Chapter 5: Surrender: The One Decision That Always Helps
Reflections
"I will keep this area, this pattern, this relationship under my own control. I will hang on to this grudge. I will enjoy the pleasure I get from this habit. I know you want full surrender but I don't trust you."
I will... and I know... but... I DON'T...
When I read this quote I immediately thought, "Wow...that really hits home right now." I consider myself a faithful servant of God. Someone who has truly given her life to Christ in such a way that it is no longer her own. Many of the decisions I made have felt like true leaps of faith (but that's a long story, for another post, at another time). However, there is one thing that is hard for me to surrender to God, to completely relinquish control of.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
"the me I want to be" Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Find Out How You Grow
Reflections
"The Bible does not say you are God's appliance; it says you are his masterpiece. Appliances get mass-produced. Masterpieces get hand-crafted."
What an awesome perspective to adopt!? There is a stark difference between an appliance and a masterpiece. The way they are created, treated, shared, engaged, valued, ... the list goes on. It is important to think about how God perceives each one of us. We have to perceive ourselves that way too. There is not a one size fits all approach to our lives, our circumstance, our spiritual devotion and discipline. Engage in those things that feed you when it comes to devoting time to God. This doesn't mean that discipline is easy...
Reflections
"The Bible does not say you are God's appliance; it says you are his masterpiece. Appliances get mass-produced. Masterpieces get hand-crafted."
What an awesome perspective to adopt!? There is a stark difference between an appliance and a masterpiece. The way they are created, treated, shared, engaged, valued, ... the list goes on. It is important to think about how God perceives each one of us. We have to perceive ourselves that way too. There is not a one size fits all approach to our lives, our circumstance, our spiritual devotion and discipline. Engage in those things that feed you when it comes to devoting time to God. This doesn't mean that discipline is easy...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"the me I want to be" Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Discover the Flow
Reflections
"God's plan is for you to become the best version of you, but right now there are two versions of you. There is the you God made you to be - and there is the you that currently exists.
What do you do with the gap?"
This is why anyone would be reading this book: They recognize the gap. Recognizing the role of God's grace in closing this gap and embracing that role is important. God's grace exists to be our salvation and to give us life. Just as it only takes one step to begin your walk with God, it only takes one step that lacks faith or clarity to fall out of stride. God's grace is like a soft British voice that I recognize more than I'd like to admit, "Recalculating route..."
Reflections
"God's plan is for you to become the best version of you, but right now there are two versions of you. There is the you God made you to be - and there is the you that currently exists.
What do you do with the gap?"
This is why anyone would be reading this book: They recognize the gap. Recognizing the role of God's grace in closing this gap and embracing that role is important. God's grace exists to be our salvation and to give us life. Just as it only takes one step to begin your walk with God, it only takes one step that lacks faith or clarity to fall out of stride. God's grace is like a soft British voice that I recognize more than I'd like to admit, "Recalculating route..."
Friday, June 18, 2010
"the me I want to be" Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Me I Don't Want To Be
Reflections
I wasn't surprised to see this chapter title. How can you understand what you're striving for unless you know how to recognize what you're avoiding? I happen to be reading this chapter at a time in my life when I feel like God is doing amazing things...everywhere! Having recently moved to Tennessee and with the possibility of moving back to Ohio looming in my near future (not because I'd rather be in Ohio...believe me, I LOVE living in Tennessee), I must say God has not been working in my life the way he usually does. Its been a little more difficult to recognize God around me and to feel his presence in my life.
Reflections
I wasn't surprised to see this chapter title. How can you understand what you're striving for unless you know how to recognize what you're avoiding? I happen to be reading this chapter at a time in my life when I feel like God is doing amazing things...everywhere! Having recently moved to Tennessee and with the possibility of moving back to Ohio looming in my near future (not because I'd rather be in Ohio...believe me, I LOVE living in Tennessee), I must say God has not been working in my life the way he usually does. Its been a little more difficult to recognize God around me and to feel his presence in my life.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"the me I want to be" by John Ortberg
So, I decided to start chipping away at my "I'm finally out of school and can read some of what I want to" reading list by reading "the me I want to be" by John Ortberg. I really think it will be a good one to read as I am beginning a new phase in my life. As I read the book, I will post some of my reflections and some of my favorite quotes from the book on this blog. Any thoughts are welcome! It should be a great conversation :~)
Chapter 1: Learn Why God Made You
Reflections
Around the same time I started reading this book I came across an amazing son by FFH. The song is called “I Want Your Best”. The second verse says,
“I’m trying hard to keep from giving you advice,
It’s like teaching Shakespeare how to write,
Or Monet the way to paint another scene.
But there’s just something in this amateur that thinks
That my opinions what you need on how to work in me.
But I am only clay, and clay probably shouldn’t speak.
I want your best.
But what if your best is brokenness,
Would I be broken?
I want your best.
But what if it’s less than what I ask
Or what I’m hopin’?
What if your best is here in the waiting,
Here in the going through the motions?
I’d still be trusting all I am,
And all I have,
And nothing less,
To Potter’s hands.”
In chapter one Ortberg states, “It is humbling that I cannot be anything I want. I don’t get to create myself. I accept myself as God’s gift to me and accept becoming that person as God’s task set before me.” God is the creator of the ends of the earth, the potter in other words, and we are his creation, the clay. When the Bible speaks of new creation, it is not suggesting that we will be exchanged, but that we will be restored… redeemed… to our God-designed uniqueness. There is a me that I want to be but I don’t get to create myself and I don’t get to request that God make me a certain person. The me we all should want to be is the me that God created us to be.
Quotes
Life is not about any particular achievement or experience. The most important task of your life is not what you do, but who you become.
Your “spiritual life” is not limited to certain devotional activities that you engage in. It is receiving power from the Spirit of God to become the person that God had in mind when he created you – his handiwork.
God made you to flourish – to receive life from outside yourself, creating vitality within yourself and producing blessing beyond yourself.
Your uniqueness is God-designed.
God wants you to become a “new creation”. But “new” doesn’t mean completely different…
God wants to redeem you, not exchange you.
It is humbling that I cannot be anything I want. I don’t get to create myself. I accept myself as God’s gift to me and accept becoming that person as God’s task set before me.
Your longing to become all you were meant to be is a tiny echo of God’s longing to begin the new creation.
“The me God made me to be” is measured by my capacity to love. When we live in love, we flourish.
I asked a wise man, “How do you assess the well-being of your soul?”
He immediately said, “I ask myself two questions”:
~ Am I growing more easily discouraged these days?
~ Am I growing more easily irritated these days?
At the core of a flourishing soul are the love of God and the peace of God. If peace is growing in my, I am less easily discouraged. If love is growing, I am less easily irritated.
Chapter 1: Learn Why God Made You
Reflections
Around the same time I started reading this book I came across an amazing son by FFH. The song is called “I Want Your Best”. The second verse says,
“I’m trying hard to keep from giving you advice,
It’s like teaching Shakespeare how to write,
Or Monet the way to paint another scene.
But there’s just something in this amateur that thinks
That my opinions what you need on how to work in me.
But I am only clay, and clay probably shouldn’t speak.
I want your best.
But what if your best is brokenness,
Would I be broken?
I want your best.
But what if it’s less than what I ask
Or what I’m hopin’?
What if your best is here in the waiting,
Here in the going through the motions?
I’d still be trusting all I am,
And all I have,
And nothing less,
To Potter’s hands.”
In chapter one Ortberg states, “It is humbling that I cannot be anything I want. I don’t get to create myself. I accept myself as God’s gift to me and accept becoming that person as God’s task set before me.” God is the creator of the ends of the earth, the potter in other words, and we are his creation, the clay. When the Bible speaks of new creation, it is not suggesting that we will be exchanged, but that we will be restored… redeemed… to our God-designed uniqueness. There is a me that I want to be but I don’t get to create myself and I don’t get to request that God make me a certain person. The me we all should want to be is the me that God created us to be.
Quotes
Life is not about any particular achievement or experience. The most important task of your life is not what you do, but who you become.
Your “spiritual life” is not limited to certain devotional activities that you engage in. It is receiving power from the Spirit of God to become the person that God had in mind when he created you – his handiwork.
God made you to flourish – to receive life from outside yourself, creating vitality within yourself and producing blessing beyond yourself.
Your uniqueness is God-designed.
God wants you to become a “new creation”. But “new” doesn’t mean completely different…
God wants to redeem you, not exchange you.
It is humbling that I cannot be anything I want. I don’t get to create myself. I accept myself as God’s gift to me and accept becoming that person as God’s task set before me.
Your longing to become all you were meant to be is a tiny echo of God’s longing to begin the new creation.
“The me God made me to be” is measured by my capacity to love. When we live in love, we flourish.
I asked a wise man, “How do you assess the well-being of your soul?”
He immediately said, “I ask myself two questions”:
~ Am I growing more easily discouraged these days?
~ Am I growing more easily irritated these days?
At the core of a flourishing soul are the love of God and the peace of God. If peace is growing in my, I am less easily discouraged. If love is growing, I am less easily irritated.
Monday, March 8, 2010
What College Taught Me...
I used to think that my college education was defined by the amount of knowledge I attained while sitting in a chair in a classroom listening lecture number 91,279,047,553,851...but there is so much more to it than that. Now that I am a graduate of Ohio Northern University I can look back and say that the most important things I gained from my experience were not the lessons I learned in the classroom. The most important things I learned were those that changed my approach to life outside of the classroom.
What I know now that I didn't know then...
#1 ~ People are worth it...
Every late night (or all-nighter) I had to spend working,
Every test I didn't study for until the hour before,
Every paper I had to beg for an extension to complete,
Every presentation I finished writing as I was walking to (or sitting in) class,
Every meeting I missed,
Every practice I left early (or woke up at 5am to get in),
Every class I skipped (because I had to sleep at some point),
Every chapter of every text book that I never read,
was absolutely undoubtedly worth...
Every movie I watched for the 3848750038 time,
Every story I told over and over again, laughing harder every time,
Every pancake I ate at 10pm,
Every cup of coffee I had at Northern on Main,
Every dinner I ate out that I couldn't afford,
Every pizza ordered at midnight,
Every spontaneous but necessary drive home,
Every smile shared,
Every tear shed,
Every joy lived and re-lived,
Every fear embraced and conquered,
Every one of the people in my life.
I will admit that when I started college I expected to finish knowing what I was going to do with the rest of my life (or at least the next stage of my life). If I would have maintained that expectation I would be writing this as an absolute failure. Instead I decided that if I could finish with any idea of what God wanted me to do and where he wanted me to be, I would be satisfied. Today I don't know what exactly God is calling me to but that's okay. Its quite the accomplishment to honestly say that I'm trying to follow the path that God has set before me. The ability to distinguish between what God is doing in me, with me, for me, and through me, and what God wants me to do for him is a difficult dialectic. I can say that I have made this distinction. Success!
#3 ~ It really is who you know...
If I didn't know my high school English teacher I would not have been in Ohio after I graduated high school nor would I be a member of Stillwater UMC. If I didn't attend Stillwater I would not know the family that I live with now nor have an interest in multi-site ministry or the United Methodist Church. Knowing this family allowed me to finish my Associate's Degree at Sinclair Community College. If I didn't know a member of the Board of Trustees for Ohio Northern I would not have transferred to ONU after completing my AA at Sinclair. If I would not have known this Board Member I would not have known the people I had to ask for money to pay my tuition and would not have graduated with my Bachelor's Degree. If I wouldn't have known my Uncle in Nashville, TN who owns The Diekhoff Company, I would not be moving to Nashville and working for his company as a church liaison. What's more important than knowing all of these people? Being willing to let God use these people in my life.
#4 ~ Humility is strength...
This lesson builds on #3. Knowing the right people and meeting new people are important, but if you can't humble yourself enough to ask them for help, to let God use them, the benefit is lost. Networking is a great tool but so is a hammer. Tools are only valuable if you use them. If you need help, ask for it. If you don't know, say so. If you're wrong, admit it. You will be stronger for it.
#5 ~ Balance is everything...
There will always be things on your "to do" list. There will always be relationships that require your time. There will always be hobbies and interests that you want to stay involved in. There will always be a God who deserves everything that you can give (and a whole lot more). There will always be...
All of these things matter. Life is one heck of a juggling act. So set your priorities accordingly (making room for yourself and that which energizes you). Keep your balance!
#6 ~ Hallmark is still around...
...and for good reason.
Every month my grandmother sent me an allowance check in a greeting card. You would think that as a poor college student the check would be the most exciting part of receiving that card. It turns out that the most important part was knowing that when I was overwhelmed, overextended, overworked, and beyond stressed, someone was thinking and praying about me because they love me. No amount on that check could make up for the note that I received on that card every month. For anyone who is surprised that Hallmark is still making greeting cards...mark my words. There is a reason.
What I know now that I didn't know then...
#1 ~ People are worth it...
Every late night (or all-nighter) I had to spend working,
Every test I didn't study for until the hour before,
Every paper I had to beg for an extension to complete,
Every presentation I finished writing as I was walking to (or sitting in) class,
Every meeting I missed,
Every practice I left early (or woke up at 5am to get in),
Every class I skipped (because I had to sleep at some point),
Every chapter of every text book that I never read,
was absolutely undoubtedly worth...
Every movie I watched for the 3848750038 time,
Every story I told over and over again, laughing harder every time,
Every pancake I ate at 10pm,
Every cup of coffee I had at Northern on Main,
Every dinner I ate out that I couldn't afford,
Every pizza ordered at midnight,
Every spontaneous but necessary drive home,
Every smile shared,
Every tear shed,
Every joy lived and re-lived,
Every fear embraced and conquered,
Every one of the people in my life.
The time that I spent with the people that I care about is time that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I can always make more money but there are only 24 hours in a day. This was time well spent.
I will admit that when I started college I expected to finish knowing what I was going to do with the rest of my life (or at least the next stage of my life). If I would have maintained that expectation I would be writing this as an absolute failure. Instead I decided that if I could finish with any idea of what God wanted me to do and where he wanted me to be, I would be satisfied. Today I don't know what exactly God is calling me to but that's okay. Its quite the accomplishment to honestly say that I'm trying to follow the path that God has set before me. The ability to distinguish between what God is doing in me, with me, for me, and through me, and what God wants me to do for him is a difficult dialectic. I can say that I have made this distinction. Success!
#3 ~ It really is who you know...
If I didn't know my high school English teacher I would not have been in Ohio after I graduated high school nor would I be a member of Stillwater UMC. If I didn't attend Stillwater I would not know the family that I live with now nor have an interest in multi-site ministry or the United Methodist Church. Knowing this family allowed me to finish my Associate's Degree at Sinclair Community College. If I didn't know a member of the Board of Trustees for Ohio Northern I would not have transferred to ONU after completing my AA at Sinclair. If I would not have known this Board Member I would not have known the people I had to ask for money to pay my tuition and would not have graduated with my Bachelor's Degree. If I wouldn't have known my Uncle in Nashville, TN who owns The Diekhoff Company, I would not be moving to Nashville and working for his company as a church liaison. What's more important than knowing all of these people? Being willing to let God use these people in my life.
#4 ~ Humility is strength...
This lesson builds on #3. Knowing the right people and meeting new people are important, but if you can't humble yourself enough to ask them for help, to let God use them, the benefit is lost. Networking is a great tool but so is a hammer. Tools are only valuable if you use them. If you need help, ask for it. If you don't know, say so. If you're wrong, admit it. You will be stronger for it.
#5 ~ Balance is everything...
There will always be things on your "to do" list. There will always be relationships that require your time. There will always be hobbies and interests that you want to stay involved in. There will always be a God who deserves everything that you can give (and a whole lot more). There will always be...
All of these things matter. Life is one heck of a juggling act. So set your priorities accordingly (making room for yourself and that which energizes you). Keep your balance!
#6 ~ Hallmark is still around...
...and for good reason.
Every month my grandmother sent me an allowance check in a greeting card. You would think that as a poor college student the check would be the most exciting part of receiving that card. It turns out that the most important part was knowing that when I was overwhelmed, overextended, overworked, and beyond stressed, someone was thinking and praying about me because they love me. No amount on that check could make up for the note that I received on that card every month. For anyone who is surprised that Hallmark is still making greeting cards...mark my words. There is a reason.
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