Working Out

So, for the past few weeks I've been working on getting in shape for The World Race. I'm a member of Urban Active which has been a huge blessing...and the view is amazing!

As I'm working out, at least I can look up and enjoy the view of my favorite skyline! It is always nice to have a bit of a distraction.

Along with the beautiful view, there are lots of machines to choose from...I've only ventured onto a select few, but I'm pretty intrigued by all the sights. The most commonly used piece of equipment for me is a standard elliptical. (I couldn't find

a picture, so you'll have to use your imagination) I started out just using a treadmill, but after using the elliptical I was converted :) I've ventured onto one other piece of machinery, and I probably won't be doing it anymore...It's even a little

intimidating to look at, but it's even worse to use! I spent about 10 minutes on it before completely giving up and moving on to more charted territory. Take a look...

The manufacturer of this machine boasts, "The AMT does more than customize a workout, it customizes a movement -- adapting to your motion -- which means you can completely change the motion and paths of your steps without so much as the push of the button." In my opinion, this thing really just makes it hard to work out without feeling like you could fly off at any moment. By "completely change the motion" they mean, "one false move and you're done for"

So, now that you've gotten the run-down, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into today's workout...Enjoy :)

At this point I thought you'd enjoy a pic of what I look like after about 4 miles on the elliptical.

After this I moved on to the treadmill for a few more minutes, and the workout for the day was accomplished. So, there you go...hope you enjoyed your glimpse into a workout with Charity!

A Word From The Lord

I got this email from a friend, and it's straight from the Lord to me...I just wanted to share it. I hope it speaks to you as well!

I just wanted to share some goodies and rocks of Truth that God has been pouring out on me lately. I am searching for Him on His pages of life-giving breath and He remains faithful to guide me in His Truth. The process is claiming it and living it, but it all starts with the reading.

Watch out now, I'm about to get metaphorical; sorry. Reading His Word is so much like a flower coming into it's own to bask in the warm rays of sun and receive it's nutrients. All flowers start out as seeds, they have been implanted in the Earth by their Maker's Hand. While they are covered in the soil, they are just mere seeds, no one (except the Maker who imbedded them there) even realizes they exist yet. It is through time, pouring out of water, and germinating in the nutrients of the rich soil (all of which the Maker must do because the seed is helpless on it's own, completely inept to help itself and make itself grow) that the seed begins to develop. Roots shoot out from the bottom and find an immovable anchor deep down in the depths, a strong long stem pushes through the top and reaches for the sun that is just beyond the surface of the soil. The seed is in the early stages of development and still needs the unseen hand of the Maker giving it prudent care. The stem continues it's ascent toward the surface, slowly creeping, but with resolved determination and drawing from the strength of continual nourishment from the soil and water. The stem peaks through the surface and gets it's first inhale of refreshing breath and warming rays. It's a little more difficult above the soil. The Maker still provides the water and sun, but now there are other elements involved warring against the stem (for it is still not yet a flower in bloom) and the Maker. There is wind and unpredictable temperature changes, sniffling rodents wanting to claw up the roots, numerous weeds threatening to smolder and choke out the nutrients, and the list goes on and on. But the stem finds strength in it's roots firmly planted below so long ago and the stem finds strength in all that time of being nourished within the rich contents of the soil, and the stem finds strength from it's Maker's hand, who with such poignant care, gives just the right amount of water and sun and air. The stem continues reaching out into the open air and towards the sun, ready to take it's own position among Creation, ready to announce to the world that "I am here and have been all along. You just could not see, because it was not time yet. But I am coming! And when I make my debut, oh what a glorious sight I will be! Not because of anything that I have done, but because My Maker esteemed me in this manner and made me this way. My Maker watched over me, cared for me and nourished me in my helpless estate to strengthen me up to accomplish this purpose. That I may stand among Creation and join in with the masses of beauties and wonders and proclaim as only I can; 'Behold what My Maker can do! Behold who My Maker is! Bear witness to what is in front of your eyes right now because it is HE that you see in me. And behold what living praise and breathing worship is!' " A bud begins to form on the stem and the stem bears the extra weight with the continued strengthening of past and current nourishment. The Maker continues watering and tending to the soil around the budding stem; removing weeds and adding carefully allotted portions of enriched soil where the weeds had stripped the soil of it's fullness. The morning dawns quiet and slow, much like the first day the stem poked through the earth. The budding stem feels a new and fresh wave of strength come over it. What is this new strength? It has a name. What is it? .... EMPOWERMENT! The budding stem releases the beauty within itself, the beauty that had been packaged up within since the first moment the Maker created the seed to be and planted it in the soil. All the contents were within the seed to make itself beautiful and to get itself to this day, but the seed itself could not care for itself and bring itself to this day. From day one, the seed had complete dependence on the Maker. From day one the seed was helpless on its own, but the Maker provided nourishment and strength through time, care, sun, air, rich soil, protective hands. And now, the time had come for Creation to recognize what the Maker had done, what the Maker is doing, and what the Maker will do with small seeds in unseen places. From the budding stem, splashes of color and sheer strength clothed in velvet softness stretched out through the air and patted the once threatening winds. Playful petals danced upon the gentle breezes and smiled into the sun's rays. The budding stem had now become a flower. Oh what a relief to come out in divine beauty and join Creation in the Maker's splendor. What a delight, what a joy, what an awesome privilege and honor! From a small unnoticed seed came roots and a stem, from the stem came a bud and leaves, from the bud came a flower and all in the Maker's timing and all through the Maker's care. An airy shadow falls over the flower as the Maker and flower meet face to face for the first time. The Maker has been able to see this day the whole time, the Maker has been able to watch the seed grow, the Maker has watched over it since it was a mere seed. But it was not until today that the seed-turned-flower was enabled to see it's Maker. The Maker grins at His beauty reflected before Him, touches gently the velvet petals, and brings His nose close to smell the fragrant aroma. "Dare I touch My Maker back?" thinks the flower to itself. The Maker grins more broadly as He feels softness caress His cheeks. Then for the first time, the flower hears the voice of it's Maker; "You have done well My Flower. You have done well. You are My Beauty reflected on the earth and I find delight in you. You have done well."

Wow, Thank you LORD!

Spiritual Obesity

Have you ever wondered if there is any way that you could study the Bible too much? I've been contemplating this for the past month or so. I'm gonna go ahead and say that I love reading the Word, and communing with God through the words inspired by Him. I love the way He speaks through it. I want to make it clear that this post has nothing to do with me thinking that reading the Bible is a waste of time...THAT IS NOT THE CASE!

What has really made me think about all of this is the fact that I feel like some people spend their whole life reading the Bible and they never actually put the words into action. They can quote scripture all day, but have never quoted it for the good of someone else. They know exactly where to find, "the great commission" but have never done anything with it.

I've come to the realization that Americans have not only become physically obese, but we've figured out a way to become spiritually obese. We continue to read the Word of God and we soak it in and talk about it with our Christian friends. We do our Bible study once a week with a group of people from our church, then we go to church on Sunday and listen to the preacher and we leave with this new morsel of understanding. But most of us just stock pile it all. We learn and learn and study and learn...but how often do we put that learning into practice.

When I look at the ministry of Jesus I definitely see that he studied the scripture. He knew it. I know that because when he was tempted he replied to satan with scripture. When Jesus was walking the earth he was fulfilling exactly what the scriptures said. But I also see that Jesus did more than study the scriptures. He gave life to people through sharing them.

I also see a great example in the disciples. These guys were not spiritual leaders when Jesus picked them. They were fishermen, tax collectors, just plain old guys...then Jesus entered the picture. At that point, Jesus didn't tell them to immediately go share. Jesus taught them. They sat at His feet and learned. So, there is a place for sitting at Jesus' feet and learning. What I'm seeing is that a lot of us just stop there and keep sitting...getting more and more tubby as we take in the words of Jesus and just sit on them day after day. We miss the part where Jesus sends out the disciples and they become Apostles.

Matthew 10 says: "1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the 12 apostles:...5 Jesus sent out the 12 apostles with these instructions:...7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

It is interesting to me that this is where the 12 are first called Apostles. Jesus gives them authority to do great things and then sends them out as apostles. He tells them to GO! I think we get caught in the thought that we aren't able to live up to that standard. But Jesus said that we would do far more than He did. He gave us the same authority to cast out demons and raise the dead and heal every sickness. He told us to GO! Instead, we sit around and do our Bible studies and live our comfortable lives, all the while becoming more and more spiritually obese.

That's what I've been thinking about...share your thoughts!

My Declaration

I had a conversation tonight that has my heart beating in anticipation of what is to come. As I sat in a crowded restaurant with a friend we talked about the Holy Spirit. I know that there are lots of things that I have yet to experience with the Holy Spirit. In the Bible it speaks of gifts of the spirit, you know, speaking in tongues, prophesying, healing...you get the point. While this conversation was happening I made this statement, "I will see demons cast out, I will see people healed..."and as I paused the Holy Spirit showed up. My friend looked at me and began to speak a word of prophesy over me. As I spoke those things there was a spirit of timidity and uncertainty. Would God really allow me to see these things? Am I ready for this? Am I worthy of the miraculous? At that moment the Holy Spirit stepped in and began to speak. I shouldn't speak of those things and wonder if I'm really capable, I should make them my declaration! It is my declaration that through the power of Jesus living within me I WILL see demons flee. I WILL see people healed. I WILL speak words of prophesy over people. I WILL!

This Easter season, I'm not just focused on the resurrection. I'm remembering that Jesus said we would do far greater things than He did...when's the last time we really let that soak in? He healed the blind...he cast out demons...he did the miraculous. That means I (you too) can do the miraculous, even more than we see Jesus doing. So, that's my Holy Spirit moment of the day. Wow, God is good. I can't wait to be part of what He's got planned!!!

The World Race

So, today has been a pretty crazy day. Work was normal, friends were normal, it was in all usual ways normal. The crazy part comes in when you throw God into the mix.

I guess I should give some back story. Last year around Thanksgiving I met someone who had just gotten back from something called The World Race. When I met her, I realized almost immediately that God was changing things within me. For 2 years now, I have been a youth minister, and I have absolutely loved it! God has taught me so much that there's no way I could type it all here. And now He's changing things up. Ever since Thanksgiving I've been trying to "figure this out". I've been trying to convince God that He really wants to wait for all this mission stuff. The whole time, I'm saying Hey God, I'll go, but I know you want me to wait for a few years, right? I mean that's the logical thing. Why would I leave the job I love? Why would I want to be anywhere else at this point.

Today God reminded me that I told Him I would GO. I didn't put a time on it. I just said "Here am I, SEND ME." Really, I said that. (wow, I need to watch what I say) So, as God keeps hitting me with this idea of The World Race, I'm beginning to realize that it's not way down the road. It's coming. I need to get ready. My every day life needs to be preparing me for the race. I'd really appreciate you praying for this whole situation. This is going to require a lot of work. There's a lot of stuff that has to be taken care of, but I know God is in it. Since that's the case I know He's gonna take care of the details. I just need to know that my friends are praying. If you are interested in looking at what The World Race is all about click here: theworldrace.org. It's a great organization, and God is doing might things through it. Overall, I just need you to pray that God gives me wisdom and discernment. A lot of things need to happen for this to work...My God be glorified!

Duffy Street Reunion

On Friday night I got to hang out with the awesome room mates I had during college.  It was a great time to catch up and laugh (along with making ourselves feel old).  I was the only one that had a camera handy, so here are the pics.  There aren't many, but they show us.  I miss you girls already! Let's do it again...quicker this time!

Selfish

Yeah, that's me. In a word. I must confess that most of my life has been spent living a life that is all about ME.  The funny thing is, it looks normal.  I mean, everyone has t.v.(s), most people have at least one computer and the internet in their house, and I have all the comforts of living in America.  I love my life, I'm comfortable in it.  I have my own little place with everything mentioned above, and I have a cute relationship with Jesus to share with the Christian people that I surround myself with.  At this moment I'm wondering what Jesus must think about that.

I've really been burdened lately about taking an international trip.  If you know me at all, you know that's where my passion lies. So, when I started wanting to leave the country it was nothing new to me.  The thing that was missing was my willingness to give up MY comfort.  I love my job, my condo, my car, my friends...why would I leave all that to board a plane to who knows where? 

This morning I was completely humbled by God.  I got just a glimpse of what He sees when He looks at people all over the world. He's a God that could look at us and see us as filthy sinners that deserve nothing but rags...He could view us as failures...as cheaters, liars, and sex addicts...you name it. God has the right to see us in all our shame.  Instead, God looks at us and sees beauty.  

I think I may have learned a little more about love.  I love people. I love life.  I love my friends and family.  But, do I love the people who don't love me in return? Do I truly love the nations, or just the idea of traveling and meeting new people?  Right now, I'd have to say, I love myself way more than any of that.  I love being comfortable. 

I say all of that, to say that I'm done with all of it.  I'm leaving my selfishness.  I want to see what it's like to live like Jesus. I want to experience what true love really looks like. I want to be a vessel for people to see Jesus' ridiculous love.  I'm not talking about people seeing ME. I'm talking about people wondering why.  

Jesus taught and lived a life that revolved around loving people. He loved the guys that followed him. He loved the people he passed on the road.  He even went a step farther, and loved the people who killed him.  You know this already.  So do I, but I didn't take that into consideration when I said that I wanted to be like Jesus.  

He's calling me to love, period.  He's calling me to love the world around me. Instead of sitting in my own little bubble, He wants me to get out and love His kids, because everyone is a Child of God.  Yet another cliche, I know, but SO TRUE.  I'm so frustrated that I've missed it for so long. I don't want to anymore. I want to love without condition. I want to love without expectation. I want to love like Jesus.

I was challenged by the thought of loving the faceless. Do I love the people that I've never even met?  I want to. I want God's Spirit to be so present in my life that I can't help myself.  God loves us unconditionally. I want to love Him so much that His love flows through my veins. I want to be a continuation of the love that He has shown me.

You may be wondering why I'm blogging about all of this...Well, for one, I needed to get it out.  Second, I want you to hold me to it.  Be my accountability, I need it. I don't want this to be a passing wind.  I want it to be my lifestyle.  I want it to be my identity. My life isn't at all about me, it's about Jesus.  He saved me by an act of extreme love, and I need to show that love to the rest of the world.  

Earlier I said something about wanting to travel. And honestly I've been very conflicted about where I'm supposed to go.  There are multiple places that have been dropped in my lap recently, and I thought I was just getting in the way and wanting to leave the country.  I'm beginning to realize it's not about picking one place.  It's about loving the people in those places and every place in between.  I want to love Ukrainians. I want to love Filipinos.  I want to love the Chinese.  But I also want to love the Iraqis. I want to love Africans. I want to love Americans. I want to love...

So, I guess my final thought is that i WILL go. It's not about where. It's about why.  I will go to love...not wanting anything in return.  May God's Will be done in my life.  If it costs me everything, then I count it as a blessing.

I don't understand why God still uses me, but I'm working on accepting it. I will no longer hide behind my insecurities, but live in the power of knowing that Jesus is within me.  I'm a sinner, saved by scandalous grace.  I'm going to love with a love that only comes from God.