The Rest of Your Story 25: What if you're waiting?

To start from part one, click here.

The Israelites had a holy GPS to the Promised Land and the journey still took a long time.

Jesus knew He was called to be the Messiah but He didn't officially begin His ministry until age 30.

Esther spent a year on beauty treatments before she even met the king (sign me up for that one!).

It's just one little letter but know is not the same as now.

I can feel guilty when I get to a place where I better understand God's plan or what He's calling me to do and it hasn't fully come into being yet. Anyone else? Let's just kick that to the curb, ladies. 

I've done a lot of waiting over the last five years. And what God has gently revealed to me is this, if our hearts are open and we're saying "yes" to what He asks of us each day then we're where we're supposed to be.

It may not make sense. It may seem small. It may feel silly. But sometimes God just has us stay.

Beth Moore said, "Hearts entirely surrendered to God can ordinarily be trusted." If we have yielded to Jesus and handed Him the pen but all has not come to pass in our story then it is not time yet. Or God has something else for us that we're being prepared for now. Either way, we have done our part.

That's what this series is about...not making something happen but getting to the point where we are open and ready.

Our role in the story is to simply place our fingers on the edge of the paper and say, "God, I am here and waiting. Turn the pages as you will. And with all I am, all I have, I will go with you."

p.s. Have you told us how we can pray for you?

______________________________________________________________________________

TODAY'S QUESTION: What's your heart waiting on right now?

To Post Your Comment, Click Here

Every comment during the 21-day challenge = an entry for $50 to DaySpring.com, including the (in)courage shop!

Are you a blogger? Every Friday we'll have a "Rest of Your Story" round-up! 

Subscribe by Email - It's free!

Share |

The Rest of Your Story 24: How can we pray for you?

There's something about face-to-face, neck-hugging, shoulder-crying, loud-laughing times that make all seem right in the world again.

I've spent the last few days at the Blissdom conference in Nashville. That's where Dawn Camp snapped this fun photo of Stephanie and I.

I saw many of the (in)courage writers, connected with people from twitter, and made new friends too.

And I thought of you.

Because I connected with most of these women online first. And I can tell you, the bonds we're forming on these pages are real, strong, life-changing and true.

Yesterday morning Robin hosted a prayer party. We circled up, bowed heads, talked to Jesus together, prayed for each other. And it made me want to do the same here. After all, we may not have met face-to-face yet but we've shared heart-to-heart. 

I had another post ready for today and it's late at night as I'm typing. In five hours I'll get up to catch a plane. But I'm here instead because this matters.

And I've realized all over again...

Our stories are incomplete without each other.  

So how can we pray for you today? Let us know by leaving a comment. Before you post your words, take a moment to pray for the last person on the comment list.

Let's circle up, bow heads, talk to the One who brought us to each other.

And whether here or in heaven, I look forward to a face-to-face, neck-hugging, shoulder-crying, loud-laughing time with you.

To let us know how we can pray for you, click here.

p.s. The comment link on yesterday's post is fixed & you can leave yours now.  

Subscribe by Email

Share |

The Rest of Your Story 23: What are your skills?

To start from part one, click here.

Skill: A strength expressed in a specific way that builds up others and benefits the Kingdom.

Now that you know your strengths, what do you do with them? Chances are, you're already doing something. Strengths are made to be expressed. We call those expressions skills.

Skills can get overlooked. Besides being made fun of in Napoleon Dynamite (okay, that was pretty hilarious), they can sometimes seem not-as-spiritual.

For example, you might wonder, "How does something like cooking help the Kingdom?" (Besides potlucks,which are the best sort of goodness this side of heaven.)

In the DaySpring creative area, this verse stayed on the wall for many years...

I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts. Exodus 31:3

This verse reveals that God's hand is in our skills, in the ordinary things we do. And they matter. A lot. We don't all have the same skills. For example, the "all kinds of crafts" part doesn't quite fit me. (I am not allowed to use hot glue guns for reasons that shall remain unsaid.) 

To help us figure out our skills, I've got another list. Take a look...

Download Skills List

Skills Circles can be a fun way to connect strengths with skills. Draw a circle and write a strength in the middle. Then draw small circles around the edge and write related skills in them. Here's a personal example...

 
 
The size of the circle is related to how much we express that strength through the skill. For example, I write a lot more than I speak.

Have fun with this! Doodle, put these in your journal, write them on napkins next time you're stuck on a plane. This isn't meant to be a big project, just a little tool.

We usually express the same core strength in many different ways. That reveals a lot about who we are and what God has called us to do in our story.

Watch out world, we've got skills and we're not afraid to use them.

(Except for the hot glue gun. I'm still not going there. You fabulously talented crafty people handle that one for me, okay?)

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

 

 

* Does it feel strange to talk about your skills? Read Part 21.

________________________________________________________________________________

TODAY'S QUESTION: What are some of your skills?

Every comment during the challenge = an entry for $50 to DaySpring.com, including the (in)courage shop!

To Post Your Comment, Click Here *This works now!

Are you a blogger? Every Friday we'll have a "Rest of Your Story" round-up! 

Subscribe by Email - It's FREE!

Share |