I have been wrestling with this post all day…really all week. But, I said I would post it, so I’m going to keep my word. If you missed part one, you can check it out here for the background on this post. These stories are in no particular order and in fact I believe they are interwoven and depend on one another.

Bridge the Gap
Although I can’t quite put a finger on it or give it a Webster worthy definition, I’ve had a feeling in my heart for a while now that there is a gap in the Church. A gap between what the Church is and what God intended the Church to be. God has placed a burden on my heart for this gap and the impact it has on how we live as the Church. He’s waking me up to the realization that His people, His Church, needs to be awakened. I’m not sure what that looks like exactly, but I know WHY. I think that in many areas we have strayed far from God’s heart, from what is important to Him. And I think it’s time we find our way back to that. I feel like God is calling me to be a very small part of the solution, one small gap stander. But, before I can be a part of the solution He needs to wake my heart up a little bit more and better prepare me to stand in the gap. I have a feeling this is more of a life story, not one that is going to be anywhere near written in 2010…but I pray I’ll at least see the first chapter.

Experience the Church Outside of America
Fact: I haven’t been on a mission trip since high school. And none of those were international. I would definitely call the volunteer work I did during college local missions, and while that started the opening of my eyes, it isn’t enough. If I am going to help others see what’s possible outside of the box I have to step outside of the box myself first…far outside! This story is in motion…more on it later. I think this story is an important part in how the bridging the gap story is going to be carried out.

Invest in Relationships and Community
I wholeheartedly believe relationships are at the foundation of everything. At the end of the day it’s my relationship with God, with my Savior that matters. His command to us is centered around relationship – Love Him and love our neighbors. That simple…and also that important. But I’ll be honest, relationships don’t come naturally to me. I thoroughly enjoy serving people, hearing their stories, and showing them Christ’s love. But, truly investing in relationship and community means sharing my story and who I am. That is something I have never enjoyed doing because it requires trust, and I suck at trust. But, in this season of surrender, I feel God calling me to surrender all…my fear of trust is included. And so, I’m challenging myself to truly, authentically, and transparently invest in relationships.

Be Okay with Being a Creative Doer
Call me quirky, but I’m a “quote collector.” I’ve always loved them. I often have trouble finding sufficient words to describe what’s in my head, and oftentimes quotes do the trick. One I like is from Sarah Ban Breathnach who said, “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the worlds needs dreamers who do.” Now, I’m  not so sure about the “above all” part, I think there is a reason God gifted us each differently and created us to work together. Some are created to be dreamers. Some are created to be doers. But I think there are some created to live in between those two worlds. And I feel like one of those. I honestly feel like there are two halves to me – the dreamer side and the practical organized (doer) side. For a long time I thought that creativity was limited to the dreaming, but I’ve come to realize that it can be just as linked to the doer side. I feel that for some reason I’ve held on so tightly to the dreamer side that I haven’t used the doer/implementer side as much as God created me to. And so, I’m on a mission to embrace that and to use it for His glory. This is another instance of “what that looks like I don’t know,” but something like getting behind the dreamers and serving behind the scenes to make their dreams a reality for the Kingdom.

Those are the stories God has placed on my heart in this season of life. Please feel free to hold me accountable to them, to ask me about them in conversation – virtual or otherwise.

What stories has God placed on your heart? I’d love to hear them!