook, etc, etc…

OR how they have been a part of Jesus moving in someone else’s everyday life.

I have a sneaky suspicion that these posts are going to be  funny, quirky, heartfelt, intense, all over the board.  (The sky is the limit.)

Um, I might kinda-sorta-perhaps be a smidgen excited about this season of life and this Jesus opportunity/epiphany to feature some incredible writers who have remarkable hearts for Jesus.

Monkey surprise

Are you as surprised and excited as these guys? I am.
(Image Courtesy of Doug Wheller via Flickr)

I know that each and every one of you will welcome these awesome guest bloggers with open arms– and leave them lots and lots of love in the form of feedback and comments. (Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)

Plus, you will get some sweet connections to other Christian-esque blogs.

Plus, you will definitely be encouraged about how important it is to look for Jesus in everyday life.

Are you excited? I sure hope so… because I can hardly wait!!

So on that note: What are you looking forward to most about this blogging series? Do you have a great “Everyday Jesus” story moment you would like to share? Comment below!

Thanks for your flexibility and support during this new life season for us– it’s gonna be a wild ride, but I have a sneaky feeling that Jesus is gonna be with us each step of the way… every day!

Ready to rock and roll,
SGK

“This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details.” ~Ephesians 3:7 MSG

PS: As of this very moment, I hope to continue blogging on a regular basis in addition to the Monday guest bloggers… It might be a little sporadic from time to time, but my pre-birth nesting phase has transitioned into the digital world (thank you, Jesus!) so I am/have been working on several fresh posts to share post-baby. Stay tuned!

Categories: guest post | Tags: , , , , , , | 8 Comments

You just gotta ask yourself…

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Sharita

Sometimes you just gotta ask yourself: “How can I BEST represent Jesus in this situation?”

Kinda sounds like the old WWJD trend, right? (Who has a bracelet? You know what I’m talking about.)

But seriously– we sometimes find ourselves in super sticky situations that really seems to have no productive solution. I found myself in that very place a couple of weeks ago. I was genuinely stumped and my heart was torn.

Fortunately for me, it was prayer week at church.

See, three times a year, our Church Body puts the whoa on evening activities and invites everyone to come to church to pray. No, it isn’t a time for us to gather and pray for each other’s needs (although sometimes the Holy Spirit works that in.) But instead we worship for a little while, then we sit and listen to what the Lord is saying to us via a theme or prompt or Scripture set… then we come back together at the end and listen to whomever has something to share.

Sometimes God speaks very powerfully to me. Other times, He gives me answers I’ve been needing or leads me to some pretty cool Scripture. Or sometimes He just wants me to CHILL OUT and rest in His presence. (Yes, resting and napping is permitted if that is what your heart/spirit/body needs and the Holy Spirit  leads you to it!)

Anywho, I was wrapped up in a sticky, messy situation with no brilliant ideas on how to fix it. Our theme for the year at Christ Community is “His Work, Our Peace.” Honestly, peace was the LAST trait you could have used to describe me at that point. So I headed to church, hoping for answers– or at least a little sliver of His Peace.

The theme for the night was the first work of Christ– His incarnation. After I had a good (and much-needed!) cry by myself in the back row of chairs, I sat… and captured this message directly in my journal.

So today, I just wanted to share what God revealed to me in the midst of my yuck.

****

“Jesus became a man. He understands our struggles and has been slandered and persecuted. Yet even on the cross, He forgave those who hurt Him and He never stopped loving.  He didn’t care about people’s’ approval– He only cared about His Father’s heart and approval. 

So as I face this hurtful situation, I must be like Christ. It’s kind of like bringing back WWJD. He wasn’t just a man of theory, but of action. Sometimes you just gotta ask yourself “How can I best represent Christ in this situation?” Philippians 2:5 says “In your relationships, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” In the study section of my Bible, it says this about the verse: “Christians are to have His attitude of self-sacrificing humility and love for others.” 

It’s scary. It’s hard. But I must remember the words of the song we sang during worship… 

‘No power of hell, no scheme of man, could ever pluck me from His hand.’

I embrace the truth that My Beloved is Mine and I am His. 

I am safe and protected. He is the ONE I answer to. So as I reflect on the person in flesh of Jesus, He is… 

HOLY. FULLY LIGHT. UNCOMPROMISING. PURE. GOOD. MERCIFUL. COMPASSIONATE. AWARE. ATTENTIVE. RIGHTEOUS. SERVING. GIVING. POWERFUL. MIGHTY. GLORIOUS. AWESOME. AUTHORITATIVE. WARRIOR. JOYFUL. SENSE OF HUMOR. FORGIVING. LOVING. SACRIFICIAL. LOVE PERSONIFIED. PROVIDER. CARES FOR US. RESTORER. REDEEMER. VICTORIOUS. LIFE GIVER. 

So Jesus came to us in flesh. He understands. He lives in us. We CAN be all these things by clinging to the one truth that He loves us unconditionally. Always. This is done not in our power–but in His power and grace.” 

****

So yeah… Sometimes you just gotta ask yourself– how can you BEST represent Christ in your situation?

What’s YOUR answer?

Grateful for His Grace,
SGK

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.” ~Philippians 2:5-8 (MSG) 

jesus was journal

Categories: challenge | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

From Mess to Message

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Sharita

Sometimes we find ourselves in a big ol’ fat life mess.

Perhaps it’s due to a decision we made. Or a choice someone else made. Or a life season. Or whatever. The important thing to remember is that when we are in a big ol’ fat life mess… God is sovereign, He is over it all, and knows what He is doing.

And oftentimes, if we open our eyes (and our hearts!) that mess will turn into a pretty suh-weet Jesus message.

Been there. Done that. Living it now.

In my last post, “When you Wreck– Rejoice!” I told you all about my latest life, um, “adventure.” (Ok. Wreck. Mess. Whatever you want to call it. Adventure sounds more optimistic.) Yeah, at 34 weeks pregnant, we (as in myself and Little Patriot) were in a car accident that jacked up my car Ladybug pretty significantly. (As in… we need a new one. No pressure. It’s fine.) We were all physically ok, but shoot dang–  my nerves were SHOT.

The next day after the wreck, I was one stressed-out future Mama. Less than 24 hrs before, I had been feeling pretty legit about this whole “final countdown” to baby’s arrival… my to-do list was in ok functional order, I was swimming in the peace of God, and physically I felt pretty great.

But post-wreck day found me slightly overwhelmed– a big ball of nerves. I had yet to legitimately cry about the whole experience (that wouldn’t come til a few days later) and my to-do list had exploded in a matter of seconds. Rental car, insurance, car shopping, cleaning out Ladybug at the impound/tow lot to say goodbye (Sidenote: Those places are like car funeral homes. Super sad place to hang out) etc, etc, etc.  Oh, and not to mention that just a few days prior, our upstairs toilet broke AND our washing machine had decided to go kaput.

The peace from God I had been living in (and loving) was suddenly buried under dozens of phone calls, repairs and paperwork.

Needless to say– I was in a less-than-chipper mood. A bit stressed.

Yeah. That expression kind of captures how I felt, post-wreck. Minus the groomed-ness. And the BFF making faces in the background.

Yeah. That expression kind of captures how I felt, post-wreck. Minus the groomed-ness. And the BFF making faces in the background.

But as usual– God showed up. In some big ways.

First, the rental car driver showed up by 9:15am (kudos for being motivated.) I stumbled into the car to go pick up the rental. I casually asked the driver Chris how he was doing.

His response? “Meh. I’ve been better. Today sucks.”

FAN-TAST-IC. My driver was a Debbie Downer. Honestly, my fleshy heart was regretting that I even said anything for small talk, because I wanted nothing more than to focus on my iPad Wunderlist to try to get a handle on what my day was going to look like.

But Jesus intervened. I responded to his bummed out answer with “Well, Chris, why is that?”

He proceeded to tell me how much he despised his job, how it was raining that day, how he wanted to move out-of-town, that it was his birthday and nobody cared, etc.

I turned to him, blinked and said, “Well happy birthday. Perhaps we should count our blessings today?”

He looked at me with sad eyes and said, “Yeah, whatever.”

At that point… I had already had enough. There was gonna be no sugar-coating from this preggo gal. Before I could stop myself, I was laying some truth on him… In a rather brash kind of way.

I said, “Well, Chris. Let’s shift our perspective a bit. Psalm 118:24 says “Today is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” SO LET’S REJOICE!  It could be worse you know. After all, you could be the 34 week pregnant lady who totaled her car last night and is the one in need of a ride to a rental car. Also, let’s remember that you have a job, you have clothes on your back, and I am going to guess that you had the choice to eat some breakfast this morning, correct?”

It sounded kind of harsh (it was– probably not in my best loving Christian voice) but apparently, it was the kind of truth the man needed to hear. “Well… I guess you are right.” (Dang skippy, I’m right! <I didn’t say that part out loud.)

For the rest of our short drive, I softened and listened to his story… I coached him on resources to find a new job and I tossed in some advice on trusting the Lord in all situations. As I got out of the car, I wished him happy birthday again, told him he did a great job driving me to my destination and asked how my husband and I could pray for him. His voice cracked as he shared his requests… and he thanked me for taking the time to listen to him.

Sometimes people just need to know that you care… and even more to so to know that Jesus cares. As quick as you could say, “Would you like extra rental car insurance?” God had changed my mess– into His very powerful message.

Messy and ok with it,
SGK

“That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” ~Romans 8:28 MSG

PS: In what life instances has God used a mess and turned it into a message? I love to hear your feedback, stories and testimony. Be bold and comment below!

Categories: witness | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Factor of 7: Jaw-Dropping Jesus Moment

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Sharita

Ever have a moment that catches you so off guard that your jaw just drops open automatically?

I have. Several times actually. It can be a result of some shocking information (“So-and-so is getting married!” or “Jim Bob down the road wrecked his truck because he hit a cow—but don’t worry, he’s ok.”) Perhaps it’s from someone jumping out from around the corner trying to startle someone. (which the jaw-drop is quickly followed by a thwack from me to the alleged scarer.)  Sometimes I don’t even know my mouth is gaping open with surprise til someone awkwardly tells me to pick my jaw up off the floor and close my mouth. (Such a proud moment. Sigh.)

A few days ago, my beloved husband and I had a pretty intense jaw-dropping moment… brought to us by Jesus Himself. Here’s what went down…

We were traveling for the holidays and on the second leg of our journey from Columbia, Missouri to Worthing, South Dakota, we needed to stop for breakfast. We hadn’t done a “Factor of 7” act of kindness for December yet, but honestly, my preggo brain was not focused on the Holy Spirit at 6:54am whatsoever—all I was thinking about was “Protein, protein, must have protein. Hungry, hungry, hungry.”

We found a sign on the interstate to Subway (it’s hard to eat a healthy breakfast on the road!) so we took the exit. At the top of the off-ramp were two homeless people holding a cardboard sign. Brandon turned to me and asked, “Hey lover… Can we buy breakfast for those two?”

Even on our tight working-for-Jesus-dollars-single-income-we-have-a-baby-coming budget, I of course said yes, moved by my darling’s ability to be attuned to the Holy Spirit when it was the furthest thing from my brain. (Side note: As a Christian, my husband is the most beautiful, handsome and yes, sexiest, when he is listening to Christ. Did ya hear that, Brandon? Write that down…)

We parked at Subway, ordered two sandwiches for us and two more for the couple standing on the ramp. We dropped a 7 Days Time card in the bag, gave the two hot foot long breakfast sandwiches to the couple and let them know we would be praying for them.

So our day continued. Our hearts (and stomachs) full. On the road again.

But the jaw-dropping Jesus moment came later that evening…

Brandon and I arrived in South Dakota, and one of our first stop post-supper was going to the hospital to see Grandpa Willie. We stopped by Grandma’s house to get her car so she could drive herself home since there wouldn’t be room in the truck with all 6 of us piled in and she had hitched a ride to the hospital with a friend earlier in the day as the roads were kind of icky.

My beloved and I were riding in grandma’s car, just the two of us, following Brandon’s parents, brother and his brother’s girlfriend who were riding in the truck in front of us. As we watched the street before us, two pieces of paper blew up off the ground as the truck in front of us drove by. Brandon stopped mid-sentence and said “What was that?? I think it was money.”

Before I could utter a word, my darling made a u-turn, parked in  front of a church sidewalk (no irony there), and jumped out to investigate. I watched this scene from the passenger seat, jaw-dropped… Expecting IF it was any kind of cash, it would be a couple of one-dollar bills.

He comes back glowing and shouting—it was a $10 and a $20.

I gasped as I suddenly remembered what we had paid for breakfast that morning for ourselves and the homeless couple.

Yep. THIRTY BUCKS.

(I will give you a moment to pick your jaw up off the ground.)

I reminded Brandon of this $30 blessing moment from earlier that day—all He could say is “No way… Seriously?!?! SERIOUSLY!?!?”

Yes. Seriously.

Maybe $30 on a small town Iowa street doesn’t seem to be very significant to you… but we were confident that this jaw-dropping moment was surely brought to us by the One, the Only, Jesus Christ Himself.  There were WAYYYY too many variable factors for this to just be a “random coincidence.” (Plus, God is sovereign over all—so as far as we are concerned, there’s no such thing as a coincidence.)

As we recovered from our shock and overflowing heart-joy, we realized He didn’t just “pay us back” the $14 we paid for the stranger’s sandwiches… He also covered OUR breakfast as well.

Wow, Jesus. Wow.

Bottom line: God cares about the big and small. He is always watching and listening. He is the ultimate provider. He will encourage, reward and smile at us when we do something in His name, via His love.

So what’s stopping us from living like this ALL the time? Today is a great time to start. Won’t you join us?

Jaw-dropped by Jesus,

SGK

“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” ~Luke 6:38 MSG

PS: What did you think of our latest “Factor of 7” and Jesus jaw-dropping payback? How does Jesus make your jaw drop? Comment below!

Categories: Factor of 7 | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments

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