As promised, here’s the link to the message from The Porch mentioned in my most recent post: http://s3.amazonaws.com/Wccaudio/20131112Porch.mp3
Take an hour or so to listen to the message and reflect on what it means for your life.
Be blessed!
Community
[Heart Fuel] Creativity
A brief update on my current adventures: I moved to the DFW area three weeks ago because God closed a lot of doors and opened one. He obviously knows I’m indecisive, so He made my next steps easy to decipher (He’s so good, y’all!). I love Austin and the incredible people I’m blessed to call friends that live there, but I’m confident that it’s not where the The Lord wants me right now. When I left ATX, I bawled. I didn’t want to leave, but I knew that if I intended to walk in obedience, I needed to trust and go. Since that move, The Lord has repeatedly affirmed that DFW is where He wants to use me. I’ve found community, made friends, and am loving every surprise – even Siri’s inability to guide me where I want to go. It seems like “proceed to the highlighted route” and “rerouting” are some of the most common phrases in my vocabulary lately. In Philippians, Paul talks about a peace that surpasses all understanding, and I can honestly say that’s what I’m experiencing (Phil. 4:7). Complete peace that doesn’t make sense.
Now for some heart fuel!
One of the many blessings The Lord has given me in “The Plex” is The Porch at Watermark Community Church. It’s quickly becoming a “Tuesday Tradition” to attend the young adult service and hang out with my incredible friends afterwards. Last night’s message was POWERFUL! We’re walking through Ecclesiastes, and JP, empowered by the Holy Spirit, brought it. One of the main things I took away from the message is that Christians are creative, not boring. So often, we are categorized as rule followers. I know that is especially true of me because my heart is prone to legalism and self-righteousness (Gross, I know. PTL for JESUS!!!). I’ve struggled with cycles of religion rather than relationship, and God’s used some extreme measures (sending me to France) to transform my heart. Like I said earlier, He’s so good.
This simple thought is so true. Think about it. God is creative, so it’s natural that His creation is creative. Every single person you cross paths with is uniquely designed. No one looks exactly the same (including identical twins), which means BILLIONS of people have walked the earth, and not one person is an exact replica of another. That’s creativity. If the God of the Universe is creative, it makes sense that the aspect of creation He made in His image is creative too (Gen. 1:27). When I reflect on events in my life that have been the most fun, I’ve realized they were spent with other Christians doing some of the most random things. After last night’s message, I now realize these moments were incredibly joy-filled because we were fully exercising the creative nature God gives His people. Sometimes I feel like a 12-year-old walking around in a 22-year-old body, but the reality is the imagination The Lord’s given me and my friends leads to some pretty random and ridiculous adventures. And, I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Exhibit A: Fancy Pants Valentine’s Dance. Photo booth included.
Exhibit B: You’re never too old for a game of kickball.
Exhibit C: Staying up until 4 a.m. for no reason. Apparently we thought it was a good idea to take pictures in ski clothes and bicycle helmets. YOLO
Exhibit D: Camping in hurricane-force winds with a Honda Civic. Always an adventure.
Exhibit E: Water guns + no sleep = brilliance!
Exhibit F: Fire pit dancing completely sober on New Years. Party time!
Exhibit G: There’s no shame in dancing in the bed of a truck at a coffee shop.
Exhibit H: Spontaneous trip to the ballpark. Why not?
As I reminisce on these memories and many more, it’s evident that this life isn’t meant to be boring! It’s meant to be creative beyond measure. Yes, fun looks different from the world when you’re following Jesus. That’s not a bad thing. Sin isn’t creative. It’s repetitive and harmful. Get creative. Now! Do something absolutely ridiculous and completely righteous. Hit me up if you need ideas. I would love to help you out!
There is so much freedom and creativity that comes from knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When the podcast is posted online, I’ll share a link to it ASAP!
We All Need Backup
They say: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…”
I’m 99.9% sure you’ve heard this phrase countless times after a breakup. Today I’m going to spin this overused quote a different way and apply it to community within the Church body.
In the past couple months community was hard to engage in. During college I found a church home that embraced me and all my strange quirks (obnoxiously loud and uncontrollable laughs being the frontrunner). They’ve loved me during life’s valleys, watched me grow in my faith, cheered me on in volleyball and so much more. After entering the “real world” suddenly making it to church on Sundays became impossible due to circumstances outside of my control. Accountability was out the window, worship seemed to lack luster and honestly I felt alone, vulnerable and left out for the wolves. When I entered back into community, I was immediately embraced and the relationships that were hard to maintain during my absence picked up right where they left off.
I say: “You don’t know how important community is until it’s gone…”
There’s a difference between knowing and realizing something’s importance. I’ve known what scripture says about the importance of community, but thanks to a community-less season of life I now realize its importance. There’s a reason Jesus tells us He’s present when two or more are gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20) and Solomon, in all of his wisdom, wanted us to know that one person can be overpowered, two can defend themselves and a cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Jesus prayed for the unity of believers (John 17:20-21) and Paul refers to believers as the body of Christ for a reason (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). We can’t do it alone. Satan wants us isolated so he can fill us with lies and make us turn from Truth. Jesus claimed the final victory, but there’s still a battle for hearts raging everyday and we all need backup!
If you are struggling and aren’t an active part of the body of believers, get involved…RIGHT NOW! Send a text, shoot an email, make a call. Do something! You weren’t created to enter battle alone.
Much love,
Meredith
sojourney 