How Do You Find a Home in a Day?
Today Jarrett and Jeanne will view over a dozen homes in downtown Chicago in an attempt to lock in where we will be living…in 3 weeks. This is not how we would have planned for or desired, but it seems like God is more interested in growing our faith than He is coddling to our comfort.
You can follow our adventures through Jarrett’s Twitter Feed. However, we would ask that every time you see a Tweet, you PRAY BIG that God would continue to provide above and beyond what our Family needs or could possibly imagine. We are excited to see what God brings….in the next few hours! Thank you for being a part of this with us.
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How do you find a HOME in a day? You don’t. You find a house and you make it a HOME.
Deep Roots in Dry Times
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it’s roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it’s leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
Amy Lawlor is a part of the Leadership Team of Soul City Church. She’s making the move from Atlanta to Chicago this Spring to start Soul City. In her spare time Amy is an MMA Fighter. She currently holds the belt in the Women’s Lightweight Division.Anyone can do ANYTHING with Money…
Overheard a great quote from Mike Michalowicz today that is so true for life and SOOOO true for the Start Up phase that Soul City is in right now.
“Anyone can do anything with money. What can YOU do without?
What a brilliant reminder for us personally and for whatever Business or Church Endeavor you find yourself in. The comforting deception is that “If we just had more (or some) money we could…”
- …Reach more people in our city.
- …Hire more people to do more work.
- …Get out of all this debt.
- …Be able to give more as a family.
- …No longer worry about NOT having money.
You fill in the blank.
But the naging question remains – “What can you do without?” What can you do without money that people with money can’t do? What kinda faith and creativity and ingenuity might God be trying to squeeze out of you in the absence of having all that you think you need?
Money is nothing to God. He could give you all that you need and then some. So money is not the point. Faithfulness. Obedience. Dependence. Sacrifice. Creativity. That stuff that is priceless. And all the money in the world can’t get you that. But not having it…that may be the only thing in this season that affords you the things that God desires most.
So – What is one thing you have done or are doing that is GREAT in your family, business, or church without the supposed luxury of money? We’d love to hear your stories…
Sabbath Saturday
Today the Stevens Family and the Soul City Family choose to Sabbath.
- We choose to Rest instead of Work.
- We choose to Trust instead of Hustle.
- We choose to Sip coffee instead of Pound it.
- We choose to Talk instead of Tweet.
- We choose to Refill instead of Pour out.
- We choose to stay in Jammies for as long as possible instead of getting Dressed.
- We choose to Sabbath instead of just taking a Day Off.
It’s Sabbath Saturday. See ya Sunday.
It Really Is Well…Really
I am not afraid to admit that I regularly talk out loud. I’m sure that people driving past me on the street wonder if I am OK – but that’s OK with me. Talking a loud has always served as a healthy method for me in making sure that the things that are internally floating around in my heart and soul are able to come out into the light and get some fresh oxygen. It lets my fears breathe – and it allows my concerns to somehow become right sized. I have come to realize that if I keep them inside they often feel bigger and much scarier than they really are.
So today I let them out to play and as I listed them off to God I had the hymn “It is well” playing in the background and my list actually came out an entirely different way today. They started as a list of fears that I traded in for a list of peace. I am sure that I will need to keep speaking this truth out loud – one blog post of declaring that my soul is OK with all of these fears most likely won’t accomplish perfect peace.
So if I pass you in the car and you see me talking out loud – yes I’m a little bit crazy – but most likely what you are seeing is me declaring that God has won – Christ prevailed – and it continues to be well with my soul!
- It is well with my soul that our house has not sold and we have not
- secured a renter yet.
- .
- It is well with my soul that we still have a long way to go in our
- fundraising efforts.
- .
- It is well with my soul that we are still trying to figure out our living
- situation in Chicago.
- .
- It is well with my soul that we have more unanswered questions than we do
- defined answers.
- .
- It is well with my soul that I regularly feel unqualified for the task
- that God has clearly called us to accomplish.
So what is on your list today that needs to come out from the darkness and breathe so that you can also say – “It is well with your soul?”
And if you get a chance go to ITunes to get my friend Todd Fields CD – I have had this song on repeat all day. Thanks Todd for being a part of my story of trusting God today!
The Hardest Thing To Do = Do Nothing
Today is a Sabbath Saturday for Stevens Family Inc and Soul City Church. It’s 1 day out of 7 where we STOP. REST. REFLECT. REFILL. And TRUST God to do what is his to do in the first place.
When I don’t Sabbath I assume one of two things (if not both):
- I’m the ONLY ONE who can do all of this
- It ALL depends on me
- The First Assumption precludes OTHERS from the work God called has called us to in community.
- The Second Assumption precludes GOD from the work He created us for.
So instead of doing that…today, we’re choosing to do nothing.
Happy Sabbath!
Bowing Down to Success (pt. 3 of Idol Week)
If you are even remotely familiar with “Strength Finders” than you are probably aware of what someone with the Achiever strength looks like. Acheivers live in a state of constant drive. Every day is a new opportunity for accomplishment. There’s no doubt that the Achiever has an important God-given strength and is vital to the movement of ministry. But I have found in my own life that when the desire for achievement is motivated by the personal “SUCCESS” or affirmation cleverly hidden beneath the task – the achiever begins to dabble in some good old fashioned Idol Worship.
Unfortunately it happens far too often in ministry. It can bring about great destruction, pain, and deep disapointment the longer it goes unrecognized and unconfessed. You may have experienced it personally.
- Has there ever been a moment when you have gotten to the end of your Sunday Service or Gathering and you were disappointed with the amount of people that showed up (or didn’t) and you found yourself exaggerating about or “rounding up” the amount of people that were really there (aka – “Pastor Math”).
- .
- Do you ever find that on the off chance you receive positive feedback from someone, your whole attitude about the ministry is good? But if (when) you get an e-mail from someone that is disappointed with a decision that you made then your general attitude about the ministry is bad.
- .
- Do the comments, suggestions, and opinions of others about your performance have a disproportionate bearing on your decision-making and your ability to actually listen to what God is saying to you about the ministry?
If so, than perhaps your own personal desire for SUCCESS has become an idol for you. I wonder how many of us who fall down at the feet of the Idol of Personal Success would have the guts to admit here? For those who can, you gotta remember this – You are not alone. Sadly here are far too many of us than we would ever imagine in this imaginary spiritual competition. And this is not what God created us for. But there is hope! It just means that something is gonna end up in the fire.
So, what can you do TODAY to recognize that this is you idol and throw that sucker into the fire as a sacrifice to God? That one defiant act can bring more glory and praise and delight to the one true God than you could ever possibly imagine.
Bowing Down to Comparison (pt. 2 of Idol Week)
The idol of COMPARISON is a trap that quickly entangles way too many of us. I know I have found myself smack dab in the middle of the ugly snarls of wishing something was different about my life as I look at the life of someone else. Comparison never puts us in a better place – in fact it always puts us in a losing posture. When you find yourself in the middle of comparison it either causes you to think too highly of yourself or too lowly of yourself.
Comparisons seem to happen all the time – especially in ministry. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with another person and the whole time you’re talking you are internally comparing what you see or hear to your own life? You judge the intentions of their heart. You wonder if their life or ministry is really deep and helpful, or if its just good easy entertainment that keeps people coming back. You judge what you don’t really know to make yourself feel better about what you are doing. Could it be that your insecurity and fear of failure have become more important than the God who uniquely created you and called you to a unique purpose. Could it be that COMPARISON is your idol.
Think about if there is a person that you keep wishing you were more like or a person that you continue to judge –
Now, what might God be saying to you about the idol of comparison in your life? Maybe you need to deny the power of comparison in your life. Instead of feeding the idol, maybe you should instead bless the person that you continue to compare yourself to.
An Unashamed Homage to VIP Treatment at U2.
We’re Church Planters. Which means among many other things that the words Discretionary and Income are rarely uttered in the same breath.
So when we heard U2 was coming to town, we looked at our budget, laughed…cried….and made the choice that it would not be the best way for us to use our finances in this season.
We were cool with it. We had moved on. That is until an old friend of ours – Jess called up with (RED) Zone seats to the show…for that night…for free! On the Floor. 20 Feet away from the stage. 5 feet away from the Runway. What a gift!
God provided a relatively small thing in a way that was bigger than anything we could ever imagine. It was hands down the best concert experience of our lives.
There will be no “Lessons Learned from the 360 Tour”, no “What the Church Could Learn From Bono”. Nope. This post is all about celebrating a great night at a great show, brought to us by our good friend Bono, I mean, Jess.
SPOLIER ALERT – These pictures will make you hate us. We understand. Click HERE to see them all at our Flikr Page.
Sabbath Saturday
It’s that time of the week. Sabbath Saturday. A time for our family and our church to rest. A time to Replenish. A time to Receive from God the gift that He gave himself after six full days of Creation – Rest.
We won’t be Blogging, Texting, Tweeting, Emailing, or Updating our Status. Our Status is Sabbath. We choose to Turn Off. We choose to Unplug. And somehow…all that stuff seems to get along fine without US for one day. And somehow…we seem to get along fine with IT for one day.
How are you Choosing to Sabbath this week?
Where Does Grace Go?
Theologically speaking, Grace is the Game Changer of the Christian Faith. It is one of the Quintessential Key Distinctives of the Christian Faith. The fact that while we absolutely deserve nothing from God, he extends and offers himself to us, even in our darkest and most desperate state…that changes everything.
There’s infinitely more to say here about the Reality of Grace. We could spend a lifetime…and all of Eternity. But the point of this post is not to explore the Definition of Grace, but the Destination.
- When it comes to the idea of a Holy and Perfect God offering his life and love to you and I…
- When it comes to the idea of Sin being Forgiven…
- When it comes to the idea of Grace…
Where Does it go?
For most people the Reality of Grace tends to occupy one of three destinations
- The Head
- The Heart
- The Hands
The Head – You understand the concept, can probably even communicate it well, but have a harder time fully receiving it and offering it to others. You have probably been going to church for a very long time.
The Heart – You have no problem receiving it but live largely unaware of the cost, the price, the sacrifice of Grace. Grace is also something you have no problem experiencing for yourself, but tend to keep it for yourself.
The Hands – You love helping people, serving people, making sure everyone else is taken care of, but it is often a subtle attempt to “earn” grace” which by it’s very definition can not be earned.
God’s ultimate desire for you is that you would Understand, Experience, and Extend His Grace as freely as you have received it from God. That’s how you were created to live, but the reality is, many of us don’t.
So, where does Grace go with you? Head. Heart. Hands Where do you sense God is inviting you to experience his Grace more in this season? What do you need to do about it?
Mustard Seeds of Faith, Trust, and Sacrifice
Early on into the process of deciding to launch Soul City Church I felt God give me a prayer to pray every time we hit our common speed bumps of fear, control, and desiring comfort.
“God please turn my Fear into Faith, my Control into Trust, and
my desire for Comfort into Sacrifice.”
Today I hit all three speed bumps. I realized how much I am afraid of when it comes to giving up our jobs and financial security. I realized just how out of control I am when it comes to the fact that I can’t make someone buy our home, and I realized how I crave comfort when it comes to my lifestyle.
After flopping around in the reckless fear, control, and comfort for a while I was taken straight to the passage in Matthew where Jesus breaks it down for his disciples as to why they could not cast out a demon and said this…
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you
have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move
from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
So I went to my cabinets and grabbed a container of Mustard Seeds and asked God to give me that kind of faith, trust, and desire for sacrifice today. I put three mustard seeds in a bowl representing my fear, control, and desire for comfort – and asked God to turn them into faith, trust, and sacrifice.
How about you – What kind of mustard seed faith, trust and sacrifice do you
need today?
Borrowing Faith
I’m starting to believe that God lovingly pushes us to the very edge, the very limit of our faith so that we are forced to borrow Faith from Him. This is the reality that we have begun living in ever since we said yes to God’s idea for this Church.
We are living at a level of Faith in God these days that we have never lived at before in our entire lives…and yet…it still doesn’t feel like enough. When we look at all that has to happen each day for Soul City Church to simply get off the ground, we are floored and overwhelmed. We simply don’t see a way to raise all the money we have to raise through the BE Campaign. We simply don’t see a way that we are going to be able to sell our house. We simply don’t see a way that we are going to find a home in the city where our family can thrive. We simply don’t see a way for all those moving to Chicago with us to start Soul City to be able work through all these exact same details in THIER lives. We simply don’t see a way.
But we live by faith, not by what we see. ((2 cor. 5:7))
And that is exactly where OUR faith comes to an end and GOD’s faith steps in. I don’t know how it all works in God’s economy, but it seems like the very faith it requires to believe IN can only come FROM him. He is the one who gives me the faith to actually believe in him at all. And every time my faith grows weak and my sight grows strong, I am invited back to his office to take out another loan. To borrow against my lack of faith. To leverage my life as collateral. To take one more step forward, following him. This is how God grows our faith, by planting the very seed himself.
This is where we’re living these days. This is where we’ve ALL been invited by God to live. No matter what we see, this is the faith God longs to give us.
So. Where is God lovingly pushing you to Borrow Faith from Him these days?
A 3″D” Relationship with God (pt. 3) – Discipline
The third “D” to a 3- D life with God is Discipline. I’m sure the very word produces a response in you. The reason I know that is because it produces a response in me – and most of the time if I am honest the response has something to do with guilt.
For many of us the story of Discipline has a common thread woven throughout our different experiences. You desire to be physically healthy – but you’re unwilling to work hard at it. You desire to know God’s Word – but you are unwilling to discipline yourself to set aside a time in the day to focus on reading and meditating on it. You desire to be financially free – but are not willing to say no to the designer jeans that everyone else has. You desire to be patient with your kids – but when you have found yourself saying 15 times “Please – share with your Sister” – it’s on the 16th time that unfortunately you loose our cool.
There are so many things that I desire to do in my lifetime – but at times I am just plain unwilling to put the hard discipline to the test to make it happen. But desire without discipline usually turns into dead dreams. It’s in the small and the big moments of life that I need discipline when I want that iced lemon loaf at Starbucks that would go so well with my coffee…to the courage that comes from disciplining myself to work hard at raising all of the necessary funds to start Soul City Church.
I was reading in proverbs today and this simple verse jumped out…
- “Slack habits & Sloppy work are as bad as vandalism”
- Proverbs 18:9
Wow – do I really believe that – do I really believe that my sloppy and flabby disciplines are as damaging to the personal property of my soul, as vandalism is to a building or home. I would be crushed if someone came into my home with a baseball bat and ripped through my rooms destroying what has become a sacred space for me and my family. I would be angry, sad, hurt, and would probably desire a certain amount of justice to be served.
Why don’t I have equally strong emotions when it comes to my sloppy disciplines. A vibrant and transforming relationship with God will require not a sloppy discipline – but one that is fueled with a steadfast faithfulness and commitment to the task of training your soul to do what was originally put within it to do.
So why don’t you try this simple exercise :: God I will discipline myself to….
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.
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Here is what I wrote:
God I will discipline myself to have some significant conversations this week with some key people that are in the process of praying about their connection to Soul City Church. God I will discipline myself to drink more water – I confess my love of coffee – but I know coffee all day is not good for my body! God I will discipline myself to put my cell phone and laptop away from 4:30 – 8:00 so that I am present with my family. God I will discipline myself in my writing this week – I will complete a chapter by Monday. Because I believe that desire without discipline usually turns into nothing more than dead dreams.
a 3 “D” Relationship with God (pt. 2)
(part 2 of 3)
Somewhere along the way being FINE became our facade for spiritually mature. Many of us have believed a dreadful lie that it’s better to cut ourselves off from desire – than to actually live into the depth of all that we long for in life. When someone asks how we are doing we robotically puke our canned response “I’m doing fine – How are you?” Most of the time I think we are just waiting for the other person to return our question with the same response… “Thanks for asking – I’m doing Fine also.”
What would you do if someone responded to your question with – “I am in the middle of pleading for God to give me the deepest desires of my heart – it is overwhelming, filled with raw emotion, sometimes I am anxious and afraid, I honestly wonder what I will do if this doesn’t happen, etc….how are you?” Most of us have a hard time living that deep into our desires – or if we do we struggle with feeling like our desires reveal immaturity – instead of maturity. But desire is essential in our life if we long to live completely ALIVE in Jesus.
I love what John Eldridge says in his book, “Desire“
“Why are we so embarrassed by our desire? Why do we pretend we’re doing fine, thank you, that we don’t need a thing? The persistent widow wasn’t too proud to seek help. Neither was the psalmist. Their humility allowed them to express their desire. How little we come to God with what really matters to us. How rare it is that we even admit it to ourselves. We don’t pray like Jesus because we don’t allow ourselves to be nearly so alive. We don’t allow ourselves to feel how desperate our situation truly is. We sense that our desire will undo us if we let it rise up in all its fullness. Wouldn’t it be better to bury the disappointment and the yearning and just get on with life? As Larry Crabb has pointed out, pretending seems a much more reliable road to Christian maturity. The only price we pay is a loss of soul, of communion with God, a loss of direction, and a loss of hope.”
I (Jeanne) am realizing that to step out onto the wobbly faith limb of starting this church has been one of the greatest movements that could have happened in our life. I no longer go through any kind of canned motion when it comes to my desires. I am acutely aware of my desires every day and it has allowed me to live in a healthy desperation for God.
So why don’t you try this spiritual exercise – Finish the thought, “God my deepest desires are…”
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Here is what I wrote
- God I desire for you to lead me towards the people that you have already prepared to be a part of soul city church. Increase my desire to trust that you will direct and prompt them and that I won’t need to convince or beg people to come. God I desire for you to regularly surprise me with the provision of our financial resources for our family and for Soul City Church – increase my desire for sacrifice. God I desire for you to simply sell our house. God I desire to be more humble, honest, and bold in my leadership. God I desire to be more patient, fun, and silly with my kids this week.
We would love for you to leave a comment with what YOU put in that space of DESIRE. It is such a simple exercise and such a good reminder to not let DESIRE die in your life.
And make sure to check back over the next few days to hear how DESIRE works together with Discipline and Dependence.
Sowing Seeds of Sabbath
Today is yet another Sabbath Saturday for the Stevens family and for Soul City Church. We believe that our Success as leaders and as a church is directly connected to the discipline of Sabbath. We believe that our posture of Dependence on God is directly connected to the discipline of Sabbath. We believe that our capacity to genuinely Enjoy each other and our kids is directly connected to the discipline of Sabbath. So today, we Sabbath.
Here’s what we won’t do:
- Email, Text, Twitter, Facebook, Blog (this post was written earlier smarty pants!)
Here’s what we will do:
- Rest, Play, Talk, Plant Flowers, Clean the House, and Wrestle (Daddy vs. Elijah)
See you on Sunday.
A 3 “D” relationship with God
(Part 1 of 3)
Jarrett often makes fun of my need to have words that start with the same letter when I teach – but the truth is that I am so forgetful that I often don’t’ even remember what I’ve taught if it isn’t simple. So having alliterations may seem like its straight from the creative genius of Sesame Street – but it works for me. That being said, I believe that there are 3 D’s that are critical to a healthy relationship with God.
Depend, Desire, & Discipline are the 3 closest companions to those waiting on God. Whenever I am in a significant season of waiting or when I am seeking God to reveal His direction in my life I hang out with Dependence, Desire & Discipline. Like three old friends – when one of them is missing – something is clearly off. All three are needed in the process of growth and waiting.
Depending on God is crucial to waiting. When we depend we essentially are saying, “I trust you God, I trust your process, I trust your timing, & I trust your outcome.” When I depend I release my own abilities to make something happen. To let go of that old self of cruise ship activities director of my life – always making something happen. Instead I trust and meditate on things that are ALWAYS true about God and that are not always true about me.
- God is ALWAYS in control
- God is ALWAYS present
- God is ALWAYS loving
- God is ALWAYS honest
- God is ALWAYS faithful
- God is ALWAYS good
Maybe today you can do a simple spiritual exercise to remind you of who God ALWAYS is. Fill in the following Blank:
I depend on you God to…
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
What would it say? What does it need to say? Here is what I wrote in my blank…
“I depend on you God to provide all of the crucial leaders and volunteers that are needed to help launch and lead Soul City Church. I depend on you to provide all of the financial resources that are needed to start and sustain Soul City Church. I depend on you to provide a space for Soul City Church to meet in. I depend on you to sell our house so that we can get to Chicago.”
We would love for you to leave a comment with what you put in that space of Dependemce. It is such a simple excercise and such a good reminder of who God ALWAYS is and who we don’t have to try and be.
And make sure to check back over the next few days to hear how Dependence works with Discipline and Desire.
Either way, we find ourselves in tears…
The journey of launching Soul City Church has completely revolutionized our relationship with God. Never in our lives have we lived so utterly dependent on God. Better put – Never in our lives have we lived more AWARE of our dependence on God.
Our days end with Jeanne and I physically on our knees before God. That time together in prayer typically tends to go one of two ways. We find ourselves in tears because…
- We simply can not see how all of our needs are going to be met personally, as a family, and as a church.
- or because…
- God blows away our small expectations of His goodness and ability to meet exceedingly more than we are even able to ask for.
Either way we find ourselves in tears.
As odd as it may seem. we are becoming increasingly grateful for the dichotomous swing between fear and faith. We are learning to love living life this way. Fully aware of all of our fears, concerns, and challenges. Fully dependent on God. We often wonder how we went so long without living at this level of daily dependence. And the more we experience it, the more we can’t imagine living life any other way.
I Sleepy
(Taken from an article I (Jeanne) wrote about 2 years ago when I first started discovering the deep need for a Sabbath in my life.)
When my 2-year-old son looked at me from the back seat with his ocean blue droopy eyes and said “Mamma – I Sleepy”. It was his sweet but firm way of saying – enough is enough, no more errands, no more tasks, no more running around, I want to take a nap. Every day his little body reaches its limit and he usually crashes hard into a 2 ½, and if I’m lucky 3 hour nap. He knows when he just can’t take it anymore and he nestles into the corner of his crib and gives up to sleep. In those few short hours he is somehow replenished and refueled to scamper about for the rest of the day with boundless energy. Most of the time I hoard every minute of productivity that is available to me while Elijah is sleeping. I shift into my fastest gear possible so that I can fly through my never ending to do list. Being an efficient and capable person has always been important to me. I tend to live at one speed – always moving. I very rarely let myself switch into 1st or neutral. I am a doer. I have been a doer all my life. My mind is always moving, thinking about the next project, the next task, and the next thing that needs to get done. My treadmill is in constant motion, which often keeps me from recognizing that like my son “I sleepy”.
Sometimes it’s the physical exhaustion that I avoid. I wait until my two week disposable contacts which I have tried to turn into two month extended wear fog up and begin to burn and itch because my eyes just want to shut and not be opened until 8+ hours of sleep. Sometimes it’s a verbal fatigue. When I start to slur my sentences or confidently explain something with the wrong words and it ends up making no sense. This is always a dangerous one especially if I am speaking somewhere when I am over tired. Often it comes out emotionally for me. Usually I hit the wall of feeling buried in things that are late or need my attention and for some reason in the moment the only good response is to cry. I don’t like living this way but I have somehow yoked myself to the lie that it’s not cleanliness, but productivity that’s closest to godliness.
My productivity has somehow seeped into every area of my life. My friends will often begin their sentences with me by saying, “I feel like we haven’t talked in so long.” My extended family will often be surprised about something that I am doing because I have not found the time to tell them what is happening in my life. My husband and I will often have long conversations just to fill each other up on the events from the past week. People that I am ministering too often start their sentences with me by saying, “I know you are so busy…” and then they launch into their desire to talk or get together. I quietly wince every time my life communicates to another person that my tasks and responsibilities and priorities don’t include them. I know that they have subtly translated that my productivity is more important than our relationship.
I need to learn to stop sooner. To replenish. To take nap’s more regularly. So I decided to heed my son’s advice. I curled up on the couch in the middle of the day, grabbed the soft red blanket from the basket in the corner, got my pillows just right, took my socks off because I can’t sleep when my sock are on and fell into an invigorating slumber. I didn’t wake up until I heard Elijah’s voice start to project through his baby monitor. “Mamma – I up”
My nap was wonderful. Perfect in length. I felt great when I got up. I had a fabulous afternoon mindlessly playing with trucks and tractors on the floor with Elijah. We laughed and read books. I taught him how to play hide and seek. We took a walk in his big red wagon and stopped at a construction site so he could watch the tractors turn and move the earth around. We shared a meal together. After dinner we went upstairs so Elijah could take a bath. As he splashed around in his tub of mostly bubbles we traced the activities of the day. While he parrotted back to me our doings of the day I realized that it was the first time in a very long time that I had celebrated the Sabbath. So I decided to teach my son about what we really did that day. I broke it down toddler style why God created a Sabbath and how what we did that day was pleasing to God. As Elijah filled up his toy boats with water he said “Sabot Mamma”.
A simple but superb memory was crafted into my mind that I will hold for as long as humanly possible. Sharing a Sabbath with a two year old is about as good as it gets.
XTREME Sabbath!!!
It was yet another Sabbath Saturday here at the Stevens House.
- A day of Replenishment.
- A day of Play.
- A day of Family.
- A day of No Meetings.
- A day free from Blogs, Emails, Tweets, Texts, and Facebook.
- A day we didn’t think about comments and analytics.
- A day that we worked hard…at resting.
It was a great day.
We love hearing all the different ways that different people Sabbath. So, if you Sabbath, we’d love to know how. And if you don’t, we’d love to know why.
Doing Less To Do More
Last week I (Jeanne) hit one of those common walls that leaders hit. I looked at my to-do list and realized there were far too many boxes to check than I had hours left in my day. I confess that I am an activator and achiever and so often my first response is to come up with as many possible ways to push past the gift of my human limits and throw on my superwoman cape of capacity and power through. But I know that when I do that it leaves me feeling more exhausted, lacking in inspiration, impatient, and ultimately unsatisfied.
Every day I awake to a list of tasks that are calling out to me to accomplish them. I don’t suspect that there is a day in my near future when there will be nothing on the list. Starting a church, leading a ministry, raising a family, and following a dream happens through the constant accomplishing of tasks and goals one day at a time. But it should never be done alone. I know that if I am the only one looking at the list and tackling the list I am breaking one of our Core leadership Values for the staff & volunteers of Soul City Church.
Doing less is Doing more! Always be looking for someone that you can develop into leadership by giving away appropriate authority instead of developing a follower by giving away a task.
Far too many church leaders are burning out and giving up because they only give away tasks – not authority. Maybe you have hit this wall too – maybe you’re at it right now. My hunch is that there are some amazing people right around you that are hungry to lead with you, not just accomplish a task.
So how can you DO MORE by DOING LESS this week?
Sabbath Saturday
Today we choose to Sabbath. Today we choose to trust God with our lives and our work. Today we choose to not only acknowledge that we have limits, but to celebrate them. Today we choose Rest, Play, Family, Friends, Conversation, Reflection. Today we choose to sleep in (or at least Jeanne does). Today we choose to give ourselves, as Peter Scazzero calls it, “A Regular Voluntary Snow Day”.
You won’t find us Blogging, Texting, on Email, on Twitter, on Facebook, or on our Phones.
We do this as Individuals, as a Family, and as a Church. We’d love to know who else we’re doing this with.
So let us know :: Do you Sabbath? If so, how?
Are you Listening?
Elijah & Gigi have a focused mission for their day that lasts from sunrise to sunset –PLAY. They can’t get enough of it. I love watching their imagination and innocence flourish as they romp around through their young and free lives enjoying the simplicity of racing cars along the hardwood floors, flying toy airplanes through the air, and throwing balls up into the sky. The only problems is when we need to interrupt that play – somehow when we ask a question or proclaim a change in their plans they loose their capacity to hear us.
Simple statements like –
- Lets come eat
- Please pick up your toys
- Please don’t take that toy from your sister
- Please don’t throw that toy at your sister
- Please don’t pull the dogs tail
- Lets not take out every can of green beans in the pantry
When these phrases come out of our mouth its as if our children’s capacity to hear gets turned off and they ignore our voice entirely. I find myself regularly repeating the phrase – “Are you listening?” I so wish I only had to state the question once – but most of the time I don’t get their attention until the 2nd or 3rd time through the question.
I wonder if God is asking the same question to us.
As we romp around our lives filled with routine, task, responsibility, desire, hope, dreams, relationships, plans and prayers – I wonder if God is gently whispering – “Are you listening?” And because we are so locked into what we are doing – maybe we can’t see what He is revealing in our stories.
Most of us long to hear from God – we long to hear His voice, His direction, His prompting, His opinion on whether we should choose option A or B – and we find ourselves frustrated and stuck wondering why He does not speak the same way he did in the Old Testament – or why he won’t burn up a bush or throw some manna on the grass in our front yard each morning. I have often felt this way and I have been learning to listen to God in new ways – through my own story.
“Do you ever feel stuck, just going through the motions, not hearing from God, and not feeling any passion about your life? It’s easy to land there if you’re not listening to your story. God writes our story with great passion and desire , and he reveals our own passion and desires as we read and listen to our story.“
- To be Told – Dan Allendar
So if you are a little stuck today maybe you can quiet down and listen to God whispering through your own story. A few great questions to hear what he might be saying…
- Who am I?
- What about God am I most uniquely suited to reveal to others?
- How is that meaning in my life best lived out?
I think it is very healthy, human, and honest to wrestle with the question of “Does God speak?” but maybe a more important question to ponder is – If He is speaking – “Are you listening?
Leaving Comfort for Courage
This is a piece I (Jeanne) wrote earlier this year when I was facing one of the regular occurring visitors in my life – FEAR. It has served as a reminder to me when FEAR comes knocking on my door – That my God is faithful and that He called me to courage not comfort.
Courage will always require an element of leaving. Leaving is just plain hard. When My 3 year old knows I’m about to leave he will often squeeze as hard as he can around my neck to lovingly manipulate me into staying one more minute.
.
I know how he feels – because leaving comfort for courage makes me want to wrap my arms around every ounce of safety in my life – hoping if I hold on tight enough that I won’t have to taste the pain of the leaving what I know is inevitable.
Leaving comfort and safety looks and sounds alluring and attractive – but the attraction fades quickly – in fact I have never felt so vulnerable, small, and needy…. words that are not known for their alluring appeal.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to question your decision.
It will cause you to look around for the safety bars, seatbelt, and any kind of security button.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to try to make something happen… scheme, make phone calls, send out hail mary e-mails– anything to distract from sitting in the fear.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to doubt your abilities – you will look at everything that you have failed at in the past… failed relationships, failed financial decisions, failed leadership calls, – and you will wonder will you repeat those patterns and are they indicators to go out and look for comfort again.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to doubt the author of the calling on your life. Thinking that God is too busy to take care of your little fear
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to be jealous of your neighbors who seem to be perfectly content with their lives – you will wonder if you are some sort of crazy person that has a unhealthy propensity to live on the edge.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to look for the easy way out.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to pray like never before… wonder if you know any scripture to cast out the inner demon of doubt.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to white knuckle yourself around anything that feels secure and semi safe – even though you know earthly security and safety is a mirage and the place where Jesus is, is most where you want to be.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
Cause you to feel weak in the knees – a good indicator that you should stop standing up and get ON your knees..
Moving from comfort to courage will…
Cause others to question you… especially those that have found security to be a bedrock to build their lives on. You will be misunderstood, questioned, and perhaps even seen as foolish.
So today God I feel every one of these fears. I am terrified… straight up terrified. I am calling out to you to be a voice of truth and freedom. Tell me to settle down, to trust you and to release every one of these fears into your arms of faith. I know it is impossible to invite others into a life of obedience if I am unable to live it myself – so today I am re-upping my commitment to obey and be faithful.
I am doing this out of the spirit that lives within – my will wants to go get a job at a church and ask them to take care of all of this. But I know that is not YOUR will. Send your angels to tend to me as I feel the temptation to trust myself today – with obedience I am choosing to trust you.
